1
Tell us what kind of visit this is
An overnight in the outer bay, a season in a lagoon marina and a fuel stop before an onward passage are three different sets of formalities starting from the same anchorage.
Dutch Sint Maarten - arrival, outer-bay stays and departure
Simpson Bay Yacht Clearance Agent
Simpson Bay is a Dutch-side clearance location, and it is also an anchorage in its own right for yachts that never go through the bridge. Send the vessel, crew, route and timing details for review and, where a local agent is available, an introduction.
Simpson BayClearance location for Dutch-side Immigration and Customs
Simpson Bay and LagoonSimpson Bay, the outer-bay anchorage and the approaches to the Simpson Bay Bridge
Manual reviewEach request is assessed before an agent introduction.
Local assistance
How our Simpson Bay yacht clearance service works
Simpson Bay is where Dutch-side border clearance, lagoon-authority reporting and the bridge all sit within a few hundred metres of each other, which is convenient and also the reason they get confused with one another. The useful thing an agent does here is keep them separate and handle the ones that actually apply to your visit.
2
We separate the requirements
Immigration and Customs clearance, Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority reporting and charges, and bridge transit are distinct. We set out which of them your visit actually triggers.
3
An agent coordinates what applies
Where a local agent is available and takes the work on, they prepare the file, confirm current office arrangements and handle the steps that apply. Availability is not guaranteed and the decisions stay with the authorities.
Clearance checklist
What to have ready for a Simpson Bay arrival
The document set is the standard Dutch-side one. The planning details at the end matter here because they decide whether the lagoon and the bridge come into your visit at all.
✓Ship registration and flag details
✓Passports for everyone aboard, with a crew list and a passenger list
✓Clearance (zarpe) from your last port of call
✓Proof of insurance for the yacht
✓Proof of ownership, or written authority to operate the yacht
✓Where applicable: customs or temporary-admission evidence, skipper qualifications and charter papers
✓Planning detail: whether you are staying in the outer bay or continuing into the lagoon
✓Planning detail: the yacht's draught, beam and air draught, and your intended anchorage or berth
Local process
Arriving at and departing from Simpson Bay
Published Dutch-side guidance is that vessels arriving in Sint Maarten waters clear in and out through Immigration and Customs, and that reporting is due immediately on arrival and before departure. What sits on top of that depends on where you lie.
Report to Immigration and Customs
This applies to the arrival itself, whether or not you intend to use the lagoon. Confirm where the offices are receiving yachts and what their current hours are before you plan the day around them.
Getting ashore to do it
The police dock in the Simpson Bay Bridge channel is published as being for dinghies accessing Police, Immigration, Customs or the Lagoon Authority, for pick-ups and drop-offs, and it must not be left unattended. It is not a berth for the yacht itself, so work the shore trip into the plan.
Lagoon Authority reporting
St. Maarten Marine Trades Association guidance states that vessels entering Simpson Bay as well as the Simpson Bay Lagoon are required to clear in with the Lagoon Authority Collection Office at the police station just west of the bridge. Port St. Maarten's own material describes the authority and its mooring-fee collection without setting out that scope. Because the published sources differ, confirm whether this applies to an outer-bay stay rather than assuming it does not.
Bridge transit, only if you are transiting
The bridge runs to a published schedule and vessels contact the bridge operator on VHF channel 12. This step exists only for yachts actually going through. If you are staying in the outer bay, the bridge schedule does not govern your movements.
Clearing out
Outward clearance is its own step and is due before departure, not on the way past. Settle anything outstanding with the authorities involved, and give your agent the departure date as early as the arrival date.
St. Maarten requirements
Border, Customs, yacht-status, insurance and maritime requirements.
Clearing in and out on the Dutch side
Published guidance is that all vessels arriving in Dutch Sint Maarten waters clear in and out through Immigration and Customs, with Simpson Bay and Great Bay in Philipsburg named as the clearance locations, and that vessels report immediately on arrival and before departure. This attaches to the arrival itself and is independent of whether you use the lagoon.
Lagoon Authority reporting from the outer bay
The Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Corporation operates a collection office at the police station just west of the Simpson Bay Bridge. St. Maarten Marine Trades Association guidance describes clearing in with that office as required for vessels entering Simpson Bay as well as the Simpson Bay Lagoon, which on its face takes in the outer bay. Port St. Maarten's own material describes the authority and its mooring-fee collection without stating that scope. Treat this as an open point for an outer-bay stay and confirm it locally rather than assuming either answer.
Getting ashore, and where not to leave the yacht
The police dock in the bridge channel is published as being for dinghies accessing Police, Immigration, Customs or the Lagoon Authority, usable for pick-ups and drop-offs and not to be left unattended. It is not a clearance berth for the yacht. Anyone presenting documents in person should work out the shore trip in advance.
FAQ
Simpson Bay Yacht Clearance questions
Do I have to clear in if I am only anchoring in the outer bay?
Published Dutch-side guidance is that vessels arriving in Sint Maarten waters clear in and out through Immigration and Customs and report immediately on arrival. Anchoring outside the bridge does not remove that. Whether lagoon-authority reporting also reaches an outer-bay stay is less clear in the published sources, so confirm that part locally.
Can I bring the yacht alongside to clear?
The police dock in the bridge channel is published as a dinghy dock for access to Police, Immigration, Customs and the Lagoon Authority, for pick-ups and drop-offs, and it must not be left unattended. It is not a berth for the yacht. Plan to anchor or take a berth and go ashore by tender.
Do I have to follow the bridge schedule if I am not going into the lagoon?
No. The bridge schedule governs transits through the bridge. If you are anchoring in the outer bay and not passing through, it does not apply to you. Lagoon-authority reporting is a separate question and is not settled by whether you use the bridge.
What is the difference between clearance and the lagoon charges?
Immigration and Customs clearance is a border formality. Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority reporting, and its mooring and related charges, is a local matter handled by a different body. A marina berth is a commercial arrangement with that marina. They are often dealt with on the same day, which is why they get run together, but settling one does not settle another.
Personal clearance support
Send the voyage details once. We help route the request.
Use this page for Simpson Bay arrival, departure and St. Maarten yacht-paperwork assistance.