A two-ended form for an owner and a delivery captain moving a boat to, from or through Panama: fill in the left-hand details at hand-over and check them again at acceptance. Use it alongside the signed delivery contract, not instead of it. Have the boat's registration, insurance policy, last zarpe and the captain's licence 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.
How to fill it in
At hand-over, owner and captain walk the boat together with this form and a phone camera. Every line gets a value or "n/a". At acceptance, whoever receives the boat repeats the walk and writes the second value beside the first.
Before you sign at hand-over
- Insurer first. Most yacht policies name who may run the boat, or require the insurer to approve a hired skipper. Many also have navigation limits and hurricane-season clauses that a Florida to Panama delivery crosses. Get approval in writing for that person, that route and those dates.
- Licence. Check it online. USCG credentials issued since September 2024 carry a QR code. See verifying a captain's licence.
- Defect list. Write down what is already wrong. It protects the captain from blame and the owner from surprises.
Arriving in or leaving Panama
- A foreign yacht arriving clears with Migración, the AMP port captain and Aduanas, then gets a cruising permit. Under Decreto Ejecutivo 4 of 2025, a yacht in transit can stay up to 24 months. Use the arrival clearance checklist.
- Every departure, domestic or international, needs a zarpe, and the crew list must match the people aboard.
- If the delivery needs a new captain while the yacht is in Panama, the AMP's Oficina de Turismo Náutico processes the change and Gente de Mar issues a temporary permit.
- Local crew hired in Panama fall under Panamanian labour law and AMP licensing. A foreign crew arriving and leaving with the boat is usually treated as crew in transit.
At acceptance
- On the Pacific side, plan the arrival into Flamenco or La Playita around the 4 to 6 m tide. On the Caribbean side, Shelter Bay has no fuel dock, so note fuel levels before a delivery top-up.
- Compare hours, fuel and photos with the hand-over column. Settle disputed items in writing before paying the final balance.
- Keep this form with the logbook and receipts. A buyer or insurer may ask for it later.
Read the companion guide
Before using this resource, read Hiring a delivery captain to or from Panama.
Use it alongside these guides
Hiring a delivery captain to or from Panama
Hire a delivery captain your insurer approves in writing, with a USCG Master or RYA Yachtmaster, a written contract and a clear fee basis. What to check.
Sailing from Florida to Panama: routes, seasons, clearing
Miami to Colón is about 1,200–1,450 nm depending on route. Leave after hurricane season, arrive Jan–Mar, and clear in at Colón or Bocas on arrival.
Zarpe in Panama: domestic vs international clearance
A zarpe is the AMP port captain's clearance to sail to a named port. You need an international zarpe to leave Panama, sometimes a domestic one.
Navigation limits in Panama boat insurance policies
A navigation limit is the area your boat policy covers. Many Panama policies stop at Panamanian waters; check it before a canal transit or offshore trip.
Panama arrival clearance checklist (by boat)
Printable checklist for clearing into Panama by yacht: which office to see in what order, the documents to bring, copies, fees and receipts to keep.