A CAIT is the single most important document a foreign yacht carries into Indonesia — and it belongs to the vessel, not her crew.
Clearance Approval for Indonesian Territory, universally shortened to CAIT, is the cruising permit that grants a foreign-flagged yacht the right to move through Indonesia’s vast archipelago. It is issued in the name of the vessel and her particulars, quite separate from the visas held by owner, captain and crew. Without a valid CAIT in hand, a yacht cannot lawfully clear in, cruise between islands, or satisfy the harbourmaster and customs officers who will ask to see it. We prepare the application, lodge it before your keel reaches Indonesian water, and keep it consistent with every personal permit and port clearance that follows.
What a CAIT actually authorises
The permit records your yacht’s identity — name, flag, registration, dimensions and ownership — and ties that identity to an approved cruising itinerary. It is the document the harbourmaster (syahbandar) and Bea Cukai customs rely upon at each port to confirm your vessel is entitled to be in Indonesian territory. Think of it as the yacht’s passport for the archipelago: personal visas admit the people aboard, while the CAIT admits the vessel herself.
Who needs one — and when
Every foreign-flagged pleasure vessel intending to cruise Indonesian waters requires a CAIT, whether calling at Benoa for a single provisioning stop or transiting from Australia towards the Andaman Sea. Because the approval must be granted before you enter the archipelago, the application belongs at the very start of your planning — not at the dock. We advise lodging it several weeks ahead so the permit is confirmed long before your arrival window opens.
How it sits alongside visas and clearance
A CAIT rarely travels alone. It is the anchor document around which the owner, captain and crew visas, the port clearances at each syahbandar office, and the customs temporary-importation formalities all revolve. We coordinate the whole file as one, so the vessel’s permit and the people’s permits never fall out of step and each authority sees a consistent, complete picture on arrival.
Vessel documents
A concise set of vessel papers underpins the application — we confirm the exact list for your yacht and flag.
Requirements vary slightly by flag state and itinerary — send your vessel’s papers and we will confirm precisely what is needed.
From First Message to Approval
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1
Send your vessel’s papers
Share the registry, particulars, insurance and crew list, along with your intended arrival port and cruising plan.
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2
We prepare the application
We assemble the file, verify every detail against your itinerary and check the documents against your visas.
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3
We lodge before arrival
The CAIT application is submitted to the Indonesian authorities well ahead of your entry window and tracked to approval.
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4
Permit in hand
You receive the approved cruising permit, ready to present to the harbourmaster and customs at your first Indonesian port.