For boats up to 125 ft, Panama Canal admeasurement and inspection are now done online. In the ACP's ASEM portal (or VUMPA via an agent) you declare the boat's dimensions and anything projecting beyond the hull, upload photos, confirm you meet the transit requirements and sign the release. The ACP admeasurement unit approves or rejects by email, normally within 24 hours, and assigns a ship identification number (SIN). A physical visit happens only when they need to confirm something.
From the admeasurer's visit to an online inspection
For years a yacht waited at Shelter Bay, the Flats, La Playita or Flamenco for an ACP admeasurer to come aboard with a tape. Since mid-2023 the ACP has run a digital process. The current procedure (form 4352, V.08-2026) says inspection "must be digitally completed" and that "the regular process does not include a physical visit". Physical inspections are kept for cases where measurements or condition need confirming.
You can do the online steps before you arrive. What you cannot do until you are physically in Canal waters is confirm arrival and get scheduled.
What you declare
- General information about the boat and its registry certificate.
- Dimensions: length overall, beam and draft.
- Additional dimensions: the type, size and a photo of every permanent structure beyond the hull at the bow, stern and sides. This is where bowsprits, anchor platforms, davits, swim platforms and solar arches belong.
- A current profile photo of the boat.
- The lockage types you will accept (centre chamber, sidewall, nested, alongside a tug).
- Acceptance of the Handline Undertaking to Release and Indemnify.
Your declared length decides your toll band, and the bands change at 65, 80 and 100 ft. A boat just under a line that turns out to be over it once projections are added pays the higher band. See transit costs.
What the ACP checks against
Your declaration confirms the boat meets the ACP's handline requirements:
- Navigation lights in working order.
- Chocks and bitts or cleats at all four corners, sound and well fastened.
- Four 125-ft lines (7/8 to 1½ in), at least four fenders, a ready anchor.
- A fixed or portable horn; mouth-blown horns are not accepted.
- A Western-type toilet with enough holding capacity for the advisor.
- An awning over the cockpit.
- A pilot ladder if freeboard exceeds 1.5 m.
- Speed: the ACP plans a standard transit at 8 knots and the minimum accepted speed is 5 knots. Declare the speed you can hold against wind and current without overloading the engine. Outboard-powered boats need reverse and cockpit control, or may need a Port Captain's inspection.
SIN, approval and the 24-hour clock
When you create a new boat, ASEM displays its Panama Canal SIN. Noonsite reports the SIN stays with the boat for life, so a second transit starts from the existing record. After you submit, the admeasurement unit emails approval or denial, normally within 24 hours. If denied, you edit the boat and resubmit, and the clock restarts. You can fill in the later steps while waiting, but you cannot pay until approval comes back.
Questions go to the admeasurement unit by email: [email protected] (Pacific) or [email protected] (Atlantic).
Documents and information to have ready
- Registration certificate and the exact registered name.
- Measured LOA, beam and draft, plus photos of projections.
- Crew and passenger details with passports, health answers, last ports and next port.
- Fuel on board and realistic cruising speed.
- For agent-filed transits, a screenshot of your AIS position when you arrive.
The physical arrival points are the same as before: Shelter Bay or the Flats anchorage on the Caribbean side, and Flamenco, La Playita or the Balboa anchorage on the Pacific side.
What gets a request rejected or delayed
The ACP's procedure warns that breaching any requirement can delay or cancel the transit, or add charges you pay before you finish. The usual problems are simple ones:
- Length under-declared. Projections left out of the additional dimensions, so the photos do not match the numbers.
- Old or unclear photos. The ACP asks for a current profile photo; a brochure shot from years ago invites questions.
- Weak or missing fittings. No cleat or chock at one corner, or fittings that will not take a turbulent lockage.
- Speed claimed but not real. A boat that cannot hold 5 knots at the start is turned back and charged for the aborted transit, launches and related costs.
- Toilet and holding. Inadequate sanitary facilities are one of the conditions the ACP lists as grounds for extra advisor assignments and delay charges.
- ETA drift. If you do not arrive within 7 days of the last ETA, the visit is cancelled and you start again.
Fix the item, edit the boat or visit in ASEM, and resubmit. If you are unsure how to answer a question, email the admeasurement unit before you guess. For the rest of the process see the step-by-step transit guide.
Your practical starting checklist
- Measure LOA, beam and draft yourself, including every projection.
- Photograph the boat in profile and each projection, bow, stern and sides.
- Check cleats, chocks, nav lights, horn, toilet and awning against the ACP list.
- Create the boat in ASEM (or have your agent do it in VUMPA) and note the SIN.
- Submit the inspection and transit request and watch for the approval email.
- If denied, fix the listed items, resubmit and allow another 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Does an admeasurer still come to the boat?
Not normally. The ACP's current procedure says inspection is completed digitally and the regular process has no physical visit. A physical inspection is used only to confirm measurements or condition.
Does my bowsprit or dinghy davit count in LOA?
The ACP asks you to declare every permanent structure beyond the hull, with dimensions and photos, and tolls are set by length overall. Declare them and expect them to be counted.
What is the minimum speed for a handline transit?
5 knots. The ACP plans standard transits at 8 knots; boats that cannot hold 5 knots at the start are turned back and charged, unless towed.
What is a SIN?
The Panama Canal ship identification number, assigned when the boat is first created in the ACP system. You quote it on payments and emails.
How much is the inspection charge?
The ACP's transit vessel inspection (TVI) charge for small craft is $120, paid with the toll and other charges on form 4614.
¿Todavía viene un medidor de la ACP al barco?
Normalmente no. Desde el sistema ASEM la inspección se hace en línea con fotos y medidas declaradas; la ACP solo hace una inspección física cuando necesita confirmar algo.
The next question to answer
The full step-by-step, from ASEM to the Pacific. Read How to transit the Panama Canal in a yacht.
Toll, inspection, security, scheduling fee and buffer. Read Panama Canal transit cost for yachts.
Four handlers, four 125-ft lines, enough fenders. Read Line handlers, lines and fenders.
Official resources
Use the relevant Panamanian authority for current requirements and fees. These resources are the next place to check; a practical recommendation is not an agency determination.
- ACP: Procedures for securing a handline transit, form 4352-I, V.08-2026 (requirements, ASEM/VUMPA steps, charges table, transit hours, lockage types) ↗
- Noonsite: Panama Canal transit guide for small craft, updated Aug 2025 (secondary) ↗
- ACP: Maritime Services Tariffs, February 2026 (small-vessel tolls 1010.0910–0940 effective 1 Jan 2025; TVI 1080.RIN1; security 1081.RSE1; scheduling 1050.IPB1; delay 1060.IPD2; launch 1800.ILA1) ↗