Clearing Customs in the Bahamas by Boat: Click2Clear, Ports of Entry, Fees and Rules

Every visiting pleasure vessel clears Bahamas Customs and Immigration before the crew lands. The entry is online, the first stop is a designated port, and nobody but the captain steps ashore until both agencies have cleared the boat¹. This page walks through it for boats heading to the Exumas and the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park.

Enter and pay in Click2Clear

Pleasure vessels are entered and paid for in the Cruising Permit module of the Click2Clear system¹. The portal needs no username or password to log in¹.

You can pay online by card. If you prefer cash, arrange payment on arrival through the marina where you dock¹. Either way, a vessel cannot be approved by a Customs officer until it is paid in full¹.

Where to clear: ports of entry

Inward clearance must happen at a designated Port of Entry, not at whichever anchorage you like¹. On a Florida passage the first ports of entry are Bimini (Bimini Sands Marina, Big Game Marina, Bimini Public Dock and others), Chub Cay (Chub Cay Marina) and Nassau (Nassau Yacht Haven, Atlantis Marina and others)². Grand Cay and West End, at Old Bahama Bay Marina and Blue Marlin Cove Marina, are also on the list². See Florida to the Exumas by boat for the crossing itself.

The ports of entry in the Exumas are²:

• Exuma International Airport²
• Exuma Public Dock²
• Emerald Bay Marina²
• Exuma Yacht Club Marina²
• Black Point, with its public dock and airport²
• Norman’s Cay, with its airport and dock²

Staniel Cay is not on the list². If you reach the Exumas from Nassau, clear in at Nassau first; the Nassau to the Exumas by boat page covers the passage.

At the dock: captain first

When you arrive at the Port of Entry, the captain reports to Customs¹. Until the vessel has been cleared by Customs and Immigration, the only person permitted to disembark is the captain¹. Crew and guests wait aboard, and the boat flies the yellow quarantine flag as you enter each port⁴.

Keep your papers within reach when you step off. Proof of citizenship or identification is required for everyone aboard, crew and passengers, along with the vessel’s registration or title¹. U.S. citizens must present a passport⁴. Every non-Bahamian arrival fills in an Immigration Arrival/Departure Card⁴. Boats above 50 feet must have AIS installed and fully operational⁴.

If someone flies in to join the boat on a one-way ticket, the Bahamas advises buying return tickets even for a boat return, and the owner or operator presents the cruising permit at Immigration⁴.

What clearing costs: a worked example

The permit price depends on boat length and term, and the cruising permit cost guide has the full table. Here is one boat priced end to end: a 42-foot sailboat on a 30-day permit¹.

Item	Amount	Notes
30-day cruising permit, over 30 ft and under 50 ft	$250	Temporary Cruising Permit1
Anchorage fee, up to 50 ft	$50	Foreign vessels not mooring at a marina; paid once for the permit period, not per night1
Customs total	$300	$250 + $50. Two aboard is under the more-than-three threshold, so no passenger tax1
Passenger arrival tax	$20 per person	Non-resident crew and passengers aged six or over, only for a vessel bringing more than three1
Fishing permit, under 50 ft	$100	Charged separately, valid 30 days1

A vessel on a 30-day permit is not entitled to a free re-entry; 6-month permits include one and 12-month permits two¹. Fees change, so confirm each amount on the Customs page when you file.

Fishing permit

Customs no longer bundles the fishing permit into the cruising permit fee package¹. A foreign pleasure vessel pays $100 under 50 feet and $300 over 50 feet¹. The permit lasts 30 days even if you hold a 12-month cruising permit, so renew it every 30 days¹. The fishing license itself is bought from the Department of Marine Resources¹. The park is a no-take zone whatever permit you hold, as the no-take zone guide explains.

Firearms

A foreign pleasure vessel may carry a maximum of three firearms, handguns, rifles and shotguns included, with 250 rounds per firearm¹. All automatic weapons are prohibited, and open center console boats may not carry firearms¹. The master must declare every firearm on board with correct serial numbers and ammunition¹. Confirm the caliber limit with Customs before you sail, since the page wording is unclear. Keep weapons under lock and key at all times⁴. It is illegal to take firearms off the vessel without the necessary permits and duty payment¹.

Pets

A pet aboard needs an animal import permit. The Department of Agriculture form covers dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits and freshwater turtles⁵. The application fee is $40 per permit plus 10% VAT, which is $44, and a further permit for the same animal is $10 plus VAT⁵. Send it with vaccination records or a sanitary certificate and a color photograph of the animal⁵. A complete application takes up to 48 business hours to process, and an inspection by an authorized veterinarian may be required, with fees⁵. Confirm the current fee before you apply, since the form dates from July 2023⁵.

Staying longer

Immigration charges a non-refundable $200 processing fee for an Extension of Stay, and it applies to all sea and air arrivals, private or commercial³. Apply at least 7 business days before the current stay expires³. Build that lead time into a long Exumas season. Park fees are a separate matter; see Exuma Park boat fees.

Clearing out

Clear outbound from the last Bahamas port on an Entry Outwards of Pleasure Vessel, Form C28A, if your next port needs clearance documents¹. Customs then issues a clearance certificate for that port, and the fee for the process is $75¹. The certificate is issued manually, so allow time at the dock¹. The boating hub links to moorings, anchoring, radio and weather pages for the rest of the trip.

Paper forms

If you do not use the digital route, the paper entry is Form C2A, the Inward Declaration and Application for Cruising Permit, plus a Maritime Declaration of Health¹. On approval, Customs issues a Temporary Cruising Permit, Form C39, and a fishing permit for the vessel¹.