Every yacht arriving in the British Virgin Islands from outside the territory clears Customs and Immigration at a port of entry before anyone other than the person handling clearance goes ashore. Clearance runs across three authorities and normally involves the online ED Card, a cruising permit and National Parks arrangements as well as the paperwork for the vessel itself. Send us your yacht, crew, route and timing details and we can connect you with a local BVI clearance agent to coordinate it.
BVI clearance is not a single counter. A yacht arriving from outside the territory deals with Immigration, His Majesty's Customs and the BVI Ports Authority, with payments taken by more than one cashier, and the permits that follow — cruising permit, National Parks moorings, temporary importation, commercial licensing — sit in different places again. A local agent knows how that sequence runs at each port of entry and can prepare it before you arrive.
Rather than working through Immigration, Customs and the Ports Authority separately, you deal with one agent who handles the order of the formalities and the payments that go with them. That matters most when a ferry is being processed and the office is busy.
Your agent checks the crew list, registration, insurance and ED Card completions against what the officers will ask for, so nothing is missing at the counter. Where a licence or permit is also needed, that is identified early rather than at the dock.
The four working ports of entry suit different voyages, and what each can issue differs. An agent will tell you which office fits your arrival, whether a permit has to be obtained at Road Town, and how to time your departure.
The captain clears in for the whole vessel, so have these ready before you reach the Customs and Immigration office.
Each traveller aboard completes their own Online ED Card at bviedcard.gov.vg and keeps the barcoded completion email it returns. File before you travel where you can; it must be done before you seek entry from an Immigration officer.
Vessels entering from outside the territory clear immediately on arrival, before cruising on. Call the port office on VHF 16 for the entry permit and switch to 17 when the Ports Authority asks the reason for entry, keeping everyone aboard until entry is granted.
The captain, agent or a crew member carrying all the documents presents passports, ED Card receipts and the vessel papers. Customs determines whether the yacht is private or commercial and assesses the charges, which are then settled at the Treasury and Ports Authority cashiers.
Outbound clearance is completed before you leave for the USVI or anywhere else outside the territory, with the manifest presented and an inspection possible. Once cleared, the vessel must leave within 24 hours, and you then meet the entry requirements of the country you are bound for.
Clear Customs and Immigration at a currently available port of entry before proceeding beyond clearance formalities. BVI Tourism currently lists Road Town, West End, Great Harbour and St Thomas Bay as ports of entry and describes Gun Creek as reopening soon; confirm availability before relying on any location.
Mandatory since 1 January 2025 for everyone entering and leaving the territory, filed at bviedcard.gov.vg from 72 hours before travel up to arrival, and always before seeking entry from an Immigration officer. BVI Tourism also publishes SailClear instructions for private cruisers, so the applicable submission depends on the vessel and voyage.
Clearance involves Immigration, His Majesty's Customs and the BVI Ports Authority. Customs determines whether the vessel is private or commercial and assesses charges on length, tonnage and other factors, with payments made at the Treasury and Ports Authority cashiers. Keep the receipts aboard; after-hours attendance is arranged in advance and carries an additional charge.
A cruising permit is charged per person per day, at a lower rate for home-based vessels than foreign-based ones, alongside an environmental and tourism levy per arriving visitor. National Parks Trust mooring buoys are day use only and require a permit by law, which foreign vessels buy from Customs on entry.
Vessels carrying fee-paying guests need a Commercial Recreational Vessel Licence before operating in BVI waters. The framework was rewritten with effect from 1 June 2025, separating home-based from foreign-based vessels and adding limits on foreign-based operation, including a cap on charters per registered year. Licensing documents are kept on board at all times.
Yes. BVI Tourism states that every vessel entering the territory clears with BVI Customs and Immigration immediately on arrival, holding valid passports and the boat registration papers. Only the person handling clearance goes ashore until entry is granted, and you do not cruise on to another island first.
West End and Road Town on Tortola, Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke, and St Thomas Bay at Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda. Gun Creek on Virgin Gorda holds a port-of-entry designation from 2012 but has not been available for yacht clearance since the 2017 hurricanes; BVI Tourism currently describes it as reopening soon, so plan around St Thomas Bay for the North Sound.
The Online ED Card at bviedcard.gov.vg has been mandatory for everyone entering and leaving the territory since 1 January 2025, filed up to 72 hours before travel or on arrival, and always before you seek entry from an Immigration officer. BVI Tourism separately publishes SailClear instructions for private cruisers registering the vessel and crew. Which submissions apply depends on the vessel, the voyage and how the yacht is operating, and a local agent can settle that for your trip.
Immigration decides how long the people aboard may stay and stamps accordingly on arrival; a one-month visitor stamp is typical. The vessel is treated separately by Customs, and a yacht remaining beyond a short visit is dealt with under a temporary importation arrangement, which is handled at Road Town rather than at the smaller offices. Apply for either extension before the original period runs out.
Yes. Outbound clearance is completed at a port of entry before any international departure, and BVI Customs states that a cleared vessel must leave within 24 hours. Arriving in the USVI you report to US Customs and Border Protection, which requires face-to-face reporting at a designated office unless the vessel is enrolled in an alternative inspection programme. Crew nationality affects that leg, so establish the US position for everyone aboard before you sail.
Use the form for check-in, check-out, Customs and Immigration, ED Card, cruising-permit or clearing-out assistance.