Clearing into the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis involves electronic pre-arrival reporting followed by Customs, Immigration and port formalities completed in person at Basseterre on St. Kitts or Charlestown on Nevis. The two locations are run differently: Basseterre splits the authorities between the marina and the cruise terminal, while Charlestown keeps them in one building. Send us the yacht, crew, route and timing details and we will introduce you to a local clearance agent who handles that port.
The demands of a St. Kitts and Nevis arrival are administrative rather than nautical: electronic reporting systems that each want the same passport details in a different format, and two clearance locations whose office arrangements are not obvious from the chart.
Pre-arrival reporting may involve SailClear, CARICOM advance passenger reporting and the Online Immigration and Customs ED Form, in a combination that follows the vessel and the voyage. A local agent establishes which apply and prepares them from the crew and passenger passport details, which is where most delays are avoided.
Authority attendance differs between the two locations, and at Basseterre it differs between weekdays and weekends. An agent working these offices daily knows the current arrangement, so crew are not sent to the wrong building or arriving after an office has closed.
The same agent handles outward clearance, settles port dues and deals with crew joining or leaving. Where a document is queried, or where the entry position for a particular person aboard needs resolving, it is faster through someone already in contact with the authorities.
Having the core records ready helps the agent assess the voyage efficiently.
Yacht name, flag, registration, length, use, the people aboard, last port, next port and expected timing. That is enough for a local agent to set out what the intended location will involve.
The applicable submissions are prepared for the vessel and everyone aboard, using passport details exactly as printed. References and receipts are kept to hand for presentation ashore.
Arrive at Basseterre or Charlestown flying the Q flag, calling ahead on VHF where the port requires it. Only the master goes ashore until clearance is granted. Customs, Immigration and the port authority are then completed in the order that location uses, and dues are paid.
Departure involves reporting online again, outward clearance with Customs and the port authority, and settlement of any outstanding dues. Notice periods affect the earliest the yacht can legally sail, so the agent confirms the current requirement when the departure is planned.
Choose the location that best matches your arrival, departure or berth. If the yacht is staying in a nearby marina or anchorage, select the closest relevant port or choose Other port in the form.
Pre-arrival reporting may involve SailClear, CARICOM advance passenger reporting and the Online Immigration and Customs ED Form. CARICOM is moving users from its older eAPIS portal to the MDEX system from 30 September 2026. The exact submissions required depend on the vessel and voyage, and a local agent can confirm the applicable procedure before arrival.
St. Kitts and Nevis operates an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) alongside its Immigration and Customs ED Form. Citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis and OECS nationals are exempt from the eTA but still complete the ED Form. Requirements can differ between working crew and guests joining the yacht, so each person's status should be checked before travel.
A yacht cleared into St. Kitts and Nevis can generally move between the two islands during its permitted stay without clearing in again. Keep the entry clearance record aboard. In Nevis, yachts must use authorised moorings, and a coastal mooring permit is required before proceeding around the island.
Customs charges and port or harbour dues are separate from marina fees and can depend on vessel size and length of stay. Charlestown fees are reported to be payable in cash, while Nevis also applies published mooring fees and some out-of-hours surcharges. International departure requires outward clearance, with advance filing normally completed before departure.
Complete the applicable electronic pre-arrival reporting, then arrive at Basseterre or Charlestown flying the Q flag. Only the master goes ashore until clearance is granted. Customs, Immigration and the port authority are completed ashore and dues are paid. A local agent prepares the reporting, meets the yacht and coordinates the offices.
Three systems are in use, and they are not interchangeable. The Online Immigration and Customs ED Form is the immigration submission completed for each person aboard. CARICOM advance passenger reporting carries the vessel's passenger and crew data. SailClear is a customs pre-arrival notification about the vessel and its declaration. A local agent establishes which of the three apply to the voyage. Note that CARICOM's eAPIS portal is being retired on 30 September 2026 in favour of the CARICOM MDEX portal, so an existing login may stop working.
No. SailClear is an optional service for submitting customs declarations in advance in the countries where it operates, and Customs offices here keep a computer available for skippers who arrive without having filed. In practice it is widely used and worth completing. It is pre-arrival notification rather than clearance, so the formalities are still finished in person.
Most visiting nationals have needed an approved Electronic Travel Authorisation since May 2025, applied for through the government e-border portal before travelling. On-duty vessel crew are treated differently from visiting passengers, and the treatment can turn on role and duty status. Guests flying in to join a yacht should plan on the ordinary visitor requirement unless established otherwise.
Basseterre on St. Kitts and Charlestown on Nevis both operate year-round, and Christophe Harbour on the south-east peninsula of St. Kitts clears at the marina through the November to May season. All three are covered by this site. Clearance also runs seasonally at the Christophe Harbour marina on the south-east peninsula of St. Kitts, broadly across the November to May yachting season, and suits larger yachts. Seasonal availability should be established for the intended arrival date.
No, provided the movement falls within the permitted stay. Keep the entry clearance record aboard, as it may be asked for. Nevis still expects vessels to take a mooring assignment from the port authority and to hold a coastal mooring permit before cruising its coast, so the absence of re-clearance is not the absence of local requirements.
There is no single figure. Customs charges and port or harbour dues are assessed on vessel size and length of stay and differ between the islands; marina and mooring charges are separate again. Amounts quoted to visiting yachts have varied, so ask for an itemised receipt and work from a current schedule rather than a cruising guide.
Report electronically ahead of sailing, normally around 24 hours in advance, then complete outward clearance with Customs and the port authority and settle any outstanding dues. For short stays of roughly a day, Immigration can often handle the inbound and outbound formalities in one visit. The notice period determines the earliest the yacht can legally sail, so fix it when the departure is planned.
Use the form for check-in, check-out, Customs, Immigration, crew-list or maritime-reporting assistance.