Bahamas ports of entry by boat from Florida: where to clear in

A boat from Florida cannot clear into the Bahamas just anywhere. Bahamas Customs publishes a list of designated Ports of Entry, and inward clearance must happen at one of them¹. This page shows which ports are on that list for the route from Florida to the Exumas. The full clearing steps are in the clearing Customs guide.

Which ports of entry are on the Bahamas Customs list?

The Customs list groups ports by island. The ports below are on it; the list includes others².

Area	Ports of entry on the Customs list
Bimini	South Bimini Airport, Bimini Sands Marina, South Bimini Marina, Big Game Marina2
Chub Cay, Berry Islands	Chub Cay Airport, Chub Cay Marina2
Great Harbour Cay and Bullock’s Harbour, Berry Islands	Great Harbour Cay Marina, Bullock’s Harbour Public Dock2
Nassau, New Providence	Includes Lynden Pindling International Airport2
Freeport, Grand Bahama	Freeport Harbour, Freeport Container Port, East Ramp, Bradford Marine, Xanadu Marina2
Grand Cay and West End, Grand Bahama	Blue Marlin Cove Marina, Old Bahama Bay Marina; West End Airport is marked Restricted2
Exuma	Exuma International Airport, Exuma Public Dock, Emerald Bay Marina, Exuma Yacht Club Marina2
Norman’s Cay, Exumas	Norman’s Cay Airport, Norman’s Cay Dock2

Staniel Cay is not on the Exuma list². If your plan is a base at Staniel Cay, clear in at a port that is on the list first. The Staniel Cay page covers the island itself.

How long is the run from Florida to the first port?

Cruising guides for the route run from Miami to Bimini, then on to Chub Cay. A boat can make Miami to Bimini in about eight hours, sailing or powering, across the Gulf Stream³. From Bimini the route continues to Chub Cay, and the last 14 miles to the anchorage off Chub Cay run through the northwest channel³. Highbourne Cay is the gateway to the Exumas, and Miami to Highbourne Cay takes four days of sailing or motoring without night passages³.

Chub Cay and Nassau both have designated ports on the Customs list, so a boat working east along the usual line can clear at either². The Florida to the Exumas guide covers the Gulf Stream crossing and the weather window. If you will continue to the cays from Nassau, read Nassau to the Exumas by boat.

What do you do at the port of entry?

Enter the vessel before you arrive. Pleasure vessels are entered and paid for in the Cruising Permit module of Click2Clear¹. Customs says it aims to go paperless and cashless, and Click2Clear is the step toward that¹. You can pay online through the Customs payment portal, or arrange to pay cash on arrival through the marina¹. A vessel cannot be approved by a Customs officer until it is paid in full¹.

Once the boat is at a Port of Entry, the captain must report directly to Bahamas Customs for the vessel clearance¹. Until the vessel has been cleared by Bahamas Customs and Immigration, the only person permitted to disembark is the captain¹. Everyone else waits aboard.

For a smoother arrival, the Ministry of Tourism calls online pre-registration the preferred and easiest way to clear Customs, and suggests submitting the electronic declaration before you leave your home port⁴. Everyone on board also needs proof of citizenship or identification, plus the vessel’s registration or title¹.

What does clearing in cost?

The cruising permit price depends on boat length and term. The cruising permit cost guide has the table. These fees come on top of the permit¹:

Item	Fee
Passenger arrival tax	$20 per person, for any pleasure vessel that brings more than three crew and passengers1
Anchorage fee	Applies to foreign pleasure vessels not mooring at a marina; paid once for the permit period, whether it is 30 days, 6 months or 12 months1
Clearance certificate for the next port outside The Bahamas	$751
Extension of Stay, per Immigration	$200, non-refundable, for all sea and air arrivals5

If this is your second voyage within 30 days, the cost of the Temporary Cruising Permit is exempt, but the passenger arrival tax is not¹. A 6-month cruising permit is entitled to one free re-entry within the permit period¹. Apply for a stay extension at least 7 business days before your current stay expires⁵.

Firearms and pets

Customs allows a maximum of three firearms, inclusive of handguns, rifles and shotguns, on a foreign pleasure vessel¹. If you carry any, ask Customs about the declaration before you sail.

A pet aboard is a separate application from the cruising permit. See bringing a dog to the Exumas by boat.

Clearing out

Before you leave the Bahamas, clear outbound from the last port on an Entry Outwards of Pleasure Vessel¹. A clearance certificate for the next port outside The Bahamas costs $75¹. Park fees are a separate matter; see Exuma Park boat fees, and the boating hub for moorings, anchoring and radio pages.

Fees and port lists change. Check the Customs pages on the day you file.