BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Pets

A permit is required to import or export animals (including pets). Animals must have import or export certificates and appropriate vaccination and veterinary health certificates.

The Department of Agriculture has an office at the Terrance B. Lettsome airport, where Agricultural Officers conduct plant and animal quarantine duties. For animals and produce arriving by sea, the Department requires 24 hours notice of arrival, so that appropriate arrangements can be made for inspection of relevant papers. Information and application forms are available from the Department of Agriculture.

The Department of Agriculture

Paraquita Bay, Tortola.

Tele: (284) 495-2532; Airport office Tel: (284) 494-3701, ext. 6449

Fax: (284) 495-1269

E-mail: agriculture@bvigovernment.org

General Information

The British Virgin Islands (BVI) is a British overseas territory, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Technically the name of the Territory is simply the "Virgin Islands", but in practice since 1917 they have been almost universally referred to as the "British Virgin Islands" to distinguish the islands from the American Territory.

To add to the regional confusion, the Puerto Rican islands of Culebra, Vieques and surrounding islands began referring to themselves as the "Spanish Virgin Islands" as part of a tourism drive in the early 2000s.

The British Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke, along with over fifty other smaller islands and cays.

Approximately fifteen of the islands are inhabited. The capital, Road Town, is situated on Tortola, the largest island which is approximately 20 km (approx. 12 mi) long and 5 km (approx. 3 mi) wide. The islands have a total population of about 22,000, of whom approximately 18,000 live on Tortola.