THE ISLANDS OF THE BAHAMAS ANNOUNCES UPDATED TRAVEL AND ENTRY PROTOCOLS
20 May 2021
New Rules in Effect for Vaccinated Travelers
NASSAU, Bahamas, April 30, 2021 – The Government of The Bahamas announced updated public health measures and entry protocols for fully vaccinated travellers, stating:
• Effective immediately, Bahamian citizens and residents who are fully vaccinated – after receiving their second dose – will be exempt from COVID-19 testing requirements when travelling inter-island from New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco, Exuma and Eleuthera to any other island.
• Effective May 1, 2021, international visitors travelling to The Bahamas from other countries who are fully vaccinated and have passed the two-week immunity period will be exempt from testing requirements for entry and inter-island travel.
REQUIREMENTS FOR VACCINATED TRAVELLERS
Vaccinated travellers will still need to apply for the Bahamas Travel Health Visa and will be required to upload proof of vaccination (such as CDC or government issued vaccine record card) with their application in place of PCR test requirement. They will not need to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test prior to entry, submit to rapid testing mandates or complete the daily health questionnaire during their stay. At this time The Bahamas Government will only be accepting vaccines by Pfizer Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.
REQUIREMENTS FOR UNVACCINATED TRAVELLERS
Travellers who are not fully vaccinated will be required to follow all existing entry testing requirements including applying for a Bahamas Travel Health Visa, providing proof of negative PCR test taken no more than five (5) days prior to arrival and completing the daily health questionnaire, as well as conducting rapid COVID-19 antigen testing if they are staying in The Bahamas for longer than four (4) nights and five (5) days.
REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL TRAVELLERS
All visitors and residents will be required to apply for the Bahamas Travel Health Visa and adhere to health and safety protocols on-island such as mask wearing, social distancing and frequent hand washing among others. Health and safety remain our highest priority and we must continue to be vigilant.
Due to the fluidity of COVID-19, the Government of The Bahamas will continue to monitor cases across the islands and loosen or tighten restrictions as needed. The Bahamas is an archipelago with more than 700 islands and cays, spread over 100,000 square miles, which means conditions and instances of the virus can be different on each of the 16 islands available to welcome visitors. Travellers should continue to check the status of their island destination before travelling, by visiting Bahamas.com/travelupdates.
For full details on the latest updates, protocols and regulations, please visit opm.gov.bs.
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PRESS INQUIRIES
Anita Johnson-Patty
General Manager, Global Communications
Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation
ajohnson@bahamas.com
Weber Shandwick
Public Relations
Bahamas@webershandwick.com