French Antilles Clearance for Yachts

Clearance formalities, mandatory for the entry and exit of pleasure craft coming from/going to a foreign port, foreign maritime area or the high seas and entering/departing the French Antilles (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin and French Guiana) have been modified as of September 1, 2024, in accordance with the prefectural decree of August 5, 2024.

Customs and Immigration clearance has gone online, meaning you can arrive and enjoy the islands by completing all the paperwork in advance electronically, with no need to go ashore in a port of entry.

Remember, however, that the rules are you must clear into the country on arrival, regardless of where you drop anchor. Just because the system is now online, it doesn’t mean you should neglect following the rules. The French authorities are using AIS, helicopters and other means to track vessels and confirm customs clearance.  

Note, this is not SailClear (an online pre-clearance used in other Caribbean countries), this online clearance system is unique to the French Antilles (Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin and French Guiana). 

Here is how to do it…

Clearance formalities must be completed by all boaters electronically on the following website:
https://www.demarches-simplifiees.fr/commencer/declaration-clearance-antilles.

This is a basic website, however you can find an overview of the procedures, including a list of customs clearance locations (if you can’t get online in advance of arrival). Here you create a user profile (account) which can then be used to clear in and out of all the French Caribbean islands. All of your documents are kept online so you can login and access them, or update them, at any time.  

Remember, you need to submit arrival and departure requests via the website each time you move from one French island to the other. 

Completion of the declaration can be done prior to arrival/landing in the French Antilles, however, in the absence of internet on board can be completed at any clearance establishment/Capitanerie on land (for a cost of 5 Euros). 

The Process:

1. Create a password and register. The password must be 12 characters and can’t be a word or consecutive characters, capital letters or non-alpha characters.  
2. Make a profile and fill in vessel and crew information that will be saved for future use.  
3. Enter your arrival date/time and your departure date/time. If your departure is within a week of your arrival, you do not need to log-in and complete a departure declaration. 
4. Once you enter your information and submit for clearance you will receive an email with your clearance certificate and a digital stamp from French Customs. 
5. No payment is required, or face-to-face visit with the authorities. 

The completed declaration can be either: 

• Kept digitally, or 
• Printed out to show the authorities. 

Helpful Tips:

• Some of the site and prompts are in French (even when you select the English version). 
• If you have trouble accessing it, you may need to use a VPN to connect to a European IP. 

Arrival Procedures for Yachts

Upon arrival, vessels should fly the French courtesy flag. 

If you have successfully completed the arrival declaration online prior to arrival and received your digital copy, there is no face-to-face visit with the authorities required. 

If, however, you have not completed clearance forms in advance of arrival, be sure to fly the Q flag and proceed to a port of entry. Go ashore and proceed to an official clearance point as outlined in the Official Boat Guide, where you can use their computers to complete the form and get it printed out for endorsement. Only the Captain should disembark and go to the clearance point to complete the online form as soon after arrival as possible. 

Clearance points are not only Capitaneries, they are often in chandleries, marinas, restaurants and tourist offices. There is normally a small admin charge (5 Euros) for use of the computer/printing of forms. 

You will need to bring your boat registry and passports of the crew or a list with details of all crew members: nationalities, name and surname, passport numbers, date and place of birth. 

Domestic Cruising

Departments of France (St Martin, St Barths, Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana) all require you to clear out of one, before sailing to another. 

Departure Procedures for Yachts

When completing online clearance on arrival, you will be asked your departure date. If this is less than a week from your arrival, then no further procedures are required. 

If you have stayed longer than a week – you will need to log back into the system and complete a departure declaration.  

Simply go into your previous arrival submission, click on it, then choose “duplicate”.  All the information will be copied to a new file where you can change any of the information as needed (dates/port/crew etc). 

If your next port of call is outside the French Antilles and requires a zarpe, print out the declaration with the digital stamp included. To avoid any confusion, you might prefer to print out the clearance certificate and take it ashore to an approved clearance point for endorsement (for a cost of 5 Euros). See the Official Boat Guide (in French) for a list of all clearance points. 

See Noonsite’s St Martin, St Barth’s, Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana Country Clearance pages for country specific information. 

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