September 30 , 2001 - Notes on clearing into Vanuatu (Posted 19 October 2001)

Until this year the only ports of entry for yachts in Vanuatu were Port Villa and Luganville. That meant that yachts heading for Vanuatu from Fiji had to sail straight past Tanna, one of the loveliest islands in the Vanuatu group. Likewise yachts heading for Vanuatu from the north had to pass the Banks group in order to clear at Luganville (roughly half way down the island chain).

This has now changed and both Tanna and the Banks are official ports of entry. It will make it much easier for yachts to cruise the whole island chain.

Fears that an increase in visitors might have too great an influence on the traditional lifestyle of the ni-Vanuatu will, we hope, prove to be without foundation. For many yachts traveling through the Pacific, the northern extent of Vanuatu is simply too far a diversion from their route to Australia or through the Torres Strait, so many will still bypass the northern areas of Vanuatu.

Also there are a great many different anchorages and most cruisers do not day sail, visiting one place after another. Instead they visit a few anchorages and try to get to know those well before moving on. Thus the number of yachts visiting each village is fairly small, and even with the introduction of new clearing ports, should stay that way.

Moving Between Islands

When moving from one clearing port to the area covered by another, you must obtain a letter from customs to present to the customs officer at the next port. This sounds more arduous than it is, and as always in Vanuatu the officials are pleasant and helpful.

Added 26 October 2001

One problem with clearing on Tanna is that there is no customs officer on the island so you can clear in Ok but when you clear out a customs officer has to fly down from Port Villa. There is no charge for this but it can take 2 or 3 days to organise as they prefer to wait for a few boats to need clearance before they send someone.

Visa

Vanuatu grants a one-month visa to visiting yacht crews and this can be renewed monthly for a maximum of 4 months.

Quarantine

The other issue of note regarding Vanuatu clearance is that, unlike any of the other South Pacific islands, the regulations governing food stuffs that may be brought into the country include the prohibition of meat and dairy foods. Strictly speaking, the regulations concern goods that will be landed so you could argue that frozen meat in the yacht's freezer is exempt as it is for use on board. The officials are extremely polite and helpful and we had no difficulties here.

Alcohol Allowances

One last point concerns alcohol. The regulations state that you may bring in only 1.5 litres per person. Some yachts that declared rather larger supplies than this were asked to pay customs duty or have their supplies bonded.

Anchorage Fees

There is a one-off anchorage fee to be paid, which means that you are not required to pay anchoring fees to individual village chiefs.