Bahamas entry requirements for US citizens, by air or by boat

The rules below come from the Bahamas Immigration Department and the Bahamas Customs Department. They apply to any US citizen heading for the Exumas, whether you fly to Great Exuma or sail in with your own boat. The boat steps add a Customs layer that flyers never see. Rules change, so check the Immigration site before you travel.

What do US citizens need to enter the Bahamas?

Passports are required by all persons entering the Bahamas¹. US citizens entering as bona fide visitors for a stay not exceeding eight months need no visa¹.

You also need a return or onward ticket and a valid travel document that lets you enter another country, where that applies¹. Immigration may ask you to show enough funds to support yourself while you are in the country¹.

Visitors may not work in the Bahamas. The Department says visitors may not engage in any form of gainful occupation¹.

If you hold a US Alien Registration Card (green card) and are not a US citizen, the rule differs: visits are limited to 30 days¹.

How long can you stay?

The maximum is eight months, as long as you can support yourself or show other means of support for that period¹. The immigration officer at the port of entry sets the period written in your passport, and it can be shorter than eight months¹.

How do you extend your stay?

To extend a visit, you must seek permission from the Department of Immigration¹. Its extension page sets the process².

• A non-refundable $200 processing fee has applied to every extension application since 18 September 2024².
• You can pay by credit or debit card, bank draft or Bahamas Postal Money Order².
• Boaters show a return ticket or a Temporary Cruising Permit².
• The sponsor’s passport and address go on the application².
• You are interviewed in person by the extension officer, and the paperwork does not replace that interview².

Missing documents can get your application denied². In the Family Islands, where there is no Immigration office, you can get help with extension requests through the Bahamas Customs & Excise Department or the Family Island Administrator².

What do you need when you arrive by boat?

A boat arriving under its own power must enter at a designated Port of Entry³. On arrival you complete the Inward Declaration and Application for Cruising Permit (Form C2A) and the Maritime Declaration of Health Form³.

Until the vessel has been cleared by Bahamas Customs and Immigration, the only person permitted to disembark is the captain³.

Plan the paperwork around these points³:

• Everyone aboard, crew and passengers, needs proof of citizenship or identification³.
• Customs enters and collects payment for the vessel in the Cruising Permit Module of its Click2Clear system³.
• A Customs officer cannot approve the vessel until the permit is paid in full³.
• If you pay in cash, the marina where you intend to dock can arrange payment on arrival³.
• To approve the permit, you visit the designated customs port, where an officer stamps and signs the document³.
• On approval the vessel receives a Temporary Cruising Permit (Form C39) and a Fishing Permit³.

A passenger arrival tax of $20 per person applies to any pleasure vessel bringing more than three crew or passengers aged six or over³. A second voyage within 30 days is exempt from the cruising permit fee, but not from the passenger arrival tax³. The Fishing Permit is valid for 30 days only, even with a 12-month cruising permit³.

A boat used for hire or for commercial purposes is not a pleasure vessel and cannot get a Temporary Cruising Permit³. When you leave the Bahamas, clear outbound from the last port on Form C28A³.

For permit prices by boat length and term, read the Bahamas cruising permit guide. The customs clearing walkthrough covers the order of the steps.

Flying in to the Exumas

Exuma International Airport is the main air arrival point for Great Exuma. The Great Exuma flight guide covers getting there by air. The plan hub links to itineraries, costs and packing lists, and the travel insurance guide covers boat trips.