Benetti B.YOND 40M130' 11"
View Specs & ReviewSix ports of entry, $50 to clear, and 400 amps at the dock
Yachting in Turks & Caicos
A Minted Location · Turks & Caicos, Turks & Caicos
You can price a Turks & Caicos entry before you leave the dock. Border Force sets the fees, the six designated ports of entry, the Q-flag rule and a 24-hour SailClear notice, and the marinas quote the same numbers back. For an owner planning a season, that predictability is worth more than a beach.
The market itself splits cleanly in two. **Blue Haven Marina on the Leeward channel publishes 96 slips — 30 superyacht berths and 5 megayacht berths — for vessels "over 220ft", on up to "3 phase 400 amp electricity", with fuel, water and sewage on the dock.** That is genuine large-yacht infrastructure. At the other end of Providenciales, the Marina at Southbank publishes "5.5' at low tide / 8' at high tide" at its mouth and "7.5' at low tide" at the entrance. Same island, same twenty miles of shoreline, and a fourteen-foot difference in what will get in.
So the TCI question is never "will they take my boat" — it is "which side of the island". Get that right and arriving here is straightforward.
One line worth reading before you leave home, from Blue Haven's own arrival page: firearms must be declared and will be impounded, and spearguns are prohibited outright. American owners carry both as a matter of course. Land them before you clear, not after.
Where to keep a yacht in Turks & Caicos
Blue Haven Marina is the large-yacht berth.
- 96 slips, of which 30 superyacht berths and 5 megayacht berths
- vessels "over 220ft"
- up to "3 phase 400 amp electricity"
- fuel, water and sewage facilities; 24-hour security
- an "official Port of Entry for Turks & Caicos", on the Leeward Going Through channel on the north-eastern coast of Providenciales
- VHF 16, position N 21.818936 W 72.146969
Confirm the controlling depth in the Leeward channel with the dockmaster before you commit a deep-draft boat to it — that is the number to ask for first.
The Marina at Southbank is the other published port of entry on Providenciales, and it publishes depth rather than length.
- mouth: "5.5' at low tide / 8' at high tide"
- entrance: "7.5' at low tide"
- channel markers from the mouth to the entrance
- VHF 16
- an "Official port of entry for Providenciales" with clearance handled on site
Those depths are the operating constraint here; berth length and availability are settled on the call.
Turtle Cove Marina sits at the north-shore end of Providenciales and appears on Border Force's own port-of-entry list under a slightly different name. Slip count, maximum length and depth are agreed by telephone — call before you route a passage around it.
Haul-out is a telephone call rather than a booking. The Providenciales shipyard runs a travel lift with outboard and diesel repair and a marine retail store; lift capacity, length, beam and draft are agreed on that call. For serious yard work, plan around Puerto Rico or Florida.
Border Force's designated ports of entry, published in full:
| Island | Ports of entry |
|---|---|
| Providenciales | Blue Haven Marina · South Bank Marina · South Dock · Southside Marina · Sapodilla Bay |
| Grand Turk | South Dock |
| South Caicos | Cockburn Harbour |
Sapodilla Bay on that list is worth noticing — it is an anchorage, not a marina, and it is a designated port of entry. A boat that would rather clear at anchor than pay dockage can.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Haven MarinaThe territory's large-yacht berth: "96 slips" including "30 Superyacht berths" and "5 Megayacht berths", accommodating vessels "over 220ft", with up to "3 phase 400 amp electricity" and 24-hour security. VHF 16, position N 21.818936 W 72.146969. Confirm the controlling depth in the Leeward channel with the dockmaster before committing a deep-draft boat to it. | Leeward Going Through channel, north-east Providenciales | 220 ft | 96 | Fuel, water and sewage facilities on the dock |
| The Marina at SouthbankPublishes depth rather than length, and does it candidly: the mouth carries "5.5' at low tide / 8' at high tide" and the entrance "7.5' at low tide", with channel markers from mouth to entrance. VHF 16. Those depths are the operating constraint here; berth length and availability are settled on the call. | Long Bay, south-east Providenciales | — | — | — |
| Turtle Cove MarinaOn Border Force's own port-of-entry list, at the north-shore end of Providenciales. Slip count, maximum length, depth and rates are agreed by telephone — call before you route a passage around it. | Turtle Cove, north Providenciales | — | — | — |
Figures are as each facility publishes them on its own site; blank cells mean the facility doesn't state a number. Confirm slip availability and current rates directly — or ask us to make the calls.
Cruising from Turks & Caicos
The clearance regime, from Border Force's own page, and it is refreshingly literal.
- Inbound clearance: $50.00. Outbound clearance: $50.00.
- That $50 covers seven days without payment of customs duties. It is not a cruising permit.
- A cruising permit is $300.00 and runs 90 days, obtained from the Proper Officer at your first port of arrival. Border Force's own framing: it entitles a pleasure craft to remain "for a period of three months without payment of Customs Duties."
- SailClear is mandatory. The master must "give notice of arrival at least 24 hours before arrival using SailClear www.sailclear.com" — inbound and outbound. In force since 1 February 2023.
- On arrival: "Display the International Pratique Q-flag and travel directly to the port of entry." Blue Haven adds that you must clear within 24 hours, that only the captain may go ashore, and Border Force is blunt: "No person, animal or article should leave the vessel until full clearance has been granted."
The $50-versus-$300 distinction is the one most people get wrong, and it changes the arithmetic of a short visit completely. A long weekend costs $100 round trip. A month costs $400 — the $300 permit plus the two $50 clearances.
Clearance hours are published and short, so plan the arrival around them:
| Hours | |
|---|---|
| Monday – Thursday | 08:00 – 16:30 |
| Friday | 08:00 – 16:00 |
| Outside those hours | $10.00 overtime weekdays · $15.00 Sundays and holidays |
Immigration, from Blue Haven's arrival page: a visitor visa runs 30 days and is renewable twice at $50 per passport. A vessel staying over 180 days crosses into long-term import territory — the threshold to know if you are thinking of basing a boat here rather than visiting.
⚠️ Two prohibitions that catch American owners every season. "Firearms must be declared and will be impounded" — declared, and taken, not merely declared. And spearguns are prohibited. If either is aboard, deal with it before you file SailClear.
Pets need a recent health certificate and rabies vaccination.
On depth, the numbers on record are Southbank's — 5.5 feet at low tide at the mouth, 8 feet at high, 7.5 feet at the entrance — and they are a fair indication of what the south side of Providenciales carries.
⚠️ The Caicos banks are shallow and extensive, and the approaches are thinly charted. Take the marked channels, take them in good light, and hail on VHF 16 before you commit.
- Sapodilla Bay — clear in at anchor — South-west ProvidencialesSapodilla Bay appears among the six designated ports of entry on Border Force's list, alongside Blue Haven, South Bank, South Dock and Southside — and it is an anchorage, not a marina. A boat can arrive, anchor, clear in properly and go ashore by tender without paying a night's dockage to do it.
- The Caicos banks — thin water, marked channels — The banks south and west of ProvidencialesThe banks are shallow, extensive and thinly charted. The depths on record in the territory are Southbank's — 5.5 ft at low tide at the mouth, 8 ft at high, 7.5 ft at the entrance — and they are a fair indication of what the south side of Providenciales carries. Take the marked channels, take them in good light, and hail on VHF 16 before committing.
Service, refit & supplies
Shipyards & refit
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haul-out and yard work in ProvidencialesThe Providenciales shipyard runs a travel lift with outboard and diesel repair and a marine retail store. Lift capacity, length, beam and draft are agreed on the call, so treat a TCI haul-out as a telephone call rather than a plan — and schedule serious yard work around Puerto Rico or Florida. | Providenciales | — | — |
On the Turks & Caicos calendar
The Turks & Caicos runs year-round, and what the authorities publish is hours and clocks rather than seasons.
- Border Force clearance hours: 08:00–16:30 Monday to Thursday, 08:00–16:00 Friday. Outside those, $10 overtime on weekdays and $15 on Sundays and public holidays.
- Cruising permit: 90 days, $300, from the Proper Officer at the first port of arrival.
- Clearance without a permit: 7 days, on the $50 inbound fee.
- Visitor visa: 30 days, renewable twice at $50 per passport.
- Over 180 days in the territory moves a vessel into long-term import territory. That is the number that matters if you are basing a boat here rather than visiting.
- SailClear notice: at least 24 hours, both directions, since 1 February 2023.
Fishing tournaments and regatta dates are set by the organising clubs — confirm them directly with the organiser. The clocks above are the official ones and they are what actually shape a trip.
Yachts we'd shortlist for Turks & Caicos
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Sanlorenzo SD132133' 6" (40.7 m)
View Specs & Review
Horizon Yachts FD8080' 7" (24.56 m)
View Specs & ReviewFrequently Asked Questions
What is the largest yacht that can dock in the Turks & Caicos?
Blue Haven Marina on the Leeward channel in Providenciales publishes 96 slips including 30 superyacht berths and 5 megayacht berths, accommodating vessels over 220 feet, on up to three-phase 400-amp electricity. Confirm the controlling depth in the Leeward channel with the dockmaster before committing a deep-draft boat to it. At the other end of the island the Marina at Southbank publishes 5.5 feet at low tide at its mouth, which is a fourteen-foot difference in what will get in.
What does it cost to bring a yacht into the Turks & Caicos?
Two separate charges, and confusing them is the common mistake. Clearance is $50 inbound and $50 outbound, and that fee entitles the vessel to remain seven days without payment of customs duties. A cruising permit is a different instrument: $300 per vessel, valid 90 days, obtained from the Proper Officer at your first port of arrival. So a long weekend costs $100 round trip, while a month costs $400 — the permit plus both clearances. Overtime is $10 on weekdays outside working hours and $15 on Sundays and public holidays.
Do you need SailClear to enter the Turks & Caicos?
Yes, and it is mandatory in both directions. The Turks & Caicos Islands Border Force requires the master or owner to give notice of arrival at least 24 hours before arrival using SailClear, and the same applies before departure. The requirement has been in force since 1 February 2023. On arrival you must display the International Pratique Q-flag and travel directly to a designated port of entry, and Border Force states plainly that no person, animal or article should leave the vessel until full clearance has been granted.
Can a yacht be hauled out in the Turks & Caicos?
Yes, but arrange it by telephone rather than around a date. The Providenciales shipyard runs a travel lift with outboard and diesel repair and a marine retail store; lift capacity, length, beam and draft are agreed on the call. For serious yard work, schedule it around Puerto Rico or Florida instead.
Can you bring a speargun or a firearm to the Turks & Caicos on a yacht?
No to spearguns, and firearms will be taken. Blue Haven Marina's own arrival page states that firearms must be declared and will be impounded, and that spearguns are prohibited. Declared and impounded, not merely declared — the distinction matters. American owners routinely carry both, so deal with them before filing SailClear rather than at the dock. Pets are permitted with a recent health certificate and rabies vaccination.
Can you clear into the Turks & Caicos at anchor?
Yes. Border Force's published list of designated ports of entry includes Sapodilla Bay on the south-west of Providenciales, which is an anchorage rather than a marina — alongside Blue Haven Marina, South Bank Marina, South Dock and Southside on the same island, South Dock on Grand Turk and Cockburn Harbour on South Caicos. A boat can therefore arrive, anchor, clear in properly and go ashore by tender without buying a night's dockage.