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Transit passengers on Rota may remain on board
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Posted on May 09 2005
A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the CNMI Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine to allow transiting passengers on Rota to remain on board and be spared from the first port of entry routine clearances.
The MOU, signed on April 22, 2005 by Finance Department Secretary Fermin Atalig (for Customs), attorney general Pamela Brown, and Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Richard Seman, said that Saipan-bound passengers originating from Guam and are transiting on Rota “may remain on board the aircraft.”
The MOU said that customs, immigration, and quarantine formalities will be administered on Saipan.
Passengers who embark from Rota may be subject to Customs inspections but are not required to submit a Customs entry declaration.
Passengers that disembark on Rota, regardless of their final destination shall be subject to normal immigration clearance.
The signatories said that the MOU aims to effectuate the new procedures for transiting passengers in the CNMI.
They said that the procedure applies “only to passengers originating from Guam when the first of port of entry is Rota and the final destination is Saipan.”
The Division of Customs earlier decided to do away with the requirement for Saipan-bound passengers who are transiting Rota from Guam to go through Customs inspection twice.
Since Rota becomes the CNMI’s first port of entry from Guam, all transiting passengers used to be required to have their luggage inspected at Rota, and then go through the same process when they get to Saipan.
