Enter your boat's length overall and your own quotes for the extras. The estimator adds the ACP's small-craft charges for your length band to what you expect to pay outside the ACP, and shows what you get back from the buffer.
What the calculation means
ACP payment = toll for your length band + $120 transit vessel inspection + $165 security charge + $500 scheduling fee + $1,060 buffer. Extra costs = agent fee + lines and tyres + (line handlers × rate × days) + (nights × cost per night). Grand total = ACP payment + extra costs. Net cost = grand total − (buffer − $25), assuming the whole buffer comes back.
| Length overall | Toll | Total ACP payment |
|---|---|---|
| Under 65 ft | $2,130 | $3,975 |
| 65 to 80 ft | $3,200 | $5,045 |
| Over 80 to 100 ft | $4,660 | $6,505 |
| Over 100 to 125 ft | $6,000 | $7,845 |
Figures are from the ACP's small-craft handline procedure, form 4352 V.08-2026, and the ACP Maritime Services Tariffs (February 2026 edition). The tolls took effect on 1 January 2025. The ACP says an unused buffer is refunded in US dollars within an estimated 60 days, less a $25 refund cost. If a delay, launch or other ACP charge is used, it comes out of the buffer and you get back less. Agents can cover the buffer with a bank guarantee instead, which is why many agent quotes leave it out.
Boats over 125 ft are not handled as small craft under this procedure, so the tool stops there: contact the ACP. A metre entry is converted at 3.28084 ft per metre; use the LOA you declare to the ACP, including anything that sticks out.
ACP tariffs change, most often on 1 January. The amount that counts is the one on your form 4614 in the ACP's ASEM system. Not included: food and water for crew and the advisor, transport for volunteer handlers, and any maritime health or sanitary fee your agent files. For the full breakdown read Panama Canal transit cost, and prepare with the canal transit checklist.
Connected guides
Panama Canal transit cost for yachts and small boats
A yacht under 65 ft pays the ACP $3,975: $2,130 toll, $120 inspection, $165 security, $500 scheduling fee and a $1,060 refundable buffer.
How to transit the Panama Canal in a yacht: step by step
Boats up to 125 ft transit the Panama Canal as handlines: register in ACP's ASEM portal, pay toll and buffer, carry 4 line handlers and 4 lines.
Panama Canal transit checklist for small boats
Printable Panama Canal handline checklist: ASEM steps, SIN, form 4614 payment, four 125-ft lines, fenders, line handlers, advisor meals, horn.
Panama Canal line handlers, 125-ft lines and fenders
Every handline transit needs a skipper plus four line handlers over 16, four 125-ft lines (7/8 to 1½ in) and at least four fenders. How it works.
Panama Canal agent vs DIY: what an agent actually does
You don't need an agent to transit the Panama Canal. Agents file in VUMPA, cover the buffer with a bank guarantee and arrange handlers and gear.
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: Form 4352, handline transit procedure for small craft, V.08-2026 ↗
- ACP: Maritime Services Tariffs, February 2026 edition ↗
- ACP: Maritime tariffs page ↗