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Caribbean Customs & Immigration Guide for Yachts & Experimental Vessels
Context: You are planning to test a unique 35-ft beam trimaran-style seastead with SWAS (Small Waterline Area System) foils/legs in the Caribbean. Because your vessel is experimental, expect officers to be curious; having paperwork impeccably organized will make clearance smoother.
1. Typical Time Required for Customs & Immigration
For a couple on a private yacht, the clock includes both preparation and waiting.
| Method |
Couple's Effort |
Office/Processing Time |
Typical Total |
| Traditional (no online prep) |
30–60 min filling forms by hand |
1.5 – 3+ hours visiting Customs, Immigration, and sometimes Port Authority / Agriculture separately |
2 – 4 hours |
| With online pre-clearance |
10–20 mins online before arrival |
15 – 45 minutes in person (queue + stamp) |
30 – 75 minutes |
| French Islands (e.g., Martinique, Guadeloupe) |
15 mins on Démarches Simplifiées or similar; EU crew often minimal |
15 – 30 minutes at Capitainerie + Douane if required |
30 – 60 minutes |
Tip: The "couple's effort" is front-loaded. The first time you register on SailClear or a national portal, you will spend ~30 minutes scanning passports and entering vessel data. Every port after that usually takes <5 minutes to update your arrival notice.
2. Online Clearance Services (SailClear, eSeaClear, etc.)
SailClear (sailclear.com)
- Coverage: Widely accepted across the Eastern Caribbean / OECS states (e.g., Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Kitts & Nevis).
- Setup time: ~25–35 minutes for a couple to photograph/scan passports, enter vessel registration, and crew list.
- Per-port time: ~5–10 minutes to log the next port of call and submit arrival notice.
- Processing time: Usually instant automated confirmation, but official approval can take 2–24 hours. You should submit 24 hours before arrival if possible.
eSeaClear & National Portals
- Coverage: Patchy and changes by island. Some legacy references tie eSeaClear to The Bahamas and specific Commonwealth ports, but many islands have moved to their own systems (e.g., The Bahamas uses Click2Clear, BVI has its own online cruising permit portal, etc.).
- Setup time: Similar to SailClear, ~20–30 minutes.
- Processing time: Varies from immediate to 48 hours. Always carry printed confirmations.
Important: No single online service covers the entire Caribbean. You will often use a mix of SailClear, national apps, and paper forms depending on which nation’s waters you enter.
3. Typical Costs to Clear In
Fees depend on vessel size, length of stay, and whether you buy a “cruising permit” or just pay arrival fees.
| Region / Country |
Arrival / Clearance Fee |
Cruising Permit / Park Fee (typical) |
| French West Indies (Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Martin FR) |
€0 – €20 (port tax) |
None for EU vessels; nominal fees for non-EU |
| Dutch Caribbean (Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Statia, Aruba, Sint Maarten) |
$10 – $25 |
$25 – $75 for short-term cruising decals |
| BVI (British Virgin Islands) |
Part of cruising permit |
~$175 – $350 for 1–3 months (depending on vessel size) |
| Bahamas |
Included in cruising permit |
~$150 – $500 (based on length & duration; fishing permit extra) |
| OECS / Eastern Caribbean (SVG, Grenada, St. Lucia, etc.) |
$20 – $75 USD/EC |
Usually included or $10 – $30 for park fees |
| USVI / Puerto Rico (from foreign port) |
Free CBP reporting, but $19 – $30 for decal if requested |
N/A |
| Trinidad & Tobago |
TT$50 – $200 |
Varies by port |
Note: Fees are approximate and change frequently. Always verify with the official port authority before arrival.
4. Paying Cruising Fees Online
Some jurisdictions now accept credit-card payments through web portals; others remain cash-only (often exact change or USD preferred).
- Yes – Online: BVI (cruising permits), The Bahamas (Click2Clear), some French ports (credit card at Capitainerie kiosks), and increasingly Sint Maarten.
- Sometimes: Many Eastern Caribbean nations accept cards at the customs office but not in advance.
- Cash Only: Smaller islands and outlying Grenadine ports often require Eastern Caribbean (EC) dollars or USD in cash.
Island Cruising Fees: When required, these typically run $50 – $300 per month depending on vessel length. A 35-ft equivalent trimaran in the 35–45 ft bracket often falls into the $100–$200/month band in the Bahamas/BVI, while the Eastern Caribbean may charge by the week or simply a flat entry fee.
5. Is In-Person Appearance Still Required?
Usually, yes. Even after submitting everything online, most Caribbean nations require the skipper (and sometimes all crew) to physically report within a strict window (often 24 hours of arrival).
- Stamp in passport: Immigration still typically wants to see you and your entry/exit documents.
- Zarpes (Clearance Out): You must usually collect a physical outbound clearance to give to the next country.
- Exceptions: Some French islands allow simplified reporting if arriving from another EU/Schengen port, and a few ports offer “electronic zarpe” between OECS countries using SailClear, but you still usually need to check in with the port office.
For an experimental vessel like your seastead, in-person inspection is even more likely: officials may want to verify the vessel’s registration, safety gear, and that the dinghy outboard is declared.
6. Trend: Is Paperwork Getting Faster or Slower?
The trend is bifurcated:
- Faster for the prepared: Online pre-registration (SailClear, national portals) has cut face-to-face time dramatically in major hubs like Antigua, Grenada, and the BVI. If you arrive with QR codes, pre-paid fees, and digital crew lists, you can be cleared in under 30 minutes.
- Slower for the unprepared: Post-2020 many islands added biosecurity, health, and environmental declarations. Staffing shortages mean that if you show up without online prep, queues are longer than they were a decade ago.
- More expensive: Many governments have added cruising levies, marine park fees, and environmental taxes that did not exist 10–15 years ago.
Quick Reference Checklist for Your Seastead
- Vessel Docs: Registration, build certificate (if home-built), insurance, radio license.
- Crew Docs: Passports (6+ months validity), any visas required (BVI often requires pre-arranged visas for some nationalities).
- App Prep: Register on SailClear; check if your first island uses a separate national portal.
- Cash Reserve: Carry $500–$1,000 in mixed USD and EC cash for fees that cannot be paid online.
- Dinghy: Ensure the 14-ft RIB and Yamaha outboard are listed on your manifest; some nations require outboard registration numbers.
- Timeline: Plan for 2–3 hours on your very first clearance; 30–60 minutes for each island thereafter if using online tools.
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