New Visa Requirements for St. Lucia

[Amgine]

Noonsite is reporting new visa requirements for St. Lucia.

The following countries require a visa prior to arrival:

• Russian Federation

The following countries require a visa which can be be gotten at the point of entry ($50 USD each):

• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Spain
• Estonia
• Finland
• Greece
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Panama
• Poland
• Portugal
• Sweden

The following countries have no visa requirement:

• Canada
• France
• Germany
• Gibraltar
• Ireland
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• United States of America
• Venezuela

For other countries not listed, check the St. Lucia gov't website.

[mickmul]

Hi Amgine, you're getting lots of views but no replies so here goes - I'm assuming your list itself assumes a certain nationality? As a European citizen I have never needed more than passport, qualification and ships papers to cruise some of these waters . .

[Amgine]

When arriving in a country for the purposes of nationality the country issuing your passport will be your "nationality", even though you may also be a citizen of another country. For example, a US citizen who is Jewish may also have an Israel passport (and citizenship), so whichever passport he presents is the "nationality" he will be entering as.

I note that St. Lucia does not treat all EU countries in exactly the same manner, so it is clearly something to consider when traveling.

[Pblais]

I note that St. Lucia does not treat all EU countries in exactly the same manner, so it is clearly something to consider when traveling.

It's an international trend of deciding who your friends are and who they are not. Odd China is not on the good list as they are spending a lot of money there over the past few years. The concept of just showing up is about to be closing it is very sad to say.

[W32PAMELA]

Although the noonsite list of countries that do not have a visa requirement includes the United States I think that any non-US citizen planning to arrive in US territory on a private yacht should plan on obtaining a visa in advance.

27 countries participate in the VISA WAIVER PLAN with the US but one of the requirements for using the plan is to have arrived on an approved carrier (a major airline or cruise ship company) not a private aircraft or yacht.

Bob

[W32PAMELA]

I see on a closer reading that the noonsite list was for entry to St. Lucia rather than entry to the US making my reply non responsive to the original post. Sorry.

Bob

[GordMay]

New Rules for Yachts in CARICOM
Legislation has been passed which requires all air and sea carriers to submit passenger information in advance when arriving at, and departing from, each of ten Caribbean Common Market (CARICOM) member states. Participating CARICOM member states are Jamaica, Antigua & Barbuda, St. Kitts & Nevis, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana.

* Yachts must submit Advance Passenger Information before arrival in a port in the Single Domestic Space
* Yachts must submit notice of arrival on Channel 16
* Yachts will be advised to report to an official port of entry for clearance by Immigration, Customs and Port Health
* All persons arriving on board a yacht must submit their passports, E/D Cards, as well as necessary documentation and follow the instructions of the immigration officer at the port of entry.

Persons on yachts, and traveling air to sea for yachts, ARE REQUIRED to be in possession of the CARICOM Special Visa.
Please click on the link below to determine if you are exempt from having
CARICOM Special Visa:
Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security - CARICOM Special Visa

CARICOM SPECIAL VISA - Instruction Sheet For Application Form:
Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security - Instruction Sheet For Application Form

More Info’:
CARICOM Special Visa facts

[alaskadog]

Those CARICOM rules referred to in this thread were no longer in effect when this thread was first posted. They went out of effect on May 16, 2007. Lots of references to this fact can be accessed by Googling "CARICOM special visa". And it is questionable whether they even applied to boats from the USA, Canada or most western European nations when they were in effect. Depends on how you read it. Anyway, I just thought eastern Caribbean bound sailors may want to know.

[Hud3]

Originally Posted by alaskadog

Those CARICOM rules referred to in this thread were no longer in effect when this thread was first posted. They went out of effect on May 16, 2007. Lots of references to this fact can be accessed by Googling "CARICOM special visa". And it is questionable whether they even applied to boats from the USA, Canada or most western European nations when they were in effect. Depends on how you read it. Anyway, I just thought eastern Caribbean bound sailors may want to know.

Alaskadog, I think you're referring to special visa rules that were in effect during the Cricket World Cup matches, which is a different thing entirely. Take a look at this Caribbean Compass article (link below) to read about the Advance Passenger Information System that, on paper, will require small private and charter yachts to endure onerous reporting requirements on entering or departing certain Caribbean nations.

Advance Passenger Information

[GordMay]

As Hud3 indicates, the special visa was a temporary security measure during the Cricket World Cup.

A Special Caricom Visa was required for travel to 10 Caribbean countries during the period January 15 to May 15, 2007.
The nine host Caribbean countries for the Cricket World Cup 2007 (Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Barbados, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, in addition to Dominica) all agreed to function as a Caricom Single Domestic Space to ensure a safe, secure and stable environment during the tournament.

From CARICOM-IMPACS*: Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security - Home
The Single Domestic Space (SDS) comprising the nine (9) Cricket World Cup 2007 host countries and Dominica which came into effect February 1st 2007, for the hosting of the Cricket World Cup 2007 games as well as the requirement for a CARICOM Special Visa to visit the SDS will both come to an end at midnight on May 15, 2007.

* The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS)

[alaskadog]

Hud3: Many thanks for straightening me out on this point. I mistakenly thought the special rules were what the thread was about. I appreciate the link to the article. Lets hope that sanity prevails within the island countries in question so that these needless,and for many cruisers, impossible requirements will be eliminated.

[Hud3]

Originally Posted by alaskadog

Hud3: Many thanks for straightening me out on this point. I mistakenly thought the special rules were what the thread was about. I appreciate the link to the article. Lets hope that sanity prevails within the island countries in question so that these needless,and for many cruisers, impossible requirements will be eliminated.

Ha! I think we were all right. We were each just discussing different things! (That's called having a conversation with yourself, something I do more and more these days)

These entry requirements can be confusing to begin with, and then they go and change them.