Charlotteville - Clearance

Yacht Clearance in Charlotteville

Yachts can now check in at Tobago without stopping in Trinidad on the way.

See Trinidad & Tobago Formalities for complete clearance information, overtime charges, fees and more.

Note that Tobago is divided into 2 parts. Charlotteville has jurisdiction over the northern part of Tobago, so here you can get a permit to cruise from Castara Bay to Prince’s Bay. If you wish to visit elsewhere, you must clear out of Charlotteville and sail to Scarborough, clear in there and get a permit for the bays in their jurisdiction (i.e. the rest of Tobago).

Local Clearance Info.:

It is advisable to time your arrival and departure WELL within normal office hours and go ashore immediately to clear in, to avoid overtime charges as arriving outside office hours is classed as overtime and incurs extra fees. See Trinidad & Tobago Formalities for all the details.

Yachts should anchor or pick up a mooring buoy and the skipper and all the crew must immediately go ashore to clear in.

Payment must be made in cash $TT - there is an ATM opposite the library.

Location of Offices:

1. Port Health - located at the Tourist Office
2. Immigration - located up the hill at the back of the Health Center (3 minutes walk).
3. Customs - located with Immigration

Allow at least 2 hours for clearance.

Departure Notes:

A yacht must normally clear out from the same port at which it arrived, but it is possible to clear out from Scarborough if Customs is advised before leaving Charlotteville of the exact date. This may also be a lot easier due to the irregular hours that the authorities practice here.

With permission, you may depart Charlotteville and overnight in Crown Point, but you cannot land at all and must leave by daybreak the following morning.

If you wish to circumnavigate the island you must file a passage plan and when on the southern coast you need to check into and out of Scarborough as it is a different jurisdiction from Charlotteville. Sailing like this is referred to as "Bay Hopping" but you must get permission to do it. Be especially careful if leaving for Trinidad. If you stop en route without permission you will be in trouble on arrival in Trinidad.

When sailing to Trinidad, you must gain clearance from both the Immigration & Customs office with endorsements allowing the vessel to sail to the port of Chaguaramas. If the vessel was cleared to sail to Chaguaramas from Tobago, then the skipper is obligated to report to the Chaguaramas Customs & Immigration office upon arrival.

You may NOT drop anchor en route along the north coast of Trinidad but must proceed directly to Chaguaramas. This is a security reason and for your own safety.

See Trinidad & Tobago Formalities for further departure details.

Contacts:

• Port Authority: tobagoyachties@patnt.com 
• Port Health: porthealth.tobago@gov.tt 
• Immigration: immigration.tobagoseaports@gov.tt
• Customs and Excise: charlotteville@customs.gov.tt

Last updated:  September 2024