Bringing a Dog to St. Lucia: Helpful Tips for an Easy Entry
Sailing to St. Lucia with your dog? Don’t miss this stop because you heard it can be difficult to bring a dog here.
Import permits, health certificates, and vaccination records are all part of the adventure—but with early planning, it can be smooth sailing. I’ve brought my dog, Mangaux, into St. Lucia twice (even once on a weekend—hello, extra fees 😬!) without a hitch. He loved sniffing the breeze under the towering Pitons while we soaked it all in at anchor.
In this post, I’ll walk you through everything you need: from getting your pet import permit, making sure your dog’s vaccinations are up-to-date, and even places to find dog food and vets. If it’s your first time traveling to St. Lucia with a dog aboard, you’re in exactly the right place.
Quick Checklist for Bringing a Dog to St. Lucia
You will need the following when bringing a dog to St. Lucia. I will go into each of these requirements in further detail.
- DHLPP vaccination: no less than 14 days prior to export
- Rabies vaccination: no less than 1 month prior to entry
- Rabies Titer Test: unless coming from a rabies-free country for 3 months or more
- Microchipped
- Parasite treatment: no less than 14 days prior to export administered by vet from exporting country
- Tested negative for heartworm, Lyme disease, Leishmaniasis, Nipah virus and/or Hendra virus where applicable (countries endemic for these diseases) – no more than 14 days prior to export
- Health Certificate from exporting country
- St. Lucia Pet Import Permit
St. Lucia Dog Vaccination Requirements
St. Lucia requires the following vaccinations for your dogs:
- Rabies Vaccination: no less than 1 month prior to export.
- DHLPP Vaccination: Canine Distemper, Leptospirosis, Hepatitis/Adenovirus, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus – no less than 14 days prior to export.
Documentation of vaccinations will be required to be submitted with your pet import permit application. Additional information can also be found on St. Lucia’s Requirements for the Importation of Dogs and Cats into Saint Lucia from their Veterinary and Livestock Services Division.
When traveling to the various Caribbean islands with our dog, we make sure these vaccinations are up-to-date with no lapses, and we haven’t run into any issues.
Rabies Titer Test Requirement
A rabies titer test is required if you are traveling from a non-rabies free country for less than 3 months and traveling by sea (that’s us sailors!).
In other words, unless you have been in a rabies free country as defined by St. Lucia for more than 3 months, you will need a rabies titer test.
Also, per St. Lucia’s requirements, your dog will not be allowed entrance until 3 months have passed from the date that your vet took the blood sample which led to the successful blood test results.
The original copy of the laboratory results must accompany the Health Certificate (I emailed them a copy of the lab results and had no issues).
Microchip Requirements
Your dog must be microchipped for entry into St. Lucia.
The dog/cat must be electronically identifiable, having had an acceptable type of microchip implanted. Microchips must conform to ISO standard 11784, and reader to ISO standard 11785. If the microchip does not conform to the standard, pet owners will need to provide their own microchip reader to enable the microchip to be read successfully.
We didn’t need a separate reader since our dog Mangaux is microchipped with HomeAgain which is ISO-compliant, but check your chip brand!
St. Lucia Parasites Requirement
Make sure you have parasite treatment and heartworm test done within 14 days of arrival by the exporting vet.
St. Lucia requires dogs (and cats) to be treated for endo-parasites including Tapeworm with an approved broad spectrum anthelmintic and for ecto-parasites including ticks, not less than 14 days prior to export.
St. Lucia also requires that dogs have been tested negative for Heartworm, Lyme disease, Leishmaniasis, Nipah virus and/or Hendra virus where applicable (countries endemic for these diseases). These tests must be done no more than 14 days prior to export.
Insider Tip for Parasite Treatment:
For heartworm and broad spectrum parasiticide, I obtained a year’s supply of Sentinel Spectrum Chews. This has met the requirements for all Caribbean islands we have been to that require parasite treatment.
When I go to a vet appointment for a health certificate, I bring the Sentinel Spectrum Chews with me and the vet will give Mangaux his treatment .This way I can keep Mangaux’s parasite treatment consistent with the same brand.
It is often required that the vet administer the parasite treatment. I try to give Mangaux his Sentinel Spectrum chew on the same day each month, but sometimes I have to vary this if the vet has to give it to him at the appointment.
Stock up on parasite and heartworm medications when sailing in the Caribbean!
Yellow Box for 25.1-50 lbs, 6 Chews, 6-Month Supply
Health Certificate
A health certificate is required by the Veterinary Authority of the exporting country and shall include the following information:
- Dog is in good health and free from symptoms of any prescribed or any other infectious or contagious diseases, and is free from external parasites.
- Dog must be treated for endo-parasites including Tapeworm with an approved broad spectrum anthelmintic and for ecto-parasites including ticks, not less than 14 days prior to export.
- Dog has been inoculated for common disease conditions, not less than 14 days prior to exportation. (Canine Distemper, Leptospirosis, Hepatitis/Adenovirus, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus).
- Dogs have been tested negative for Heartworm, Lyme disease, Leishmaniasis, Nipah virus and/or Hendra virus where applicable (countries endemic for these diseases). Tests must be done no more than 14 days prior to export.
We had an easy time getting a health certificate issued from Clinique veterinaire du Marin in Martinique each time we sailed to St. Lucia from there.
We also got a veterinary health certificate from St. George’s Small Animal Clinic in Grenada when we traveled north at the beginning of last season.
St. Lucia Pet Import Permit
Just like when sailing with a dog to the Bahamas and many Caribbean islands, a pet import permit is required prior to your arrival to St. Lucia.
I recommend submitting St. Lucia’s pet import permit application approximately 2-3 weeks before your anticipated arrival.
Although, on our way back south in 2025, we wanted to use the vet in Martinique and I submitted our application 1 week in advance and received the permit the next day! I was so relieved!
You can send the application and supporting documents to vlsdsec.agriculture@govt.lc and vlsdsec.agriculture@gmail.com.
Information you will need for the pet import permit application includes:
- Your name, address and contact information
- Country you are coming from
- How many animals you are requesting to import
- Description of your dog (species, breed, age, sex, color, name)
- Mode of transportation
- Status of animal (healthy)
- Countries visited during last 12 months
- Tentative date of arrival
With this application, you will also need to submit the following documentation:
- Health Certificate
- Latest DHLPP Vaccination
- Latest Rabies Vaccination
- Rabies Titer Test Results (as required)
Traveling to St. Lucia with your Dog
When you arrive to St. Lucia, you will need to notify the Veterinary Officer of your port of entry and time of arrival so they can ensure a quality check on your dog.
At the quality check, you will pay $45 EC ($16.67 USD) in cash to the Inspecting Officer. Should you arrive outside of working hours, an overtime fee will be charged according to the grade of the officer.
Their working hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM.
Unfortunately for us, we arrived on a Saturday and were charged $175 EC ($64.81 USD) for the overtime fee. It was a total of $220 EC ($81.48 USD) to bring Mangaux to St. Lucia on a Saturday. Ouch!
Helpful Tip: Have enough EC cash for the Inspecting Officer visit!
After Mangaux got all checked in, we took him over to a large grassy area at Rodney Bay Marina. He loves getting off the leash and running around!
Banned Dog Breeds in St. Lucia
There are no listed banned breeds of dogs for import into St. Lucia, according to their Veterinary Import Permit website. I would recommend contacting them ahead of time if you have a dog that is regularly restricted from other islands.
Availability of Dog Food
We have been in the Caribbean for over a year now, and we knew eventually we would need to restock on dog food.
It is a challenge to find the exact same dog food when sailing with a dog from island to island, but we have always been able to find similar dog foods.
There are a couple of pet stores, and grocery stores within walking distance of Rodney Bay where you can stock up on dog food and other pet supplies:
- Dog Food St. Lucia
- Pet Life
- Massy Stores
- Massy Gourmet
Veterinarians in St. Lucia
The government veterinarian, for a government-issued export health certificate, which is required if you are bringing your dog to St. Vincent and the Grenadines is located here:
Veterinary Division
Ministry of Agriculture
22GP+8H3, Balata Road, Balata
Castries, Choc, St. Lucia
We obtained our government-issued export health certificate here and they were very friendly and helpful. We did have to take a taxi to get here as it is a bit out of the way and dogs are not allowed on the buses.
Other vets in St. Lucia that are recommended by fellow cruisers include the following. We have not been to these vets as we have been successful using our health certificates from Grenada and/or Martinique.
I understand that they may be willing to come out to your boat for the vet visit and health certificate, so definitely ask!
- Dr. George Joseph
- (758) 450-8862
- Dr. Fenton Thomas
- Veterinary Medical Consultants
- Bois D’Orange, St. Lucia
- (758) 584-3179
- The Veterinary Hospital (Scotland’s Veterinary Services, Ltd)
- John Compton Highwy
- Castries, St. Lucia
- (758) 452-4552
Frequently Asked Questions about Bringing a Dog to St. Lucia
Do dogs need a passport to travel internationally?
Dogs do not need a passport to travel internationally through the Caribbean islands. Most islands do require a health certificate, pet import permit and documentation that the dog is up to date on their vaccinations and parasite treatments.
Is St. Lucia a rabies high-risk country?
No, according to St. Lucia, they are listed as a country that is rabies-free.
Is a rabies titer test required for St. Lucia?
A rabies titer test is required for St. Lucia unless your dog has been in a rabies-free country for more than 3 months.
Are dogs allowed on the beach in St. Lucia?
Yes, St. Lucia is very dog friendly and dogs are allowed on the beaches here.
Where can I let my dog run around in St. Lucia?
Rodney Bay Marina has some good grassy areas for dogs to play in, although there are also several cats around the restaurant area. There are also plenty of sidewalks just outside of Rodney Bay Marina for great dog walks.
Ready to Run the Beaches in St. Lucia with your Dog?
Bringing your dog to St. Lucia might seem overwhelming at first, and have a few extra requirements than Grenada, but it is more than worth it.
Mangaux loved running around in the grass and Rodney Bay and hanging out in the Pitons, and I’m sure your dog will fall in love with St. Lucia too!
If St. Lucia is just one of your stops along the Caribbean Chain, or if you plan to head to Grenada for hurricane season, here are some tips for getting your dog into Grenada, how to get around Grenada once you get there, and of course, things to do while you are there! And don’t forget your boat cards to connect with fellow sailor dogs!
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