EXPLORE · Travel & Clearance · July 2026
Last summer, the Bahamas nearly priced itself out of a market it built.
This spring, it reversed. Here’s the whole story, the real numbers, and what to check before you point the bow east.
What Happened Last July
On July 1, 2025, the Bahamian government raised boating fees across the board — every size boat, rates keyed to length overall.
The headline example: a yacht between 50 and 99 feet went to $1,000 for a temporary cruising permit. Double what it had been. That permit allowed entry into the country twice within a 30-day period and expired at 12 months, with no extensions available after that — once it ran out, you bought a new one. Superyachts over 100 feet went to $3,000.
Then came the extras. A separate fishing permit. An anchoring charge. Explicit AIS tracking requirements reaching down to vessels above 50 feet.
The reaction was immediate and loud. Local marinas and visiting owners pushed back hard, and boats voted the only way boats can vote — they stopped coming. Visiting yacht traffic dropped noticeably over the following year.
Insiders who’ve been making the Bimini run for twenty years were openly saying they were going to Key West instead.
What Changed April 1
Following the outcry and a protocol review, the government announced revised fees on April 1, 2026 — in force the same day.
The core change is structural. Instead of one temporary cruising permit, there are now three duration tiers: 30 days, six months, and 12 months. And for most vessels, especially smaller ones, entry costs came down.
30-day permit
- 51 to 100 feet: $350
- Over 100 feet: $600
- Neither includes free re-entry
Six-month permit
- 51 to 100 feet: $750
- Over 100 feet: $2,000
- Includes one free re-entry within the permit period
12-month permit (unchanged from the 2025 rates)
- 50 to 99 feet: $1,000
- Over 100 feet: $3,000
- Now includes two free re-entries, with the only limit being that they fall inside the 12-month window
That last point is a quiet but meaningful improvement. Under the old rules, re-entry was capped at twice within any 30-day timeframe. Now the two re-entries just have to happen sometime during the permit year.
For smaller boats, the published pleasure-vessel schedule puts 31- to 50-footers at $250.
The Anchoring Fee Got Fixed
This was the one that made people angriest, and it’s the one that changed most sensibly.
The anchoring permit no longer applies if your vessel is staying in a marina — and more broadly, anchoring fees now only apply if a vessel actually anchors, rather than being triggered simply by entering Bahamian waters.
If you do anchor out, the rates run $350 for 50 to 99 feet and $1,500 for 100 feet and larger.
That’s a real distinction. Under the previous framework, boaters were being charged for a thing they weren’t doing.
The Costs Still Stacked On Top
Don’t budget off the permit number alone. Three things still add up.
Fishing permits are separate. This is the big one for anyone in the FISH world. Fishing access used to ride along with the standard cruising process. It doesn’t anymore — fishing permits are charged separately and typically renew every 30 days. For a sport-fishing visitor or a long-stay owner, that’s a recurring line item that didn’t exist two years ago.
Big tenders cost money. Ancillary equipment towed or carried aboard isn’t charged — but a tender exceeding 25 feetruns $500 for a period not to exceed 12 months.
Passenger tax. When a pleasure vessel carries more than three passengers, every additional passenger age six or older who isn’t an ordinary resident of the Bahamas is taxed $30.
And the AIS requirements for vessels above 50 feet remain more explicit than they were. If your boat is in that range and you’ve been running without it, sort that out before you go.
Clearing In — The Process Hasn’t Changed
For Insiders making the crossing for the first time, the mechanics are the same as they’ve been:
- Submit your forms digitally and complete online pleasure-vessel clearance through Click 2 Clear before you arrive.
- Clear Customs and Immigration at the nearest designated Port of Entry.
- Fly the yellow quarantine flag as you enter port and notify Customs of your arrival.
- Only the Captain leaves the boat until the vessel is cleared. Everybody else stays aboard.
- Officials come to you. Everyone on board needs proof of citizenship — U.S. citizens must present a passport, no exceptions, no birth certificates.
There’s also the Frequent Digital Cruising Card (FDCC), which has been getting real traction with repeat visitors. If you’re crossing more than once or twice a year, it’s worth pricing out against individual trip fees.
Waterway Guide publishes a Bahamas boat entry fee calculator that will run your specific boat and trip against both options. Use it — the tier structure has enough moving parts that eyeballing it will cost you money.
The Insider Read
The Bahamas got the message. A government that raises fees, watches traffic collapse, listens to its own marina operators and then rolls the increases back inside of nine months is a government that understands what its water is worth. Give them credit for it.
Run the math on duration, not habit. The three-tier system is the real win here. If you’re going over for ten days in the Abacos and coming home, the 30-day permit at $350 is a completely different proposition than the old $1,000 flat charge. A lot of Insiders who wrote the Bahamas off last year should re-run their numbers.
Budget the fishing permit separately. If you’re going to fish — and you are — that’s a recurring 30-day cost sitting outside your cruising permit. It’s the piece most likely to surprise somebody at the dock.
The crossing hasn’t changed. The bank hasn’t moved, the water’s still the color it’s always been, and Bimini is still 48 miles off Government Cut. Only the paperwork got cheaper.
Go.
See you on the water.