1
Tell us the nature of the movement
Arriving from abroad, moving across from Dutch Sint Maarten, and clearing out of Saint-Martin are different movements. Say which one you are making and what clearance you already hold.
French Saint-Martin - the Customs declaration and port formalities
Marigot Yacht Clearance Agent
French Saint-Martin clears yachts under the French Customs procedure for the Antilles: an online declaration, a stamped certificate, and formalities completed at the port. Send the vessel, crew, route and timing details for review and, where a local agent is available, an introduction.
MarigotFrench-side port with Port Authority clearance formalities, under French Customs declaration requirements for the French Antilles
French Saint-MartinMarigot, Marigot Bay and the French side of Saint-Martin
Manual reviewEach request is assessed before an agent introduction.
Local assistance
How our Marigot yacht clearance service works
The French procedure is well documented and a skipper can complete it without help. Where assistance earns its place is in the detail: knowing which document is the one authorities want to see, where it has to be endorsed, and that the same sequence runs again on departure. An agent is not required, and you are free to do it yourself.
2
We set out the current French sequence
Which declaration applies, what the certificate is and how it differs from the filing confirmation, where the endorsement is done, and what the port itself requires when you present.
3
An agent coordinates it where you want that
Where a local agent is available and takes the work on, they can prepare and lodge the declaration, handle the port formalities and coordinate with any Dutch-side clearance on your route. Availability is not guaranteed, an agent is not compulsory, and the decisions rest with French Customs, the Port Authority and the border police.
Clearance checklist
What to have ready for French-side clearance at Marigot
The French side starts with a declaration to Customs and finishes at the port office. The documents below are the ones the port publishes as required when you present, and the last two lines are planning rather than paperwork.
✓The clearance certificate from the French Customs online declaration, carrying the digital customs stamp
✓The clearance from your last port of call
✓Certificate of registration for the boat
✓Certificate of insurance for the boat
✓Passports for everyone aboard, with the list of passengers and crew
✓Where applicable: customs or temporary-admission evidence, and charter or commercial-use papers
✓Planning detail: where in Marigot Bay or the French waters of the lagoon you intend to lie, and which approved clearance point you will use for the endorsement
✓Planning detail: your intended departure date, since the declaration and the port formalities apply to the outward leg too
Local process
The French clearance sequence at Marigot
French Customs publishes a single declaration procedure covering Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin, required for both entry to and exit from the islands. The port then has its own formalities on top.
Make the declaration to French Customs
The clearance declaration for the French Antilles is completed online through the official government procedure. Customs states that it can be submitted ahead of your arrival or your departure. Filing early is an option the procedure offers, not a published deadline, so give yourself room rather than treating a particular number of hours as a rule.
Know which document is the real one
The procedure produces a clearance certificate bearing a digital French customs stamp. That stamped certificate is the document with authority. The confirmation email acknowledging that your file was submitted is a different thing and does not take its place. Keep the certificate itself, not just the receipt.
Get the certificate printed and endorsed
French Customs publishes that the clearance certificate must be printed and endorsed by an approved Clearance Point, and gives the reason: pending recognition of the digital declaration by the states of the Caribbean. The printed and endorsed version is what is presented to the competent authorities. Customs currently lists three approved points in Saint-Martin: the Marina Fort-Louis capitainerie and the Marina Marigot gare maritime, both in Marigot, and the Anse Marcel Marina capitainerie on the north coast. The list is updated periodically, so check it before you sail.
Complete the formalities at the port
The Port of Marigot publishes that vessel operators go to the port office at the commercial port reception to finalise clearance, presenting the clearance from the last port of call, the boat's registration and insurance certificates, the list of passengers and crew, and passports.
Declare the people aboard before anyone lands
The port publishes that every captain, French or foreign, must declare crew and passengers to the Port Captain's office before they are allowed to disembark, and that immigration control is carried out by the border police. This is about the people aboard and is separate from the vessel's customs declaration.
Clear out the same way
Departure is its own sequence, not a formality to skip. The Customs declaration covers exit as well as entry, and the port publishes that the mooring fee is paid on departure, also at the commercial port reception. Plan the outward leg with the same notice as the arrival.
St. Maarten requirements
Border, Customs, yacht-status, insurance and maritime requirements.
The French Customs declaration
French Customs operates one online clearance declaration covering Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin, and publishes it as required for both entry to and exit from the islands. It can be submitted ahead of arrival or departure. The procedure produces a clearance certificate carrying a digital French customs stamp; the email confirming that the file was submitted is a separate document and is not a substitute for the certificate.
Printing, endorsement and where it can be done
French Customs publishes that the clearance certificate must be printed and endorsed by an approved Clearance Point, and states the reason as pending recognition of the digital declaration by the states of the Caribbean. The printed and endorsed certificate is what is presented to the competent authorities. Customs currently lists three approved points in Saint-Martin: the Marina Fort-Louis capitainerie and the Marina Marigot gare maritime in Marigot, and the Anse Marcel Marina capitainerie on the north coast. Marigot is the main one and the only one with the commercial port formalities described below, but it is not the only place a certificate can be endorsed. Customs maintains and updates that list separately, so check it for the date you are sailing.
What the port itself requires
The Port of Marigot publishes that operators finalise clearance at the port office at the commercial port reception, presenting the clearance from the last port of call, the boat's registration and insurance certificates, the list of passengers and crew, and passports. It also publishes that every captain, French or foreign, must declare crew and passengers to the Port Captain's office before they are allowed to disembark, with immigration control carried out by the border police, and that the mooring fee is paid on departure at the same reception.
Moving between the French and Dutch sides
Dutch Sint Maarten and French Saint-Martin are separate jurisdictions with separate Customs and Immigration. A movement between them can carry its own formalities on either side. There is no published simplified route that we are aware of for yachts crossing from the Dutch side rather than arriving from abroad, so do not plan on one: establish what applies to your particular movement with the authorities or a local agent before you make it.
FAQ
Marigot Yacht Clearance questions
How does French-side clearance work?
It runs in two stages. First the clearance declaration to French Customs, made online through the official procedure for the French Antilles, which produces a certificate carrying a digital customs stamp. Then the local formalities at the port: presenting your papers at the commercial port reception and declaring crew and passengers to the Port Captain's office before anyone goes ashore.
Is the confirmation email the same as the clearance certificate?
No. The procedure sends a confirmation that your file was submitted, and separately produces the clearance certificate bearing the digital customs stamp. The stamped certificate is the document with authority. Do not arrive holding only the submission receipt.
Do I have to print it?
French Customs publishes that the clearance certificate must be printed and endorsed by an approved Clearance Point, and gives the reason as pending recognition of the digital declaration by the states of the Caribbean. The printed and endorsed copy is what is presented to the authorities.
How far in advance do I have to declare?
Customs states that the declaration can be submitted ahead of your arrival or your departure. That is an option the procedure allows, not a published cut-off in hours or days. Leave yourself time for the printing and endorsement step rather than working to a deadline that has not been published.
Is Marigot the only place to clear on the French side?
No. French Customs currently lists three approved clearance points in Saint-Martin: two in Marigot, at the Marina Fort-Louis capitainerie and the Marina Marigot gare maritime, and one at the Anse Marcel Marina capitainerie on the north coast. Marigot is the main one, and the commercial port formalities described on this page are Marigot's. The list is updated from time to time, so check it for the date you are sailing.
Do I need an agent?
No. The procedure is published and a skipper can complete it. An agent can prepare and lodge the declaration, handle the port formalities and coordinate with any Dutch-side clearance, which is worth having when time is short or the route touches both jurisdictions, but it is a choice rather than a requirement. This site is an information and referral service, not an authority.
Personal clearance support
Send the voyage details once. We help route the request.
Use this page for Marigot arrival, departure and St. Maarten yacht-paperwork assistance.