British Virgin Islands - Facts

BVI FAQs

Pre-Arrival Boat: Pre-register with SailClear. See Clearance for full details.
Pre-Arrival Crew: Visas are not required by nationals from a number of countries. Typically a one-month entry stamp is issued on arrival. See Immigration for more details.
Where can I enter? There are 4 ports of entry: 2 on Tortola, 1 on Jost Van Dyke, 1 on Virgin Gorda. Gun Creek (Virgin Gorda) is still closed. Click on the anchor symbol in the blue “Explore Country” drop down, to see ports of entry. See Clearance for additional details.
Are fees high to enter by yacht? For a double handed yacht it is approximately $100 (US) for entry and exit. See Fees for more details.
What security concerns should I know about? BVI is generally a safe country with the normal Caribbean precautions. See Security for more information.

BVI Facts for Sailors

• The Virgin Islands are an archipelago comprising hundreds of small islands and cays. The eastern half is a British dependency, while the western part is US territory.
• The largest British islands are Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke, and Anegada, the latter being slightly set apart, while the former are grouped together around the Sir Francis Drake channel.
• Known for its reef-lined beaches beautiful bays, coves and anchorages, the BVI has become a popular bareboat charter center. For this reason, they are often less attractive to long-distance cruising sailors.
• The islands are located to the east of Puerto Rico are in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.
• The official currency is the United States dollar (USD), the currency also used by the United States Virgin Islands. For specifics see General Info.
• Time zone is (GMT-4). For specifics see General Info.
• The climate is tropical rainforest, influenced by the trade winds. From December to March the daily average temperature is around 24/25 °C (75/77 °F), it is hotter and more humid during hurricane season; from May to October. See Weather below for more detail.
• Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic hurricane in recorded history, hit the BVI in early September 2017. The storm had a sustained wind speed of at least 185mph.
• The island uses the IALA-B (red right returning) buoyage system.
• See Yachting Essentials for more.