North and Central America and Caribbean

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• Natural disasters
• General
 

Travel Summary

• The hurricane season in Antigua and Barbuda normally runs from June to November.  See Natural Disasters section of this advice and the tropical cyclones page of the FCO website for more details.
  
  
• There are confirmed cases of Influenza A (H1N1) (Swine Flu) in Antigua and Barbuda. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised its Pandemic Threat Alert Phase to Level 6. The WHO website l has further details. You should monitor media reports for any developments and advice. There is a dedicated Swine Flu page on the FCO website. Guidance on Pandemic Flu can be obtained on the UK Department of Health website .
  
  
• There is no British High Commission in Antigua and Barbuda. For emergency consular assistance, please contact the British High Commission in Bridgetown, Barbados. See the Contact Details of this advice for more details.
  
  
• Around 97,000 British nationals visited Antigua and Barbuda in 2007 (Source: Ministry of Tourism, Antigua). Most visits to Antigua and Barbuda are trouble-free. 6 British nationals required consular assistance in Antigua & Barbuda in the period 01 April 2008 – 31 March 2009 for the following types of incident; deaths (2 cases); hospitalisations (1 cases); and arrests, for a variety of offences (0 cases). During this period assistance was also requested with regard to lost or stolen passports (8 cases). There has been an overall increase in crime in Antigua over recent months, including gun crime, and three foreign tourists have been killed in the past year. See the Crime section of this advice for more details.
  
  
• There is a low threat from terrorism. But you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks which could be in public areas, including those frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
  
  
• We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake. See the General (Insurance) section of this advice and travel insurance for more details.