North and Central America and Caribbean

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

• Health
• Natural disasters
• General
 

• There is no British High Commission in St Vincent and the Grenadines. British Nationals requiring emergency consular assistance should contact the British Honorary Consul, Donald Brown, on 1 (784) 457 6860 or 1(784) 491 4613. If the Honorary Consul is not available and for all other non-consular related matters please contact the British High Commission in Bridgetown, Barbados.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• Around 12,000 British nationals visited St Vincent and the Grenadines in 2010 (Source: St Vincent and Grenadines Ministry of Tourism). Most visits to St Vincent and the Grenadines are trouble-free.  But you should be aware that cases of robbery and other crimes do occur.
  
  
• You should take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance, which includes medical evacuation, before travelling. See General -  Insurance.

Safety and Security - Terrorism
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. For more general information see our Terrorism Abroad page.

Safety and Security - Crime
The vast majority of visits are trouble-free. However, there have been incidents of violent crime including murder. These tend to occur within the local community but can sometimes affect tourists. Crimes including muggings and thefts from hotels, holiday homes and, in particular yachts do occur. A tourist couple were assaulted and robbed in Bequia in November 2008, and two British nationals were victims of a robbery at knife point in a hotel room in Kingstown in August 2010.

You should maintain at least the same level of security awareness as you would in the UK and ensure that your living accommodation is secure. Apply the same measures if you are staying on a yacht. Avoid walking alone in isolated areas, including beaches after dark. Do not carry large amounts of cash or jewellery. Valuables and travel documents should, where possible, be left in safety deposit boxes and hotel safes.

For more general information see our Victims of Crime Abroad page.

Safety and Security - Local Travel - Road Travel
All drivers are required to hold a local driving licence. These are available from the Traffic Department of the Royal St Vincent Police Force or the licensing Authority. However, Car hire companies may facilitate the purchase at the time of hiring a vehicle. A valid UK driving licence is required in order to obtain a local one.

Motorists drive on the left in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Most roads are narrow and many are in need of repair. In mountainous areas the roads can be extremely steep and have sharp hairpin bends, many of which are not clearly marked. Automatic four-wheel drive vehicles are popular, and in some areas essential. Given local conditions, you should drive slowly and remain vigilant.

Driving standards differ from those of the UK and Vincentians have a more relaxed attitude to the rules of the road. You should be tolerant of this. For more general information see our Driving Abroad page.

Safety and Security - Local Travel - Air Travel
You will have to pay a departure tax of EC$40 (or US$15) per person when leaving St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Safety and Security - Political Situation
St Vincent and the Grenadines Country Profile

You should note that there are severe penalties for all drug offences. Pack your own luggage and do not carry anything through customs for anyone else. You should be aware that it is an offence for anyone, including children, to dress in camouflage clothing. Certain homosexual acts are illegal under Vincentian laws.

For more general information for different types of travellers see our Your Trip page.

Entry Requirements - Visas
British passport holders do not need visas to enter St Vincent for visits up to three months. You should note that overstaying without permission is an offence and paid employment is prohibited without a work permit.

Entry Requirements - Passport validity
You must hold a valid passport to enter St Vincent. Your passport must be valid for a minimum period of six months from the date of entry into St Vincent.

Entry Requirements - Foot and mouth disease
St Vincent has not lifted the ban on the import of fresh beef. Import licences are required for the import of any foodstuffs to the island.

Health care is generally good for basic illnesses; services are available at the primary and secondary levels. There are 38 health centres, which facilitate the delivery of primary care. Secondary care is offered at the General Hospital in Kingstown. This is a 209-bed hospital offering some specialist care. For further specialist care it may be necessary to be medically evacuated by air ambulance to Barbados or Trinidad. Acute care, not requiring specialist intervention, is also provided by five rural hospitals.

Dengue fever is common across the Caribbean and can occur throughout the year. Dengue is a mosquito-borne infection that can cause a feverish illness associated with headache, muscle aches and pains, and rash. Some cases of dengue are severe. Dengue can be prevented by avoiding being bitten by the disease-carrying mosquitoes that feed predominately during daylight hours. For more information on prevention, see the National Travel Health Network and Centre website.

You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. For more general information on how to do this see our HIV and AIDS page.

You should seek medical advice before travelling to St Vincent and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up-to-date.  For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention you should visit the websites of the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) and NHS Scotland's Fit For Travel or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

For more general health information see our Travel Health page.

Natural Disasters - Hurricanes
The hurricane season in the Caribbean normally runs from June to November. You should monitor local and international weather updates from the World Meteorological Organisation and the US National Hurricane Centre. Please also see our Tropical cyclones page for more detailed information about what to do if you are caught up in a hurricane.
St Vincent has an active volcano; the last major eruption of La Soufriere was in 1979.

General - Insurance
You should take out comprehensive travel and medical insurance, which includes medical evacuation by air ambulance, before travelling. Check for any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake. For more general information see our Travel Insurance page. If things do go wrong when you are oversees then see our When Things go Wrong page.

General - Registration
Register with our LOCATE service to tell us when and where you are travelling abroad or where you live abroad so our consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you in an emergency.

General - Replacing your passport
Keep a copy of the photo page of your passport and relevant visa stamp in case your documents are stolen. The passport service for British nationals in St Vincent and the Grenadines has now moved from Barbados to the UK Passport Service Centre for the Americas and Caribbean in Washington D.C. (http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/passports). If you are applying for a renewal of your UK passport and you are in St Vincent and the Grenadiines, your application, with the appropriate passport fee plus a return courier fee of US$21, should be sent direct to: The UK Passport Service for the Americas and Caribbean British Embassy 19 Observatory Circle, NW Washington, DC 20008 The British High Commissioin in Bridgetown will continue to issue Emergency Passports for people who have lost their passports and who have an urgent need to travel to the UK.