A team flies in to install a hotel's new kitchen equipment. An overseas auditor spends a fortnight with a local credit union. A soca artist from Trinidad performs at a fete during Spicemas. A specialist rigger comes to repair a yacht's mast at a boatyard in St David's. Each of these people is in Grenada for days or weeks, not years, and each raises the same question for the business that brought them: is a work permit needed for a job this short?
The general answer is that Grenada's work permit rules are about activity, not duration. Working in Grenada for a Grenadian business, or delivering paid services on the island, is work, whether it lasts a year or a week. Permits can be issued for part of a year, and there are activities visitors can do without one. This page sets out where the line usually falls, how short-term applications work and the tax questions that follow. The Labour Department and the Immigration Department decide individual cases, so confirm before the person travels.
Visiting on business versus working
Most countries, Grenada included, distinguish between business visitors and workers. Attending meetings, negotiating contracts, inspecting a property before buying, attending a conference or visiting a supplier are generally treated as visiting on business. The person is not producing work for a Grenadian client or taking a job a local person could do, and normally enters on ordinary visitor terms.
The position changes once the visitor starts delivering services in Grenada. Installing equipment, running a training course for paying staff, carrying out an audit, managing a project, performing at a paid event or repairing a boat for a fee are all activities that look like work, even if the person is paid by a company abroad and stays only a short time. Immigration officers at Maurice Bishop International Airport may ask about the purpose of the visit, and a description that sounds like a job can lead to further questions.
Because the boundary is a matter of judgement rather than a published list, the business inviting the person should ask the Labour Department in advance. A short written enquiry describing the activity, the length of stay and who is paying usually produces a clear answer.
Common short-assignment scenarios
Equipment installation and warranty repairs. Manufacturers often send their own technicians to install or repair specialised equipment, from medical scanners to desalination units. These visits are usually brief but are clearly work. Plan for a permit, or for specific guidance from the Labour Department, well before the equipment arrives.
Consultants and auditors. A consultant engaged by a Grenadian ministry, statutory body or company to deliver a report or audit is providing services in Grenada. Donor-funded projects sometimes have their own arrangements with the government, which the project office can explain.
Trainers and lecturers. A one-off talk at a conference is usually treated differently from a paid multi-day training course for a company's staff. Check which side of the line your event falls on.
Performers and entertainers. Artists booked for Spicemas, the Carriacou Regatta or a hotel season are working in Grenada. Promoters normally handle permits, and regional artists may have different requirements from those coming from outside CARICOM.
Yacht and marine specialists. Grenada's boatyards and marinas see many foreign contractors. Working on a yacht for a local yard or for paying owners while ashore in Grenada is work, and yards are used to the question.
Film and media crews. Crews shooting commercially need a range of permissions, including permits for any foreign crew doing paid work on location.
Applying for a short-term permit
Short-term applications follow the same broad route as annual ones, with the timetable compressed. The usual sequence for a business bringing someone in for a few weeks is:
- Contact the Labour Department as soon as the assignment is agreed, describe the work and dates, and ask what form of permit and documents are required.
- Prepare an employer letter from the Grenadian business explaining why the work needs this particular person or firm, for example because only the manufacturer's technicians are authorised to service the equipment.
- Gather the visitor's passport copies, photographs, qualifications or authorisation from the manufacturer, and any police certificate the department asks for.
- Pay the applicable fee, which depends on nationality category and may be set for part of a year rather than a full year; confirm the current schedule.
- Give the visitor a copy of the approval to carry when travelling, together with a letter from the host business.
- Keep records of the actual dates worked, which will matter for tax and for any later visit.
Who applies: the local client or the foreign firm?
Work permits are normally sought by the business in Grenada for which the work is done. When a Grenadian hotel brings in a foreign installer, the hotel is the natural applicant even though the installer is employed by a company overseas. The hotel's letter explains the need, and the hotel is the party the department can hold responsible.
Where a foreign company has won a contract and is running its own project in Grenada, such as a construction or engineering firm, the position may be different. Such firms often register a local branch or company with the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office, take on local staff, and apply for permits for their foreign personnel as an employer in their own right. Large public projects sometimes set out the number of expatriate staff in the project agreement, though individual permits are still usually needed.
Contracts between the Grenadian client and the foreign supplier should say clearly who is responsible for obtaining permits and paying fees, so that nobody assumes the other side has dealt with it.
Tax on short assignments
A short visit can still create tax obligations in Grenada. When a Grenadian business pays a non-resident person or company for services, withholding tax may apply to the payment under domestic law, at a rate commonly reported as 15 per cent. The paying business is responsible for deducting it and paying it to the Inland Revenue Division, and for keeping the contract and invoice that support the deduction.
VAT can also arise. A VAT-registered Grenadian business buying services from abroad should ask its accountant how imported services are treated, while a foreign firm with a longer project in Grenada may need to consider whether it has to register itself. A foreign individual working in Grenada under a permit and paid through a local payroll falls under PAYE in the ordinary way.
For the visitor, tax withheld in Grenada may or may not be creditable at home, depending on that country's rules and whether a tax treaty applies. Grenada's main treaty arrangement is the CARICOM double taxation agreement, which covers member states only. Agree in the contract whether fees are quoted gross or net of Grenadian withholding.
Mistakes that cause trouble at the airport and afterwards
Short assignments are where informal habits creep in, because everyone assumes a few days cannot matter. These are the patterns that cause problems:
- Describing the trip as a holiday. Telling an immigration officer that a working visit is a vacation is a misrepresentation and can affect future entry to Grenada.
- Assuming a foreign payer makes it acceptable. Being paid by a company abroad does not change the fact that the work is done in Grenada for a Grenadian client.
- Leaving the permit until the week before. Even short applications need processing time; build it into the project plan.
- Repeated short visits. A technician who comes back every month on visitor terms will attract attention. Regular work calls for a permit or a local arrangement.
- Forgetting withholding tax. Paying the full invoice abroad without deducting tax where it applies leaves the Grenadian business liable for the tax it should have withheld.
- No written allocation of responsibility. Contracts that are silent on permits and taxes lead to disputes when a fee or penalty arrives.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreign consultant work in Grenada for two weeks without a permit?
If the consultant is delivering paid services on the island, the activity generally counts as work regardless of the short duration. Meetings and negotiations are treated differently. Describe the assignment to the Labour Department in advance and get its view in writing before the consultant travels.
Do performers at Spicemas need work permits?
Artists booked to perform at paid events are generally treated as working, and promoters normally arrange the necessary permissions. Requirements can differ for OECS and other CARICOM nationals. Promoters should start early, because Carnival season brings many applications at once.
Is attending a business conference in Grenada considered work?
Attending a conference as a delegate is generally treated as visiting on business. Being paid by a Grenadian organisation to deliver training or a series of workshops is closer to work. If you are speaking for a fee, check the position with the organisers and the Labour Department.
Who pays withholding tax on fees to a foreign contractor?
The Grenadian business making the payment is generally responsible for deducting withholding tax where it applies and remitting it to the Inland Revenue Division. The contractor receives the net amount. Agree in the contract whether the quoted fee is before or after withholding.
Can a yacht owner hire a foreign mechanic to work on their boat in Grenada?
Paid work on yachts in Grenada by foreign contractors raises work permit questions, especially when done at a boatyard or marina. Many yards have their own rules on outside contractors. Ask the yard and, where needed, the Labour Department before arranging the work.
Are there permits for less than a year?
Yes. Permits can be granted for part of a year, which suits short projects and seasonal roles. The fee and documents required for shorter periods should be confirmed with the Labour Department, since schedules are revised from time to time.
