Clearing in to Grenada is straightforward once you know where to go and what to bring. The captain lands alone, visits customs, immigration and the port authority, pays a handful of modest fees and receives a cruising permit that covers Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique as one country. Done right, it takes under an hour on a quiet weekday.
Where people come unstuck is in the details: arriving at a marina that no longer has a customs office, turning up on a Sunday without expecting overtime, letting crew ashore before clearance, or skipping the online pre-arrival notice. This page walks through the process in order, with the fees as published at the time of writing. Rules and charges change, so confirm with Grenada Customs or your marina before you sail, and treat the figures here as a guide.
The clearance process in order
The sequence below applies whether you arrive from Trinidad, from St Vincent and the Grenadines to the north, or from across the Atlantic.
- Submit a SailClear notice before arrival. Grenada uses the SailClear online pre-arrival system shared with several other Eastern Caribbean states. Register the vessel and crew, submit the arrival notice, and note the notification number. It shortens the paperwork at the office considerably.
- Fly the yellow Q flag when you enter Grenadian waters and keep it up until clearance is complete, with the Grenada courtesy flag hoisted once cleared.
- Go directly to a port of entry. Anchor or berth there and report promptly. Older rules speak of reporting within two hours of arrival; in any case, clearance should be the first thing you do.
- Only the captain goes ashore. Crew and passengers stay on board until the vessel is cleared. If you arrive after hours, everyone stays aboard until the office opens.
- Visit customs, immigration and the port authority. At most offices they sit in the same building or room. Customs issues the cruising permit, immigration stamps passports with the permitted length of stay, and the port authority collects its charges.
- Pay the fees and keep every receipt. You will need them when clearing out and if you are checked by the Coast Guard.
- Lower the Q flag and let the crew ashore.
Where to clear in
Port Louis Marina, St George's. The main and most reliable clearance point on the main island, inside the lagoon next to the capital. A good choice if you arrive from the north or west, and the place yachts are often directed to when other offices are closed.
Prickly Bay, south coast. A customs and immigration office has long operated at Prickly Bay Marina, convenient for yachts arriving from Trinidad and for the south-coast anchorages. Check it is staffed before relying on it.
Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou. Carriacou's clearance office is at Tyrrel Bay, near the Carriacou Marine yard. Hillsborough, the main town, has been reported as no longer handling yacht clearance, so check before heading there. Yachts coming south from the St Vincent Grenadines typically clear in here.
Other marinas. Over the years, customs desks have opened and closed at other locations, including St David's Harbour and Le Phare Bleu, so do not assume a marina desk is staffed. Yachts heading for those marinas should clear in at Port Louis or Prickly Bay first unless told otherwise.
Petite Martinique. There is no clearance office on Petite Martinique. Clear in at Carriacou before anchoring there.
Papers to have in your folder
Bring originals and a couple of photocopies; offices occasionally ask for copies to keep.
- Ship's registration document (original).
- Passports for everyone on board, valid for at least six months.
- Clearance from your last port of call.
- Crew list, ideally printed from your SailClear submission.
- Proof of insurance, particularly if you plan to use a marina or boatyard; most require it.
- Details of any firearms or ammunition on board, which must be declared and are normally held by the authorities until departure.
- For pets, an import permit arranged in advance through the Ministry of Agriculture's veterinary services, with health and rabies documentation. Without it, animals must stay aboard.
- A list of any high-value equipment or spare parts you intend to land or store, which helps if you later bring in parts duty-free for a yacht in transit.
- The boat's stamp, if it has one, and a pen. Several forms still ask for a vessel stamp, and offices do not always have spare pens on the counter.
What it costs
Fees are modest and are set by length. The customs cruising permit has been charged per month or part of a month at around EC$50 for boats up to 40 feet, EC$75 for 40 to 60 feet, EC$100 for 60 to 80 feet and EC$150 above 80 feet. A cruise levy of EC$8.10 per person applies, which has been waived for the skipper. The port authority adds a navigation aids fee per entry, around EC$30 for yachts under 50 feet, and a small charge for the port clearance document.
On top of that come overtime charges if you clear outside normal office hours. Offices generally work weekday office hours with a lunch break and offer limited weekend and holiday service, often a morning window, at an extra charge. A weekend clearance can easily cost more than the fees themselves, so time your arrival for a weekday if you can.
SailClear itself has introduced a subscription for regular users in recent years. All fees are in Eastern Caribbean dollars, pegged at EC$2.70 to US$1; offices may not take cards, so carry cash in EC dollars. These figures were current at the time of writing; check before you arrive.
Common mistakes that cost time or money
Skipping the courtesy flag or flying a worn one. A shredded or faded Grenada courtesy flag will not get you fined, but officials notice. Buy a decent one before arriving or from a chandlery in the first days.
Landing crew before clearance. This is taken seriously and can lead to fines. Even a quick swim ashore for supplies counts.
Heading to the marina you booked, not a port of entry. Your berth may be at a marina without a customs desk. Clear first, then move.
Leaving cruising-permit months unpaid. If you stay beyond the period paid for, settle the extra months at a customs office before clearing out, not on the last morning.
Clearing out and lingering. Clearance out is generally valid for 24 hours. Plan to leave the day you clear, and do not go ashore again afterwards.
Assuming Carriacou is a separate country. Moving between Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique is domestic. You do not clear out of Grenada to sail to Carriacou; you clear out when leaving the country.
Clearing out and crew changes
To leave Grenada, the captain returns to a clearance office with the ship's papers, passports and receipts, settles any outstanding fees and receives a departure clearance for the next port. Yachts heading north to the St Vincent Grenadines usually clear out at Tyrrel Bay and then clear in at Clifton on Union Island, a short sail away.
Crew joining or leaving by air must be added to or removed from the crew list with immigration. Crew flying out need their passport stamped as leaving the vessel, and anyone flying in to join a boat should carry evidence that they are joining a yacht, such as a letter from the captain with the vessel details, since airline and immigration staff may otherwise ask for a return ticket.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need to clear in again when sailing from Grenada to Carriacou?
No. Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique form one country, and your cruising permit covers all three. You only clear out when leaving Grenadian waters, for example when sailing north to Union Island in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Can you clear in on a weekend or public holiday?
Yes, at the main clearance offices, but expect overtime charges and shorter hours, often a morning window only. If you arrive after the office closes, keep the Q flag flying and all crew aboard until it reopens.
How long can a yacht stay in Grenada?
The cruising permit is paid by the month, so the boat can stay as long as fees are kept up and the vessel is properly documented. Crew stay is set by immigration when passports are stamped and can usually be extended at the Immigration Department in St George's for a fee.
Is SailClear compulsory?
Grenada expects yachts to use the SailClear advance notice, and most offices work from it. Arriving without a submission slows things down, and you may be asked to complete it on the spot. Registering once lets you reuse your vessel and crew details on later visits.
Can you bring a dog or cat ashore in Grenada?
Only with an import permit arranged in advance through the veterinary authorities, together with health certificates and rabies documentation. Animals arriving without the permit must remain aboard. Start the process well before you sail, as permits take time to issue.
Where do yachts arriving from Trinidad usually clear in?
Most head for the south coast and clear in at Prickly Bay, or sail round to Port Louis in St George's. Both are a day sail from Trinidad. Confirm before departure which offices are open, since staffing at marina desks has changed over the years.
