Promote:
Invest in Saint Barthélemy
A short guide for companies expanding into Saint Barthélemy: the economy at a glance, the rules and steps to set up, and who can help, each with its source.
1. Saint Barthélemy at a glance
Population
10,660
The population was 10,660 on January 1, 2023, the municipal population Insee puts in force from January 1, 2026.
Source: Insee, populations of overseas collectivities, December 2025 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of January 1, 2023
GDPEstimate
Gross domestic product was an estimated EUR 960.5 million in 2023, the first estimate since 2014.
Source: CEROM, GDP of Saint-Barthélemy in 2023, June 2026 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of 2023
GDP per personEstimate
Gross domestic product per person was an estimated EUR 90,103 in 2023, based on a population of 10,660.
Source: CEROM, GDP of Saint-Barthélemy in 2023, June 2026 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of 2023
The currency is the euro (EUR).
Source: IEDOM, annual economic report on Saint-Barthélemy, 2025 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 2, 2026
2. Before you set up
The investment agency, any one-stop route, the sectors reserved for nationals and the zones, as the guide found them.
No investment promotion agency was found; the Collectivité and the CEM are the island's business contacts.
Source: IEDOM, annual economic report on Saint-Barthélemy, 2025 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 2, 2026
The CEM's formalities center is the single contact for company creation, changes and closure in commerce, crafts, agriculture and real estate, and liberal professions file elsewhere.
Source: CEM, company formalities page (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
No list of sectors reserved for nationals was found on the pages checked.
Source: IEDOM, annual economic report on Saint-Barthélemy, 2025 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 2, 2026
No free zone or special economic zone was found in the official pages read, so the count is zero.
Source: IEDOM, annual economic report on Saint-Barthélemy, 2025 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 2, 2026
3. Steps to set up
The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.
Setting up in Saint Barthélemy
- Register the company through the CEM formalities center, which files on the national electronic one-stop shop as agent.Chambre Économique Multiprofessionnelle de Saint-BarthélemyOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: CPS Saint-Barthélemy, business creation page (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 15, 2023
- Confirm which local taxes apply to your activity with the Collectivité, whose own tax code replaced the national one in 2008.Collectivité de Saint-BarthélemyOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: IEDOM, annual economic report on Saint-Barthélemy, 2025 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 2, 2026
- Register with the CPS for social protection and contributions, and declare income on its online service.Caisse de Prévoyance Sociale de St BarthélemyOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: CPS Saint-Barthélemy, business creation page (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 15, 2023
- For real-estate activities, apply to the CEM for the professional card; for fishing, hold the free ATE fishing license.Chambre Économique Multiprofessionnelle de Saint-BarthélemyOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: CEM, formalities center page (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Show 2 more set-up steps
- Hire foreign staff only after the Collectivité's executive council authorizes their work; residence permits stay with the State.Collectivité de Saint-BarthélemyOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: IEDOM, annual economic report on Saint-Barthélemy, 2025 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 2, 2026
- Check building permits and the Collectivité's right of pre-emption on property transfers before you buy or build.Collectivité de Saint-BarthélemyOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: IEDOM, annual economic report on Saint-Barthélemy, 2025 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 2, 2026
4. Organizations that help investors
Start with Collectivité and French customs. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets
- The island has 10,660 residents, so this guide lists every national body found with evidence dated 2025 or later; it has 10 organizations. Source (opens in a new tab)
Investment and business setup
Territorial government
Collectivité
Collectivité de Saint-Barthélemy
Sets the island's tax code and customs duties, issues building permits and foreigners' work authorizations, and holds a pre-emption right on property transfers.
- Get advice
State representative's office
Préfecture
Préfet de Saint-Barthélemy et Saint-Martin
Represents the French State on the island, which keeps residence permits, border control and commercial law.
Visit Préfecture (opens in a new tab)Source: IEDOM, annual economic report on Saint-Barthélemy, 2025 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of October 2, 2026
Customs and tax
- Meet requirements
Customs authority
French customs
Direction générale des douanes et droits indirects
Answers questions on customs formalities for the island through its Guadeloupe regional directorate and lists Gustavia as a pleasure-boat clearance point.
Social contributions body
CPS
Caisse de Prévoyance Sociale de St Barthélemy
Affiliates self-employed owners and collects social contributions, with an online service for income declarations.
Visit CPS (opens in a new tab)Source: CPS Saint-Barthélemy, business creation page (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 15, 2023
Chambers and industry associations
- Get advice
Chamber of commerce and trades
CEM
Chambre Économique Multiprofessionnelle de Saint-Barthélemy
Runs the company formalities center, keeps the island's commercial register, and advises and funds local business projects.
Visit CEM (opens in a new tab)Source: CEM, presentation and missions (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
5. Worth knowing
Land and housing pressure
IEDOM names access to land among the island's structural difficulties, as record visitor numbers press on land, energy and waste.
What to do: Confirm land and building rules with the Collectivité before you commit to a site.
Source: IEDOM, annual economic report on Saint-Barthélemy, 2025 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Seasonal workforce
Employees registered with the CPS ranged from 5,451 in September to 7,717 in December 2025.
What to do: Schedule staffing around the season and check work authorization rules with the Collectivité.
Source: IEDOM, annual economic report on Saint-Barthélemy, 2025 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Tourism dependence
IEDOM says tourist spending is 57 percent of GDP and calls for a more varied economic model.
What to do: Test your project against seasonal demand and the island's visitor figures.
Sources: IEDOM, annual economic report on Saint-Barthélemy, 2025 (in French) (opens in a new tab); CEROM, GDP of Saint-Barthélemy in 2023, June 2026 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Energy and waste costs
IEDOM lists the cost of energy and waste treatment among the island's pressures, and local taxes apply to electricity and waste.
What to do: Ask the Collectivité for current electricity and waste tax charges before you set a budget.
Source: IEDOM, annual economic report on Saint-Barthélemy, 2025 (in French) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
6. How Promote:Global helps
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Promote:Saint Barthélemy is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.
Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of November 1, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.