Get your Trinidad and Tobago arrival card online

The electronic arrival and departure card is a universal formality. Here are the traveller profiles concerned:

• International tourists of all nationalities, whether travelling as families, couples or solo.
• Business travellers visiting Trinidad and Tobago for professional meetings, conferences, investments or missions related to the oil and gas industry — a key sector of the local economy.
• Cruise passengers stopping in Port of Spain or Scarborough (Tobago), even for just a few hours. The QR code is required at disembarkation at the port.
• Trinidadian residents and nationals returning home after a stay abroad. The form has a dedicated option for this profile.
• Transit travellers passing through a Trinidadian entry point, where the transit involves passing through immigration (baggage collection or terminal change).
• Ship and aircraft crew members operating on routes serving Trinidad and Tobago.
• Children and infants: every passenger, regardless of age, must have their own declaration and QR code. However, a responsible adult may complete the forms on behalf of children travelling with them.

It is important to distinguish the arrival and departure card (mandatory formality for everyone) from the visa (entry document required depending on nationality). Trinidad and Tobago has a relatively open visa policy: the vast majority of Western and Caribbean nationalities do not need a visa for a tourist stay.

Be aware: the country operates a positive list. Only nationals of the countries expressly exempted — around eighty states, plus all European Union member states (Ireland is listed separately), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland — may enter without a visa. All other nationalities must obtain a visa before departure (eVisa) or, where eligible, a visa waiver issued on arrival. Many countries in Africa, North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and South-East Asia appear in none of the exemption lists below: check your nationality carefully before booking.

The authorised length of stay without a visa depends on your nationality:

• 90 days maximum: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, Israel, Japan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and most Commonwealth countries.
• 6 months ("definite entry"): nationals of CARICOM member states (Jamaica, Barbados, Bahamas, Guyana…), under the free-movement provisions of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
• 90 days within a rolling 180-day period: European Union countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal…), Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein. Ireland is the exception: although an EU member state, it falls under the general 90-day regime above.
• 30 days: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia.
• Visa waiver on arrival ("Waiver of the Visa"): Australian, New Zealand and Philippine nationals can obtain it directly at the point of entry for 400 TTD €51.95. Nationals of other visa-required countries may also obtain it provided they present pre-arranged approval issued by the Immigration Division: this covers, among others, Andorra, Angola, Bolivia, Burundi, Cambodia, the Central African Republic, Chad, the DR Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, East Timor, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mali, the Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Monaco, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Oman, Palau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Thailand and Yemen.

Beware: these durations are ceilings, not entitlements. The length of stay actually granted is decided by the immigration officer on arrival and written on the entry stamp: some nationalities are only given 30 or 60 days, even when the theoretical ceiling is 90 days. Always check the date on your stamp.

To stay beyond the period granted, an extension must be requested in person from the Immigration Division (Ministry of Homeland Security) in Port of Spain, before the authorised stay expires. Book an appointment at least two weeks ahead: overstaying exposes you to a fine, detention and a re-entry ban. An extension is expressly provided for nationals of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland and Uruguay; for other nationalities it remains at the discretion of the Immigration Division.

Trinidad and Tobago is a Caribbean destination that rewards well-prepared travellers. The southernmost island nation in the Caribbean is located just 11 kilometres off the coast of Venezuela and offers a striking contrast between its two twin islands.

Trinidad, the main island, is the country's cultural and cosmopolitan heart: energetic and vibrant, it is world-renowned for its spectacular Carnival, its exceptional culinary diversity and its unmissable musical heritage — this is where calypso, soca and the steelpan (steel drum) were born. Nature lovers will discover lush mountains and the famous Caroni Bird Sanctuary, where the scarlet ibis, the national bird, puts on a display at sunset.

Tobago, a few dozen kilometres away, is its perfect opposite: a timeless haven of peace. Fringed by paradisiacal white-sand beaches such as Pigeon Point and coral reefs prized by divers, Tobago is also home to the oldest protected forest reserve in the western hemisphere. It is the ideal destination for travellers seeking a balance between intense cultural immersion and seaside escape.