In the Caribbean, as everywhere else in the world, you’ll need to complete a customs procedure called clearance every time you leave a territory and every time you arrive in a new one. However, in the Caribbean, this is very common, especially if you’re departing from Martinique and plan to sail to the Grenadines: Martinique belongs to France, while Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada are independent nations. Each island nation requires a declaration upon your arrival and departure at the customs office and the immigration office. For this, only the captain must present himself to the local authorities with all valid passports, three copies of the crew list, the boat’s registration certificate, and the clearance from the previous country.

Don’t forget to hoist the Q flag beforehand (Q in memory of the days when ships were subject to quarantine). This flag signals a request for the right to enter and dock in the waters of the destination country.

For each entry clearance, you pay a fee for the boat, plus a surcharge per person. Expect to pay around €70 for each entry into a territory. This is a rough estimate; the amount varies depending on the number of people and the size of the boat.

For your information, you will find an attachment detailing the various customs rates in the southern Caribbean (updated for 2022).