2026 status, stated plainly: foreign private yachts no longer need the classic paper CAIT to cruise Indonesian waters. Clearance into Raja Ampat runs through four offices at Sorong — Quarantine, Immigration, Customs and the Harbourmaster (Syahbandar) — per the process documented by the Indonesia cruising community (Two At Sea’s Indonesia wiki) and standard port procedure under Indonesia’s Shipping Law 17/2008. An agent is optional, not mandatory; what an agent buys you is days. Our vessel-side agency pre-notifies the offices, books the windows, files the Bahasa Indonesia paperwork and has your marine park cards recorded before you sail in. WhatsApp +62 811 3823 875 with your ETA to start the file.
What changed with CAIT, and what replaced it
For years the CAIT — Clearance Approval for Indonesian Territory — was the permit foreign yachts obtained before entering Indonesia. Cruising community updates through 2024–2025 record its retirement for foreign private yachts: there is no separate pre-approval document to chase months ahead. What remains is normal port-state clearance at an official port of entry, of which Sorong is the natural one for Raja Ampat. That is genuinely simpler, but it moved the workload from before the passage to the arrival week — four offices, sequenced, in Bahasa Indonesia, on waterfront office hours.
The four-office sequence at Sorong
| Office | What happens there |
|---|---|
| Quarantine (health) | Vessel and crew health inspection, health declaration; first stop, often boarding the vessel |
| Immigration | Passport entry and visas for every person on board; crew list verified |
| Customs | Vessel temporary import, equipment and stores declaration |
| Harbourmaster (Syahbandar) | Arrival report, ship’s papers and crew list filed; issues the port clearance letter that lets you sail onward — and the departure clearance when you leave |
The offices sit on or near the Sorong waterfront and are visited in sequence on arrival and again before departure. Done cold, without language or relationships, crews commonly burn two or three days on it. Pre-notified and agent-sequenced, it compresses to hours.
What our vessel-side agency covers
The scope is clearance and everything that touches it, handled from the boat’s side of the counter: pre-notification of all four offices with your ETA and particulars; clearance time windows booked so officials expect you; forms prepared in Bahasa Indonesia; official fees paid at the counter and receipted at cost; and your marine park entry cards arranged and recorded with the park’s BLUD office so ranger checks in the islands are a formality. Where an inspection can be arranged on board rather than across town, we set it up that way. The same file then feeds everything else your arrival week needs — most crews pair clearance with crew-change and transfer coordination, since immigration paperwork and airport movements are one problem, not two.
Agency is quoted in USD per scope and the coordination fee is separate from official charges, which are IDR items passed through with receipts. Where clearance is one piece of a bigger call — provisioning, bunkering, turnaround — the desk quotes it as one program; the full service picture is in the yacht support guide.
The skipper’s document checklist
Per the cruising-wiki record and standard Indonesian port requirements, have ready: vessel registration and proof of ownership; crew list; passports with valid Indonesian visas for everyone aboard; last port clearance; health declaration and crew vaccination papers; and an outline of your intended route including Raja Ampat. Send us scans a week before arrival and the forms are filled before your anchor is down.
Marine park entry: the cards, briefly
Two instruments apply to people (not vessels) entering Raja Ampat’s waters. The Marine Park Entry Card — formally the TLPJL environmental service card — is issued under the park’s BLUD at IDR 700,000 per international visitor (IDR 425,000 for Indonesians), valid 12 months, personal and non-transferable, children under 12 exempt, per the official kkprajaampat.com tariff table. Separately, the regency’s tourist entry pass was revised in January 2026 to IDR 1,000,000 per foreign visitor per visit (IDR 300,000 domestic), as reported by TTG Asia. Cards must be carried and shown at ranger checks. We arrange both as part of agency. For the full fee breakdowns and their history, we point you to the ecosystem’s dedicated reference, the Raja Ampat entry fee guide on Luxury Raja Ampat — this page stays focused on process.
Timelines and sequencing
The rhythm that works: documents to the desk 7 days out; pre-notification filed; arrival day spent on Quarantine and Immigration; Customs and Harbourmaster completed the same day or the morning after; park cards issued in parallel; departure clearance booked before your last night. Build one buffer day into the plan — offices keep office hours and public holidays are real. Clearance costs and package structure are itemised on the USD cost guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still need a CAIT permit in 2026?
No. The classic paper CAIT is no longer required for foreign private yachts; entry now runs through standard port clearance at a port of entry such as Sorong. What you must still have is valid visas for all aboard, complete vessel papers, and the marine park and regency entry cards for everyone 12 and over.
Which offices clear a yacht into Sorong?
Four: Quarantine, Immigration, Customs and the Harbourmaster (Syahbandar), visited in sequence on arrival and again for departure clearance. All sit on or near the Sorong waterfront.
Is a local agent legally required?
No — clearance can be done without one. Crews hire an agent because the process runs in Bahasa Indonesia across four offices, and pre-notification plus booked windows turns days into hours. That is the trade: money for time and certainty.
Where do I pay Raja Ampat marine park fees arriving by yacht?
The marine park card (TLPJL) is purchased online via the park’s official portal (kkprajaampat.com) or at the BLUD office in Waisai; the regency tourist pass is a separate item. We arrange both under agency so cards are issued and recorded before you enter the islands. Fees are personal, set in IDR, and passed through at cost.
What documents should the skipper prepare?
Vessel registration, proof of ownership, crew list, passports and valid visas for all aboard, last port clearance, health declaration and vaccination papers, and a route outline. Scans a week ahead let us pre-fill everything.
Can clearance be arranged on board?
Partially, yes — Quarantine commonly boards the vessel, and with pre-arrangement other steps can be brought to the boat or compressed to one office run. Full desk-free clearance is not the norm; what we promise is the minimum of your time ashore, not zero.
Park permits are the formal layer; beneath them sits customary reef tenure — the local ownership system every visiting yacht operates inside.
Plan the call before the passage
Send the vessel LOA, draft, beam, arrival window and the islands you intend to work, and the desk will come back with berthing, mooring and shoreside options that actually exist for that hull in that season. Quotations are issued in USD.