Travelling to the Caribbean During Covid - Restrictions and Entry Requirements

Most of the Caribbean islands have reopened their borders for traveling. Here are the most recent updates on Covid protocols to the top Caribbean travel destinations.

Travelers from the United States aged 12 and up must have a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) test result obtained within seven days of their flight to the Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda. Visitors who are fully vaccinated will have more options in terms of accommodations and quarantine restrictions, but vaccination is not required to visit.

Visiting Aruba will soon become easier for many, as some US residents who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 may be exempt from COVID-19 testing requirements. Travelers must still complete the online Embarkation/Disembarkation (ED Card) process, which includes purchasing mandatory COVID-19 health insurance prior to departure.

Visitors travelling to The Bahamas from other countries who are fully vaccinated and have passed the two-week immunity period will be exempted from COVID-19 testing requirements for entry and inter-island travel.

Unvaccinated travellers will be required to upload their negative COVID-19 PCR test results. Tests must be taken no more than 5 days prior to the date of arrival.

Visitors, regardless of vaccination status, must complete an Online Immigration/Customs form and submit it 24 hours prior to travel, as well as provide proof of a negative PCR test taken within three days of departure.

Within 48 hours of departure, travelers must complete the Bermuda Travel Authorization process online. The fee is $75, which covers all Covid testing in Bermuda. Children under the age of nine do not need to be tested at any time, and their Travel Authorization fee is $30. Visitors aged 10 and up must provide proof of a negative Covid test taken no more than five days prior to departure. Visitors must undergo a Covid test upon arrival and remain quarantined in their hotel room until the results are obtained (usually six to eight hours). For the first 14 days of their stay, visitors must wear a Traveler Wristband; wristbands will be distributed during testing upon arrival. Tests are also required on day 4, day 8, and day 14 of their trip, with immediate results, at pop-up testing centers. As of April 13, a stay-at-home order is in effect.

Visitors must register for their trip on the BVI Gateway App 48 hours before their trip and obtain a negative RT-PCR test or an approved rapid antigen test within five days of arrival. Travelers must also download contract tracing software onto their mobile phones.

Effective September 9, 2021, borders will reopen to vaccinated tourists with a 5-day, self-quarantine upon arrival. Exit PCR test required. Tourists will be permitted to quarantine at all hotels, condos, or villas with periodic spot visits to enforce the quarantine requirement.

All visitors, including those who have received all necessary vaccinations, must complete a Digital Immigration Card and fill out and upload a Passenger Locator Card within 48 hours of arriving on the island (carry a printed copy as proof upon arrival). Unvaccinated visitors must upload proof of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure (as well as carry a printed copy) and take a rapid antigen test at a local lab on the third day of their stay. If the test result is positive, the traveler must quarantine according to local regulations. Appointments must be scheduled and paid for ahead of time. After submitting their Passenger Locator Card, travelers will receive a pre-confirmation email with a booking reference number, the local lab website, and instructions. Children under the age of six are exempt from the test requirement.

Without proof of negative COVID-19 or vaccination against the virus, the Dominican Republic remains open to international travelers. Authorities, however, continue to conduct random tests on arriving passengers as well as temperature checks.

Visitors from the United States are welcome. Travelers who are fully vaccinated and enter Grenada must only be quarantined for 48 hours, pending a negative PCR test upon arrival. They must book approved accommodations for a minimum of two nights, apply for a travel authorization, and provide proof of a negative PCR test performed 72 hours before departure. Unvaccinated travelers must show proof of a seven-day reservation in approved accommodations, as well as proof of a negative PCR test performed 72 hours prior to arrival (for anyone aged five and over). All information must be entered digitally no later than 48 hours prior to the date of travel. Unvaccinated visitors must quarantine at their approved hotel for the first five days of their visit, followed by a second PCR test on day five. If the result is negative, they will be able to move around the island. All visitors must pay for the PCR tests in Grenada in advance, which cost around $150 each.

Guadeloupe has recently reopened to fully vaccinated Americans, with direct flights from the United States. Visitors who have been immunized can avoid quarantine if they have proof of an accepted COVID-19 vaccination, such as Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, or Johnson & Johnson, as well as a negative PCR or antigen test taken within 72 hours (PCR) or 48 hours (antigen) of arrival. Visitors from the United States will also be required to provide a sworn statement confirming that they do not have any COVID-19 symptoms and have had no recent contact with an infected person.

Before boarding a flight to Jamaica, Americans will need to fill out a Travel Authorization form, and all travelers aged 12 and up will need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular (PCR, NAA, RNA) or antigen test taken within three days of travel.

Americans can visit without requiring a passport or a negative COVID-19 test in order to return to the mainland. Visitors from the United States who have been immunized must upload an official Vaccination Card through the Travel Declaration Form portal, while non-vaccinated visitors to Puerto Rico must provide a negative PCR molecular or antigen COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of arrival or face a $300 fine.

The country is open to fully vaccinated travelers who fill out the Travel Authorization Form, upload proof of vaccination, book a room at an approved hotel, and have a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test within 72 hours of departure. In addition, the destination's Vacation in Place period for fully vaccinated international air travelers has been reduced from nine days to three days, with visitors testing on the fourth day and being allowed to move freely if the test results are negative.

Saint Lucia welcomes all visitors, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, as long as they submit a travel registration form and a negative PCR test (visitors aged five and up) within five days of arrival.

Travelers from the United States who complete the pre-arrival form and meet other entry requirements are welcome to visit the destination. Fully vaccinated visitors must have a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result produced within 72 hours of arrival, will be retested on arrival, and must complete mandatory quarantine for at least 48 hours in an approved quarantine hotel at their own expense while their results are being processed.

All visitors to the islands must obtain travel pre-authorization through the TCI Assured Portal, which includes submitting a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained within five days of travel (children under the age of ten are exempt), purchasing insurance that covers COVID-19 medical costs and full hospitalization, doctors' visits, prescriptions, and air ambulance, and completing an on-line questionnaire.

Fully vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers will require a negative PCR test that is done 72 hours before arrival to enter but only vaccinated travelers will not have to quarantine once a vaccine card is shown.

Americans can visit without a passport or a negative COVID-19 test before returning to the mainland. Nonetheless, the CDC warns of a high level of COVID-19 in the islands, and travelers aged five and older are required to test negative for the coronavirus within five days of travel to the USVI or show proof of recovery from the virus via a COVID-19 antibody finger stick or blood test taken within four months of travel.