Y'all seen the new Cruising permit fees for the Bahamas? $$$$$

[Dougcole]

Temporary cruising permit 34 feet and over, for 1 year, 2 entries max, must be within 31 days of each other, goes from $300 to $1,000. But wait! There's more! The fishing permit, which used to be included in the cruising permit, is now an additional $300. And even that's not all! There is now a brand new anchoring permit required if you anchor overnight, another $300. Each additional person on board over three is an extra $30.

Also, all boats 50' and over are required to have AIS (TX and RX). Fine for not having it is $1,000.

These changes take place 7/1/25.

We are over in the Bahamas now, boaters, dock hands, bartenders, marina managers, fishing guides, mechanics, bottom divers, boat washers are all LIVID. My Bahamian friends feel the government is taking money from them as it means fewer boats spending less money and they feel they will never see a dime of the money collected.

This is the 18th summer in a row we have spent in the Bahamas. I'm pretty sure we will keep coming, but I'm not positive. And if we do come, we will have to find a way to cut expenses somewhere, which means less money in the local economy.

BTW, boats over 100' are going to $8,000 so they got hit hard too. And bareboaters have to pay as well, so an extra grand or so for them too.

 

[Mac2]

Wait a second. When did Bob Ferguson become governor of the Bahama’s?

 

[psneeld]

This topic is slightly discussed over here....

Boat size for the Bahamas

Hello all, Eric here from Panama City Beach Florida. My wife and I are looking to buy a trawler to travel the east coast ICW and the Bahamas. We are currently looking at a Monk 36'. Will that be enough boat for those travels? My last vessel was a 57' Carver which would have been no issue, but a...

www.trawlerforum.com

 

[Wtrguy]

Wait a second. When did Bob Ferguson become governor of the Bahama’s?

Sorry, first response was "that's funny". However the truth of the statement negates any humor.

 

[twistedtree]

By my read there is also a new FDCC permit required in addition to the cruising permit, and it’s $3500 for a boat between 35-100’.

Also unclear if the $300 anchoring permit is per anchoring, or whether it covers some period of time. The statute just says there is a $300 fee if you anchor rather than go to a marina. So I interpret it as each time your anchor hits the bottom.

 

[mvweebles]

HERE is a decent explanation of the changes though as @twistedtree points out, not always clear. The FDCC ($2500 for 34-100 footer) is for 2-years and appears to be in addition to the $1000 temp cruising permit, plus $300 for fishing and another $350 for anchoring. When you first arrive, you'll cough up somewhere around $4k!!!!!

What is clear is The Bahamas doesn't want cruising boats. Maybe they're still miffed about that Fyre Festival BS a couple years ago....

Peter

 

[rslifkin]

Isn't it a temp cruising permit or the FDCC, but not both?

 

[O C Diver]

It's like everything else, add up the costs and decide whether it's worth it. Personally, if you're going charge me a substantial fee to support your economy, there are other places I can go and other people I can support with my recreational dollars.

Ted

 

[Dougcole]

Perhaps they are trying to discourage cruising boats, but I sort of doubt it, we make up a substantial part of their economy.

Don't forget too that this applies to ALL people who come into the Bahamas on a private boat, not just cruisers. That includes center console fisherman (many of which are over 34' these days), Sportfish etc. In fact, I would say trawlers and sailboats are perhaps 20% of the boats we see over here, especially in Bimini and the Abacos. Many, many more people come over in CC and stay on land, they may not have to pay the anchoring fee, but they are still on the hook for more $ than they used to be, a lot more.

Other than a few areas like The Exumas, The Bahamas are not at all crowded with cruising boats. The marinas this year in the Abacos are perhaps 50% full and the anchorages less full than that.

During Covid, the Bahamas made boating visitors jump through a lot of hoops and pay a bunch of fees. We just dealt with it and came over anyway, but LOTS of people, probably 60%, said "not worth it" and stopped coming. Within a year the Bahamas rolled back most of those requirements.

A few years back they passed a law severely restricting DIY plats fishing (bonefish, permit, tarpon). A huge number of flats fisherman (like me) said "if you don't want me, I will go somewhere else, like Belize or the Keys or Cuba" and stopped coming. Within six months the Bahamian Govt. officially announced that they weren't going to enforce the law.

More than likely there is grift involved somewhere.

Good chance this doesn't stick.

 

[twistedtree]

Isn't it a temp cruising permit or the FDCC, but not both?

The actual laws don’t say that or imply it. They also say nothing about the duration of the anchoring fee, where they are clear that the cruising permit is for one year and the FDCC is for 2 years.

 

[psneeld]

This makes it sound like the FDCC and temp cruising permit are 2 different things for 2 different types of cruising boats/visitors. Frequent and once timers.....

New Bahamas Bill Brings Boating Rule Changes | Triton

The Parliament of the Bahamas enacted a new Port Authorities (Amendment) Bill that includes new regulations that come into effect on July 1, 2025.

www.the-triton.com

The anchoring fee is still cloudy, but my bet is it is $300 tacked on to the Cruising permit/FDCC and covers you at anchor for the period the permit/FDCC is granted.

 

[twistedtree]

This makes it sound like the FDCC and temp cruising permit are 2 different things for 2 different types of cruising boats/visitors. Frequent and once timers.....

New Bahamas Bill Brings Boating Rule Changes | Triton

The Parliament of the Bahamas enacted a new Port Authorities (Amendment) Bill that includes new regulations that come into effect on July 1, 2025.

www.the-triton.com

The anchoring fee is still cloudy, but my bet is it is $300 tacked on to the Cruising permit/FDCC and covers you at anchor for the period the permit/FDCC is granted.

Hopefully the gov will provide some formal explanation.

 

[Mambo42]

All over the world boaters get squeezed out of money. Come to the Med and the only thing you can do is open your wallet............wide............very wide.
In Greece we have TEPAI which is (for a 50' boat) around 150 euro per month and for that you get nothing.

In Croatia it is even worse, you have to pay the vignetta, which is a yearly fee for being on the water. Next to that comes the tourist tax and then it really starts. Being on your own anhor is charged between 2 and 5 euro per meter, depending on where you are. More popular spots results in higher prices.
If you want to be on a mooring buoy the price goes up and if you want to be on the municipal dock the price goes up even further.
But the big bang is when you go to a marina, prices of 400 euro per night, excluding water and electricity, are quite common.
Biggest problem is that charter guests are still willing to pay these prices, so the prices are not coming down. For us it means that the places where we can anchor become less and less, but sometimes we just use the old trick: arrive late at night and leave early. Then the debt collectors won't show up, but it is absurd you have to do this to be able to be on your own anchor.
In other words, what I read here about the Bahamas does not surprise me and as long as people are still willing to pay..............those prices will keep going up.

 

[Jklotz]

We had planned to go over this winter for a while. Jeez, an extra $4k? We might rethink that plan now.

 

[mvweebles]

My hunch is @Dougcole is probably right - govt will probably back-off once the effect of their fee changes have become clear. A lot depends on how intentional this was. Some countries have really grown tired of tourists and taken draconian measures to discourage them (Venice comes to mind). B'mas could be taking a maximalist approach knowing their "compromise" landing spot will be accepted with a sigh of relief. Or they could be typical govt bureaucrats who didn't take Econ 101 in school.

Any AGLCA members out there? They're obviously vested in this - do they have any insight???

Peter

 

[chanprr]

Transient moorage in the PNW/BC is a bargain!!

 

[Don L]

Our type of boat cruisers really make up very little money to the Bahamas. Since I track my money I can say 100% that my spending dropped while there. The only people/places that cruisers matter in Bahamas are the marinas and a few bars and restaurants spread around the Family Islands. And even then the only reason there are bars and restaurants are that the area has enough land tourists or resort type places to even exist. For the most part the nicer places cruisers go to in the Bahamas want cruisers about the same as rich people in Florida want them anchored in their back yard.

I would say about the only places in Bahamas that care about the cruiser trade is Georgetown, Staniel Cay and Rock Sound

I think the biggest chance of the fees getting delayed or changed back some what is if the Bahamas association of marinas push back aganist.

 

[slowgoesit]

Unanswered questions on the FDCC. Our boat is registered 50'.

So the FDCC for two years would be $2,500.00, multiple exits/entries allowed. . . . hmmm, that's maybe doable . . .
BUT there is the anchoring fee of $350, and the fishing license of $300 . . . .Doesn't say duration of either one, or if they turn into pumpkins upon each exit . . . .

Under the explanation of FDCC (Regulation 89B) it states that upon re-entry:
"All applicable fees must be paid."

But it doesn't state what those re-entry specific fees are . . . . so it may or may not be that each and every time you RE-ENTER, you will have to pay the anchoring fee of $350 and the fishing fee of $300 all over again . . . . , and the per individual fee of $30 each time . . .

Our plan for this Winter was to go over late November, then return late February or March, due to family obligations in April, then return to Bahamas in May . . . but I'm the kind of guy that wants to KNOW what my fixed costs will be before I commit to a trip. I fully understand that many fees like dining out, marina stays, museum admission fees, groceries, can vary tremendously. I get that, but I like to nail down the fixed costs.

Just like any contract I may enter into, I avoid "Cost Plus" contracts, as our budget just can't support open ended and repetitive uncontrolled access to our wallets by third parties . . . .

 

[lwarden]

My hunch is @Dougcole is probably right - govt will probably back-off once the effect of their fee changes have become clear. A lot depends on how intentional this was. Some countries have really grown tired of tourists and taken draconian measures to discourage them (Venice comes to mind). B'mas could be taking a maximalist approach knowing their "compromise" landing spot will be accepted with a sigh of relief. Or they could be typical govt bureaucrats who didn't take Econ 101 in school.

Any AGLCA members out there? They're obviously vested in this - do they have any insight???

Peter

There is a thread over on the AGLCA forum. At this point people are waiting for formal notice of the increase, but it's got everyone's attention. I know for us who plan to only jump over to the Bahamas for a couple weeks it would be a game changer. Interesting that this year Canada and New York waived the locking fees to try and encourage cruisers, seems that if this is true Bahamas are going the opposite way.

 

[Blissboat]

Under the explanation of FDCC (Regulation 89B) it states that upon re-entry:
"All applicable fees must be paid."

But it doesn't state what those re-entry specific fees are . . . . so it may or may not be that each and every time you RE-ENTER, you will have to pay the anchoring fee of $350 and the fishing fee of $300 all over again . . . . , and the per individual fee of $30 each time . . .

My experience of Bahamian customs officers has been that they have a lot of latitude to impose fees and duties according to their judgement of the situation. In one memorable example, the customs officer at an out-island airstrip demanded that I pay the duty on a brand new refrigeration compressor that I had flown out to Miami to buy, and flew back in with to replace one that had totally failed. His argument was that I was importing the item, and that I could choose to resell it, therefore it should be taxed on its full value. My position was that I was about to install it aboard a boat that already cleared into the Bahamas and was in transit, and it should therefore be exempt from import fees. This was 40+ years ago, and the duty was something like 25% of the value. Being on a shoestring budget, however much the duty was, it was more than I could afford - the unplanned round trip flight to Miami and the new compressor had just blown a hole in my cruising cash reserve. So, I argued and argued and argued. Finally I left the compressor at the airport, retreated to the boat and returned the next day to argue some more. After another 30 minutes of polite but firm back and forth, the Bahamian abruptly waved his hand and with a faint smile said, "Take your compressor."

Many things have obviously changed since then. For one thing, today I'd likely pay the duty and get on with my cruise. But to Slowgoesit's point, the ambiguities in the regulations mean that different customs officials will likely feel that they can assess each situation differently.

 

[Dougcole]

Our type of boat cruisers really make up very little money to the Bahamas. Since I track my money I can say 100% that my spending dropped while there. The only people/places that cruisers matter in Bahamas are the marinas and a few bars and restaurants spread around the Family Islands. And even then the only reason there are bars and restaurants are that the area has enough land tourists or resort type places to even exist. For the most part the nicer places cruisers go to in the Bahamas want cruisers about the same as rich people in Florida want them anchored in their back yard.

I would say about the only places in Bahamas that care about the cruiser trade is Georgetown, Staniel Cay and Rock Sound

I think the biggest chance of the fees getting delayed or changed back some what is if the Bahamas association of marinas push back aganist.

The Abacos, Great Harbour, Spanish Wells, Alice Town and quite a few other places care a lot about the cruiser trade. And even if they didn’t, the law applies to all private boaters including center consoles and sportfish, their fees are increasing five fold as well.

We see four or five CC in the Abacos for every trawler, shoot, probably 350 of them come in for the cheeseburger party alone. If 50% of the boats stop coming it will be very bad for the locals in lots of places.

Also, people who come on cruise ships spend almost nothing in ports and the cruise lines employ very few locals. All inclusive resorts like Samdals are self contained and don’t support many businesses other than cabs maybe. Other than in Nassau a high percentage of land based tourists come Over on their own boats.

To say boats don’t matter is nonsensical.

 

[Don L]

The Abacos, Great Harbour, Spanish Wells, Alice Town and quite a few other places care a lot about the cruiser trade. And even if they didn’t, the law applies to all private boaters including center consoles and sportfish, their fees are increasing five fold as well.

Been to all many times. Abacos doesn't care a lot other than maybe Nippers. Great Harbour probably only the marina cares. Alice Town/Bimini well that one might care because there are a lot of weekend boaters from Miami.

Except for Bimini most places really are about the land people and resorts. Cruisers think they are more important that they really are. If not towns along the ICW would be looking to encourage more cruisers to stop in.

Rock Sound put in that real nice dinghy dock a few years ago and that really increased cruisers there. So the couple restaurants, laundry, grocery and liquor store there probably care.

So I disagree with you and your importance belief. Mostly the businesses that care are going to be the marinas, spcially te ones that do fishing tourments.

 

[Dougcole]

Been to all many times. Abacos doesn't care a lot other than maybe Nippers. Great Harbour probably only the marina cares. Alice Town/Bimini well that one might care because there are a lot of weekend boaters from Miami.

Except for Bimini most places really are about the land people and resorts. Cruisers think they are more important that they really are. If not towns along the ICW would be looking to encourage more cruisers to stop in.

Rock Sound put in that real nice dinghy dock a few years ago and that really increased cruisers there. So the couple restaurants, laundry, grocery and liquor store there probably care.

So I disagree with you and your importance belief. Mostly the businesses that care are going to be the marinas, spcially te ones that do fishing tourments.

As I said, the fees apply to ALL people who come to the Bahamas on their own boats, not just to cruisers, only the anchoring fee is specific to cruisers (though it also applies to any fisherman who chose to anchor out, there are two of them behind us in sportys right now at Allen's Pensacola). We have been in the Abacos for the last three weeks, it's our 19th trip here. Conservatively, I would say 50% of the people here came over on private boats, it's probably closer to 75% honestly.

If 30% of the boaters who come to Abaco decide to skip it next year, it will have a massive crippling effect on their economy.

I know five people who own homes in the Abacos. Every single one of them usually comes over on their own boats. They have to pay a cruising permit fee, just like we do.

Also, a significant portion of the airline traffic that comes in is people flying in to meet friends or family on boats, or in rental houses where someone with a private boat is staying.

The ICW is completely different. You can drive to those towns.

Your a great poster, and I respect your opinion on things, but I don't think you are seeing the entire picture here.

 

[friz]

............................................If 30% of the boaters who come to Abaco decide to skip it next year, it will have a massive crippling effect on their economy........................

So 70% will be paying 5X? It looks like they still come out way,way ahead. Yes?

 

[psneeld]

So 70% will be paying 5X? It looks like they still come out way,way ahead. Yes?

I think the discussion is about what cruisers spend to the general economy than just the fees that wind up who knows where.

The fee multiplier might be 5X, but is based on 1 boat each, where consumer spending does vary on the number of people aboard. So percentages can be trick depending on the total of boats that have been going over and the expected reduction.

Think how heard it is to manage a mega economy, compared to this tiny economy sector in a tiny country. Even this debate is full of twists and turns. I think the Bahamas population is only a little above 400,000 so I can only imagine tourism money IS a big deal, so every dollar counts but has to be evaluated for what the total impact the people brining in is.

 

[Don L]

Your a great poster, and I respect your opinion on things, but I don't think you are seeing the entire picture here.

I feel I am seeing the entire picture. I feel the only people who will be impacted by a 30% drop in Abacos cruisers will be the marinas and the mooring guy at Hopetown.

Family Islands with an airport, but not a dinghy dock, pretty much sums it up. If a place doesn't have a proper dingy dock they are not really interested in cruiser business.

 

[Don L]

So 70% will be paying 5X? It looks like they still come out way,way ahead. Yes?

The question, who is "they".

 

[Jklotz]

Entry Fees Distract as Bahamas Eyes the Prize, a Carbon-Credit Bonanza

Seagrass Beds Said To Be Worth $50 Billion

loosecannon.substack.com

 

[Dougcole]

I feel I am seeing the entire picture. I feel the only people who will be impacted by a 30% drop in Abacos cruisers will be the marinas and the mooring guy at Hopetown.

Family Islands with an airport, but not a dinghy dock, pretty much sums it up. If a place doesn't have a proper dingy dock they are not really interested in cruiser business.

Again, not just a 30% drop in cruisers, I agree that the impact from that would be pretty minor, but a 30% decrease in ALL foreign boat trafffic. That's cruisers, center console fisherman, divers, sportfish, regatta sailors, wintering Canadians, bareboat charters, people who come across in their own boats and rent homes, big yachts....the list goes on and on.

A 30% drop in all of those would be catastrophic for the Abacos and most of the other family islands as well.

 

[Mac2]

What is going to be the most likely alternative to the Bahamas?