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 (from Castara Bay to Prince’s Bay) and Scarborough the rest of the island. If you wish to visit the bays in the north, you must clear out of Scarborough and sail to Charlotteville, clear in there and get a permit for the bays in their jurisdiction.

Arrival:

No agent, or prior e-mailing of documents is needed for clearing in here.

Anchor in the designated area to go ashore to clear in. It may also be possible to berth at the Government Dock. All crew should go ashore immediately for clearance.

It is also possible to anchor in Store Bay, on the south-west corner of Tobago, and then take a bus or taxi to Scarborough to clear in.

General Process:

On arrival, the sequence of clearance is:

1. Port Health (a Health Clearance Certificate is needed before proceeding to Customs and Immigration.)
2. Immigration – operates Monday to Friday from 0800 to 1600, but a fee will be charged for services processed outside of these hours as well as weekends and all public holidays, irrespective of time. Located at the cruise ship terminal.
3. Customs – operates 24 hours, 7 days a week, but a fee will be charged for services provided outside of the hours of 0800 to 1600 Monday to Friday and on weekends and public holiday

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.

Fees:

A “navigation fee” of 50TT per month is levied on all boats in the water, payable to the Customs officer on arrival, if you arrived in the bay on a weekday between 0800 and 1600.

If you arrive outside these hours the navigation fee costs 235TT.

Note: what matters is your time of arrival in the bay – not the time you visit the office (which you can do the next day if necessary).

Departure:

A yacht must normally clear out from the same port at which it arrived, but it is possible to clear out from Charlotteville if Customs is advised before leaving Scarborough of the exact date.

If you wish to circumnavigate the island you must file a passage plan and when on the north coast you need to check into and out of Charlotteville as it is a different jurisdiction from Scarborough. 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 to Trinidad, but must proceed directly to Chaguaramas. This is a security reason and for your own safety.

Last updated:  September 2023

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