Martinique
French Flair, Caribbean Warmth and World-Class Provisioning
Martinique: Culture, Cruising & Capability
Martinique offers captains, owners and guests a destination that is both culturally rich and operationally convenient. One of the Windward Islands’ most distinctive cruising destinations, it combines French-Caribbean culture, Creole traditions and practical yachting support. Free from large-scale mass tourism, the island offers sheltered anchorages, French gastronomy, rainforest scenery, historic Saint-Pierre, rum distilleries and the dramatic volcanic landscape of Mount Pelée, with Le Marin providing the main yachting hub in the south.
Destination Highlights
- French-Caribbean culture and gastronomy
- Le Marin yachting hub
- Excellent provisioning and shopping
- Rum distilleries, Mount Pelée and historic Saint-Pierre
- Strong technical and haul-out support
Martinique appeals to yachts for both cruising and operations. Owners and guests can enjoy a varied itinerary of beaches, rainforest, rum estates, historic sites and quieter anchorages, while captains and yacht managers benefit from good provisioning, fuel, logistics, technical services and yacht agency support. Its position between St. Lucia, Dominica and Guadeloupe also makes it a useful charter pick-up point, transatlantic stop or base for cruising the Windward Islands.
International Access
Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport, near Fort-de-France, provides regional Caribbean connections and long-haul links, including flights to and from mainland France.
Yachting Infrastructure
Martinique’s yachting infrastructure is concentrated around Le Marin and Fort-de-France, with marina berthing, travel-lift haul-out, dry-dock capacity, in-water repair options, chandlers, provisioning, bunkering and skilled technical trades.
- Max berthing: Marina berth - 60 m LOA and about 4,8 m draft
- Max haul-out: Dry dock - 180 m LOA
- Second max haul-out: Travel lift - 440 tonnes, 50 m LOA, 5 m draft
See Recommended Superyacht Services below for specific marinas, haul-out facilities, and skilled trades in Antigua and Barbuda.
Recommended Superyacht Services
in Martinique
Destination Partner Opportunities
Become a Destination Partner and help present your destination with more detailed, regularly updated information for the global superyacht community.
This destination page has been developed by SSG as a practical resource for captains, yacht managers, owners and crew. It is updated with input from local industry professionals to keep the information relevant and useful.
Destination partnership opportunities may include expanded destination content, videos, featured industry information, advertising placements and promotional campaigns.
For further information, please contact SSG.
Entry, Clearance & Cruising Guidelines for Martinique
Local Expertise: Martinique clearance information reviewed by local yacht agents - July 2026.
1. Arrival & Clearance
Yachts arriving in Martinique must complete French Antilles customs clearance online through the official clearance portal before or on arrival, and again before departure. The French system applies to private and commercial pleasure craft and is separate from SailClear, used in some other Caribbean islands. Non-EU yachts may generally remain under temporary admission for up to 18 months. This period is renewed with each new declaration of entry into the territory.
For superyachts, a recommended local yacht agent can assist with clearance, immigration, berthing and large-yacht anchoring requests.
Need clearance assistance for Martinique?
Contact a Recommended Yacht Agent
Alternatively, you can submit the clearance application online via:
After arrival in Martinique, proceed with your documents to the immigrations office in Le Marin, open at specific and variable hours, or at the port in Fort-de-France, open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. At the immigration office, you must present the passports along with the crew/passenger manifest and the clearance document. This procedure is to be completed both upon entry and upon departure.
Official Ports of Entry/Departure
An official port of entry is Fort-de-France; however, this is a commercial port and is not specifically designed to accommodate yachts and their guests.
Yacht agents recommend Le Marin Marina (berths up to 50 m; 5m depth), located in the south of the island, where yacht agents and most of the technical/other support companies are based. There are several restaurants on site with the possibility to arrange provisioning/parcel deliveries directly on the dock.
Yachts must clear out when moving from Martinique to another French Antilles island, including Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin or Saint-Barthélemy/ St. Barths.
2. Documents required
- Yacht registration
- Yacht insurance
- Last port’s outbound clearance / previous clearance document
- Crew and guest list
- (Scanned) passport copies of all crew and guests (valid for at least six months).
- Visas, if applicable
- Declaration of weapons and/or pets
3. Fees
Online clearance itself is generally free when completed directly through the official portal. Small administration or printing charges may apply when using an approved clearance point. Port, marina, berthing, anchoring, customs, parcel-handling, VAT, charter or technical-work fees may apply depending on yacht size, stay, status and services used.
4. Visa & Immigration
Martinique is a French overseas department and part of the EU, but it is not part of the Schengen Area. Schengen visa assumptions should not be applied automatically. Crew and guests should check the official France-Visas Visa Wizard for Martinique-specific requirements; where a visa is required, it must be valid for the French overseas territory.
Crew changes are handled through updated crew/guest lists and clearance records, with passports, onward travel details and any required visa or laissez-passer documents checked when crew fly in or out.
For nationals of countries that require a visa to enter Martinique, the immigration authorities offer a crew-specific visa valid for 15 days, currently at a cost of €60 payable directly in cash at the immigration office. For laissez-passée short-term entry documents obtained via the Prefecture contact your yacht agent.
Official visa information:
5. Navigation & Cruising
Vessels under 50m may generally anchor subject to local rules, while yachts of 50m and above require an anchorage request to CROSS Antilles-Guyane (Antilles-Guyane Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Centre). This request can be made up to 72 hours in advance and is granted for a maximum duration of 36 hours, which may be renewed. The application must include the vessel’s ETA, ETD, and the requested anchorage area number.
Pilotage may apply depending on yacht size, location and movement.
Anchoring or pilotage requests are generally handled through the yacht’s agent, or alternatively via email to:
- CROSS AG: [email protected]
- Pilotage: [email protected]
6. Chartering
Foreign yachts can charter from Martinique, but tax and status rules depend on yacht size, use and itinerary. A VAT exemption applies to qualifying short-term charters of pleasure vessels over 24m and under 3,000GT, made available from Martinique or Guadeloupe for pleasure voyages outside territorial waters. Yachts under 24m or locally based charter vessels may require importation, octroi de mer* and VAT handling. Confirm charter structure, cabotage, NUC**/commercial status and fiscal requirements before marketing or embarking guests. Recently, it has become possible to change status between pleasure vessel and NUC** on a charter-by-charter basis.
Check details with your yacht agent in Martinique.
* Octroi de mer is a local French overseas import tax that may apply when a yacht or goods are imported into Martinique or Guadeloupe. It is separate from VAT and should be checked as part of any charter, importation or refit planning
** NUC status, short for Navire à Utilisation Commerciale, is a French commercial-use yacht status for pleasure vessels operating commercially with paying guests and professional crew. It can affect charter authorisation, safety compliance, manning and tax treatment.
7. VAT/duty exemptions
Visiting yachts in transit may benefit from customs procedures for duty-free spares and VAT-exempt technical work or naval repairs, provided the yacht remains correctly cleared under temporary admission. Martinique and Guadeloupe share a customs area, but octroi de mer rates and import treatment differ locally.
Correct documentation is handled through your yacht agent in Martinique.
8. Private Jets
Fort de France airport has an FOB for private jet aircraft.
Disclaimer: The information provided is intended as a general guide and may be subject to change. Captains, crew and guests are advised to confirm the latest entry requirements, fees and operational procedures with the relevant authorities and their appointed yacht agent prior to arrival.
