Grenada is a small island state with secluded beaches and cozy bays. Until 1838, slavery flourished in Grenada and the colonial authorities were not very nice to Grenadians of African descent. Today, Grenada is an independent country and it welcomes tourists from all over the world. It cannot be classified as a rich country but the people are very friendly there and the weather is always fine.
Why would you want to visit Grenada as a tourist? The place is for you if you would like to relax in a peaceful atmosphere, see the sunken ‘Caribbean Titanic’, and meet sea turtles. You will find soft white sand on Grenadian beaches, citrus groves, nutmeg plantations, and a lot of sunshine in the country.
Below we discuss the main facts that a tourist should be aware of when planning a trip to Grenada and we also draw your attention to the opportunity of acquiring citizenship of Grenada by investment. If you are interested, please visit the International Wealth web portal to find out about all the details of the Grenadian citizenship-by-investment program.
Facts about Grenada for tourists
Grenada is located in the southeastern part of the Caribbean Sea 120 kilometers to the north of Trinidad. The country occupies the island of Grenada and a few small Grenadine islands that are part of the Lesser Antilles. The Caribbean Sea washes Grenada’s shore in the west and the Atlantic Ocean – in the east. The island is of volcanic origin. It was discovered by Columbus.
Getting to Grenada from Florida is not going to take too much time. If you fly from Europe, however, you will have to spend 12 hours in the air or more depending on the place of your departure. The capital of Grenada is St George’s and that’s where airplanes land (not in the city, of course, but nearby).
English is the official language in Grenada although you have to be prepared to hear a Caribbean accent. The climate is tropical, subequatorial. It is always warm in Grenada (or should we say ‘it is always hot’?). The temperature ranges between +25 and +30 centigrade throughout the year.
More than 70% of the national income is generated by foreign tourists to Grenada. The remaining 30% is generated mostly by the agricultural sector of the economy. Grenada exports bananas, cloves, nutmeg, and various other spices. Because a great variety of different spices grow in Grenada, the country has been nicknamed a ‘spice island’.
Administratively, Grenada is divided into several parishes. You should bear in mind that Grenadians are very religious and they go to church on a regular basis.
Visa and entry to Grenada
Most nationalities can stay in Grenada for 90 days without visas. If you want to spend more than three months in the country, you can extend your legal stay there for only 75 East Caribbean dollars.
We suggest that you should not argue with the customs officers when crossing the Grenadian border. It would be wise to answer their questions and just behave yourself. Otherwise, the officer can take administrative action (fine or detain you). In the worst case, access to the country may be denied to you if you do not cooperate with the customs officer.
Please bear in mind that you will have to take your shoes off when passing through personal control at the airport. We suggest that you have shoe covers or disposable socks with you to avoid walking barefoot.
When you leave Grenada by plane, you have to pay an airport tax of 50 East Caribbean dollars per person above 12 and 25 dollars per child between 5 and 12.
Customs regulations
Please note that you are not allowed to bring certain items to Grenada. These include:
- Beer and liquor but you can bring 1 liter of wine.
- Fruits, vegetables, and animal feed, with the exception of food for cats and dogs.
- Weapons and ammunition. Оружие и боеприпасы. You can bring weapons to Grenada only if you have personal permission from the Crown Police Commissioner in the country.
There are no restrictions as to how much money you can bring with you, but anything above US$ 10,000 has to be declared.
Please also note that you will have to obtain a special license from the relevant ministry if you want to take certain things home with you when leaving Grenada. The cost of the license is 5 East Caribbean dollars and the items include the following ones:
- Cocoa and nutmeg;
- Bananas;
- Fresh food products;
- Fish and fish products;
- Mild spices;
- Minerals;
- Ewes and goats.
You are not allowed to leave Grenada with the following items on you:
- Unfermented cocoa;
- Corals;
- Wild birds;
- Indian hemp.
When to go to Grenada
There are two distinct seasons in Grenada: the dry season that lasts from November till April and the rainy season from May to October. Strong winds may blow in the period between July and September even though Grenada is seldom hit by hurricanes. The most comfortable time for visiting Grenada is between January and the first half of May.
The level of solar activity is high in the country. You will be well-advised to wear a cotton shirt with long sleeves, a panama hat, and sunglasses. Please also bring some repellents because the insects can be nasty especially in the evenings.
Grenadian citizenship for foreign investors
Grenada is one of the countries that ‘sell’ their citizenship to foreigners making significant contributions to the local economies. It does not have to be a million-dollar contribution to count as a significant one, however. Grenadian citizenship is not the least expensive in the world but a donation of US$ 150,000 to the national fund will already make you qualified for citizenship of Grenada.
Alternatively, you can buy a piece of real property in Grenada to qualify for citizenship. You will have to pay more than the sum quoted above but your investment is going to be returnable while a donation is obviously not. In accordance with the Grenadian citizenship-by-investment program requirements, you have to hold the property in your possession for 5 years and then you can sell it without losing your Grenadian citizenship.
To conclude, we would like to clear up a possible misunderstanding. We do not claim that obtaining citizenship of Grenada can cost you as little as US$ 150,000. It cannot, because that’s the required donation amount while some additional administrative costs are going to be involved too. The ultimate ‘price’ of a Grenadian passport is going to be close to US$ 200,000 but the sum is affordable for a large number of individuals in today’s world anyway.