Great Harbour is the main settlement on Jost Van Dyke and the island's port of entry, at the north-west corner of the territory and among the closest BVI clearances to Cruz Bay, St John. Customs and Immigration share the ferry terminal building on the jetty, with a dinghy dock in front, so yachts anchor or take a mooring and come ashore. It is a small office that handles arrival and departure clearance only.
Jost Van Dyke has one clearance office and no way to put right a missing document without sailing to Tortola. Give us the voyage once and an agent on the island picks it up, reads the file through before you cross, and meets the office on your behalf when you land.
Registration, the crew with their passport details, the ports on either side of the visit and your timing. Flag anyone who will need longer in the territory than a normal visitor stamp allows, because that cannot be settled on Jost Van Dyke.
The agent reviews the crew list, registration, insurance and pre-arrival submissions against what the officers will ask for. On an island this size, arriving with a gap in the file means sailing to Tortola to close it.
The agent puts the documents in order, works the Customs and Immigration steps at the terminal building and picks up the National Parks mooring permit where the cruise needs one. If the officers want to see you or the passports, it is a short dinghy ride rather than a problem.
Send us these details and a local BVI clearance agent can prepare and coordinate the yacht's formalities with Customs and Immigration at the offices behind the beach. Keep the originals aboard, as personal attendance or passport presentation may still be required where the authorities request it.
Great Harbour is the largest bay on Jost Van Dyke and well sheltered, but a reef extends a long way off the beach, so hold the centre line on the way in.
The national submissions for the people aboard are completed alongside in the USVI, with the confirmations held ready. Cruz Bay to Great Harbour leaves almost no margin to be doing paperwork underway.
Keep to the middle of the bay on entry to stay clear of the reef running off the beach, and call the port office on VHF 16 for your entry permit. All the official departments here can be raised on 16.
Moorings now cover most of the bay and holding is uncertain where you can anchor, so a ball is normally the better option. Come ashore by dinghy to the dock in front of the terminal building.
Customs, Immigration and a tourism office share the terminal building on the jetty. The captain, agent or a crew member carrying all the documents presents the passports, completion receipts and vessel papers. Keep everyone else aboard until entry is granted.
Charges assessed on the vessel and the people aboard are settled at clearance, and a National Parks mooring permit can be bought here by foreign vessels on entry. Jost Van Dyke's waters are managed, so that permit matters more here than at some other arrival points.
Once cleared, the rest of the BVI is open cruising without clearing again inside the territory. Outbound clearance for an international departure can be completed here, with the vessel leaving BVI waters within 24 hours.
Customs, Immigration and a tourism office share the ferry terminal building on the jetty at Great Harbour, with a dinghy dock in front of it. Yachts moor or anchor in the bay and come ashore by dinghy. Only the person handling clearance goes ashore until entry is granted.
Great Harbour clears vessels in and out, but it does not issue immigration extensions, and extensions to a temporary import permit are not handled here either. Both are dealt with at Road Town, with immigration extensions also available at Spanish Town.
A reef runs roughly 300 yards off the beach, so keep to the centre line on the way in. Holding in the bay is uncertain and moorings now cover most of it, which makes picking up a ball the more reliable option than anchoring.
National Parks Trust mooring buoys require a mooring permit by law, and foreign vessels can buy one from Customs on Jost Van Dyke on entry. Those buoys are for day use only; using one overnight is not permitted.
Yes. Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke is one of the four working BVI ports of entry. Customs and Immigration are in the ferry terminal building on the jetty, in the island's main settlement, with a dinghy dock in front of the office.
You pick up a mooring or anchor in the bay and take the dinghy in to the dock in front of the terminal building. The captain, an agent or a crew member carrying all the documents deals with Customs and Immigration; the officers may still ask for personal attendance or for passports to be presented. Everyone else stays aboard until entry is granted.
It is one of the closest BVI clearances to Cruz Bay and the western USVI, which makes it a common first stop for yachts crossing over. Clear here and the rest of the territory is open cruising without clearing again. The alternative on that crossing is West End, a short sail south-east.
No. Great Harbour handles arrival and departure clearance. Immigration extensions are dealt with at Road Town or Spanish Town, and temporary import permit business, including extensions, is handled at Road Town. If either applies, plan the cruise to take in the right office before your current period runs out.
It is a large, sheltered bay that is popular and often busy. Holding is uncertain and space is limited, and moorings now cover most of the bay, so cruising yachts are generally better off taking a ball. A reef extends well off the beach, so enter on the centre line. White Bay and Little Harbour nearby have moorings if Great Harbour is full.
Use this page for clearing in or out at Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke and other BVI yacht-paperwork assistance.