So many people ask for this information that I am giving a synopsis of the procedure here, along with my interpretation of a few things. I am listing the official government route below which is the cheaper way to go and, if you allow yourself plenty of time and don’t experience any snafus with the Bahamian and USPS systems, will get the job done just fine. But also, if you would prefer a more personalized and probably more expeditious route, be sure to check out Wellington’s private non-government site https://www.bahamaspetpermit.com.
The peace of mind provided by having an actual person present who has done this umpteen times in the past and who you can contact by e-mail or by phone should the need arise, I think is probably well worth the extra cost. His service, for a modest surcharge, simply allows you to do the whole process using e-mail, rather than the much slower and less reliable snail mails (and it’s less expensive than using FedEx). You e-mail your materials to him, your application with supporting documents, and he e-mails your permit and associated form back. Pretty simple and straightforward and the guy gets some pretty good reviews.
ALWAYS CHECK for new and updated pet import info. (Read the last paragraph of this article regarding dogs and cat breeds that are not allowed into the Bahamas. If your pet does not qualify for entry, don’t push it or you may have some serious issues.) You should allow yourself a minimum of 8 weeks to get through the whole application process, and that’s not to mention the time you will require to fulfill the veterinary requirements before you’re even ready to apply. Keep in mind that, regardless of how you go through the paperwork, there is an order to doing the Bahamas thing:
FIRST, see your veterinarian well in advance (as long as five to six months before you leave) to get ready for the whole process. Your vet will need to examine your pet, vaccinate your pet (Distemper, Hepatitis/Adenovirus, Parvovirus, Leptospirosis, Coronavirus – done in accordance with your vet’s recommendations; for a cat Feline distemper, respiratory complex (rhinotracheitis/Calicivirus/pneumonitis), and leukemia – again in accordance with your vet’s recommendations – and a rabies vaccination if your pet’s vaccination is going to expire within two months of your anticipated Bahamas arrival date), collect a blood sample for a rabies titer test (according to Kansas State University rabies lab, “A waiting period of 21 to 30 days between rabies vaccination and sample draw is advised for optimum antibody response”. This may require that you come back for a second visit for the blood to be drawn for this test. If pet has had this done before in the past, your vet may be able to advise you otherwise on the waiting period.), do a stool sample check, and do an examination and/or treatment for external parasites, PLUS you will need a health certificate signed by your veterinarian. Also your pet needs an appropriate microchip (HomeAgain, Avid, Destron, or Trovan) inserted under the skin so that it is permanently identified to match up with the paperwork. If there is any question about the suitability of your pet’s microchip, your veterinarian can place a second chip just to be sure.
The results on the rabies antibody titer can take four to eight weeks to be returned to you. [You can fill in and print out the antibody test certificate online at this address: https://ksvdl.org/laboratories/rabies-laboratory/docs/submission-forms/1-FAVN-FORM_July-2018.pdf].
You cannot apply for your permit until all of this veterinary work is done and you have all of your official veterinary paperwork in hand. Once you’ve completed all of the above procedures, you’re ready to apply for your permit.
2. Obtain and fill out the application – You can do this through Wellington’s website https://www.bahamaspetpermit.com; or you can follow my instructions below for doing it yourself directly through the Bahamas Department of Agriculture. You will need to submit your veterinary health certificate confirming all of the above procedures along with your rabies vaccination certificate and your rabies antibody titer test results certificate AND a color photo of your pet. Be certain that all paperwork is signed!
3. The IMP1(b) form must be signed by a veterinarian within 48 hours prior to crossing to the Bahamas. There is some wiggle room with this form for those who are entering the country by sea aboard a private vessel. There always has been some room but in the most recent version of this form they have finally made it official: This form is to be completed by the examining veterinarian within 48 hours prior to arrival in the Bahamas and can be extended upon request for those entering by sea due to changes in the weather. Years ago when I was living aboard and practicing in Baltimore I used to complete this form for my southbound snowbird cruisers. They would come in to complete this final step while they were still several hundred miles north of their Gulf Stream crossing, and I was always a little nervous about it, but as far as I know, none of them ever had any issues with it. A similar situation would apply to anybody sailing the offshore route from Canada to the Bahamas or crossing the Atlantic from Europe. Do your best to meet the 48 hours but don’t sweat it if it’s not spot on.
Now here are your choices:
The Wellington Alternative
Here’s how Wellington’s service works (in his own words, directly from his website):
1. Download the Bahamas Pet Import Application by clicking here (Please make sure to read the pet import requirements.)
2. Complete 1 application form per visit, per pet and a copy of rabies certificate for each pet then submit your application here.
3. I will review & confirm receipt of your application followed with Invoice for the total of your permit fees and my services.
4. I will personally deliver the permit application(s) to the Department of Agriculture for processing.
5. Upon notification that the permit has been approved, I will collect your permit(s) and then email you the permit(s)
6. Before leaving for your trip to the Bahamas, per the Import Requirements, a copy of the IMP1(B) form must be filled out by a licensed veterinarian no more than 48 hours before arrival and presented to customs on arrival with your permit.
Doing it all yourself
If you prefer to undertake the application procedure yourself and not use Wellington’s service, you can do it by dealing with the Bahamian government directly on your own:
To access the official import requirements for pets, click here:
To access the official government application to import a pet click here: https://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/wcm/connect/7694fa28-0b27-407c-9d09-621ccdeaa104/Import+Application+Revised+July+2023.pdf?MOD=AJPERES . This is a newly revised version of the older application so don’t use the old app.
To access the veterinary form [IMP1(B)] that you are required to have your veterinarian complete at your examination, click here: https://www.bahamaspetpermit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/veterinarian-form-IMP1B.pdf although you should get this with your permit.
The official mailing address to mail your downloaded and completed application and all of the above listed veterinary forms is listed below :
Director of Agriculture
Department of Agriculture
Darville’s Business Complex
Gladstone and Munnings Roads
PO Box N 3028
Nassau, New Providence
The Bahamas
If you feel you have a need to call them for whatever reason, you can also try calling the Bahamas Department of Agriculture at 242-325-7438 or 242-397-7450 or fax them at 242-325-3960.
They also list an e-mail address: E-mail: minagriculturemarine@bahamas.gov.bs which may or may not be useful.
Supporting documents (must be in English) to submit along with the application form:
(A) Health records (vaccinations)/Sanitary certificate for the animal(s); this includes your veterinary health certificate signed by your veterinarian and your rabies antibody titer certificate, also obtained from your veterinarian; these certificates should identify your pets using their microchip numbers
(B) Color photograph of each animal
(C) Any other supporting documentation authorized officers might require.
However you do it, you are applying for an import permit. Once you submit the application with your payment ($10 per pet (plus the 12% VAT tax for a total of $11.20 per pet) along with the required health forms, they will send you your permit and the accompanying form IMP1(b) . Or for an extra $5.00, they will fax it to you. (You also have the option to send your application in via courier service (FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc.) which is substantially more expensive than mailing it, but if you do that and then have them fax your permit back, you can take the mail systems out of play.) You must pay for your permit using an international MONEY ORDER (no checks or credit cards and don’t send cash). Understand that on occasion things will get botched up in the mail, either in your domestic mail or in the Bahamian mail, and the whole thing falls apart. Then you don’t get your application, you miss your sailing date, and you have a huge mess. Thus the suggestion for using Wellington’s assistance through his website noted above. Wellington takes the mail systems out of the equation AND you have somebody on the ground right there in Nassau you can contact by phone or e-mail and who can deal with the officials live and in person on the spot.
Once you’ve sent your payment, you will then be issued your permit, form IMP1(A), which is good for one entry within a year of issuance; and form IMP1(B), which must be taken to and filled out by a licensed veterinarian immediately before you make your crossing. The form (B) states that the veterinarian has examined the pet and certifies that the pet is free of disease and is properly vaccinated in accordance with the rules on form IMP1(A) (the actual import permit).
You must have a health certificate from your veterinarian. The Bahamas will accept a computer generated health certificate – the official USDA U.S. International Health Certificate will certainly work, but is not required for entry to the Bahamas. (If you have any thoughts of possibly sailing further down beyond the Bahamas, you WILL want the official USDA paperwork.)
Pay attention to the following: For Bahamas entry:
PET MUST BE 6 MONTHS OR OLDER.
RABIES VACCINATION IS VERY SPECIFIC – must be done NO LESS than one month before importation, but can be a 1-year or 3-year vaccine — whichever vaccine used must have AT LEAST 2 months remaining before it expires, and make sure you have the signed rabies vaccination certificate.
RABIES ANTIBODY TITER TEST RESULTS – Pets must have a rabies antibody titer test done within 6 months prior to entering the Bahamas. Make certain you have the paperwork.
VACCINATIONS ARE REQUIRED – Dogs need to have had (TIME NOT SPECIFIED – i.e. it’s up to your veterinarian) the following vaccinations: Distemper, Hepatitis (Adenovirus), Parvo, Lepto, and even Corona virus vaccination at whatever schedule your vet uses — no limitations are given. Cats must have had (again, TIME NOT SPECIFIED): Feline Distemper (Panleuk), Rhino, Calici, Pneumonitis, and Leukemia vaccinations at whatever schedule your vet uses.
FECAL EXAM – The pet must have had a negative fecal exam for internal parasites.
EXTERNAL PARASITES (Fleas and ticks) – Pets must be free from external parasites (fleas, ticks, lice).
Remember: paperwork, paperwork, paperwork and signatures, signatures, signatures. Take along some extra copies when you go.
If you should have a problem with any of your paperwork when you get there, ask them what you can do next time to make it right. You could be required to visit a local Bahamian veterinarian in order to comply, but that’s not likely.
Permit Info
Whether you use Wellington’s service or whether you do it yourself, you need to learn how to get this done since you’ll have to do it every year if you are going to do the snowbird thing.
NOTICE:
The Bahamas restricts the importation of certain dog breeds – even temporarily by visitors whether arriving by commercial airline, private boat, private airplane or any other method.
The following dog breeds are restricted/banned from importation into The Bahamas:
- Pit Bull
- Presa Canario
- Cane Corso
- American Bull Terrier
- Staffordshire Terrier
- Dogo Argentino
Any of these breeds in mixed breed form are also restricted, so a pit bull mix is also restricted from importation. My recommended rule of thumb for this issue regardless of the country (and these breed importation rules are quite common internationally) is that, regardless of what you have in writing, if it looks like one of these dogs, it probably will not be admitted.
As I have mentioned in my book, if you have one of these breeds, leave him home and don’t try to mess with the rules. They can enforce these rules any way they might choose. If you try to fake it or try to sneak a pit bull type mix into the country and you get caught down island, you could face having the dog seized and euthanized, and/or the possibility of a fine and/or impounding of your vessel.
The following cat breeds and their mixes are restricted as well:
- Savannah Cat
- Bengal Cat
- Chausie