Christmas Island - Clearance
PRE-ARRIVAL
Christmas Island is an Indian Ocean Territory, administered by Australia and therefore all yachts wanting to enter or depart Australia from here must comply with Australian Border Force Procedures. This includes giving notice of impending arrival at least 96 hours before arrival. Penalties may apply for failure to do so. See Australia/Formalities for full details of clearance procedures.
ARRIVAL FORMALITIES
Advance Notification:
To ensure a smooth transition into Christmas Island the following form also needs to be completed well in advance of your anticipated arrival – in addition to the mandatory advance notification to the Australian Border Force.
- Complete the ABF form B333 – Small Craft Arrival Report available at the link https://www.abf.gov.au/form-listing/forms/b333.pdf and send through to dmwaci@border.gov.au
Vessels that arrive during the night are requested to advise Australian Border Force of their arrival at 08:30 the following morning. However, night arrivals are discouraged for safety reasons.
General process:
On arrival, contact ‘Christmas Island Port Control’ on VHF Ch16 for mooring instructions.
When all fast, contact ‘Australian Border Force’ on VHF Ch16 for clearance instructions.
Crew members are not allowed to disembark from the vessel until clearance formalities have been completed.
The police keep watch on VHF Channel 16 on a 24-hour basis. The Port Captain can be reached on VHF Channel 16 during office hours.
See the Fees section for mooring charges.
International Clearance
On arrival at Christmas Island you will need to provide the following information:
- the name of your craft
- the craft’s country and port of registration
- the last four ports you visited
- the details of people on board including name, date of birth, nationality and passport number
- details of any illness or disease recently encountered
- if you have any animals on board
- if you have any firearms on board
Each person on board will need to provide the following documents.
- a valid passport,
- visa and completed Incoming Passenger Card (this card will be provided by ABF officials on arrival)
CLEARING OUT
On departure, yachts are to notify Customs and Immigration, located at the police station. A Customs clearance form will be issued, which must be handed to Customs before departure.
Outward clearance is also required by the Harbour Master on leaving when all bills must be settled. The Customs office is open 08:00-16:00 Monday to Friday.
Last updated: August 2022
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Next Section: Formalities: Clearance Agents
Related to following destinations: Christmas Island
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Here is some general info about Christmas Island after our visit in August 2022.
We arrived from Darwin (where we had to clear out) and contacted the C.I. Harbour Master, who told us which mooring we could use. Note that you are not allowed to arrive at night. Clearing in was friendly and easy.
Laundry: coin-operated machines opposite Golden Bosun pub.
Wifi: Free at Golden Bosun (limited), Bank and neighbouring water company (unlimited); paid at Tourist Office. Local SIM cards are not available.
Rent e-bike at Tourist Office or e-mountainbike at Recreation Centre (possibly via Tourist Office).
Car rental: Kiat Car Rentals (0439 215 388); Soong Car Hire (0439 215 889) – use public phone outside post office for free calls.
Mooring: AUD 10 per day (50 per week) to be paid in cash.
Cash: there are no ATMs. Cash inside the bank (with passport), or ask for cash-out at the supermarket when paying by card.
Provisioning: ask around for local fruit and vegetables. There is a farm on Murray Road where you might get some. The supermarket across from the Tourist Information sometimes has local food. Imported fruit & vegetables are available the evening or morning after the weekly flight arrives.
Smuggling operations in this area – it is the closest port for Asylum seekers entering from Indonesia / Malaysia