A new way to check in with U.S. Customs and Border Protection

[Teranodon]

I just got this message from CPB. Seems like a good idea, and should be available here soon.

I'm actually not an SVRS member (a local CBP officer talked me out of signing up) but I do use NEXUS.

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INTRODUCING A NEW OPTION FOR REPORTING YOUR PLEASURE BOAT ARRIVAL TO CBP

Hello SVRS member,

It is our pleasure to announce that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is launching the CBPReporting Offsite Arrival – Mobile (ROAM) app, a new way for pleasure boaters to report their U.S. entry in select locations nationwide! This app provides pleasure boaters with a convenient and efficient way to report their U.S. entry from a personal device, as opposed to calling their local CBP number. Please note: Float plans are no longer required, and the Small Vessel Reporting System (SVRS) is being discontinued in the coming months. A notice will be posted to the SVRS website with a specific date and thereafter all travelers will be directed to utilize the CBP ROAM app. Your SVRS, Local Boater, or Registered Traveler numbers will remain in effect and can be utilized and saved within the app to expedite reporting.

What is the CBP ROAM app?
The CBP ROAM app is a free mobile application that provides a new and faster option for pleasure boaters to report their U.S. entry to CBP. Travelers can use their personal smart device (or a tablet located at partner businesses) to satisfy reporting requirements in select areas. All travelers, regardless of nationality or citizenship, are eligible to use the CBP ROAM app.

Where can the CBP ROAM app be used?
Currently, the CBP ROAM app can be used to report U.S. entry by pleasure boat in Florida, select locations in Minnesota, and in the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River area between Buffalo and Ogdensburg, NY. Additional locations are being added, and travelers should contact their local port of entry to confirm whether arrival submissions via the CBP ROAM app are accepted.

Download CBP ROAM on your Android or Apple device! Detailed instructions on how to install and use the app on a personal device are attached for your reference. For more information on the CBP ROAM app, visit the CBP ROAM page on CBP’s website. For CBP ROAM questions or comments, please reach out to cbproam@cbp.dhs.gov.

This program is a pilot and is still under development; please report any difficulties or comments to this email box and we will respond as quickly as possible.

Happy boating and stay safe!

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

 

[Loren Beach]

Be cautious of new reporting procedures. I hope this works for boaters in the NW.
I tried to use their SVRS in 2014, and several representatives told me that it was not working well on the west coast, altho it was supposedly working for several years on the eastern seaboard.

In the spring both of us went thru the interview process and were fingerprinted @ their customs facility in Portland. While on vacation in CN waters I filed a float plan on their web site just before leaving CN waters.... when I call the US number, once entering the San Juans, an apologetic lady in their call center in Florida told me that she could see that I had filed a "plan" but the system was not working and we still had to check in, in person.
We did so at Roche, with no problems. They did not even like to talk about SVRS.

So now they are making life more convenient for those who can afford smart phones and data plans. How nice. That's of course if this procedure works as it is supposed to work. :0

Let us know how it works out for you.

Thanks for the update.

 

[Kevin A Wright]

Yes please keep us all posted. Clearing customs back to the US in the PNW is a pain now. Especially at Roche in the summer, the line can be an hour or two long and doing doughnuts in a crowded and busy harbor while waiting is not fun.

They had a great system pre 9/11. Used to be able to get a customs "PIN' number for your boat. You'd call on the cellphone as you crossed into US waters and gave them the pin and the passport info on all on board, answered a few questions, and got a clearance number in return. They did have the 'option' of making you go to a customs port for physical inspection but that never happened to me. Sometime after 9/11 I was trying to call in and the phone just kept ringing and ringing. Never got a notice that the program was cancelled, no recorded message , nothing. Phone number was still connected but 'nobody home'.

Kevin Wright
E35 Hydro Therapy

 

[Teranodon]

I called the CBP office in Friday Harbor. The ROAM app is not supported here yet, and they have no idea as to when it will be.

I installed the app on my iPhone and poked around a bit. It has some nice features and I look forward to using it some day.

It's been said many times, and it's true: NEXUS, with all of its drawbacks, greatly simplifies crossing the border, both ways.

Given the ongoing rise in international tensions, it's hard to see any border crossing procedures getting much easier, anywhere. In that context, the new ROAM app is a small positive development in a generally gloomy global environment.