Panama Canal transit checklist for small boats

A fill-in checklist for a small-craft (handline) transit of the Panama Canal, built on the ACP's procedure form 4352, version 08-2026. Start it before you leave your last port and finish it the night before transit day. Have your ASEM login (or your agent's contact), the boat's registration certificate and the overall length, projections included, to hand.

Fill in the fields below, then print the worksheet or download your entries as a text file. Entries stay on this page until you leave unless you download them. Don’t enter passport, card or medical details; keep copies of those separately.

Your working copy

Boat name, flag and length overall as declared in ASEM, including bowsprit, davits and platforms (sets the toll band: under 65, 65–80, 80–100 or over 100 ft)Panama Canal SIN (ship identification number shown in ASEM when the boat is created)Filing route: ASEM yourself, or an agent filing through VUMPA (agent name and phone)Digital inspection submitted and ACP approval email received (dates)Arrival in Canal waters: Cristóbal Signal or Flamenco Signal called on VHF 12, and arrival confirmed in ASEM (date and time)Form 4614 amount, payment method (wire with OUR, local ACH or cash at the ACP's Citibank branch) and receipt uploaded (date, inside the 08:00–14:00 verification window)Buffer refund: bank details entered in ASEM and the person named to receive itScheduler called on 272-4202 after 18:00: transit date, boarding time and boarding point (the Flats or Balboa anchorage)Four mooring lines: at least 125 ft each, 7/8 in to 1½ in, 3-ft loop at one end, no knots or splices (own or rented, from whom, return arranged)Fenders: your own count plus rented tyres wrapped in plastic (at least four in total) and who collects the tyres afterwardsFour corners: chocks and bitts or cleats checked, well fastened and clear of gear (date checked)Line handlers: four names, all over 16, with a corner each (port bow, starboard bow, port stern, starboard stern); paid handlers licensed and booked through an agent or marinaSkipper at the helm (name) and VHF monitoring channels 12, 13 and 16Horn: fixed or portable, not mouth-blown (tested)Advisor or pilot: Western-type toilet with holding capacity, cockpit awning, hot meals planned (which meals) and at least 3 litres of sealed bottled water per dayNavigation lights tested, anchor ready to let go, pilot ladder if freeboard is over 1.5 mSpeed you can hold under engine (minimum 5 knots; the ACP plans at 8) and fuel aboard for two daysFood and water for skipper, four handlers and the advisor for two days, including a night at the Gatún or Gamboa anchorage

How to fill it in

Work top to bottom. The first eight lines are the ACP's paper trail, in the order its procedure (form 4352, V.08-2026) runs: register, declare, inspect, arrive, pay, schedule. The rest is the boat and crew, which is where transits actually go wrong.

Before you arrive

Length. Measure tip to tip, including anything that sticks out. The toll bands change at 65, 80 and 100 ft, so a boat just under a line can end up just over it. See admeasurement and inspection.
SIN. ASEM shows it when you create the boat. Write it here; you quote it when you pay and when you call the scheduler.
Agent or not. Without an agent you file in ASEM and pay the buffer yourself. An agent files through VUMPA and can cover the buffer with a bank guarantee. Compare the two in agent vs DIY.

Arrival, payment and the date

Call Cristóbal Signal (Caribbean) or Flamenco Signal (Pacific) on VHF 12, 13 or 16, anchor where told, then confirm arrival in ASEM. Without that confirmation you will not be scheduled.
ASEM produces form 4614 with the total. For a boat under 65 ft it is US$3,975, including the US$1,060 refundable buffer; the other bands are in transit costs. Accounting checks receipts only from 08:00 to 14:00 on business days.
Most buffer refund delays come from wrong bank details. Check the account name and number twice.
Call the Marine Traffic scheduler on (+507) 272-4202 after 18:00 once payment is verified.

Boat and crew

Lines and tyres are usually rented through yacht clubs or agents. Write down who collects them.
Every boat must be set up for a centre-chamber lockage: a skipper plus four handlers and four lines, even if you end up alongside a wall. The advisor is not one of your four. Brief handlers with the line-handler briefing sheet.
If the advisor finds an unlicensed person being paid to handle lines, the transit can be stopped. Volunteers from other boats are fine.
No meal for the advisor means the ACP may supply one and charge you for it. Plan breakfast, lunch and dinner around the schedule.

Canal paperwork is separate from clearing into Panama with Migración and the AMP. Do that too.

Read the companion guide

Before using this resource, read How to transit the Panama Canal in a yacht: step by step.

Fernando Yemail is the owner of Feeling Yachty and is not a lawyer. Yachty Guide provides general educational information and practical recommendations, not legal, tax, insurance or individualized professional advice. Panamanian rules depend on the vessel, flag, activity and location and can change. Confirm current requirements with the relevant authority (AMP, ACP, SENAN, ATP, ARAP, MiAmbiente, Migración or Aduanas) and consult a qualified professional in Panama about your situation. Full disclaimer.

Use it alongside these guides

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