Bahamas entry requirements for British passport holders (2026): visa and passport validity
Passport validity (FCDO rule): At least 6 months after the day you leave
Visa (FCDO): Read the official visa text below
Official source: GOV.UK – Bahamas travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 28 May 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Whether you need a visa and how long your British passport must be valid to enter Bahamas, as published by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), quoted word for word, with a checker for your dates.
Other passports: Canadian passport · Australian passport · Italian citizens: documenti per italiani
Do I need a visa for Bahamas with a British passport?
We quote the FCDO text word for word and do not summarise it: its first sentence has conditions or a wording we do not turn into a one-line answer.
You can usually stay in The Bahamas for up to 30 days without a visa. You can get extensions up to a maximum of 8 months. Penalties for overstaying include a fine, detention and deportation. The Bahamas High Commission lists more information about visas.
If you arrive in The Bahamas from the USA, and you have an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), the time you spend in The Bahamas counts towards the 90 days you have on your ESTA. If you are in any doubt about your US visa status, ask the US Immigration and Naturalization Service or any US diplomatic mission before starting your return journey.
Official source: GOV.UK – Bahamas travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO), section “Visa requirements” · page last updated 28 May 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Passport validity: official text “Passport validity requirements”
To enter The Bahamas, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you plan to leave.
Official source: GOV.UK – Bahamas travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 28 May 2026 · checked on 17 October 2026
Check your passport for Bahamas
Schengen rules count your whole trip in the Schengen area: if you visit several Schengen countries, enter the day you first enter the area and the day you leave the last Schengen country.
The check runs in your browser: your dates are not sent anywhere. It applies the FCDO sentence literally (for example “6 months” is counted as the same day of the month 6 months later).
For British passport holders only. These are the rules published by the UK government (FCDO) for British citizens. If you hold another passport, check your own government's advice. The airline and the border officials of the destination decide whether you can travel or enter: this site is information, not legal advice.
Recent FCDO updates to the entry requirements
- 28 May 2026: “New information about Ebola screening when arriving in country ('Entry requirements' page).”
- 10 December 2025: “New information about dual nationals returning to the UK (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 28 September 2022: “Updated information on entry requirements ('Coronavirus' and 'Entry requirements' pages).”
- 16 June 2022: “Updated information on the removal of the Travel Health Visa and COVID-19 testing requirements for all vaccinated travellers to The Bahamas, effective from 19 June 2022 (‘Entry requirements' page)”
- 8 April 2022: “Updated information on removal of inter-island COVID-19 testing requirements and relaxation of some other rules ('Travel in The Bahamas’, ‘Entry requirements' and ‘Safety and Security’ pages)”
Read the full FCDO travel advice for Bahamas (safety, visas, health) before you travel.
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Same FCDO rule (6 months after departure)
Passport validity rules for all destinations · Liquids rules by airport · EES and ETIAS status