On 17 October 2025, the World Customs Organization (WCO) announced that Saint Vincent and the Grenadines had become its 187th member following the deposit of its instrument of accession to the Convention Establishing a Customs Cooperation Council. The official date of accession to the WCO and signature to the Convention was 17 September 2025.
Through its accession, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines joins a global Customs community dedicated to facilitating trade, enhancing border security, and advancing international cooperation. Membership of the WCO opens the door for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to benefit from a broad range of knowledge-sharing opportunities, technical expertise, and capacity-building initiatives.
Membership of the WCO will enable the country to strengthen its Customs administration, aligning with global standards and best practices to promote efficient and secure trade flows. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will now also sit at WCO’s various working bodies, including the WCO Council, which convenes heads of global Customs administrations, in June 2026.
The WCO Secretary General said: “Saint Vincent and the Grenadines joins the WCO at a time when Customs administrations around the world are navigating a period of increased complexity, but also one of great opportunity. The WCO remains a source of high-quality, forward-thinking support and leadership, reinforcing the resilience, adaptability and efficiency of Customs administrations. I look forward to working with Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to advance Customs’ mission of facilitating legitimate trade, ensuring fair revenue collection and protecting society.”
More on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the eastern Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies, at the southern end of the eastern border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. To the north lies Saint Lucia, to the east is Barbados, and Grenada lies to the south.
Spanning a land area of 389 km2, most of its territory consists of the northernmost island of Saint Vincent, which includes the capital and largest city, Kingstown. To the south lie the northern two-thirds of the Grenadines, a chain of 32 smaller islands; the remaining southern third makes up Grenada. Seven of the islands are inhabited, of which the largest and most populous are Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, and Union Island.
Saint Vincent is a member of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, CARICOM, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).