Permit· Tobago· Windward Islands

Charlotteville Customs and Immigration

11° 19.4′ N · 60° 32.8′ W · approximate

Tobago's northern port of entry: a three-step clearance (Port Health, Immigration, Customs) in a sleepy village office behind the health centre, and the only office that can issue the bay-hopping permit for the north coast.

The GrenadinesGrenadaSt Lucia & Martinique

Practical

Position is the Charlotteville Health Centre (OpenStreetMap); the offices are at its back, about 3 minutes uphill from the jetty (approx). Process (Noonsite, updated September 2024 and a September 2023 cruiser report): anchor or pick up a mooring, then the skipper and all crew go ashore at once; Port Health first (normally at the Tourist Information office by the pier), then Immigration (bring the departure clearance from your last port), then Customs. Allow at least 2 hours and expect lots of forms. Fees: in 2023 Customs charged TT$50 if you arrived in the bay on a weekday between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm, and TT$235 outside those hours; the time you anchor counts, not when you reach the office. Pay cash in TT$; the ATM opposite the library can run empty. Verify fees locally. No agent is needed: a 2023 Noonsite report describes an agent being pushed on cruisers and an illegal TT$560 immigration charge later refunded, so politely decline agents. Immigration has not always been staffed every day (2014 report). The permit covers Castara Bay to Prince's Bay only. To go elsewhere you must clear out here and sail straight to Scarborough to clear in, though you may clear out from Scarborough if Customs is told the exact date before you leave. With permission you can overnight at Crown Point without landing, leaving by daybreak.

Best for

Clearing in to Tobago at the quiet end of the island

Nearby