Draft for discussion with the authorities of Saint Lucia.
UNCTAD › Saint Lucia

Special economic zones and free zones

Needs assessment of special economic zones and free zones
in Saint Lucia

Identify what the zones need, to decide where technical assistance could help.
Prepared after exchanges between the authorities of Saint Lucia responsible for the zones and the Digital Government Programme of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Answer the questionnaire → See working examples

Why this assessment

What the assessment is for

A zone works for investors when its procedures are clear and predictable. The assessment records what zone developers, operators and businesses find hardest, and what the responsible authorities want to fix first. Any cooperation then starts from that evidence, not from a ready-made solution.

A business in a zone deals with two kinds of procedures. Zone procedures: authorisation of developers and operators, admission of businesses, zone permits, renewals and reports. Procedures of other authorities: company registration, tax, customs, work permits, construction and environment. The investor needs to know where to go, what to provide, how long it takes and who decides.

The same procedures give the zone authority its data: applications received, time taken for each one, and where they stall. These figures show how the zones perform and which rules need attention.

What the needs assessment covers

Three questions

What exists today?

Zone rules, responsible institutions, procedures and data, and which of them are digital.

What needs to improve?

The main difficulties for zone developers, operators and businesses, and the priorities for improvement.

What is underway?

Reforms, initiatives and partnerships at work, to build on rather than duplicate.

After the assessment

Possible areas
of cooperation

The assessment does not prescribe a solution. Depending on the needs found, cooperation could cover four areas. If services go online, the order is: document, simplify, then put online. A procedure put online without simplification keeps its delays.

Transparency

Document each zone procedure from the investor’s side: steps, documents, costs, times, legal basis and responsible office, kept up to date by that office.

Simplification

Remove steps and requirements that no longer serve a clear purpose, and make clear which office acts at each step, inside and outside the zone.

Online services

Put priority zone services online once they are simplified, for example the authorisation of developers and operators, the admission of businesses and zone permits, with one entry point. UNCTAD’s eRegistrations platform is one option among others.

Zone rules

Clarify how a zone rule is applied, review a rule that slows a service down, or draft a rule where one is missing.

In practice

Working examples

One working example for each area, from another country or from UNCTAD guidance. Each one shows what the result looks like. None of them is a plan for Saint Lucia.

1 Transparency

Rwanda · trade, not zones

Every step, before the investor starts

Rwanda’s Trade Portal, built on UNCTAD’s eRegulations system, shows each import, export and transit procedure step by step: office, documents, cost, time and legal basis. It covers trade, not zones. The same method documents zone procedures.

Cereals importation permit procedure with its steps on the Rwanda Trade Portal
Summary of the procedure: institutions, result, cost, duration and laws

Source: rwandatrade.rw, managed by the Rwanda Revenue Authority.

2 Simplification

Ten principles, applied to a zone

Once every step is visible, the offices concerned can see which steps the zone does not need. UNCTAD’s ten principles of administrative simplification guide that review, one step at a time. Most gains come from changing practice, not the law.

Fundamental principles

  1. Publicity. Every zone procedure is published, step by step, before an investor applies.
  2. Legality. Each step a zone business goes through is required by a law or regulation.
  3. Relevance. The authority asks only for what it needs to decide on an admission or a permit.
  4. Good faith. The applicant’s declaration is trusted; checks come afterwards.

Forms and documents

  1. No redundancy. A company number the registry already holds is not asked for again at admission.
  2. Free forms. Application forms cost nothing.
  3. Simple copies. A simple copy is accepted instead of a certified one.

Services at a distance

  1. Online applications. A developer or a business applies without visiting an office.
  2. Online certificates. The licence or permit is issued online, and anyone can verify it.

Interactions

  1. Grouped steps. Inspections by different offices take place at the same visit.

Source: UNCTAD Digital Government Programme, “How to simplify administrative procedures”, Digital Government Academy.

3 Online services

Jamaica

An investor applies online

In June 2026, the Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority launched an online platform for its zones, with UNCTAD support. The investor finds every zone on a map, applies through one entry point, and receives a certificate that anyone can verify.

Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority public portal landing page
Jamaica zone map with filters and zone locations
Details for Montego Bay Free Zone shown on the Jamaica zone map
Digital special economic zone developer certificate with QR verification

Source: Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce of Jamaica, 12 June 2026.

4 Zone rules

What the zone offers, and what it expects

A zone rule is not only a procedure. It states what a company receives for coming to the zone, what it gives in return, and who checks that both sides hold. Written as conditions that can be checked, these commitments become enforceable. The result is not a screen: it is a short, clear rule.

The offer

  1. Fast and predictable licensing, digital procedures and a clear deadline for each decision.
  2. Legal certainty, and permits for specialists and their families.
  3. Infrastructure that fits the activity. Fiscal terms are useful but rarely decisive.

The ask

  1. Jobs, training and local suppliers.
  2. Targets written into the licence or contract, so that each one can be checked.
  3. Regular reporting to the zone authority.

Supervision

  1. One office checks that the offer and the ask are both kept.
  2. The data from zone procedures shows whether they are.

Source: UNCTAD, “What the country offers and what it expects”, guidance for Central Asian zones.

Answer the questionnaire

Participation begins with the questionnaire. Answer it, then decide whether you want to discuss possible next steps.
Answer the questionnaire →

Completing the questionnaire is voluntary and creates no commitment. Each response reflects the view of the entity that sends it, not a formal position of the Government of Saint Lucia. The responses will inform a short assessment report. If the authorities wish, it could lead to a concept note for technical assistance, subject to UNCTAD’s mandates and available resources. The findings go to the responsible authorities first and are not published without their consent.