Checking in, Checking out

Checking in to country (example used: Indonesia) when arriving by airplane.


-Bring passport
-Walk out of plane, approach customs booth at airport
-Pay appropriate fee, get stamp in passport, go retrieve luggage




Checking in and out of country when arriving by boat:


- Bring passport, cruising permit, cash in US$ for bribes, 11 copies of crewlist, visas procured in advance, a handful of passport-size pictures of crew, clearance-out report from previous country, boat-papers (altered in photoshop if necessary) and ANY paper regarding boat, crew and travel for the last 5 months.

-Locate customs, harbour master, immigration, quarantine and any other necessary officials, in this case navy.

-Get transportation, in this case; hire a scooter (make sure fuel tank is full)

-Start off; go to Immigration. Find the office closed, yet the employees present. Fend of attempts of bribery (“No, we're allright with the stamps already in our passports as we're not ever planning on leaving the boat.” (For Your Convenience; forget to mention your having lived in a hotel-room downtown for two weeks)) Make arrangements to come back next day when office is supposedly open.


-Go down to Customs. Find out that despite your observations regarding Immigration-office being closed, it is in fact open. What's more; find that in order to clear in you need a form which you get at Harbour Master's office. However this is closed.


-Walk over to Harbour Master's office. Find it open. Get form. Observe that in order of form to be valid it needs stamps from Immigration, Harbor Master, Navy, Quarantine and, finally; customs. Explain that you're clearing in today, but tomorrow you will clear out.


-Take form to Quarantine. Explain that you're clearing in, but will be back shortly to clear out.


-Pay fee of 20 000 Rupiah. Not too bad.

-Go to Navy office. Find it closed.


-Decide you cannot do anything more at present, go back to hotel room. Run out of petrol on the way back. Push scooter a couple of kilometres to petrol station.

-Return refreshed next day, go straight to Navy office. Find that navy-officer takes one of your precious two copies of form.


-Go to Immigration. Get notified that you don't have all the necessary forms, and by far not enough copies. Get handed the right form that you supposedly only can get at Harbor Masters.

-Run down to supermarket down the road. Make five copies of each form. Turn out a couple of dozen extra crew-lists just in case.


-Go back to Immigration. Watch Immigration Officer stamp each paper four times and sign once. Do maths. Forty stamps, ten signatures.

-Go back to Navy office for stamp on new form. Find Navy officer gone. Linger until bored.


-Moped over to Harbour Master, explain that, yes, you cleared in with his office yesterday and yes, today you're clearing out. Leave with necessary stamps and Harbour Master slightly puzzled.

-Head over to Quarantine. Explain that, yes, you cleared in yesterday, and, yes, today you're clearing out. Quarantine-guy wants 25 000 Rupiah. Calmly explain that the last three times you visited a Quarantine-office in his country, including his own office, yesterday, you only paid
20 000. Pay 20 000 Rupiah.


-Walk back to Navy office. Wait for Navy officer. Watch as puzzled Navy-guy clears you out two hours after he cleared you in.

-March to Customs office with both forms. Clear in and out with two-minute intervals.


-Go back to Harbour Master's office. Watch officials scrutinize your papers, and, Lo and Behold, find them in order. Wait for twenty minutes while they turn out a paper saying you are allowed to, and will leave their country tomorrow at noon.

-Go back to hotel room by way of the whole town after losing direction. Rest for six days until you can summon the energy to actually leave the country.




Clearing out of country when leaving by plane:

-Bring passport.
-Go to airport, approach customs-booth.
-Get stamp, wave goodbye, board plane.