Alcohol regulations in Saint Barthélemy

Licences needed

Déclaration de profession as distiller/alcohol producer with French Customs; registration on the Registre National des Entreprises (RNE); environmental classification authorization (ICPE) if production exceeds industrial thresholds

Authority

Direction générale des douanes et droits indirects (DGDDI - Guadeloupe) and Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy

Documents

Commercial registration (Extrait RNE/Kbis), site blueprint and technical plans, specifications of distillation equipment/stills, storage tank capacity documentation, and surety/bond documentation

Fees

No administrative fee for basic declaration; security bonds may be required

Time to obtain

not confirmed

Who can import

Registered businesses holding local commercial registration or private individuals importing for personal consumption within legal limits

Licences or registrations

Declaration of import filed with the local customs authority (Direction de la Douane et du Droit de Quai)

Authority

Direction de la Douane et du Droit de Quai de la Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy

Documents

Commercial invoice, bill of lading (B/L) or airway bill (AWB), packing list, and local import declaration (déclaration de droit de quai)

Fees

No standalone import licence fee; normal carrier and port handling fees apply

Time to obtain

Immediate to 48 hours upon presentation of shipping manifests

Required

no

Process

No pre-market product approval, brand registration, or label approval (e.g. US COLA equivalent) is required prior to importation. Products and labels must comply with French and applicable European product safety and labeling regulations at the point of sale.

Authority

Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes (DGCCRF)

Documents and samples

None required prior to importation

Fees

None

Renewal

None

Time to obtain

Not applicable

Saint-Barthélemy is an EU Overseas Country and Territory (OCT / PTOM) and sits outside the EU customs and VAT territories. There is no state alcohol monopoly. All inbound shipments arriving by sea at Port de Public or by air must be declared to the Collectivité's Direction de la Douane et du Droit de Quai. Shipments do not require physical fiscal excise stamps/tax strips. Commercial invoices, freight documentation, and standard certificates of origin are required.

0% customs tariff. Saint-Barthélemy operates as a duty-free port; however, all goods imported into the island are subject to the local dock duty (Droit de quai) at a rate of 5% ad valorem calculated on CIF value (Cost, Insurance, and Freight).

No VAT/sales tax (TVA is not applicable in Saint-Barthélemy under Article 294 of the French CGI). No domestic alcohol excise duty (droits de consommation) is levied under the Code des contributions de Saint-Barthélemy. Total border fiscal charge is the 5% Droit de quai.

Private retail and hospitality establishments. On-premise sales of spirits (Groupes 4 and 5) require a Licence de 4e catégorie (Licence IV) or a Licence Restaurant. Off-premise retailers (cavistes, grocery stores, supermarkets) require a Licence à emporter. Licensees must complete the mandatory operator training (permis d'exploitation) and submit an administrative declaration to the Collectivité at least 15 days before opening. General closing hours for bars/restaurants are set by local/prefectural regulations (generally 02:00, with extensions up to 05:00 or 07:00 for discotheques).

Allowed. Online retailers based on the island must hold a licence à emporter and strictly enforce age verification (18+). If alcoholic beverages are sold online for delivery between 22:00 and 06:00, the operator must complete the mandatory nocturnal off-premise sales training (permis de vente de boissons alcooliques la nuit - PVBAN) pursuant to French CSP Art. L. 3332-1-1.

Complies with French food and spirit labeling standards: legal product designation/category, alcohol by volume (% ABV), nominal volume, batch/lot number, name and address of producer/packer or EU-established distributor, allergen disclosures (e.g. sulfites), and the mandatory French pregnant woman warning logo or statutory health warning text. French language is required on mandatory elements; multilingual text is permitted. Physical excise stamps are not required.

Regulated under the French Évin Law (Loi Évin, Code de la santé publique art. L. 3323-2 et seq.). Alcohol advertising is banned on television and at cinemas, and strictly restricted in public outdoor spaces and sports broadcasts. Permitted media (press for adults, radio during late hours, online websites not targeted at youth) must carry the mandatory health statement: 'L'abus d'alcool est dangereux pour la santé, à consommer avec modération'. Alcohol sponsorship of cultural or sporting events is prohibited.

French and EU spirit definitions (Regulation (EU) 2019/787) govern market standards: Rum minimum 37.5% ABV (distilled exclusively from fermented sugarcane products); Whisky/Whiskey minimum 40% ABV (distilled from mash of cereals and aged a minimum of 3 years in wooden casks); Vodka minimum 37.5% ABV; Gin minimum 37.5% ABV; Brandy minimum 36% ABV.

None; no permanent dry areas exist. The Prefect or the President of the Collectivité may issue temporary orders prohibiting the consumption or sale of alcohol on public roads during designated public events or in the immediate vicinity of schools and sports centres.

• The Territorial Council of Saint-Barthélemy adopted updated fiscal deliberations consolidating the Code des contributions de Saint-Barthélemy, reaffirming the baseline 5% Droit de quai on imported consumer merchandise including spirits.
• The Préfecture déléguée de Saint-Barthélemy et de Saint-Martin and the Gendarmerie maintained strict enforcement of public health licensing (L. 3334-2 CSP) and temporary permit authorizations for public events serving Group 4 and 5 spirits.

With no VAT, zero national customs tariffs, no domestic alcohol excise duties, and an affluent luxury tourism base, Saint-Barthélemy is one of the world's most attractive high-margin markets for ultra-premium, aged, and craft spirits.

• Direction de la Douane et du Droit de Quai de la Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy
• Préfecture déléguée de Saint-Barthélemy et de Saint-Martin
• Direction générale des douanes et droits indirects (Guadeloupe / Iles du Nord)
• Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes (DGCCRF)

1. Direction de la Douane et du Droit de Quai - Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy
2. Douane française: Cas particuliers de l'île de Saint-Martin et de l'île de Saint-Barthélemy
3. Code de la santé publique - Livre III: Lutte contre l'alcoolisme
4. Loi n° 74-1114 du 27 décembre 1974 de finances rectificative (Article 10 - Droit de quai)
5. Services de l'État à Saint-Barthélemy et Saint-Martin - Réglementation Débits de Boissons