Bahamas Immigration Information

Immigration Requirements

Upon your arrival to The Islands Of The Bahamas, you will be asked to fill out an Immigration Arrival/Departure Card, which you will keep part of until your departure.

• All visitors are required to be in possession of a return ticket.
• U.S. visitors staying for eight months or less need a return ticket plus a passport (passports expired up to five years may also be used) or a certified birth certificate with an official photo identification.
• Naturalized citizens require naturalization papers (photo identification is not required).
• Alien residents in possession of a U.S. Alien Registration Card may enter The Islands Of The Bahamas without a visa for visits not exceeding thirty days. Presentation of a current national passport, or one that has been expired for five years or less, facilitates processing.
• Permanent residents (green card holders) require their green card and a valid passport from their place of birth.
• Canadian visitors staying less than three weeks need the same identification as those from the U.S. and do not require a visa.
• Landed immigrants in possession of the Canadian Immigration Record Form 1000 should follow the same requirements as Alien residents.
• All others need a valid passport.
• British subjects from the United Kingdom and colonies may enter The Islands Of The Bahamas as visitors without passports or visas for periods not exceeding three weeks. For longer stays they must present a passport.

A Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over one year of age coming from the following countries: Angola, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Peru and Sudan. Travellers are required to be vaccinated 10 days prior to entering The Islands Of The Bahamas and must have a valid certificate of vaccination against Yellow Fever.

Visa and Passport Information

For visitors, entry requirements differ slightly depending upon place of birth, length of stay and what items accompany the traveller.

U.S. and Canadian citizens entering The Islands Of The Bahamas as visitors are required to show proof of citizenship with either a passport (current or expired within five years) or two forms of identification, one of which has to have a photo. For example, you may bring your birth certificate and a driver’s license.

For more details about visas and passports, follow the link below.
Click here to download visa/entry requirements. (Requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Customs

When you enter The Islands Of The Bahamas, you will be asked for a verbal baggage declaration. However, your luggage is also subject to customs inspections. If you are carrying dutiable items, you will need to fill out a Baggage Declaration Form.

Custom Duty: Baggage declaration by temporary visitors is oral, but baggage is subject to Customs inspection. In case there are dutiable articles, the visitor will be required to complete a Baggage Declaration Form. Each adult is allowed 50 cigars or cigarettes or one pound of tobacco and one quart of spirits free of Customs Duty, in addition to personal effects. In addition, purchases up to a value of one hundred dollars ($100.00) are permitted by all arriving passengers.

Household effects, such as small appliances (such as blender etc.) are dutiable at 45% of the cost. Linen and china are duty free for each arriving visit. Computers such as laptops are considered a part of your personal effects and therefore are duty-free.

Investment Information

The Bahamas Investment Authority (BIA) is here to "cut red tape and lay out the red carpet" for investors. This investor-friendly agency operates out of the Office of the Prime Minister and has been designed to simplify investing in The Islands Of The Bahamas. The BIA coordinates investment matters with other arms of the government, grants approvals, monitors projects and gives investors the support they need.

Before establishing a business in The Islands Of The Bahamas, you should contact the BIA and submit a proposal for your business. All proposals should have the following information:

• Name
• Address (include telephone/fax/e-mail)
• Description of proposal (executive summary of project)
• Type of business (state whether entity is a share company, partnership, individual or joint venture)
• Principals (persons investing in the venture/major beneficial shareholders)
• Proposed location
• Land or factory space requirements
• Proposed start-up date
• Management/personnel requirement (years of experience, training, success of similar, previous or current activity; work permits required for key personnel)
• Employment projection (number of Bahamian and non-Bahamian employees)
• Environmental impact (toxic waste, disposal procedures, toxic input)
• Concessions sought (customs duty-exemptions)
• Local representative (attorney, accountant or agent)

Note: All information supplied shall be held in the strictest confidence.

For further information, contact:
The Bahamas Investment Authority
P.O. Box CB-10980
West Bay Street
Nassau, The Bahamas
Phone: 242-327-5970/4
Fax: 242-327-5907

Visit www.opm.gov.bs to learn how the BIA can help you establish a new business in the country or to find out about the Office of the Prime Minister.