Ship to Martinique and Guadeloupe by LCL, FCL or air from Miami into Fort-de-France or Jarry (about 5 days by sea, IWF estimate), clear French Customs (DGDDI) under EU rules with an EORI number, and pay EU customs duty, octroi de mer and 8.5% TVA. Both islands are French overseas departments and regions (DROM) and EU outermost regions, which makes them unlike any other Caribbean destination: cargo arriving from Miami or Shanghai enters the EU customs territory. That means the EU Union Customs Code, the EU Common Customs Tariff, an EORI number for the importer, CE marking and EU sanitary rules, all applied by French Customs. On top of EU customs duty, both islands levy their own octroi de mer and octroi de mer régional, set locally by product, and a reduced French VAT (TVA) of 8.5% standard and 2.1% reduced. Prices are in euros, the commercial language is French, and most supply historically comes from mainland France, so a US or Asian supplier competes on landed cost against goods that already meet EU rules. French Guiana, the third French DROM in the region, borders Suriname, a non-EU market covered in our guide to shipping to Suriname.
Martinique and Guadeloupe are about 5 days from Miami by LCL, 1 to 3 days by air, and 30 to 45 days from China via transshipment.
| Route & mode | Indicative cost | Transit | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami to Fort-de-France (Martinique), Ocean LCL | about $1,225 for 5 CBM / 1,500 kg (IWF published LCL rate, September 2026; excludes destination duties, taxes and local charges) | about 5 days port to port (estimated) | food, retail and building supply under ~15 CBM |
| Miami to Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe), Ocean LCL | about $1,225 for 5 CBM / 1,500 kg (IWF published LCL rate, September 2026; excludes destination duties, taxes and local charges) | about 5 days port to port (estimated) | food, retail and building supply under ~15 CBM |
| USA to Martinique or Guadeloupe, Ocean FCL | quote on request | 1 to 2 weeks depending on routing | full loads of food, beverages, materials |
| Miami to FDF or PTP, Air freight | quote on request | 1 to 3 days | spare parts, pharma, urgent and high-value cargo |
| China to Martinique or Guadeloupe, Ocean FCL/LCL | quote on request | 30 to 45 days via transshipment, longer for LCL | consumer goods, furniture, equipment |
| Mainland France / North Europe to the French Antilles, Ocean | quote on request | 2 to 3 weeks | EU-origin food and consumer goods |
The Miami LCL rate covers FCA Miami CFS to the destination port. Duty, octroi de mer, TVA and destination handling are billed separately. The process below applies to each island separately.
Shipping to Martinique or Guadeloupe follows eight steps under EU procedure, with one bill of lading and one declaration per island.
For US suppliers, steps 3 to 5 start in Miami.
Miami is the natural US consolidation point for the French Antilles. IWF's published LCL service from Miami runs to both Fort-de-France and Pointe-à-Pitre, with an estimated port-to-port transit of about five days and a published rate of about $1,225 for a 5 CBM / 1,500 kg shipment to either island. Because each island is a separate destination with its own octroi de mer rates, every shipment needs its own bill of lading and consignee; cargo cleared in Martinique is not automatically free to move to Guadeloupe without formalities. Neighbours differ: Dominica sits between the two islands and St Lucia lies just south of Martinique, but both apply CARICOM rules rather than EU customs, as our guides to shipping to Dominica and shipping to St Lucia explain.
Most US cargo to the islands moves as LCL consolidation: goods are received in Miami, palletized and loaded with other shippers' freight, and you pay per cubic meter or weight ton. Pricing depends on volume, density and destination charges, as explained in what drives LCL shipping costs. When orders reach 15 CBM, a dedicated 20ft container is more economical, and full loads move under Caribbean container shipping.
Air freight lands at Martinique Aimé Césaire International (FDF) and Guadeloupe Pôle Caraïbes (PTP). Air fits pharmaceuticals, electronics, spare parts and urgent retail replenishment; see air freight to the Caribbean. The key rule for the US lane: confirm EU compliance (CE marking, labeling in French, sanitary eligibility) before booking, because non-compliant goods are a customs problem, not a freight problem.
Asian cargo reaches the French Antilles through transshipment: containers relay at a hub in the Caribbean basin or via Europe before the final leg to Fort-de-France or Jarry, with transit of 30 to 45 days for a full container and longer for LCL. Martinique's port is investing to become a regional hub, but most Asian cargo still connects through larger terminals, compared in Caribbean transshipment hubs.
Asian goods entering the islands face the same EU rules as any non-EU import: the EU Common Customs Tariff, CE marking where applicable, and EU product safety and labeling. Smaller Asian orders can be routed through Miami and consolidated with US cargo, which gives one weekly arrival per island and one set of import documents.
Mainland France and North Europe remain the dominant supply source. Direct services link North European and Mediterranean ports with Fort-de-France and Pointe-à-Pitre, with transit of two to three weeks. Goods with EU (Union) status are not charged customs duty, but a customs declaration is still required for every import into an overseas department, including shipments from mainland France or another EU state (trade within the Antilles single market is the exception). Union status must be proven, with a T2LF document as the standard proof, and octroi de mer and TVA still apply. For a US or Asian supplier, this is the benchmark: European goods arrive duty-free but still pay octroi de mer, so the competitive gap is the EU customs duty plus any compliance cost.
Each island has one main container port and one cargo airport: Pointe des Grives and FDF in Martinique, Jarry and PTP in Guadeloupe.
Every one of these gateways applies the same EU customs procedure.
Imports into Martinique and Guadeloupe clear through French Customs (Direction générale des douanes et droits indirects, DGDDI) under the EU Union Customs Code, and every import needs a customs declaration, even from mainland France. The process is the EU procedure, run locally:
In most cases the carrier, forwarder or a registered customs representative handles clearance and advances duties and taxes, then invoices them to the consignee with a service fee. An importer with an EORI number and access to French Customs' online services can also lodge its own declarations.
A non-EU import into Martinique or Guadeloupe pays up to four layers: EU customs duty, octroi de mer plus octroi de mer régional, TVA, and excise where it applies.
Because octroi de mer rates are set per product and per island, the same container can carry a different tax bill in Fort-de-France and in Pointe-à-Pitre. Confirm the CN code and the local octroi rate before quoting a landed price, and support both with the documents below.
A French Antilles import needs EU-grade paperwork: invoice, packing list, transport document, the importer's EORI, and origin, sanitary or conformity documents where they apply.
The sanitary and conformity lines govern the restricted categories.
Martinique and Guadeloupe apply EU restrictions, so the tightest controls fall on food of animal origin, plants, non-compliant products without CE marking, and excise goods.
Compliant cargo then moves by the mode its volume justifies.
Volume decides the mode for Martinique and Guadeloupe: LCL from Miami below 15 CBM, a 20ft container above it, air for urgent cargo.
Retail and food distribution account for a large share of import volume into Martinique and Guadeloupe. Hypermarkets, wholesalers and food distributors supply the population of both islands with dry, chilled and frozen goods, beverages, household products and consumer electronics, most of it historically sourced from mainland France and increasingly complemented by US and Caribbean suppliers that can meet EU rules. Construction, healthcare and the energy transition pull in building materials, medical supplies and electrical equipment.
On the export side, bananas, rum and sugar products leave for Europe, which is one reason European lines connect the islands well. US and Asian suppliers who want to sell into French Caribbean supermarkets and wholesalers face specific requirements on labeling, cold chain and sanitary documents, which we cover in Supplying Retail and Food Distributors in the French Caribbean.
For the French Antilles, a forwarder has to bring EU customs discipline to a Caribbean routing: EORI and ENS data in order, CN classification that holds up for both customs duty and octroi de mer, sanitary documents ready before sailing, and separate documents per island. Interworld Freight has operated from Miami since 1992, with a Miami warehouse that receives and consolidates US, Asian and European cargo, and handles ocean FCL and LCL, air freight and customs coordination with the destination customs representative, with coverage on every major trade lane. See Miami freight forwarding to the Caribbean for South Florida routings. Quotes are answered within one business day.
Yes. As French overseas departments and EU outermost regions, both islands are inside the EU customs territory. Imports follow the Union Customs Code and the EU Common Customs Tariff, applied by French Customs, and the importer needs an EORI number.
It is a tax specific to the French overseas departments, charged on imported goods, including goods from mainland France. Rates are set locally by product, so they differ between Martinique and Guadeloupe. It is calculated on the customs value, and the current regime runs to the end of 2027, with a Commission proposal to extend it to 2030.
The normal TVA rate is 8.5% and the reduced rate is 2.1%, compared with 20% in mainland France. Import TVA is calculated on the value including transport, insurance and customs duty; octroi de mer is not part of the TVA base.
IWF's published LCL service from Miami has an estimated transit of about 5 days port to port to Fort-de-France or Pointe-à-Pitre. Air freight takes 1 to 3 days, and cargo from China takes 30 to 45 days via transshipment.
IWF's published LCL rate is about $1,225 for 5 CBM / 1,500 kg from Miami to either Fort-de-France or Pointe-à-Pitre (September 2026). That figure excludes customs duty, octroi de mer, TVA and destination local charges.
Yes, if they meet EU rules. Products of animal origin need EU-format health certificates and pass veterinary checks at authorized entry points, and labeling and additives must comply with EU food law. Shelf-stable goods are simpler than meat and dairy.
Yes. A customs declaration is required for every import into an overseas department, even from mainland France or another EU state. Union-status goods pay no customs duty but remain subject to octroi de mer and TVA.
Yes, an importer with an EORI number can lodge its own declaration with French Customs, but most shipments are cleared by the carrier, forwarder or a registered customs representative. The representative charges a service fee on top of the duty, octroi de mer and TVA it advances, so ask for that fee in the quote.
Photo: Port of Jarry container terminal, Guadeloupe. Rémi Jouan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.