A Bahamas cruise needs a boat that fits the route and an entry plan that fits the vessel, people aboard, and intended stay. Online submission, vessel clearance, a cruising permit, anchorage charges, and fishing permissions have different jobs. Keeping them separate makes it easier to budget and ask the right questions before departure.
This guide uses the Ministry’s April 6, 2026 statement, effective April 1, 2026, for cruising-permit and anchorage schedules. Check the official channels again before travel and save the date of your check with the trip records.
Define the Yacht, Stay, and Arrival Port
Start a planning sheet with the vessel identity and length, intended arrival port, people aboard, expected stay, and any planned exit and return. Confirm with Customs how your vessel’s length is assessed for the fee band rather than using its model name as a substitute.
Record whether you expect to use marinas, anchorages, or a mixture. The official anchorage statement applies to pleasure vessels not docking at a marina; ask how it applies to your actual mixed itinerary before estimating the total.
Administrative preparation and passage preparation belong together. Florida Keys by Yacht: Reefs, Island History, and Shore Days can help you consider the staging context when your trip starts in that region. Shallow vs. Deep Draft Trawlers: Match the Boat to Your Cruising Waters addresses a separate question: whether the particular boat and route suit the waters you intend to use. A permit does not answer that question.
Separate Online Payment from Completed Clearance
Bahamas Customs clearance guidance describes digital pleasure-vessel submission and payment, followed by approval by an officer at a designated port. A paid online receipt alone does not establish completed entry clearance.
Before sailing, confirm the applicable submission channel, designated arrival port, documents, officer arrangements, and instructions for the people aboard. Keep the submission reference and payment evidence available offline. At arrival, follow the authorities’ directions and retain the issued documents and approval record.
If your plan changes after submitting information, ask Customs what needs updating. Treat the vessel’s permit and each person’s immigration requirements as separate confirmations rather than assuming one document resolves both.
Compare the Current Permit and Anchorage Charges
The April 2026 Bahamas fee statement sets out the following schedules. The combined rows below preserve each official length boundary while making different permit durations easier to compare. Dollar figures are reproduced as stated in the Ministry schedule.
Cruising Permits and Re-Entry
| Vessel length | 30-day permit | Six-month permit | Twelve-month permit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not exceeding 30 feet | $150 | $300 | $500 |
| Exceeding 30 feet but not exceeding 50 feet | $250 | $300 | $500 |
| Exceeding 50 feet but not exceeding 100 feet | $350 | $750 | $1,000 |
| Exceeding 100 feet | $600 | $2,000 | $3,000 |
The statement allows no free re-entry on a 30-day permit, one free re-entry within the validity of a six-month permit, and two within the validity of a twelve-month permit. Use your likely return plans as well as the initial stay when comparing durations. Ask Customs about the process and charges for a return that falls outside those allowances.
Anchorage Charges
The statement says anchorage fees apply only to pleasure vessels not docking at a marina.
| Vessel length | 30-day anchorage | Six-month anchorage | Twelve-month anchorage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not exceeding 30 feet | $50 | $150 | $200 |
| Exceeding 30 feet but not exceeding 50 feet | $100 | $150 | $200 |
| Exceeding 50 feet but not exceeding 100 feet | $100 | $350 | $350 |
| Exceeding 100 feet | $200 | $1,000 | $1,500 |
For example, a 45-foot vessel with a six-month permit and applicable six-month anchorage charge would have $300 plus $150 in those two schedule categories. That $450 calculation does not price fishing, individual immigration or other charges, marina services, or the rest of the cruise.
Fishing permissions and any passenger or immigration charges need their own current check. Record those separately, including whether they apply to your activities and the people aboard. The Ministry schedule reproduced here is not an all-inclusive trip price.
Keep a Departure Verification Record
A useful trip record makes unresolved questions visible before they become arrival problems. Save:
- Vessel identity, length information, and ownership or registration records requested by the authorities.
- The intended port and the official contact or channel used to confirm arrival arrangements.
- The people aboard and the identity and immigration documents required for each.
- Permit duration, planned returns, marina and anchorage intentions, and relevant activity permissions.
- The dated official fee check, submission reference, payment evidence, and remaining questions.
Confirm additional requirements for your actual circumstances with the appropriate authority. Pets, restricted items, changes of passengers, or unusual vessel use should become explicit inquiries rather than assumptions carried over from a different cruise.
Once the entry plan is clear, revisit the boat-use plan: fuel and water replenishment, draft, stopping options, and the support you expect ashore. Through Plan Your North Pacific Yacht, we can discuss your intended cruising region and the configuration questions that matter to your routine aboard.