The Bahamas Re-Welcomes Travelers to the Caribbean

The warm Caribbean Sea and sandy beaches of The Bahamas are once again welcoming millions of vacationers from around the world.

However, due to the ongoing fluidity of the COVID-19 pandemic, entry requirements for The Bahamas have changed, says the U.S. Embassy for The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Furthermore, the new restrictions and regulations can change with little or no advanced notice, stated the US Embassy on March 4, 2021. Before departing on your trip, review the guidance directly from the Bahamian government at the Office of the Prime Minister’s webpage.

Each visitor to The Bahamas must go to gov.bs, select “International,” and submit a Travel Health Visa Application. The application will require a negative RT PCR molecular nasal swab COVID-19 test result.

Prospective visitors must present the final confirmation document of their Travel Health Visa application, along with their negative RT PCR COVID-19 test results, upon boarding flights to The Bahamas and again upon arrival in The Bahamas.

Certain travelers are exempt from presenting a COVID-19 test: Children under the age of 10, pilots and crew who will remain in The Bahamas for not more than one night; a person traveling from any island, except New Providence, or Grand Bahama, to any other Bahamian island.

Visitors entering The Bahamas or traveling inter-island agree to monitor by self-reporting through the completion of a daily health questionnaire for 14 days or the duration of stay (whichever is shorter); by the Ministry of Health; by members of the COVID-19 Enforcement Unit; and by unscheduled visits by the Royal Bahamian Police Force.

A person traveling to The Bahamas on a commercial or personal vessel whose arrival in The Bahamas extends beyond the five days for a valid PT PCR OVID 19 molecular diagnostic test result will be granted a Travel Health Pass via upon application and permitted to enter The Bahamas provided the captain of that vessel can prove at their point of entry into The Bahamas that the vessel’s travel to The Bahamas was a direct one with no prior stops to any other ports of call.

For visitors staying four nights and five days or longer, on Day 5 of the visit, a COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test must be taken by any individual who enters The Bahamas or who travels inter-island from New Providence or Grand Bahama, and the results must be submitted to the Ministry of Health online via the health travel website.

Every port of entry in every Family Island shall be closed except for any port, which is a public dock. All individuals entering by boat must follow all entry requirements above, plus must stop at the port of entry of their intended destination and deliver a copy of their negative RT PCR test results, not more than five days old, and a copy of their valid Travel Health Visa.

If a visitor traveling by boat is symptomatic, they must go to the first port of call and submit to the RT PCR COVID-19 test and mandatory quarantine until the test results are available. If the RT PCR COVID-19 test result is positive, the individual must remain in compulsory quarantine for 14 days or the duration of stay, whichever is shorter.

A list of COVID-19 test sites is available here scroll down to “DAY-FIVE COVID-19 TESTING SITES”.

All visitors are required to opt-in to mandatory COVID-19 health insurance when applying for their Travel Health Visa. The insurance covers travelers for the duration of their stay in The Bahamas.

For questions regarding Bahamian visa extensions for residents and/or tourists, please visit the Bahamas Immigration.

Any person who fails to undergo the rapid COVID-19 rapid antigen test is liable to a fine of $1,000 or one-month imprisonment.

This summary does not include information on retail, restaurants, social gatherings, and other areas.  To learn about current restrictions due to COVID-19, please regularly check the websites noted above.

Furthermore, the U.S. CDC says, ‘visit your doctor at least one month before your trip to get travel vaccines or medicines you may need.’ A list of travel vaccines is posted on this CDC website.  

Vax-Before-Travel publishes research-based travel news.