Barbados
Location: Caribbean
Visas & Permits
Visas & Work Permits
Most nationalities can enter visa-free for stays of 30 to 180 days, depending on the passport they are travelling on.
Please contact a local embassy, consulate or representative for more information. Alternatively, there are specialist companies that provide visa and immigration support to the media industry, and may be able to assist.
Film Location Permits
Permitting in Barbados is a quick and easy process. Fees are minimal and often waived altogether.
Shoots that require exclusive use of public space generally only take a couple of days to permit. Beaches are public access.
Drone filming is permitted but with registered operators.
Customs
For productions looking to bring in film equipment, Barbados is not an ATA carnet country.
Some standard grip, lighting and camera equipment exists locally. Additional gear can be easily brought in from Miami.
Clearing customs is generally a quick and easy process.
When to Film
When to Film
Barbados has good weather all year-round.
The high season (December to April) is marked by warm, sunny days. The low season (May to November) is marked by warmer temperatures and brief showers. Barbados is often spared the worst effects of the region’s hurricanes, due to its far eastern location.
Barbados is a predominately Christian country, so those holidays are observed.
Public Holidays
Public holidays may affect timing, availability and costs. See here for public holiday dates in Barbados.
Costs & VAT
Barbados is a relatively inexpensive Caribbean film destination.
Good deals can be found for accommodation particularly in the low season. Experienced key crews are comparable to US prices. Imported goods are relatively expensive, as is the case with much of the Caribbean. Some key crew and equipment may need to be brought in from abroad, which will add to those costs.
The standard VAT rate in Barbados, at the time of writing, is set at 17.5%.
Funding & Tax Incentives
At the time of writing, this country does not have any filming incentives. However, up-to-date information on global filming incentives may be found on the Entertainment Partners' Production Incentives Map.