The Bahamas
Entry Requirements
Are the Bahamas a good place to travel or relocate to with dogs and/or cats?
Here are reviews and details to help you see if it is a good idea to bring dogs or cats to the Bahamas
Official Bahamas government document on importing pets
Official government website on pets coming from the US to the Bahamas
Entry Requirements for Travel to the Bahamas with a Pet
Medical Requirements:
Rabies
To bring your pet to the Bahamas, they need to have been vaccinated against rabies.
If your pet has had the 1-year vaccine, it needs to have been given between 1 and 10 months before coming to the Bahamas.
If your pet has had the 3-year vaccine, it needs to have been given between 1 and 34 months before coming to the Bahamas.
Other Required Vaccinations for the Bahamas
Dogs
- Distemper
- Hepatitis
- Parvovirus
- Leptospirosis
- Adenovirus
- Coronavirus
Cats
- Feline Leukemia
- Feline Rhinotracheitis
- Feline Calicivirus
- Feline Panleukopenia
- Feline Pneumonitis
Parasites
The vet should clear your pet as free of internal and external parasites
Documentation Required to Import a Dog or Cat to the Bahamas and How to Get it:
The Bahamas Requires an Import Permit for Dogs and Cats
An import permit is required and is valid for 1 year. The cost is minimal.
- Fill out and send the Application to Import Domestic Animal Form.
- Pay the fees that apply to your situation.
- Once approved, you’ll get a Dog/Cat Permit.
- Your vet needs to complete a form (AGR/VS/1A Form) within 24 hours of travel.
- This includes a photograph of your pet
- Show the Dog/Cat Permit and completed Veterinarian Form to an Agricultural Officer and Customs Officer at the port you’re entering or leaving.
Note: Applications sent by mail take 6-8 weeks to arrive in the processing department. Once there, it takes about 2 days to process.
Veterinary Health Certificate
A veterinary health certificate is required, but it doesn’t have to be endorsed by APHIS (US) or the official government agency from the origin country.
You need to get the certificate less than 48 hours before arriving in the Bahamas.
Additional Considerations
Microchip Requirements:
Microchips are required for the Bahamas
Quarantine Requirements (if any):
Not necessary if all requirements are met
Breed Restrictions:
- Pitbull
- Presa Canario
- Cane Corso
- American Bully
- Staffordshire Terrier
- Dogo Argentino
- Savannah Cat
- Bengal Cat
- Chausie
Other:
Pets need to be at least 6 months to enter
An export permit is required for departure
Is this country considered high-risk rabies for entry into the US?
No, the Bahamas is considered free of rabies and not impacted by the US suspension
Is this country considered high rabies for entry into EU countries?
No
Are you flying to the Bahamas?
Read Flying with a Dog Under the Airplane Seat: The Ultimate Guide
Read Flying with a Big Dog: Travel Tips for Ease & Safety
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This information was last updated March 2023. If you notice any errors or updates, please let us know by contacting us here.
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2 Reviews on “The Bahamas”
I wanted to add more about being in the Bahamas
ACCOMMODATIONS
There are a lot of Airbnb options that are pet friendly. I’m not sure about hotels, because I didn’t really look at those. My Airbnb is situated in a residential area, and we have a big backyard, so we love it!
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
The only public transport I’ve used is the taxi, and all of them have allowed my dog to ride me. It’s been easy to use for us.
FUN ACTIVITIES
There are many parks (Goodman’s Bay is our favorite) that are great to play with dogs at. We love to play frisbee and then go to the beach there. It’s near the Baha Mar hotel as well, so it’s a great option for tourists. We also love to go to the beaches (Cabbage Beach, Goodman’s Bay). Paradise Island is walking distance from our Airbnb in Nassau, so we just take walks to go to the beach. You can also take dogs in private boat rides or in a group boat ride where everybody else is okay with the dog. From there, you can go island hopping and to more beaches!
SAFETY
There are SO many stray dogs around. There are also many pets that just stay outside the house or in backyards, so when I would go walk with my dog through our residential street, dogs bark at us. Some are friendly barks, some are definitely protective. They are all inside gates, though, so we were fine. We also haven’t encountered aggressive stray dogs. They tend to just want to go to sleep or look for food. They don’t harm anyone who doesn’t harm them. I also heard from locals that some owners specifically train Pitbulls here to be aggressive and vicious, so we just try to avoid any Pitbull we see because of that
I wanted to share my recent experience flying from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Nassau, Bahamas with my dog (Gatsby). We recently moved here, and loved our experience with the charter service.
We flew TOA (Tropic Ocean Airways) on a shared charter. It was a 6-seater plane, but I only had to pay for my seat (instead of having to charter to whole plane). I was looking for an economical way to come here without flying commercial and taking Gatsby in cargo. He is too big to fly in cabin (60-lbs)!
HOW MUCH
For the flight from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau, I only paid $369.70! They say on the website that they would weigh my dog and charge me extra for every extra lb he weighs above 25lbs, but they actually didn’t end up charging me any extra for Gatsby. I don’t know if I just got lucky with a really nice receptionist at check-in or if it’s standard process.
FLIGHT
The plane is actually a seaplane. It can also land in water. They land it in water when you’re taking TOA island hopping within the Bahamas. (We have yet to try that experience).
OTHER IMPORTANT INFO
The check-in experience was really easy and smooth. It flew out of a private terminal in FLL (Fort Lauderdale) and flew in to a private terminal in Nassau. Flying into the smaller terminal in Nassau also made the immigration / pet import process easier, I think. I had all of the documents with me. There’s a local guy I found online (Wellington Saunders) who charges $60 (processing and application fees) but takes care of everything on the paperwork and filing the pet import files in person. I also highly recommend him – it took all of the stress out of coming to the Bahamas with a pet.