Yacht customs clearance in Fort Lauderdale

Clearing into Fort Lauderdale is routine until it is not. Port Everglades has process; a Friday afternoon arrival with an incomplete crew list does not. International arrivals should assume that the dock they want on Las Olas is not the dock Customs wants them to use first. We keep a short list of agents who will meet a yacht without turning the arrival into a tour. Weapons, pets, and a chef who bought fruit in Bimini are the usual friction. The owners who clear smoothly are the ones whose captain sent the packet before the last waypoint, not from the Customs dock.