Your First 30 Days in Grenada: A Settling-In Checklist

The first month in Grenada sets the tone for everything that follows. Some tasks are urgent, like getting a phone number and making sure your immigration status is in order. Others, like opening a bank account, take longer than expected and are best started early. A few, like preparing for hurricane season, are easy to postpone and painful to neglect.

This checklist breaks the first thirty days into four weeks, with the reasoning behind each step. It assumes you have arrived with somewhere to stay and are planning to live on the island for a year or more. Procedures, fees and document requirements change, and several tasks depend on your nationality and status, so confirm the details with the relevant office before each visit. Bring copies of everything; many offices still work largely on paper.

Week one: get connected and get your bearings

The first days are about the basics that make everything else possible:

1. Buy a local SIM. Digicel and FLOW are the two mobile networks. Both sell prepaid and postpaid plans from their stores and many agents; bring your passport. A local number is needed for banks, utilities, landlords and deliveries.
2. Check your immigration stamp. Note the date to which you were admitted. If you plan to stay beyond it while applying for a permit or residence, find out from the Immigration Department how and when to apply for an extension, and do not let it lapse.
3. Learn the routes. Drive or ride the buses on your daily routes at the times you will travel. Locate the nearest supermarket, pharmacy, health centre, hospital emergency department and fuel station.
4. Get cash and know your card options. ATMs are widely available in the south-west and the main towns. Card acceptance is good in supermarkets and larger businesses but not universal; small shops, buses and markets prefer cash in EC dollars.
5. Save emergency details. The emergency number is 911. Note the location of the nearest police station and the details of your country's embassy or the nearest one accredited to Grenada.

Week two: utilities, home and internet

With the essentials in place, turn to the house itself:

1. Electricity. GRENLEC supplies power across Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. If the account is to be in your name, visit a customer office with your lease, identification and any required deposit. If the landlord keeps the account, agree in writing how you will reimburse usage.
2. Water. NAWASA, the National Water and Sewerage Authority, supplies mains water. Ask how the account is handled and whether the property has a cistern or storage tank, and learn how to switch between supplies.
3. Internet. Fibre and fixed broadband are available in many areas from FLOW and Digicel, with installation times varying. Order early if you work remotely, and keep mobile data as a backup.
4. Cooking gas. Many homes use bottled gas for cooking. Find out where to exchange cylinders nearby.
5. Home inventory. Photograph the property's condition and send it to the landlord, to protect your deposit.

Week three: money, tax and paperwork

This is the week for the slower administrative tasks:

1. Open a bank account. Local banks and credit unions apply strict know-your-customer checks. Expect to provide your passport, a second form of identification, proof of address, a reference letter from your current bank, sometimes a professional reference and an explanation of the source of funds. Ask the bank for its current list before you go.
2. Taxpayer identification number. If you will work, run a business or own property, register with the Inland Revenue Division for a TIN. Employers and banks may ask for it.
3. National Insurance. Employees in Grenada must be registered with the National Insurance Scheme, usually arranged with the employer. Self-employed people should check their own obligations.
4. Work or residence permits. If you are employed, your employer should be handling the work permit through the Ministry responsible for labour. If you are settling as a retiree or investor, make sure your residence application is moving.
5. Driving. Confirm whether your temporary driving permit covers your stay, and start the process for a Grenada licence if you are becoming resident.

Week four: health, community and storm readiness

By the end of the month, set up the things that protect you over the longer term:

1. Find a doctor. Register with a general practitioner and a dentist. Ask other residents for recommendations; many doctors practise privately alongside public appointments.
2. Health insurance. Confirm that your insurance covers you in Grenada and includes evacuation. Local insurers offer plans if you need a new policy.
3. Prescriptions. Check that your regular medicines are available at local pharmacies, or arrange a reliable supply.
4. Hurricane plan. Between June and November, have a plan: shutters or protection for windows, water storage, non-perishable food, torches, batteries, a charged power bank, important documents in a waterproof bag and a place to shelter if your home is exposed.
5. Insurance for contents. Ask local insurers about contents cover and whether windstorm damage is included.
6. Meet people. Introduce yourself to neighbours. Join a community group, church, sports club or volunteer organisation. In a small country, relationships make everything easier.

Setting up household routines

Shopping is one of the first rhythms to establish. Supermarkets in the Grand Anse and St George's area stock most essentials, with imported goods alongside local products. Market Square in St George's is busiest on Saturday mornings, when farmers and vendors bring fruit, vegetables, spices and ground provisions; smaller markets operate in Grenville, Gouyave and other towns. Fish is sold at landing sites and fish markets, often early in the day.

Sunday is still a quiet day in Grenada. Many shops close or open short hours, and church, family lunches and the beach take priority. Plan the week's shopping accordingly. Public holidays, including Independence Day on 7 February, Emancipation Day on 1 August and the carnival days in August, also close many businesses.

Rubbish collection, gas deliveries, garden help and cleaning are usually organised through the landlord, neighbours or recommendations. Ask how waste is collected on your road and on which days, and keep bins secured against dogs and wind. Small routines like these, sorted in the first month, make the house feel like home quickly.

Documents worth keeping together

Identity and status. Passports, entry stamps, permit applications and approvals, and copies of each. Keep certified copies of birth and marriage certificates if family members may need them for school, residence or banking.

Housing. The signed lease, utility account details and the move-in photographs.

Finance. Bank reference letters, statements showing source of funds, and tax documents from your previous country, which may be needed for local banking or tax filings.

Health. Vaccination records, prescriptions, a summary of medical history and insurance policy documents.

Vehicle. Licence, permit, registration, insurance and customs release papers if you imported a car.

Where to keep them. A waterproof folder for the originals, with digital copies stored securely online, so that a storm, flood or theft does not leave you without records.

Common first-month mistakes

A few predictable errors make the first month harder than it needs to be:

• Letting the entry stamp expire. Overstaying, even by a few days, creates problems later with permits and re-entry.
• Expecting to do everything online. Many processes still require visits in person, during office hours, with paper copies.
• Starting the bank account late. It can take weeks. Begin as soon as you have proof of address.
• Skipping the hurricane plan because the sky is blue. Supplies sell out quickly once a storm is forecast.
• Assuming office hours. Government offices close at weekends and on public holidays, and hours can be shorter than expected. Arrive early in the day.
• Isolating within an expat bubble. Grenadians are welcoming, and local knowledge solves problems that no website will.

Frequently asked questions