Ports of call:
There are five ports of call for sea going vessels, two of which are dedicated to pleasure craft, two for commercial activity and one which handles both pleasure and commercial vessels. Though pleasure crafts will be attended to at the commercial ports, such vessels are encouraged to use the designated Pleasure yachts offices
Rodney Bay – Pleasure yachts
Office hours: Monday – Thursday : 8am 12 noon, 1pm. to 4:30pm
Fridays 8am -12 noon, 1pm. - 6pm
Saturday + Sunday : 8am 12 noon, 1pm. to 4:30pm
Marigot Bay – Pleasure yachts
Office hours: Monday to Sunday : 8am 12 noon, 1pm. to 4:30pm
Port Castries – Commercial port
Office hours: Monday – Friday: 8am 12 noon, 1pm. to 4:30pm
Port Vieux Fort – Commercial port
Office hours: Monday – Friday: 8am 12 noon, 1pm. to 4:30pm
Soufriere - Pleasure / Commercial
Office hours: Saturday– Thursday : 8am 12 noon, 1pm. to 4:30pm Fridays: 8am to 6pm
Procedure:
On arrival the captain should go ashore to report to customs. The crew must remain on board until clearance is completed. Customs clearance from last port is required and a local declaration form must be completed in quadruplicate (including animals, duty-free goods, firearms on board).
St Lucia is part of a scheme called ESeaClear which allows skippers to pre-clear their yacht, crew and passage details online. This should cut down teh time spent clearing in and out. This scheme is being rolled out across other Caribbean countries. The online form is at www.eseaclear.com
If staying less than three days, one can clear in and out on arrival. After clearing out, yachts have 72 hours to depart St Lucia, or 24 hours if local or charter boats.
Yachts must clear out with customs and immigration. A new crew list must be submitted if there have been any crew changes.
If a boat is leaving with the same crew, it may do so without clearing out provided its stop is less than 72 hours, but this must be made clear when clearing in. Any boat must leave within 24 hours of having cleared out.
Duty-free fuel may be purchased after clearing out. This is best done at Rodney Bay Marina where one can go directly to the fuel dock after clearing customs.
Immigration
The latest visa requirements can be viewed on the www.stlucia.gov.lc/faq/index.htm
As of September 2007, visas are not required for nationals of Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Venezuela and the United States.
Citizens of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, Panama, Poland, Portugal and Sweden will be granted a visa on arival, at a cost of US$50.
Normally a six week stay is granted by the customs officer when clearing in, with a further one month extension possible, however the maximum length of stay will be at the discretion of the immigration officer. Extensions have to be obtained in Castries. A charge of 40 EC dollars is made for every three weeks extension.
For crew arriving to join your boat in St. Lucia, current entry restrictions state that air passengers must be in possession or be able to provide proof of an "onward or return ticket" and hold sufficient funds for the stay. In the event that passengers are travelling to St. Lucia and departing by sea the passenger must hold documentation from the skipper of the boat confirming that they will be travelling aboard and detailing the exact departure date from St. Lucia and the next destination. Passengers must also then hold the correct documentation and comply with the entry restrictions for that destination too.
Temporary importation
Owners are permitted to store their vessel in a boatyard/marina for up to three years without the payment of duties. Any vessel remaining in the territory in excess of three years becomes liable to the payment of duties. An owner may put a vessel up for storage for short periods e.g. six months, and request extensions up to the three year period.
Yachts whose owners are temporarily employed on the island are also permitted to remain in the territorial waters for up to three years.
In order to use this facility, an application has to be made at the Customs Office in quadruplicate and must be accompanied by an inventory of the vessel.
Vessels on which duties have not been paid are not permitted to ply for hire in the territorial waters of the state. There are penalties for breaches of the Customs laws.
Mooring restrictions
After entering, vessels are permitted to proceed anywhere along the coast but must state their intended ports to visit when clearing in. No anchoring is permitted within the area of the SMMA which is a Marine Reserve extending from Anse Chastanet to Caraibe Point Point, by Gros Piton except for a section near Soufriere Beach – see map http://www.smma.org.lc/Background.htm. There are mooring buoys for visiting yachts which are laid down and maintained by the SMMA within this area. The Mooring buoys are very useful since the very steep shelving shore makes anchoring very difficult unless tying a stern line to shore.
Fishing Priority area: DO NOT anchor in any area designated as a Fishing Priority Area.
This includes: Roseau Bay, the northeastern corner of Soufrière Bay, the north and southern flanks of Malgretoute, the inner Jalousie Bay (Anse des Pitons), and Anse L’Ivroigne. You may anchor in the following Fishing Priority Areas at Trou l’ouranger and Anse Cochon from 9 am to 5 pm, however, you must give way to fishing if asked to do so.
Firearms
Firearms must be declared, but no action is taken if staying less than three days, after which they must be sealed on board by a customs officer. Yachts temporarily imported will have weapons held by customs in Castries or possibly by police if a longer permit is obtained.
Fees
The port authority charges various fees for clearance and navigational aids, which are made up as follows:
- Occasional licence (up to 6 months): Boats up to 40 ft (12 m) EC$50, 41-70 ft (12.4-21 m) EC$80, over 71 ft (22 m) EC$150.
- Pratique: boats under 100 GRT EC$10 at any time, over 100 GRT EC$20 between 0800 and 1600, EC$40 between 1600 and 0800.
- Clearance: boats under 40 ft (12 m) EC$5, over 40 ft (12 m) EC$15.
- Navigational aids: EC$15.
- Charter boats must pay a licensing fee.
Overtime is payable if clearing out after hours or at weekends.
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Pets
Pets must have a Veterinary Import Permit before entering St Lucia. Cats and dogs must (1) be electronically identifiable by an acceptable microchip implanted (2) Be Vaccinated for Rabies at or over three months of age.(3) Only travel into St Lucia six months (180 days) after date blood test taken.(4) Be treated no more than 48 hours before entering St Lucia with a preparation for the treatment of ticks and fleas and with an anthelmintic preparation. Animals not allowed ashore without prior inspection by Veterinary Officer.
For more information contact the Chief Veterinary Office or email Chief Veterinary Officer.
Disclaimer: The above are guidelines only and Sail-St Lucia does not guarantee any of the information contained within