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Barbados

Caribbean

Barbados is an island in the Caribbean region, but which lies out in the Atlantic many miles east of the Caribbean Sea. Its nearest neighbours 100 miles west are Saint Vincent and Saint Lucia, part of the arc of the Lesser Antilles that separate Atlantic and Caribbean. Those islands are a partly-submerged chain of mountains. By contrast Barbados has formed from deposits of coral and has a gentler landscape. It's fertile, and is sometimes called "Bimshire" or the "Little Britain" of the Caribbean because of its long and uniquely unbroken history of British colonisation and settlement. It became independent in 1966 and tourism is nowadays its main industry. In 2019 the population was 287,025.

Guide content adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Barbados". Source · CC BY-SA 4.0

CapitalBridgetown
CurrencyBBDBarbadian dollar
LanguagesEnglish
Dial code+1246
Time zoneAmerica/Barbados

Weather

Live

29°C

Light drizzle · feels like 31°C

  • 62%
  • 18 km/h
  • AQI 48
  • SunThunderstorm24° / 30°
  • MonModerate drizzle23° / 31°
  • TueModerate drizzle23° / 30°
  • WedDense drizzle23° / 29°

Measured at the country centroid, not a specific city.

Money

Live

Barbadian dollar (BBD)

$1 USD
$2.000
€1 EUR
$2.310

Reference rates for 2026-08-08. Indicative — not the rate a bureau will give you.

Trip cost

What a trip to Barbados costs

Visas, flights, beds, food and everything in between, priced for your party and your dates. Every line shows its own arithmetic, so you can disagree with the parts you know better than we do.

Your trip

8 days on the ground

Hotel category
Flight class

Estimated cost

$4,889

$2,444 per person · $306 per person per day

  • Visa & entry

    $50 × 2 — typical tourist visa or eVisa fee

    $100
  • Flights

    $785 return × 2 · 6,734 km

    $1,571
  • Accommodation

    $192/night × 7 nights × 1 room · Standard

    $1,344
  • Food & drink

    $45/person/day × 8 days × 2

    $720
  • Local transport

    $16/person/day × 8 days × 2

    $256
  • SIM & internet

    $15 per person, once × 2

    $30
  • Attractions

    $28/person/day × 8 days × 2

    $448
  • Travel insurance

    $4/person/day × 8 days × 2

    $58
Subtotal
$4,527
Miscellaneous (8%)
$362
Total
$4,889

Budget at a glance

Per day

$611

Per person

$2,444

Family of 4

$9,777

7 days

$4,889

14 days

$7,740

30 days

$14,258

The 7, 14 and 30-day figures re-price the whole trip at that length — flights and visas do not repeat, so a month is far from four times a week.

A planning estimate, not a quote — ground costs are modelled from a cost tier for Barbados, not scraped from live inventory. Your settings are saved to this device.

Visas & entry

Entry requirements

This information is for people travelling on a full ‘British citizen’ passport from the UK. It is based on the UK government’s understanding of the current rules for the most common types of travel. 

The authorities in Barbados set and enforce entry rules. If you’re not sure how these requirements apply to you, contact the Barbados High Commission in the UK:

1 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3N

Phone: 020 7299 7150
Fax: 020 7323 6872
Email: london@foreign.gov.bb

Passport validity requirements

Your passport must be valid for the planned length of your stay.

Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.  

You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen. 

Dual nationals

When returning to the UK, British citizens must carry a valid British passport or certificate of entitlement. See Dual Citizenship.

Visa requirements

You do not need a visa to visit Barbados.

You will be told how long you can stay when you arrive. If you want to extend your stay, you must apply and pay for an extension through the Barbados Immigration Department.

It’s illegal to overstay or work without a work permit. The Barbados authorities could fine or detain you if you overstay.

Visitors must be able to show an onward or return ticket in order to enter the country.

Immigration and customs form

All travellers must fill in an immigration and customs form online before they arrive.

Children and young people

Check the rules for travelling with children and young people to Barbados from the Barbados Immigration Department.

Departure tax  

All passengers aged 2 years and older must pay a departure tax of 55 Barbados dollars (27.50 US dollars). Passengers travelling outside the Caribbean region pay an additional 70 US dollars per person, and those travelling within the Caribbean pay an additional 20 US dollars per person.

Most airlines include the cost within the ticket price. Check details with your airline or tour operator.

Vaccine requirements

To enter Barbados, you must have a certificate to prove you’ve had a yellow fever vaccination if you’re coming from a country listed as a transmission risk.

For full details about medical entry requirements and recommended vaccinations, see TravelHealthPro’s Barbados guide.

Customs rules

There are strict rules about goods that can be brought into and taken out of Barbados. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.

Source: UK FCDO, published 2026-01-23 under the Open Government Licence.

If something goes wrong

Getting help

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) cannot provide tailored advice for individual trips. Read this travel advice and carry out your own research before deciding whether to travel.

Emergency services in Barbados

Ambulance: 511

Fire: 311

Police: 211

Contact your travel provider and insurer

Contact your travel provider and your insurer if you are involved in a serious incident or emergency abroad. They will tell you if they can help and what you need to do.

Refunds and changes to travel

For refunds or changes to travel, contact your travel provider. You may also be able to make a claim through insurance. However, insurers usually require you to talk to your travel provider first.

Find out more about changing or cancelling travel plans, including:

  • where to get advice if you are in a dispute with a provider
  • how to access previous versions of travel advice to support a claim

Support from FCDO

FCDO has guidance on staying safe and what to do if you need help or support abroad, including:

Contacting FCDO 

Help abroad  

See how to get help from the UK government abroad including in an emergency. 

Help in the UK  

You can call FCDO in London if you need urgent help because something has happened to a friend or relative abroad.  

Telephone: 020 7008 5000 (24 hours)  

Find out about call charges

Get travel advice updates  

Sign up to get email notifications when this travel advice is updated.  

Follow FCDO: 

Risk information for British companies

The Overseas Business Risk service offers information and advice for British companies operating in Barbados on how to manage political, economic, and business security-related risks.

Cities

Where to go in Barbados