Grenada insurance for nomads

English is the official language, so navigating care is straightforward.

Public hospitals

Public care centres on St. George's General Hospital in the capital, the island's largest state facility (commonly cited at around 198 beds) and its main accident and emergency centre. Two smaller public hospitals serve the rest of the country: Princess Alice Hospital in Saint Andrew (Grenville) and Princess Royal Hospital in Carriacou. Public facilities cover primary and emergency care, but specialised and advanced treatment is limited, and most nomads lean on private clinics for day-to-day needs because waits are shorter and the experience is more predictable.

The best-known private option

The best-known private option is St. Augustine's Medical Services (SAMS) in St. George's, which lists more than a dozen clinical departments including general surgery, orthopaedics, cardiovascular surgery, OB-GYN and radiology, with a 24/7 emergency contact line. The island also hosts St. George's University, a large US-style medical school, so there is a deep pool of English-speaking, Western-trained doctors. Emergency numbers are not a single 911 here: police and fire are 911, but for an ambulance you call the hospital directly, 434 for St. George's General, 724 for Princess Alice, 774 for Princess Royal. Pharmacies are well stocked in St. George's and Grand Anse (for example Mitchell's at Grand Anse), but bring enough of any essential medicine with a doctor's letter, as specific brands may not be available. The island reality is the one that matters: the UK Foreign Office states plainly that the main hospital can manage many treatments but serious cases may need emergency evacuation, and that treatment is expensive. That medevac, a flight to Barbados, Trinidad or the US, is the bill that makes evacuation cover non-negotiable.

For short stays, US, British, Canadian and Australian visitors enter visa-free.

British passport holders get up to six months; US, Canadian and Australian visitors are commonly granted three to six months, with the exact length set by the immigration officer on arrival. Your passport should be valid for at least six months and you need an onward or return ticket. Travel insurance is not a legal entry requirement for tourists, though given the off-island evacuation reality it is strongly advised.

The Remote Employment Act

To stay and work remotely, Grenada's Remote Employment Act (passed in 2021) created a non-immigrant remote-work visa for people employed by, or running, a business outside the country. It runs for up to one year and can be renewed for a further year. The published income threshold is EC$100,000 a year (about US$37,000), and the application fee is US$1,500 for an individual or US$2,000 for an applicant with up to three dependants, plus US$200 per additional dependant. Foreign income is not taxed locally. Health insurance is a prerequisite for approval: applicants must show evidence of a valid policy covering the stay in Grenada for each applicant and dependant. No fixed minimum sum is published, so the practical question is not a headline number but whether the policy includes medical evacuation. We lay out the details on the Grenada digital nomad visa page.

• Off-island evacuation. With one main public hospital and small private clinics, serious or specialised cases are flown to Barbados, Trinidad or the US, so a policy with medical evacuation is genuinely important, not a formality.
• Diving accidents. Grenada is a major dive destination, and decompression sickness can mean an air evacuation to a hyperbaric chamber off-island (a documented Divers Alert Network case flew a diver from Grenada to Barbados), so confirm your policy covers diving and evacuation.
• Hurricane season. The Atlantic season runs June to November; Grenada was devastated by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, and storms can disrupt flights, power and medical services, so build in flexibility and follow local warnings.
• Mosquito-borne disease. Dengue, Zika and chikungunya are all present, with dengue the main traveller risk; use repellent, especially during the day.
• Pay-first clinics. Most doctors and private hospitals expect payment up front, often in cash, regardless of insurance, so keep accessible funds and itemised receipts to claim back later.