For a boat under 65 ft, the Autoridad del Canal de Panamá (ACP) currently asks for $3,975 before it will schedule you: a $2,130 toll, $120 inspection charge, $165 security charge, $500 scheduling fee and a $1,060 buffer deposit that comes back after the transit, less a $25 refund fee. Boats from 65 to 125 ft pay higher tolls in three more length bands. On top come line handlers, rented lines and fenders, food, and an agent if you use one.
What the ACP charges, by length
Small-craft tolls are set purely by length overall, not tonnage or beam. The ACP's handline procedure lists five items in one payment:
| Length overall | Toll | Inspection (TVI) | Security | Scheduling fee | Buffer (refundable) | Total to pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 65 ft (19.8 m) | $2,130 | $120 | $165 | $500 | $1,060 | $3,975 |
| 65 to 80 ft | $3,200 | $120 | $165 | $500 | $1,060 | $5,045 |
| Over 80 to 100 ft | $4,660 | $120 | $165 | $500 | $1,060 | $6,505 |
| Over 100 ft (to 125 ft) | $6,000 | $120 | $165 | $500 | $1,060 | $7,845 |
US dollars. Source: ACP form 4352, V.08-2026, and the ACP Maritime Services Tariffs (February 2026 edition). Toll items 1010.0910–0940 effective 1 January 2025; TVI (1080.RIN1) and security charge (1081.RSE1) effective 1 January 2024; scheduling fee (1050.IPB1) effective 1 January 2025.
- Toll: the transit itself.
- Transit vessel inspection (TVI): the ACP's inspection service, now mostly done online.
- Security charge: a flat charge on every transit.
- Scheduling fee: small craft do not use the ship booking system, so they pay this to be fitted into the schedule.
- Buffer deposit: covers anything that goes wrong (delays, extra launches, a missing meal). Unused, it is refunded.
Getting the buffer back
If you pay by wire, ACH or cash, the buffer is included in the amount on form 4614. The ACP says the unused buffer is refunded in US dollars within an estimated 60 days of the transit, minus a $25 refund cost. In ASEM you enter the bank details for the refund and attach the passport of the person receiving it. Get those details exactly right; most refund delays come from bank information.
Agents can pay with a bank guarantee instead, a method the ACP offers only to shipping agencies. That is why many agents quote without a buffer: their guarantee covers it.
How to pay
- International wire to the ACP's account at Citibank N.A. Panamá, with the "OUR" instruction so you pay all bank fees. The net amount on form 4614 must arrive in full.
- Local ACH transfer from a Panamanian bank, quoting your customer number and SIN.
- Cash at the ACP's listed Citibank branch (Torre de las Américas, Tower B, Panama City), with the 4614 slip and your passport.
Then upload a photo of the receipt in ASEM. Accounting verifies payments only from 08:00 to 14:00 on business days; miss that window and your scheduling waits a day.
ACP charges you can trigger
These come out of the buffer or get billed on top:
- Delay: $550 per pilot or advisor if you ask to stop in the canal, or if a deficiency (a slow boat, no proper toilet, poor visibility) stops you finishing as scheduled. Not charged when the delay is the canal's own scheduling.
- Launch service: $182 per round trip, for example to bring a meal or a late crew member.
- Aborted transit: if you cannot hold 5 knots at the start, you are turned back and charged.
- Moorage or anchorage service: $75 per day for vessels up to 125 ft, where it applies.
Costs outside the ACP
These are not ACP prices, so treat them as a range to confirm locally. Noonsite (a cruiser resource, updated August 2025) reports:
- Professional line handlers: about $120 each per transit. You need four unless you bring crew.
- Rental of four lines and tyre fenders: about $100.
- Agent: about $400–$500, with no buffer needed when the agent's guarantee covers it.
- Sanitary declaration: a $100 maritime health fee introduced in September 2025, filed by the agent or in ASEM.
Add food and water for five people plus the advisor over two days, transport for volunteer handlers, and marina nights while you wait. See line handlers, lines and fenders and agent vs DIY.
Tariffs change, so check before you pay
The ACP raised small-craft tolls in steps from 2023 to 2025 and publishes every change with an effective date, most often 1 January. The amount that counts is the one on your form 4614 in ASEM. Check the ACP maritime tariffs page before you budget.
Your practical starting checklist
- Find your length band (LOA as declared to the ACP, including anything that sticks out).
- Budget the ACP total for that band, plus line handlers, lines, fenders, food and marina nights.
- Decide whether you pay the buffer yourself or use an agent's bank guarantee.
- Enter correct refund bank details and the recipient's passport in ASEM.
- Pay the exact form 4614 amount with fees covered, and upload the receipt before 14:00.
- Keep enough margin for a delay or launch charge.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to take a sailboat through the Panama Canal?
For a boat under 65 ft, $3,975 is paid to the ACP, of which $1,060 is a refundable buffer, so the non-refundable ACP cost is $2,915. Add line handlers, lines, fenders and food.
Do catamarans pay more?
Not in the toll. Small-craft tolls depend only on length overall. A catamaran in the same length band pays the same ACP charges as a monohull.
When do I get my buffer deposit back?
The ACP estimates 60 days after the transit, paid in US dollars minus a $25 refund cost, as long as no extra charges were used.
Can I pay by credit card?
The ACP's current procedure lists cash, electronic payment (ACH) and wire transfer for owners without an agent. Some cruiser sources mention cards; check what ASEM offers when you reach the payment step.
¿Cuánto cuesta cruzar el Canal de Panamá en velero?
Para un velero de menos de 65 pies se pagan $3,975 a la ACP: peaje de $2,130, inspección de $120, cargo de seguridad de $165, cargo de programación de $500 y un depósito reembolsable de $1,060. Aparte van los pasacabos, el alquiler de cabos y llantas, y la comida.
En español: costo de cruzar el Canal de Panamá en yate
La ACP cobra a las embarcaciones pequeñas según su eslora total. Para menos de 65 pies el pago total es de $3,975, que incluye un depósito de garantía (buffer) de $1,060 que se devuelve unos 60 días después del tránsito, menos $25. De 65 a 80 pies el total es $5,045; de más de 80 a 100 pies, $6,505; y de más de 100 pies, $7,845. Las tarifas cambian, normalmente el 1 de enero: verifique el monto en el formulario 4614 de ASEM.
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.
What an agent does and when DIY works. Read Canal agent vs doing it yourself.
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) ↗
- 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) ↗
- ACP: Notes on Tolls Tariffs & Maritime Services, February 2026 (small vessels = up to 125 ft LOA) ↗
- ACP: Maritime tariffs page ↗
- Noonsite: Panama Canal transit guide for small craft, updated Aug 2025 (secondary) ↗