The Bahamas has introduced a $200 per person, non-refundable fee for processing extensions of stay as of September 18, 2024. Cruisers should be sure to ask Immigration on arrival for the length of their intended stay. Immigration Officers should be able to issue at least a 90 day stay for 3 month cruising permit holders and possibly longer for year long cruising permit holders. The initial entry stamp remains free of charge.

Published 1 month ago

New Fee to Extend Your Stay

The Bahamas has introduced a $200 per person, non-refundable fee for processing extensions of stay as of September 18, 2024. Cruisers should be sure to ask Immigration on arrival for the length of their intended stay. Immigration Officers should be able to issue at least a 90 day stay for 3 month cruising permit holders and possibly longer for year long cruising permit holders. The initial entry stamp remains free of charge.

The full details can be found on their website – The Bahamas Immigration Department Extension of Stay.

Cruisers’ Concerns

This new policy has created confusion and concern in the cruising community, as boats are starting to arrive in the Bahamas post hurricane season and some have only been granted an initial 30-day stay.

There has been a lot of discussion about how this policy will be implemented, particularly on the popular Bahamas Land and Sea Facebook page, moderated by Addison Chan (a superb resource for cruisers planning to head to the Bahamas and currently cruising there).

The greatest concern is in regards to the worst case scenario, where Bahamas Immigration only issue a 30-day initial stay and then the cruisers must reapply every 30 days in person at a cost of $200 per person. Though unlikely, and officially not the intent of the fee as stated by the Director of Immigration in The Nassau Gaurdian, this change would make the Bahamas significantly more expensive and quite onerous for cruisers that needed to be at an immigration office to reapply every 30 days.

Addison Chan confirms that lobbying by the Association of Bahamas Marinas and feedback from cruisers has resulted in a public statement by the Director of Immigration, William Pratt, clarifying the new rules. Pratt explains; “With this new initiative all visitors would be admitted for a minimum of 30 days. We never said anything about maximum. However, some of the officers did not fully understand what we sent out in the circular. A few officers did make an error and we have already sent the information back out to those officers at the port to tell them. Persons who qualify to be landed for more than 30 days, if they request it, they are to be landed. We also make special provisions for boaters, so those people coming in to cruise The Bahamas, when the officers go to the marina, if they say they are going to be cruising for four months, five months, they get their four months or five months.”

Ask for Maximum Time

As Noonsite’s Bahamas Immigration page details, cruisers have typically been granted up to a 90 day initial entry stamp when entering The Bahamas. It is recommended that you ask for the maximum time that you would like to stay on arrival, in line with your approved cruising permit. If authorities try to grant you a smaller amount than 90 days, be cordial, respectful and ask that they call their supervisor to see if they can grant you at least 90 days.

Reports suggest that most cruisers are now getting the initial entry stamps as requested, up to 90 days. However, some of the first check-ins for the season were only granted an initial 30 days, regardless of what they requested.

Report Your Experience

In an effort to collect data on initial immigration entry stamps, Casey Wagnor of SV Olive Juice has created a Google survey to gather info – Gathering Data on Entering The Bahamas. Cruisers entering the Bahamas are encouraged to fill out the form so that accurate information can be gathered as to the check-in situation and initial immigration entry approval lengths from the various ports of entry throughout the Bahamas.

Users that would like to see the survey results, can access the data here – Bahamas Survey Data Results.

Additional details on the situation, as it develops, will be posted to Noonsite’s Bahamas Immigration page when applicable

Noonsite thanks Casey Wagnor of SV Olive Juice for making the survey and sharing access to the data.