Bahamas Cruising Permit Fees 2026: What It Costs to Take Your Boat Across

For South Florida boaters, the Bahamas is the reason to own a boat at all: Bimini is about 50 miles from Fort Lauderdale. But the cost of taking your boat across has changed twice in a year. On July 1, 2025, the Bahamas overhauled its fees for visiting pleasure boats. Then on April 1, 2026, after pushback from marinas and boaters, it added cheaper short-stay permits.

You may have read that the Bahamas "dropped" its cruising permit fees. That is only half right. The 12-month permit and the two-year Frequent Digital Cruising Card cost exactly what they did in 2025. What's new are 30-day and 6-month permits, and for a short trip they make a real difference. A 60-foot yacht that paid $1,000 for a permit last winter now pays $350 for a month.

Here is what it costs today, drawn from the Bahamas Customs Department's own August 2026 guidance.

What changed, and when

• Before July 1, 2025: permits were priced by length and length of stay, and the fishing permit was included.
• July 1, 2025: a new 12-month permit ($500, $1,000 or $3,000 by length), a separate fishing permit, anchorage fees, the two-year Frequent Digital Cruising Card, a $30 passenger tax, and a new AIS rule for boats 50 feet and over.
• April 1, 2026: new 30-day and 6-month permits, revised re-entry rules, and anchorage fees tied to the length of the permit.

Bahamas cruising permit fees in 2026

Boat length	30 days	6 months	12 months
Up to 30 ft	$150	$300	$500
Over 30 ft to 50 ft	$250	$300	$500
Over 50 ft to 100 ft	$350	$750	$1,000
Over 100 ft	$600	$2,000	$3,000
Free return visits included	None	One	Two

• The permit covers up to three people. Each additional passenger aged 6 or over who isn't a Bahamas resident pays $30. The Customs clearance page gives this as $20 and calls it an arrival tax rather than a departure tax; we have not been able to settle which is current, so budget on $30 and see entering and departing the Bahamas for the detail.
• Tenders over 25 feet need their own permit: $500 for up to 12 months.
• Staying longer than 12 months requires a written application to renew, at the 12-month fee again.

The fishing permit is now separate

The fishing permit used to come with the cruising permit. It no longer does.

• $100 for boats up to 50 feet, $300 over 50 feet, and it is valid for 30 days only, even if your cruising permit runs for a year.
• It is issued when you clear in, and can be printed from your Click2Clear submission once it is approved.
• Per-boat limits include 18 pelagic fish (any mix of dolphin, wahoo, kingfish and tuna), 10 lobster in season, 6 conch, and 20 demersal fish such as snapper and grouper, or 60 lb, whichever is less.
• No more than six rods in use at once. Billfish must be released unless you are fishing an approved tournament. Spearfishing is by hand or pole spear only, no spearguns, and visitors may not sell their catch.

So a boat on a twelve month permit that fishes deals with this twelve times, not once, and anyone working from a guide written before the change has it wrong.

One caution. The same Customs page that says fishing permits are no longer included also says, in its manual process section, that on approval a Temporary Cruising Permit (Form C39) and Fishing Permit will be issued for the vessel. One of those is stale text. The fee schedule, the marina association and the Out Islands board all agree the permit is now separate and thirty days, so that is what we state, but do not be surprised if an officer hands one over with the C39 anyway.

The vessel permit may not be the end of it either. Power & Motoryacht, in its October 2026 issue, reports that anglers aged twelve and over who fish the flats or from shore also need a personal fishing licence, separate from the boat's permit. We have not been able to confirm that on a government page: the Marine Resources pages refuse an outside reader and the official licensing system, GoOutdoorsBahamas, is behind a login. Worth asking Customs or the marina if anyone aboard plans to wade a flat.

Anchorage fees

If you anchor out rather than staying in a marina, there is now an anchorage fee, paid once for the life of your permit.

Boat length	30 days	6 months	12 months	FDCC (2 years)
Up to 50 ft	$50	$150	$200	$200
Over 50 ft to 100 ft	$100	$350	$350	$350
Over 100 ft	$200	$1,000	$1,500	$1,500

The Frequent Digital Cruising Card (FDCC)

If you cross often, the FDCC is a two-year permit with unlimited entries and exits.

• $1,500 for boats up to 50 feet, $2,500 for 50 to 100 feet, $8,000 over 100 feet.
• It is tied to your boat's registration, and your Pleasure Craft Request number is reused for every trip.
• It removes the standard per-entry boarding fees, but not processing fees, passenger taxes, tourism levies or anchorage fees.
• Its anchorage fee is its own, under regulation 91B: $200 up to 50 feet, $350 from 50 to 100 feet, $1,500 over 100 feet, good for the two years of the card. It sits in a different part of the Customs schedule from the anchorage table above, which is why it is the figure most often left out of a budget. On a boat over 100 feet the card and its anchorage together are $9,500.
• You still file a Click2Clear declaration and report to Customs in person on every arrival. The FDCC is the one permit that requires a Click2Clear account.

As a rule of thumb, it starts to make sense if you would otherwise buy more than one 12-month permit, or several short ones, over two years.

It is a season ticket on the permit, not on the trip

The 12 month temporary permit covers the permit itself, attendance fees for both Customs and Immigration officers, transportation fees for both, and re-entry within 30 days. You are not paying those again.

The FDCC does not work that way. What it removes is the standard boarding fee on each entry. What it leaves you paying, every single time, is processing fees, passenger taxes, tourism enhancement levies and any other applicable tax, plus Customs attendance and travel under regulation 7 and Immigration overtime and travel.

It does not remove the paperwork either. You still submit an Inbound Declaration in Click2Clear on every arrival, and in person approval is still needed to legalise the entry.

One that catches the bigger boats: equipment towed or carried aboard is not charged separately, except a tender over twenty five feet.

New rule for boats 50 feet and over: AIS

Since July 1, 2025, every foreign vessel of 50 feet or more in Bahamian waters must carry an AIS transponder, keep it working, and keep it switched on at all times. Docked, at anchor, underway or just passing through. The owner or captain faces a $1,000 fine if it isn't. If your boat is over 50 feet and doesn't have AIS, fit it before you go.

What a trip actually costs

A few worked examples, using the current permit, passenger, fishing and anchorage fees. Marina charges, fuel and any other taxes or levies are extra.

• A 38-foot center console, a long weekend in Bimini, four aboard, fishing, staying in a marina: 30-day permit $250, one extra passenger $30, fishing permit $100, $380.
• A 60-foot motor yacht, two weeks in the Exumas, six aboard, anchoring out, no fishing: 30-day permit $350, three extra passengers $90, anchorage $100, $540.
• The same 60-footer, crossing several times over a season: 12-month permit $1,000 with two free return visits, plus $350 anchorage if you anchor out, and the FDCC at $2,500 plus its own $350 anchorage is worth pricing against it if you'll be back the following year.

Clearing in, in one paragraph

File on Click2Clear before you leave, go straight to a designated port of entry, and let nobody but the captain off the boat until Customs and Immigration have cleared her. The full procedure, what to have aboard, the firearms exemption and its three month limit, the pet rules and the current list of ports is on entering and departing the Bahamas.

Coming home

Report your arrival in the United States immediately, which most pleasure boaters now do through CBP's free ROAM app. ROAM cannot be used by anyone who needs an I-94 or owes duty. What you may bring back, and the fish and conch rules that catch people every season, are on entering and departing the USA.

Chartering in the Bahamas

Aspire sells yachts and does not arrange charter, but owners ask. A charter on a foreign flagged vessel in Bahamian waters needs a Bahamas charter licence, and has been taxed at 14% of the base price since 2022, made up of a 4% port tax and 10% VAT. The April 2026 package left the rate alone and added an AIS requirement for charter vessels. That rate and the AIS point are as reported by Power & Motoryacht in October 2026 and by the Association of Bahamas Marinas, which has been pressing for a reduction; we have not found either stated on a Customs page. If chartering her out there is part of the plan, it is a question for a charter specialist and an accountant before it is a question for a broker.

Two ways to get money back, and almost nobody uses them

Waive off requests. If you submitted and paid for a voyage and then could not depart, show proof of that application and apply for a Waive Off Request, which nullifies the fees on your next voyage. Weather cancels more Bahamas trips than anything else, and this is the provision for it.

Refunds. Click2Clear has a refund module. Enter the details, attach your documents, submit, and an approved refund comes back to your card or as a credit note. It only works for vessels that entered and paid in Click2Clear, which is a real argument for filing digitally rather than with cash at the counter.

Renewing after twelve months

The Minister may renew a cruising permit on written application after the twelve month period, at the same scale as the original: $500 up to 50 feet, $1,000 from 50 to 100 feet, $3,000 over 100 feet. A fishing licence is bought separately from the Department of Marine Resources.

Buying a boat for the Bahamas

Range, fuel capacity, draft and how a boat handles the Gulf Stream all matter far more for Bahamas cruising than for day trips along the coast. Aspire has a broker in the Bahamas as well as our Fort Lauderdale office, and we help owners on both sides of the Gulf Stream. See yacht sales in the Bahamas and our Bahamas cruising itineraries, or talk to us on (954) 560-2811.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a Bahamas cruising permit in 2026?

It depends on the length of the boat and how long you stay. A 30-day permit is $150 up to 30 feet, $250 up to 50 feet, $350 up to 100 feet and $600 over 100 feet. A 12-month permit is $500 up to 50 feet, $1,000 up to 100 feet and $3,000 over 100 feet. The permit covers three people; each additional non-resident passenger aged 6 or over pays $30.

Did the Bahamas lower cruising permit fees in 2026?

Partly. On April 1, 2026, the Bahamas added cheaper 30-day and 6-month permits. The 12-month permit and the Frequent Digital Cruising Card kept the prices set in July 2025.

Is a fishing permit included with the Bahamas cruising permit?

No, not since July 2025. The fishing permit costs $100 for boats up to 50 feet and $300 over 50 feet, and is valid for 30 days.

What is the Frequent Digital Cruising Card?

A two-year Bahamas permit with unlimited entries and exits, costing $1,500, $2,500 or $8,000 depending on the boat's length. You still file on Click2Clear and report to Customs on every arrival.

Do I need AIS to cruise the Bahamas?

If your boat is foreign-owned and 50 feet or longer, yes. It must carry AIS and keep it switched on at all times while in Bahamian waters, or the owner or captain faces a $1,000 fine.

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Sources: Bahamas Customs Department, "Pleasure Vessel Clearance: Recent Updates" (August 2026) and its cruising permit pages; Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation statement on cruising permits and anchorage fees (April 6, 2026); Customs Management (Amendment) Regulations 2025; Port Authorities (Amendment) Act 2025 (AIS); bahamas.com fishing regulations; U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP ROAM). Fees and rules change, so confirm with Bahamas Customs before you travel. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.