Short answer: yes. Sending marketing email from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is legal, and there is currently no local law that requires opt-in consent before you do it. The longer answer depends on how you send and who is on your list. The questions below cover what most businesses need to know. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is there an anti-spam law in SVG?
Not a dedicated one. The nearest thing is the Cybercrime Act 2016, which creates a spam offence. It is aimed at deceptive bulk email: intentionally sending multiple messages to mislead recipients or internet service providers about their origin, or falsifying header information for that purpose. A separate spoofing offence covers emails or websites with a counterfeit source used to obtain information or commit further offences. Both carry fines and possible imprisonment.
In practice, that means an honest newsletter from your own, clearly identified domain is lawful under local law. Anything that hides who you are is not.
Do I need consent to email Vincentian customers?
No local statute currently requires it. The Privacy Act 2003 is directed at public authorities and has been reported as not yet brought into force. We still recommend consent for every contact, for two reasons: inbox providers filter mail that attracts complaints, and a data protection law covering the private sector may arrive, as it has in several neighbouring OECS states.
What about guests from Europe, the UK, the US or Canada?
Here the answer changes. The law of the recipient’s country can apply to you even though you are based in Kingstown or Bequia:
| Recipients in | Main rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| EU and UK | GDPR / UK GDPR and e-privacy rules | Consent for marketing, clear privacy information, rights of access and deletion |
| Canada | CASL | Express or implied consent, sender identification, unsubscribe within 10 business days |
| United States | CAN-SPAM | No misleading headers or subjects, a postal address, a working opt-out |
For a tourism business in the Grenadines, European and North American guests may be a large part of the list, so it is sensible to apply the strictest of these standards to everyone. Our GDPR definition, CASL definition and CAN-SPAM definition summarise each law.
Does it matter where my email platform stores data?
Vincentian law does not currently restrict where you store customer data. GDPR does care about transfers of European personal data, which is one reason many Caribbean businesses choose a European-hosted service. Mailpro stores data in Switzerland, which benefits from an EU adequacy decision, and it sits outside US jurisdiction. See why Switzerland for details.
What about SMS?
There is no SVG-specific rule for marketing text messages either. Telecoms in SVG are regulated by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) within the regional ECTEL framework, and the mobile networks set their own acceptable-use terms. Treat SMS consent separately from email consent. The FAQ on laws and restrictions for SMS campaigns has a wider overview.
So what should I do?
- Send only to people who opted in, and keep a record of when and how.
- Name your business, give a postal address and use your own authenticated domain.
- Make every email easy to unsubscribe from.
- Apply GDPR-level care to European contacts, and CASL rules to Canadian ones.
- Take local legal advice for anything unusual, such as regulated financial promotions.
For the full picture, including how each law fits together, see our overview of email marketing law in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.