The Eastern Caribbean includes many different nations, each with its own customs and immigration formalities to be dealt with on arrival and departure. This can be a lengthy process in the majority of island nations and patience and an understanding of “island-time” is definitely worth cultivating.
Help is at hand however with two “advance notification” websites that cater for clearance in some of the Windward and Leeward islands. These two systems are an attempt to ease the clearance procedure for skippers with the possibility to enter all customs and immigration clearance details online prior to arrival, and simply update details as you cruise between islands. This information is then available to the different national border agencies facilitating the declaration process on arrival. Legally, skippers are still required to report to Customs and Immigration on arrival to present their identification documents, however, the time spent clearing in in-person should be reduced.
Both systems in use are similar in name (which can be confusing), and similar in service, however, currently they facilitate clearance for different islands. The most common system is SailClear, with only Antigua & Barbuda now using both eSeaClear and SailClear.
SailClear
SailClear was developed by the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council. The system is available for Anguilla, Barbados, Bermuda, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, Turks and Caicos Islands.
Since May 1, 2024, SailClear has introduced an annual subscription fee of US$25, which it says enables them to provide seamless customs clearance across these countries.
By registering in advance, Sailclear allows users to enter and update information about their vessel, crew, and passengers while traveling between participating islands. Users of SailClear can submit all yacht details just once and then alter them as needed for ongoing/future voyages.
The majority of Customs offices do have computers available for skippers who are unable to register on SailClear from their boat.
It should be noted that although the Cayman Islands claim to use SailClear, in actual fact no officers are interested if you have pre-cleared online and still want you to fill in all the forms in the office on arrival.
Be sure to go ashore with your SailClear ID number when checking in or out.
eSeaClear
This system is currently only used by Antigua and Barbuda, who have been using it for 12+ years. They are however also trialing SailClear, so skippers have a choice as to which system they use when visiting Antigua. Clearly if planning on visiting other islands after Antigua, then SailClear will be a more convenient system to use.
Note: Antigua Customs was expected to decide which clearance platform works best for them at the conclusion of the May/June 2024 season, however both systems currently remain operational and available to cruisers. Do not use both systems.
Optional and Free
Advance clearance using either SailClear of ESeaClear is not mandatory – however – checking in the “old fashioned way” is slowly being phased out. If you arrive not having completed the advance paperwork online – you may well be asked to do so at an on-site computer, or have to wait while a Customs official does it on your behalf – all very time consuming. You should find that by using the online advance notification services you save yourself a great deal of time.