You ship to Antigua and Barbuda by ocean LCL or FCL into St John's or by air into V. C. Bird International (ANU): LCL from Miami takes about 4 days, and cargo clears Customs on ASYCUDA World with CARICOM CET duty, a 10% Revenue Recovery Charge and 17% ABST. Antigua and Barbuda is the commercial center of the Leeward Islands and a different shipping proposition from its southern neighbors. Its main port, the Deep Water Harbour in St John's, was rebuilt as a modern container terminal in a US$90 million redevelopment that opened in December 2022. Cargo for Barbuda clears in Antigua and moves on by inter-island vessel or air. The demand mix is also distinct: alongside resorts and retail, Antigua runs one of the Caribbean's busiest yachting industries, centered on English Harbour, Falmouth Harbour and Jolly Harbour, which generates constant urgent shipments of marine parts. The fiscal structure is its own as well: Antigua charges no VAT, but the Antigua and Barbuda Sales Tax (ABST) at 17% since January 2024 and the Revenue Recovery Charge (RRC) on CIF value, and any commercial shipment over six tariff lines or EC$5,000 in value must be cleared by a licensed broker.
LCL from Miami reaches St John's in about 4 days, air freight to V. C. Bird International takes 1 to 2 days, and Asian cargo needs 35 to 50 days through a transshipment hub.
| Route & mode | Indicative cost | Transit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami to St John's, ocean LCL | About $1,035 for 5 CBM / 1,500 kg (IWF published LCL rate, September 2026; excludes destination duties, taxes and local charges) | About 4 days (CFS Miami to port) | Retail, resort and marine supplies under 15 CBM |
| Miami to St John's, ocean FCL 20ft / 40ft | On request | 4 to 10 days, depending on direct or relay sailing | Food, beverages, building materials, FF&E |
| Miami to V. C. Bird International (ANU), air freight | On request | 1 to 2 days, depending on flight connections | Yacht parts, pharmaceuticals, urgent cargo |
| China / Asia to St John's, ocean (via transshipment) | On request | 35 to 50 days, depending on the feeder connection | Furniture, fixtures, consumer goods |
| Europe (UK / Netherlands) to St John's, ocean | On request | 12 to 16 days on the direct UK and Netherlands service | UK and EU goods, marine equipment, vehicles |
Rates move with fuel, season and space. Use the table for planning and request a firm quote.
Shipping to Antigua and Barbuda takes eight steps, from HS classification to release at the Deep Water Harbour in St John's.
The weekly Miami consolidation in step 3 carries most of Antigua's US freight.
Miami is Antigua's main US gateway. Vendors deliver to the Miami CFS, freight is received, measured and documented, and it sails to St John's directly or via a relay port. On the IWF consolidation service, a 5 CBM / 1,500 kg shipment moves FCA Miami CFS to Antigua in about 4 days, at about $1,035 (IWF published LCL rate, September 2026; excludes destination duties, taxes and local charges).
Most Antiguan importers ship below container volume and combine orders from several US suppliers, which is exactly what ocean consolidation to the Caribbean is built for: one booking, one house bill and one customs entry in St John's. Resorts, supermarkets and contractors with steady volumes move to 20ft or 40ft containers once shipments pass 15 CBM, or earlier for dense goods such as beverages, tiles and cement products. Our page on freight forwarding from Miami to the Caribbean explains how the Miami consolidation cycle works.
Air freight lands at V. C. Bird International Airport (ANU), which has good passenger and cargo connections to Miami and other US gateways. Air freight to the Caribbean is the standard mode for yacht parts, electronics and anything tied to a charter departure or a regatta date. Asian and European freight follows longer routings into the same port.
Asian cargo reaches Antigua only through a transshipment hub, while Europe has a direct fortnightly liner service to St John's.
There is no direct Asia to Antigua container service. Containers from Chinese and Southeast Asian ports transship at a hub such as Kingston, Cartagena, the Panama Canal ports, Caucedo or the Bahamas, then continue on a feeder service to St John's. Port to port transit runs 35 to 50 days, depending on the feeder connection. Our dedicated post on shipping from China to Antigua and Barbuda covers sourcing, container choice and timelines on that lane, and our guide to Caribbean transshipment hubs explains how the connection is built.
For mixed orders, routing Asian cargo into Miami first is faster: goods are checked, consolidated with US purchases and shipped on the short Miami to St John's leg, producing one entry in Antigua instead of two.
Europe has a direct link: Geest Line runs a fortnightly service to St John's from Portsmouth (UK) and Vlissingen (Netherlands), and quotes about 12 days from Portsmouth to Antigua. Plan on 12 to 16 days port to port depending on the origin port and rotation. European cargo also routes through the French Caribbean on the larger carriers' networks. Antigua's UK links and its yachting trade make this lane relevant for food brands, marine equipment and vehicles. All of these services discharge at one rebuilt harbour in St John's.
Antigua and Barbuda handles commercial cargo at one seaport, St John's Deep Water Harbour, and one international cargo airport, V. C. Bird International (ANU), with yacht harbours and Barbuda fed from Antigua.
Antigua sits at the center of the Leeward Islands, but each neighbour is a separate customs territory with its own entry: importers supplying several islands compare this lane with shipping to St Kitts and Nevis and shipping to Anguilla and St Maarten. In Antigua itself, release from the harbour depends on the customs entry.
Commercial imports into Antigua and Barbuda clear through the Customs and Excise Division in St John's on ASYCUDA World, using electronic Single Administrative Document (SAD) declarations, and a licensed broker is mandatory once a shipment has more than six lines or a value of EC$5,000 or more, per the division's commercial importation rules. Brokers and declarants register on the ASYCUDA World portal, which also hosts the online tariff (HS code search), document tracking and online payment. Small non-commercial shipments can be cleared by the importer with a simplified declaration.
The on-port Customs and Plant Protection offices at the Deep Water Harbour shorten the inspection loop compared with the old setup. The assessment in step 3 is where the tax layers below are fixed.
Imports into Antigua and Barbuda pay CARICOM Common External Tariff duty, a 10% Revenue Recovery Charge and 17% ABST, with an environmental levy and excise on specific goods. The country is a CARICOM and OECS member with its own consumption tax structure:
Because ABST and RRC both apply, Antigua's border charges on a standard dutiable item add up faster than a headline duty rate suggests. The CET duty layer itself is common to the OECS, so the same HS code carries the same base duty when shipping to Dominica, where a service charge and VAT replace the RRC and ABST. For a side-by-side view of the region, see Caribbean import duties and taxes. Hotel developments and other approved investments can obtain concessions, which must be approved before arrival. Some sector waivers exist by Cabinet decision: safety equipment for registered small craft, for example, is exempt from customs duty, RRC and ABST under a Department of Marine Services notice.
An Antigua and Barbuda entry needs a commercial invoice, packing list and transport document, plus origin, permit, yacht-in-transit and concession papers where they apply.
The permit and yacht lines apply to a defined set of goods.
Antigua and Barbuda bans camouflage clothing outright and requires prior approvals for pesticides, chemicals, agricultural products and hazardous cargo, with a waiver route for yacht spares in transit.
Choose LCL from Miami for Antigua below 15 CBM, a container above that, and air for yacht parts and deadline cargo.
For Barbuda, build in the onward leg from Antigua; full containers are stripped in St John's.
Tourism is the largest driver of imports into Antigua and Barbuda. Resorts and villas need furniture, fixtures and equipment on renovation cycles, plus food, beverages, linens and amenities year round, and construction for hotel and residential projects keeps building materials moving. Retail and wholesale distribution, much of it sourced from US suppliers through Miami, makes up the other large flow.
Yachting is Antigua's specialist sector. English Harbour, home to Nelson's Dockyard, and Falmouth Harbour host superyachts, the Antigua Charter Yacht Show and Antigua Sailing Week, while Jolly Harbour and North Sound serve cruising and charter fleets. That creates steady demand for engines and parts, rigging, sails, electronics, paints and provisions, much of it urgent and eligible for yacht-in-transit treatment. Our next guide covers shipping marine and yacht supplies to Antigua's marinas.
Antigua rewards a forwarder that can run two speeds at once: routine weekly consolidation for resorts and retailers, and fast, correctly marked shipments for yachts on tight schedules. Interworld Freight was founded in Miami in 1992 and runs ocean FCL and LCL, air freight, Miami warehousing and customs coordination, with coverage on every major trade lane into the Caribbean. We consolidate vendor deliveries in Miami, prepare a complete packing list and invoice set for the ASYCUDA World entry, and coordinate with the consignee's broker or yacht agent on arrival. Request a quote and we answer within one business day.
LCL cargo moves from the Miami CFS to St John's in about 4 days on the IWF consolidation service. Air freight to V. C. Bird International takes 1 to 2 days, plus customs clearance.
IWF's published LCL rate for 5 CBM / 1,500 kg from Miami to Antigua is about $1,035 (September 2026). It excludes duty, ABST, the Revenue Recovery Charge and local port and broker charges; FCL and air are quoted per shipment.
Antigua's import duty rates follow the CARICOM Common External Tariff by HS code, from zero on many raw materials and basic inputs to higher rates on finished consumer goods. On top of duty, most imports pay the 10% Revenue Recovery Charge on CIF value and 17% ABST on the duty-inclusive value, plus excise or environmental levy on specific goods.
ABST is the Antigua and Barbuda Sales Tax, the country's consumption tax in place of VAT. The standard rate has been 17% since January 1, 2024, and on imports it is charged on the CIF value plus duty and other charges.
Goods of CARICOM origin with a valid certificate of origin enter free of import duty, although RRC and ABST can still apply. Approved investment projects, small craft safety equipment and spares consigned to qualifying yachts in transit can receive waivers, but each needs prior approval or must meet Customs criteria.
Yes for most commercial cargo. Customs requires a licensed broker once a shipment has more than six lines or a value of EC$5,000 or more, and the broker lodges the declaration in ASYCUDA World.
Cargo clears customs in Antigua and then moves to Barbuda by inter-island vessel or small aircraft. Plan the onward leg and its cost in advance.
Yes. Asian cargo transships at a regional hub and takes 35 to 50 days to St John's. Smaller orders can move LCL or via Miami, consolidated with US goods.
Photo: Deep Water Harbour container yard, St. John's, Antigua. Anneli Salo, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.