Entry Requirements for the Bahamas

[dave.heather]

Originally Posted by fguptill

In January 2015 my wife and I flew to Abaco to rejoin our boat which we had left in Green Turtle Cay in December. We were stopped at the Silver Airways checkin counter in Fort Lauderdale. The ticket agent refused to let us board the flight until we purchased a return ticket. It was an extra $600 for which we had not budgeted. We even got charged an extra fee for buying the ticket at the gate.

Wow! That's so disappointing. Thank you very much for sharing. May I ask if you had any vessel documentation with you? "Permission to Board" Letter, Cruising Permit, etc?

Thank you again for sharing. This would be a big fat bummer for Captain and Crew.

~Heather
Bolero

[dave.heather]

Originally Posted by Moontide

Another option is to buy a full fare one way ticket back and then cancel either after you get the ticket confirmation or the day you get to the Bahamas. Can buy the morning you leave and cancel after you clear customs.

Had the same issue going into Mexico one time (out of many one way trips there) and that was the easiest way out. It was the airline that was the problem. Guess if a country refuses entry for that reason the airline is responsible for shipping you out of the country. In my case I just bought a full fare ticket online with the agent standing there and cancelled it when I landed.

That might just be the easiest thing to do. In fact, Travelocity allows no hassle, free cancellations for 24 hours after purchase. Thanks for the idea. Sheesh. What a pain.

[hellosailor]

Stu, the US airline industry has shamelessly used 9/11 (which was enabled by their massive lobbying effort to close the US sky marshal program in the 80's, while the rest of the world continued with armed marshals) as a money-maker. Non-ttransferable and non-refundable tickets, or tickets that are "credited" but then expire within a year, are pure money makers with no other purpose.


IIRC Silver Air is a very new company and their ticket agent may have simply been mistrained or misinformed, a written complaint to their corporate hq might get a refund.


The airline "industry" pretty much follows the same employment guidelines as the burger chains, these days.

[dave.heather]

Originally Posted by Mambo

Related question: Does anyone know about bringing a forien national into the Bahamas on a US flagged vessel? It is possible I will sail with a friend from Argentina and was wondering whether crew need to worry about entry requirements (other than a valid passport) separate and apart from teh vessel and captain. TIA for any suggestions.
-M

I'm certainly not an expert, but I would think that the Bahamian entry requirements, specific to Argentinian citizens, would apply to your friend. My understanding is that both the vessel and the crew (individually) have to clear into the hosting country. (Which is why the captain always has to collect all the crew passports as well as vessel documentation when he/she goes to see the Port Captain to clear in.) But again, I'm not an expert. If I were you I would do a quick search for "Bahamian entry requirements for Argentinian citizens" and then have your friend be prepared for those requirements. Best of luck to you! And fair winds for your upcoming adventure.

~Heather

[hellosailor]

Entry requirements for someone on a recreational vessel, as opposed to a commercial airliner or cruise ship, often vary. Make sure your Argentine friend is aware of that and if there's any doubt--get a reply from the Bahamian government in writing, with someone's contact information on it.

[svlamorocha]

Originally Posted by Mambo

Related question: Does anyone know about bringing a forien national into the Bahamas on a US flagged vessel? It is possible I will sail with a friend from Argentina and was wondering whether crew need to worry about entry requirements (other than a valid passport) separate and apart from teh vessel and captain. TIA for any suggestions.
-M

Last time I went to the Bahamas with Argentine crew there was no visa requirement for them. There was supposed to be a requirement of yellow fever vaccination (probably based on someone who does not know how to read a map) but in reality they did not know what to do with the certificate. The requirement of an onward plane ticket or acceptable replacement of it is another story that i think applies to everyone.

[svlamorocha]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Entry requirements for someone on a recreational vessel, as opposed to a commercial airliner or cruise ship, often vary.

I know that is the case in the US, but do you know of any other countries for which this statement applies?

Thanks for the wisdom