Coming Back to the US by Boat: Reporting to CBP with the ROAM App, the User Fee Decal and the Penalties

Download the CBP ROAM app (Apple App Store or Google Play) at home, on good Wi-Fi. CBP says you need a free login.gov account. Then create and save:

• A traveler profile for each person who'll be aboard (name, date of birth, citizenship and passport or other travel document details)
• A conveyance (boat) profile with the boat's name, registration or documentation number and, for boats 30 feet and longer, the user fee decal number

These profiles can be reused for every trip, so the actual report at the dock takes minutes.

Federal rules (19 CFR 24.22) require private vessels to pay an annual user fee on their first arrival each calendar year, shown by a decal on the boat. Key points:

• Boats under 30 feet are exempt, as long as they aren't carrying goods that have to be declared.
• The fee is adjusted for inflation every federal fiscal year. For fiscal year 2027 (required from October 1, 2026) the Federal Register notice of July 31, 2026 (CBP Dec. 26-14) lists $38.04 for the "Private Vessel or Private Aircraft First Arrival/Calendar Year Prepayment Fee" (it was $36.94 in fiscal year 2026). We re-checked that figure on November 6, 2026; the DTOPS checkout shows the price you'll actually pay.
• Order it online through CBP's Decal and Transponder Online Procurement System (DTOPS), linked from CBP's Pleasure Boats page, well before the trip so the decal arrives in time. CBP's Florida page asks for the decal number when you report.

CBP lists the documents US citizens can use when entering by sea, including a US passport, passport card, enhanced driver's license or a trusted traveler card (NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST). US citizen children under 16 may use a birth certificate. Non-US citizens need whatever their status requires and may have to be seen in person (step 6). If you'll bring fish back from the Bahamas, everyone aboard needs a passport book with Bahamas stamps for the fillet rule (see our Bahamas paperwork guide).

When you reach US waters and tie up or anchor at your arrival point:

• Open ROAM, start a new trip, pick your saved travelers and boat, add the trip details, and submit it for CBP officer review.
• CBP says an officer may start a video chat to interview you. You then get a push notification and email with the admissibility decision and next steps.
• If you don't use the app, call the designated number for your area. In Florida, CBP lists a Small Vessel Call Center (check its page for the current numbers). Have ready: names, dates of birth, citizenship and passport numbers for everyone aboard; the boat's name or registration number; the decal number (30 feet and up); your home port and current location; and a contact number.

Make sure the phone has signal and charge before you come in. No phone? CBP says that in certain locations the ROAM app is also available on tablets at partner businesses (such as some marinas); ask your arrival marina before the trip.

Coming back from Canada on the northern border? CBP's Canadian Border Boat Landing (I-68) program lets approved boaters report arrival by phone instead of appearing at a port of entry. You apply in person, by appointment, at one of the listed ports (Great Lakes and northern-border ports from Minnesota to New York); everyone 14 or older must appear for an interview and pay the fee, and children under 14 are listed on a parent's form. It's optional, but without an I-68 (or another accepted option such as ROAM), CBP says you must report in person each time.

CBP's instructions say no one other than as permitted may get off or on the boat, and no baggage or goods may be unloaded, until CBP releases you. CBP's southeastern ports tell boaters arriving after hours to tie up or anchor, fly the yellow "Q" flag, and keep everyone aboard until inspected. Don't run to the fuel dock store or let the crew walk the dog first.

CBP says ROAM satisfies the in-person inspection requirement with exceptions:

• Travelers who need an I-94 (many non-US citizens)
• Travelers who must pay duty on goods they're bringing in
• Other circumstances CBP decides

And CBP can always require you to report in person on request. If the app or the officer directs you to a reporting location or port of entry, take the boat and everyone aboard there during its posted hours. Some reporting sites are open only certain days, and after-hours service may need an appointment.

CBP requires travelers to declare meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, soil, animals and plant or animal products. Undeclared prohibited items are confiscated, and CBP says civil penalties can reach up to $1,000 for a first non-commercial offense. Before you leave the foreign port, use up or toss fresh fruit, vegetables and meat you won't be allowed to bring back. Declare purchases too. Pets have their own US entry rules (for dogs, the CDC's requirements; see our pets guide and the Bahamas paperwork guide).

Fish caught abroad must still follow US rules. For Bahamian catch, the "skin on the entire fillet" exception has strict conditions, including Bahamian permits aboard, Bahamas passport stamps for everyone and no fishing in US federal waters on the way home. Our Bahamas paperwork and fish cleaning guides cover the details.

Failing to report is not a paperwork slip. Under 19 U.S.C. 1436, a master who fails to comply with the arrival reporting law faces a civil penalty of $5,000 for the first violation and $10,000 for each later one, and the boat can be seized and forfeited. Intentional violations can also bring criminal fines and up to a year in prison, with much stiffer penalties if prohibited goods are aboard. CBP's Baltimore office has repeated the $5,000 / $10,000 figures in its boater reminders.

CBP says the reporting rule applies to all boats regardless of where they're registered, and boats registered outside the US and Canada must contact a local CBP office about a cruising license. ROAM can be used to apply for and update cruising licenses. If you're buying or bringing in a foreign boat, talk to CBP before it arrives.

Keep the ROAM approval email or the officer's name, the time and any confirmation number from a phone report. Store it with your trip papers in your BoatMend boat profile. It's your proof if anyone asks later.