If you’re considering the “Beyond Extraordinary” island of Anguilla, the Ministry of Health has relaxed travel protocols for fully vaccinated visitors. As with other destinations, Anguilla’s COVID-related polices are constantly changing, and the wording can be confusing in places. Be sure to check the tourism website to keep abreast of all the moving pieces.
The following guidelines are set to take effect on April 1, 2022. For clarity, “fully vaccinated is defined as having received the last dose in the primary series more than 14 days prior to the arrival date.”
Adult visitors to Anguilla who are fully vaccinated don’t need to fill out the application on the tourism website in order to enter the country. However, they need to provide proof of full vaccination as well as a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of travel. Proof of a rapid antigen test must be provided within 48 hours of travel. This information is to be presented whether arriving by air or sea.
If you have been fully vaccinated within the last six months, arrival testing is discontinued. Moreover, “for persons who have taken a booster dose where completion of the primary series (full vaccination) occurred six months or more prior to arrival, a valid negative test result must be presented pre-arrival.”
If you are a vaccinated adult or a minor, but you haven’t had a booster dose, you’re still considered fully vaccinated and will not need to gain permission to enter the country via the tourism website. But you’ll have to present a negative pre-arrival test, and you may be tested yet again on arrival. The cost is $50.
Minor visitors who are not vaccinated can only visit if joined by travelers who are fully vaccinated. No exception is made for pregnant women, as “several COVID-19 vaccines” have been determined safe for use during pregnancy.
If you arrive in Anguilla without proof of vaccination and negative test results, you’ll have to return to where you came from. If that isn’t possible, you’ll have to take arrival and exit tests and quarantine for five days. You’ll have to pay the Anguillan government a $200 fee as well as other costs for unauthorized entry.
Visitors who are not vaccinated due to medical exemption will have to fill out the application for entry via the tourism website. You’ll also have to test on arrival and quarantine for five days. You must provide a negative test result in order to get out of quarantine, and the fee is $100 per person.
Even as the pandemic frustrates travel, Anguilla is worth visiting, especially for those looking to unwind with minimal crowds. It has thirty-three beaches, the people are friendly, and you can check out neighboring St. Martin via the ferry.
As always, travel safely.