North and Central America and Caribbean

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

• Health
• Natural disasters
• General
 

Travel Summary

• You should be aware that the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting will take place in Port of Spain from 27-29 November. Security measures surrounding the summit may cause inconvenience for visitors during this period.  The British High Commission in Port of Spain will be closed to the public from 23 November to 1 December.
  

• You should be aware that there are high levels of violent crime, especially shootings and kidnappings.  British nationals have been victims of violent attacks, particularly in Tobago where law enforcement is weak. See the Crime section of this advice for more details.

• Around 57,000 British nationals visited Trinidad and Tobago in 2006 (Source: Central Statistical Office). 85 British nationals required consular assistance in Trinidad and Tobago in the period 01 April 2006 – 31 March 2007.  The main types of incident for which they required consular assistance were for: replacing lost and stolen passports; violent crime; and dealing with arrests or detentions, mostly for drugs offences.
  

• The hurricane season in the Caribbean normally runs from June to November.  See the Natural Disasters section of travel advice and Tropical cyclones for more details.
  

• There is an underlying threat from terrorism.  Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.  See the Terrorism section of this advice for more details.
  

• We 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.