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Send your details
Provide the vessel registration, people aboard, passports, last and next port, and your expected arrival or departure time. Great Harbour suits crews arriving from St John and the western USVI.
Jost Van Dyke · Government Dock · BVI port of entry
Great Harbour Yacht Clearance, Jost Van Dyke
Great Harbour is the main settlement on Jost Van Dyke and a recognised BVI Customs and Immigration port of entry. With offices just behind the beach near the Government Dock, it is one of the first places to clear in when crossing from St John and the western US Virgin Islands.
Great Harbour, Jost Van DykeListed by BVI Tourism as a port of entry. Confirm current availability, attendance and procedures before arrival.
Jost Van DykeGreat Harbour, Jost Van Dyke and nearby yacht locations
Manual reviewEach request is assessed before an agent introduction.
Clearance checklist
What to have ready for clearance at Great Harbour
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.
✓A valid passport for everyone aboard, plus any visa required for entry
✓Crew and passenger list
✓Vessel registration papers and registration number
✓Online ED Card receipt, completed within 72 hours before arrival or on arrival before seeking entry
✓Proof of ownership or authority to operate the yacht
✓Valid yacht insurance
✓Previous port clearance or outbound clearance record where issued
✓Charter agreement and applicable permit details for charter or commercial vessels
Local assistance
How our Great Harbour clearance service works
You send the yacht, crew, passenger, passport and voyage details once. We review the request and pass the complete order to a local BVI agent on Jost Van Dyke, who can review and coordinate the current Customs and Immigration steps at Great Harbour for the yacht. Any attendance or inspection the authorities require is then coordinated for you.
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We brief a local agent
Your complete order goes to a local agent who confirms the current requirements, permits, office hours and charges on Jost Van Dyke.
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The agent coordinates clearance
The agent prepares and coordinates the Customs and Immigration formalities and any required attendance or inspection, so you are not working through each authority yourself.
Local process
Clearing in step by step at Great Harbour
Great Harbour is reef-protected, but holding is patchy and the direct approach to the beach is shoal in places, so take it slowly.
Complete the ED Card
Each traveller's ED Card can be completed online at bviedcard.gov.vg within the permitted advance period, or on arrival before seeking entry from Immigration. Have your vessel registration number to hand; your agent can guide you on the current requirement.
Enter the bay under the required arrival signals
Approach Great Harbour between the headlands following current arrival-signalling instructions, including use of the Q flag where required, following the buoyed channel on the western side into the anchoring area.
Anchor and dinghy ashore
Anchor in the bay (check your holding carefully) and take the dinghy to the customs dock or a beach pier; do not go ashore for anything else until you have cleared.
Customs and Immigration formalities
A local agent can prepare the crew list and vessel details and coordinate the formalities at the offices behind the beach for the yacht. Expect a wait when ferries or day-boats arrive; personal attendance or passport presentation may still be required where requested.
Pay permits and levies
Settle any applicable permit, levy and authority charges at the cashier; confirm current amounts before arrival.
Clearing out when you leave
Bound back to the USVI? Outbound clearance is completed before departure, usually within about 24 hours, and an agent can coordinate it. You may clear back in later at a different BVI port.
Route planner
Sailing to and from Great Harbour
Jost Van Dyke sits at the north-west of the BVI, closest to St John. Tell us your last and next port so the right steps can be confirmed.
Arriving from St John, USVI
Great Harbour is a natural first BVI clearance when crossing from Cruz Bay. Clear in here before moving on to White Bay, Sandy Spit or the rest of the BVI.
Clearing out for the USVI
Clear out at Great Harbour, then meet US Customs and Border Protection requirements on arrival in the USVI, clearing in at Cruz Bay (St John) or Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas). Confirm current CBP requirements for your crew.
Onward within the BVI
Once cleared, cruise to the Tortola anchorages, Norman Island or Virgin Gorda without clearing again until you leave the territory.
Keep your paperwork aboard
Retain the stamped clearance, cruising permit and ED Card records for inspection at later anchorages.
Nearby locations
What's at Great Harbour and other clearance options
Great Harbour has the Customs and Immigration offices behind the beach, the Government (ferry) Dock, a sand main street with beach bars including Foxy's, a few small shops, bakeries and ice. There are no large supermarkets or fuel dock here. If Great Harbour does not suit your route, these are the other BVI ports of entry.
West End (Soper's Hole), Tortola
A short sail south-east across the channel, with a marina, fuel and provisioning — the usual clearance for yachts to and from the USVI.
Road Town, Tortola
The capital on Tortola's south coast, with the main charter bases and full shore services.
Gun Creek, Virgin Gorda
A North Sound clearance office (Bitter End / Leverick Bay area) that is described by BVI Tourism as reopening soon and should not be relied on for clearance until its availability is confirmed. Confirm it is operating before planning to clear there.
St Thomas Bay, Spanish Town
The Virgin Gorda port of entry by the Yacht Harbour, close to The Baths and the south-eastern islands.
Route-specific guidance
Great Harbour arrival and departure
Crew nationality affects the USVI leg. US entry rules for non-US citizens arriving by private vessel are strict and differ from the rules for commercial-carrier arrivals, so check current US Customs and Border Protection guidance for your crew before you sail.
Clearing in at Great Harbour
Complete the ED Card, enter the bay under the required arrival signals and anchor, then dinghy ashore. A local agent can coordinate the crew's clearance at the offices behind the beach; personal attendance may still be required where the authorities request it.
Request Great Harbour arrival assistance →Clearing out for the USVI
Outbound clearance is completed at Great Harbour and you leave BVI waters within about 24 hours; an agent can coordinate it. Then meet US Customs and Border Protection requirements at Cruz Bay or Charlotte Amalie.
Request Great Harbour departure assistance →British Virgin Islands requirements
Rules that apply at Great Harbour
Office location and hours
Customs and Immigration are in the buildings behind the beach in the middle of Great Harbour, near the Government Dock. Confirm the current published hours before you cross, as they may change; the office can be busy when ferries or day-boats arrive. Applicable overtime and other authority charges may apply.
ED Card and vessel notification
The digital ED Card at bviedcard.gov.vg can be completed within 72 hours before arrival or on arrival before seeking entry. BVI Tourism also currently publishes SailClear instructions for private cruisers but notes that the process should be reconciled with the newer ED Card; confirm the current yacht-specific notification requirement before sailing.
Authority charges and permits
Applicable Customs, permit, levy, overtime and other authority charges may depend on the yacht, timing and itinerary. Confirm current requirements and amounts before arrival.
Practical harbour notes
Great Harbour is reef-protected but known for patchy holding, so set your anchor well and check it. Moorings exist but many are private or poorly marked. There is no fuel dock and only small shops and ice ashore; provision before you arrive. Little Harbour and White Bay nearby have moorings if the bay is full. These are practical observations, not clearance requirements.
Skipper preparation
Practical points for a smooth Great Harbour clearance
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Complete the ED Card before you reach the port, so your receipts are ready at the counter.
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Anchor well and check your holding before going ashore; arrange clearance before doing anything else on the island.
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Confirm current opening hours and after-hours overtime; published times change, and the office fills when boats arrive.
FAQ
Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke Yacht Clearance questions
Is Great Harbour a BVI port of entry?
Yes. Great Harbour on Jost Van Dyke is a recognised BVI Customs and Immigration port of entry. The clearance offices sit just behind the beach in the middle of the bay, close to the Government Dock, in the island's main settlement.
Is Great Harbour useful when arriving from St John, USVI?
Very. Great Harbour is one of the closest BVI ports to St John and the western USVI, so it is a common first stop for yachts and day-charter boats crossing over. You clear in here before cruising on into the rest of the BVI.
How do yacht crews get ashore to clear?
Anchor in Great Harbour and take the dinghy to the customs dock or a beach dinghy pier, then walk to the Customs and Immigration offices behind the beach. A local BVI clearance agent can prepare and coordinate the crew’s formalities for the yacht, though personal attendance or passport presentation may still be required where the authorities request it.
What is the anchorage at Great Harbour like?
It is a large, reef-protected bay that is popular and can be busy. Holding is known to be patchy, so anchor carefully and check your set; some mooring balls exist but many are private or poorly marked. Little Harbour and White Bay nearby offer moorings if Great Harbour is full.
What are the current clearance hours at Great Harbour?
Confirm the current published hours before you cross, as they may change.
Personal clearance support
Send the voyage details once. We help route the request.
Use this page for clearing in or out at Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke and other BVI yacht-paperwork assistance.