Country entry guide · Caribbean
Traveling to The Bahamas with your dog
The Bahamas welcomes dogs, but unlike many destinations it requires an import permit obtained in advance for every dog and cat — you cannot simply arrive with your pet. Permits are issued by the Bahamas Agricultural Health and Food Safety Authority (BAHFSA) through the Customs Click2Clear platform, and the permit must accompany the animal on entry. Beyond the permit, your dog must be more than six months old, carry an ISO microchip, be vaccinated against rabies and several core diseases, be free of internal and external parasites, and travel with an international veterinary certificate issued shortly before departure. What exactly you must prepare also depends on whether your dog is leaving a country that is rabies-free or not, because that changes the rabies-vaccine timing. This guide explains each step before you book your flight.
📋 At a glance
| Dogs allowed | Yes, with an import permit |
| Import permit | Required in advance (BAHFSA / Click2Clear) |
| Microchip | ISO microchip required |
| Minimum age | More than 6 months |
| Rabies vaccination | Required |
| Core vaccinations & parasite treatment | Required |
| Rabies antibody test | Not in BAHFSA's published conditions |
| Veterinary certificate | Required (within 10 days of import) |
| Quarantine | No routine quarantine if compliant |
⏱️ Estimated preparation time
Times are indicative. The rabies antibody test alone adds a fixed 3-month wait.
⚠️ Important
- MyDogCanFly provides general information — not veterinary or legal advice.
- Only a veterinarian can confirm the exact procedure for your individual dog.
- Requirements depend on: the country of origin, previous travel history, identification, vaccinations, the itinerary and the travel date.
Always consult your veterinarian before booking your trip.
Find a flight to The Bahamas
🧭 How your dog's entry requirements are decided
The exact documents depend on three things — The Bahamas (your destination) is only the first.
- 1 Country of destination — The Bahamas★★★★★
BAHFSA runs its own permit-based scheme (not the EU passport): a prior import permit is mandatory, and the dog must be over 6 months, ISO-microchipped, vaccinated against rabies and core diseases, parasite-free, and carry an international veterinary certificate.
- 2 Country of departure★★★★★
Whether the departure country is free of rabies (per the World Organisation for Animal Health) is decisive: it sets the rabies-vaccine timing. From a non-rabies-free country, a strict vaccination window applies before import.
- 3 Countries your dog recently stayed in★★★★☆
Your dog's recent residence and rabies history determine whether its vaccination record is complete and valid, and which of the two rabies pathways (rabies-free vs not) applies. The dog's real history counts — not only the last airport.
So read the requirements below as the Bahamian framework, then confirm your dog's exact origin and history with your vet and with BAHFSA.
✅ Entry requirements
| Requirement | Required? | When | Exceptions | Official reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Import permit (BAHFSA / Click2Clear) | Required in advance | A permit is required for every dog and must accompany the animal at import. Since 1 September 2024 it is applied for online: register on Click2Clear, email [email protected] to activate a pet-permit login, pay the fee, and download the approved permit. Processed within about two business days. | Application fee published on the online service page is US$10 + 12% VAT (US$11.20); the Department of Agriculture paper form (Rev. July 2023) lists US$40 + 10% VAT (US$44) for a first permit and US$11 for each additional permit, maximum ten per animal. Confirm the current fee with BAHFSA. | Bahamas Customs — Pet Import Rules; Application for Permit to Import Domestic Animals |
| ISO microchip | Required | The dog must carry an ISO microchip, and all documents (permit, certificate, vaccination record) must reflect the microchip number, which is recorded on the import-permit application. | No published tattoo alternative for the microchip requirement. | Bahamas Department of Agriculture — Animal import requirements / application form |
| Minimum age | More than 6 months | The international veterinary certificate must attest that the dog is more than six (6) months of age. | No published exception for younger puppies. | BAHFSA — Conditions for importation of Cats and Dogs (Appendix 1) |
| Rabies vaccination | Required | From a country not free of rabies: a 1-year vaccine must be given no more than 10 months and no less than 1 month before import; a 3-year vaccine no more than 34 months and no less than 1 month before import. From a rabies-free country: the dog must be actively immunized against rabies (no specific window is published). | Boosters must be given before the previous vaccination expires. The vaccination must not lapse during the trip. | BAHFSA — Conditions for importation of Cats and Dogs (Appendix 1) |
| Core vaccinations | Required | The dog must be actively immunized against Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parvovirus and Adenovirus, in addition to rabies. These vaccinations are certified on the international veterinary certificate. | Confirm the exact schedule and any booster timing with your vet. | BAHFSA — Conditions for importation of Cats and Dogs (Appendix 1) |
| Internal and external parasite freedom | Required | The dog must be free of internal parasites (certified by a negative faecal/stool test) and free of external parasites; both are attested on the international veterinary certificate. | Ectoparasites found on arrival can lead to refused entry. | BAHFSA — Conditions for importation of Cats and Dogs (Appendix 1) |
| Rabies antibody test | Not required | — | BAHFSA's published import conditions for dogs do not include a rabies antibody test. Confirm with BAHFSA if your dog is coming from a high-risk origin. | BAHFSA — Conditions for importation of Cats and Dogs (Appendix 1) |
| International veterinary certificate | Required | Issued within ten (10) days of importation by a licensed veterinarian, in English, attesting the dog's age, vaccinations, parasite freedom and general health (including active immunity against rabies). | A separate BAHFSA veterinarian form (AGR/VS/1A) must also be completed by a registered veterinarian 24 hours before travel and presented with the permit at the port. | BAHFSA — Conditions for importation of Cats and Dogs (Appendix 1); Application for Permit to Import Domestic Animals |
| Advance notification | Required | BAHFSA Veterinary Services must be given 72 hours' notice before the animal arrives in The Bahamas. | — | Bahamas Department of Agriculture — Animal import requirements |
| Inspection on arrival | Required | At the first port of entry, all documents and animals are inspected and examined by a BAHFSA Veterinary Officer. | Incomplete documentation, or a communicable disease or ectoparasites found on the animal, may result in refused entry, or confiscation and disposal as a disease risk. | Bahamas Customs — Pet Import Rules; Department of Agriculture application |
| Quarantine | No routine quarantine | There is no published routine quarantine for a compliant dog. | A non-compliant animal may instead be refused entry or confiscated at the port. | Bahamas Customs — Pet Import Rules |
| Restricted or banned breeds | Confirm with BAHFSA | BAHFSA's published import conditions for dogs do not list breed-specific rules. | Whether any breed is restricted for import is not confirmed in the official documents reviewed — confirm the current breed policy directly with BAHFSA before booking. | BAHFSA — Conditions for importation of Cats and Dogs (Appendix 1) |
🌍 Rules according to your dog's origin
Standard — the Bahamian permit scheme
The Bahamas is not part of the EU pet-passport system. Every dog needs a BAHFSA import permit obtained in advance through Click2Clear, an ISO microchip, and an international veterinary certificate (issued within 10 days of import) confirming it is over 6 months old, vaccinated against rabies plus distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus and adenovirus, and free of internal and external parasites. BAHFSA must be notified 72 hours before arrival, and the animal and papers are inspected at the port of entry.
From a rabies-free country
If the dog is exported from a country, zone or compartment recognised as free of rabies by the World Organisation for Animal Health, the international veterinary certificate must attest that the dog is over 6 months old, actively immunised against rabies plus the five core diseases, and free of internal parasites (negative faecal test) and external parasites. No specific rabies-vaccine timing window is published for this pathway — but the import permit and the certificate rules still apply.
From a country not free of rabies
If the departure country is not recognised as rabies-free, the rabies vaccination is time-bound: a one-year vaccine must have been given no more than 10 months and no less than 1 month before import, or a three-year vaccine no more than 34 months and no less than 1 month before import. The dog must still be over 6 months old, immunised against the five core diseases, parasite-free, hold the import permit and travel with the international certificate issued within 10 days of import.
🛬 Arrival
What happens when your dog reaches The Bahamas depends on whether its permit and documents are complete.
- Give BAHFSA Veterinary Services 72 hours' notice before the animal arrives in The Bahamas.
- At the first port of entry, a BAHFSA Veterinary Officer inspects and examines the animal and all documents; present the import permit and the completed veterinarian form.
- The import permit must accompany the animal, and all conditions listed on it must be satisfied.
- Incomplete documentation, or a communicable disease or ectoparasites found on the dog, may result in refused entry, or confiscation and disposal as a disease risk.
- Carry original documents in English; the international veterinary certificate is valid only within 10 days of import.
- Airlines have their own crate, breed and booking rules — confirm them separately before you fly.
🧳 Real traveller experience
No reliable documented traveller feedback available.
🚫 Restricted dogs
BAHFSA's published import conditions for cats and dogs are framed around health, vaccination and parasite status, not breed. They do not contain a breed-specific import list.
In the official import documents reviewed, no dog breed is expressly listed as prohibited from entering The Bahamas: any dog meeting the permit, microchip, age, vaccination, parasite and certificate requirements is addressed by the health rules regardless of breed.
However, whether The Bahamas restricts certain breeds (for example pit-bull-type dogs) could not be confirmed from the official sources accessed for this guide. Because breed policy can change and may be handled at the permit stage, confirm the current breed rules directly with BAHFSA before booking.
Airlines may also set their own rules for certain breeds. Confirm both the national breed policy (with BAHFSA) and your airline's breed policy before you book.
🛂 Airports in The Bahamas
Check where your dog can relieve itself at each airport — and whether it's before or after security.
🧾 Preparation checklist
- ☐BAHFSA import permit applied for in advance via Click2Clear and carried with the animal
- ☐ISO microchip implanted, with its number on every document
- ☐Dog more than 6 months old at import
- ☐Rabies vaccination valid in the required window for your departure country (rabies-free vs not)
- ☐Core vaccines: distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, adenovirus
- ☐Internal parasite test (negative faecal) and external parasite treatment done
- ☐International veterinary certificate issued within 10 days of import (in English)
- ☐BAHFSA veterinarian form (AGR/VS/1A) completed 24 hours before travel
- ☐72 hours' advance notice given to BAHFSA Veterinary Services
- ☐Airline reservation and suitable IATA crate if travelling in the hold
📚 Official sources
- Bahamas Customs — Pet Import Rules (bringing pets)
- Government of The Bahamas — Application for Permit to Import Domestic Animals
- BAHFSA — Trade Facilitation Unit: Cats and Dogs (import conditions, Appendix 1)
- Bahamas Department of Agriculture — Application form to Import Domestic Animals (PDF, Rev. July 2023)
- BAHFSA — Pet Import Permits: Click2Clear step-by-step user guide (PDF, 2025)