Bahamas Entry Requirements

[S/V Ruth]

I know we can bring our Ontario boat that just has an Ontario licence number into the U.S. can we do the same going into the Bahamas, or do we have the have a Canadian registration?
Thanks

[Labatt]

The Bahamas requires a US boat to be documented. I believe your Registration is the same as our Documentation, so yes, you would have to have your boat registered.

[TaoJones]

Here's the Bahamas Formalities page from Noonsite:

Noonsite: Bahamas

Less helpful is this from Bahamas.com:

By Private Boat - Vacation Planning | The Bahamas

Hope this helps.

TaoJones

[imagine2frolic]

Is this something new the U.S. boat needs U.S. Documentation? I have always used up until last year my state registration.......i2f

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

Is this something new the U.S. boat needs U.S. Documentation? I have always used up until last year my state registration.......i2f

I noticed that, too, i2f. It's news to me. The Bahamas immigration and customs form has a space for info on the vessel, and it specifically reads "Document No. / Registration No." so it appears to me that a state or provincial number will still suffice.

TaoJones

[s/v 'Faith']

Originally Posted by Labatt

The Bahamas requires a US boat to be documented. I believe your Registration is the same as our Documentation, so yes, you would have to have your boat registered.

Labatt,

You are mistaken. The Bahamas does not require US boats to be documented. State registration is perfectly acceptable.

Respectfully,

[Labatt]

My bad... I was told that documentation is necessary. It was a non-issue for us since our boat was already documented.

[imagine2frolic]

Labatt,

No problem...did you make it to a yard? Are you close to sailing home? I really enjoyed your site

[osirissail]

Documentation is the registering of the boat with the US Coast Guard and you will receive a formal document each year from the Feds. State registration is identical to auto registration is issued by the various states usually through their Dept of motor vehicles or something similar. There is a minimum boat size limit on Federal documentation.
The Bahamas being basically "Miami Beach East" and gets a lot of US boats transiting back and forth from Florida, etc. to Bahamas and back so they only require a State registration. All the other countries in the world require the boat to be Federally registered and that paperwork is called your "documentation." The French islands will turn away boats without Federal documentation.
US Coast Guard documentation forms can be obtained from their internet site. Then you mail them in with the fee and a few weeks later you get the actual "document." You still need to be registered with your home State but they will now use the Federal ID number rather than their number. Only if you do not operate in any US State waters can you skip the State registration.
I am sure that the Canadian government has a similar setup and you should go ahead and get the Federal documentation. With a "documented" vessel you have not worries or hassles as you travel with the boat worrying whether they will accept your home State's local registration.
If you have radios on board - vhf, radar, ssb, epirb's etc. you also need a Federal FCC Ships Radio Station license and a FCC Restricted Radio Operator's Permit (also obtainable on the internet). Inside US waters these are optional unless you are a commercial vessel - but outside they are mandatory.

[Labatt]

i2f - We've decided not to get the boat painted in the Bahamas, so we're going to head back to the US with our keel damage, haul out there as soon as we can, fix the damage and paint with a US paint. We're at Harbor Island right now, and we have a reservation at Atlantis in Nassau for Monday night, so we'll be heading to Royal Island on Saturday, then Nassau, and then across the banks and Bimini on Wednesday or so, and then back to the US when we can hopefully sail.

[imagine2frolic]

Labatt,

Now it will be crossing familiar territory........BEST WISHES in

[imagine2frolic]

BEST WISHES in a safe, and quick return. It's all downhill from Nassau pretty much......i2f

[S/V Ruth]

For any Canadian boaters, The answer to my question is, no the boat does not have to be Canada registered, your provincial licence number is fine. I just met up with a boat here at the marina that just returned from there, they & 4 other boats they went with all had Ontario licences, none were Canada Registered.