BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations has added the Buffalo Field Office to the list of locations now using the new Reporting Offsite Arrival-Mobile (ROAM) application for small boat reporting.
The new application replaces the current system of utilizing one of sixteen Outlying Area Reporting Stations (OARS), which were outdated and challenging to access. Small boaters in the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence regions will now be able to complete their inspection with a CBP officer through an application on their personal smart phone device, or at one of the new ROAM reporting locations, which will have the reporting application loaded onto an iPad.
Boaters can find more information on ROAM on CBP’s website at CBP Pleasure Boat Overview - ROAM.
The new program was first launched in Lake of the Woods Area in Minnesota, on August 12, 2017, and has been very successful. The application allows small boaters the flexibility of either reporting their arrival into the United States from any location using the ROAM application, which can be found in both the Apple and Android stores, or by reporting to select locations with the ROAM application loaded on an iPad. The ROAM application enables a video conference with CBP officers located at the Ogdensburg, NY port of entry.
“This technology is a step in the right direction for the boating community as well as for our officers processing these types of arrivals,” said Buffalo Area Port Director Cary Frieling. “Having the clarity of High Definition video, coupled with the traveler’s information from the application is strengthening border security while facilitating legitimate travel and commerce.”
Small boaters can construct a profile within the application so the information required by CBP is readily available to the traveler to submit for their video conference when they cross the international border and this information can be saved, or recreated for future crossings.
CBP is encouraging the small boating community to take advantage of the ROAM application on their personal smart phone devices, however the ROAM application has been installed on iPads which are available for reporting your arrival into the U.S. at the following locations in the Buffalo Area: Chadwick Bay Marina, Dunkirk, NY; Safe Harbor Marina, Buffalo, NY; Erie Basin Marina-Smith Boys, Buffalo, NY; Smith Boys Marina, Tonawanda, NY; Youngstown Yacht Club, Youngstown, NY; Bootleggers Cove Marina, Wilson, NY; Newfane Marina, Olcott, NY; Shumway Marina, Rochester, NY; Rochester City Marina, Rochester, NY; and Sodus Bay Yacht Club, Sodus Point, NY.
Travelers in possession of a Nexus Card or I-68 can still report their arrival by calling 1-800-827-2851 or can opt to use the ROAM application.
Should any travelers arriving by boat have any questions about reporting their arrival to CBP, please contact your local port of entry or call 1-800-827-2851.