Buying guide

Taking your yacht to the Bahamas this winter: the 2026 cruising permit fees, the CBP decal, the radio licenses, and reporting your return

Updated October 30, 2026 · Written by the House of Biz & Company Editorial Team · General information, not legal or financial advice

Few pleasures in yachting compare with the first morning in Bahamian water, the hull riding over sand you can count from the flybridge. The crossing from South Florida is short; the paperwork is where an experienced owner keeps the season effortless. The Bahamas reset its cruising permit fees on April 1, 2026, CBP’s decal price rose in October, and the radio rules still catch first-time crossers. Here is everything to have aboard, what each step costs, and how to come home cleanly, from the official sources.

We don’t sell, broker, charter, or arrange boats, and we don’t clear vessels. Only for the Wealthy is a publisher. This is general information drawn from the government sources cited below, not legal advice. Fees and procedures change; confirm them with Bahamas Customs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the FCC before you sail. We are not affiliated with any agency, marina, or service named here, and we earn nothing from them.

Why this matters now

For the owner who keeps a yacht in South Florida, the Bahamas is the classic winter itinerary: a short crossing to clear water and quiet cays. Three things changed in 2026, and a captain working from last year’s notes can arrive with the wrong paperwork. The Bahamas replaced its cruising-permit fees on April 1, 2026, with new 30-day, 6-month, and 12-month tiers and separate anchorage fees [1][2][3]. Fishing permits are no longer included in the permit fee [1]. And CBP’s annual user-fee decal now costs $38.04, up from $36.94 for fiscal 2026 [11][12][13]. Here is the full sequence from the dock and back, from the primary sources.

1. Before you leave: the paperwork that has to be aboard

The vessel’s registration or title, in the original. Bahamas Customs lists vessel registration or title and proof of citizenship or identification for everyone aboard as supporting documents, and says the originals must be present at clearance [1]. For a documented yacht that means the Coast Guard certificate of documentation; for a state-numbered boat, the state registration.
Passports for every guest and crew member. CBP’s Florida call center asks the master for the name, date of birth, and citizenship of everyone aboard, including passport numbers, when you report your return [9].
A ship radio station license. A pleasure boat that stays in U.S. waters doesn’t need one for its VHF radio, radar, or EPIRB [14][16]. That changes at the border. The FCC says that if you travel to a foreign port, and it names the Bahamas, a ship station license is required [14]. You apply on FCC Form 605 through the FCC’s Universal Licensing System, and the license runs for ten years [14].
An operator permit for whoever works the radio. If you plan to dock in a foreign port or talk to foreign coast or ship stations, the FCC also requires a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit for the operator [14][15]. There is no test, and the permit is valid for the holder’s lifetime [15]. You may operate while either application is pending; the FCC treats a pending filing as temporary authority for 90 days [14].
The CBP user-fee decal, if the yacht is 30 feet or longer. Covered in section 4 below; buy it before you go.

2. Arriving in the Bahamas: Click2Clear, then the officer

Since February 22, 2021, Bahamas Customs has handled pleasure vessels through the Cruising Permit Module of its Click2Clear system [1]. The process rewards a captain who prepares:

Declare before you arrive. Use the “Cruising Permit” button on the Bahamas Customs website and choose Pleasure Craft. No username or password is needed for permits of 12 months or less [1][2][4]. Customs says the declaration should be submitted before arrival [4].
Pay online or on arrival. You can pay by card in the payments tab, or pay cash on arrival through the marina where you dock. A vessel can’t be approved until it is paid in full [1]. Once paid, the submission can’t be edited [1][4].
The boarding still happens. Only the paperwork is digital. You must still enter at a designated port of entry, where an officer boards, examines, and clears the vessel and stamps and signs the permit [1][4]. Until Customs and Immigration have cleared the vessel, only the captain may go ashore [1].
Keep it digital if you start digital. If you clear in manually, you must clear out manually, and you can’t use Click2Clear for a second voyage [4]. Refunds are available only for vessels that entered and paid through Click2Clear [1].

3. The 2026 Bahamas fee schedule

These are the cruising-permit fees Bahamas Customs and the Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation publish as effective April 1, 2026 (U.S. dollars) [1][2][3]:

Permit	Up to 30 ft	Over 30 to 50 ft	Over 50 to 100 ft	Over 100 ft	Free re-entries
30 days	$150	$250	$350	$600	None [1][3]
6 months	$300 (up to 50 ft)		$750	$2,000	One [1][3]
12 months	$500 (up to 50 ft)		$1,000	$3,000	Two [1][3]

The rest of the bill depends on how you cruise:

Anchorage fees, unless you moor at a marina. A foreign pleasure vessel that anchors out pays a one-time anchorage fee for the life of the permit. Under Customs’ schedule that is $50, $100, or $200 on a 30-day permit, $150, $350, or $1,000 on a 6-month permit, and $200, $350, or $1,500 on a 12-month permit, for vessels up to 50 feet, over 50 to 100 feet, and over 100 feet [1][2]. The Ministry’s statement draws the 30-day tiers at 30 feet rather than 50 [3], so confirm your bracket when you declare.
Fishing permits, separately. $100 under 50 feet and $300 over 50 feet, valid for 30 days only, even on a 12-month cruising permit, so they must be renewed every 30 days [1].
Passenger tax. A $20-per-person passenger arrival tax applies when a pleasure vessel brings more than three crew and passengers aged six or older who aren’t Bahamian residents [1]. Customs’ older FAQ applies it to each additional passenger beyond the first three [5]; ask how it will be counted for your party.
Clearing out. Outbound clearance is needed only if your next port requires clearance documents. It costs $75, and the officer checks that declared firearms and equipment are still aboard and that seafood meets the fishing rules [1][4].
Tenders. Customs notes that the permit categories don’t include ancillary equipment towed or carried aboard, except tenders over 25 feet long [1]. If your tender is that large, ask how it will be treated before you declare.

For owners who cross often, there is the Frequent Digital Cruising Card: unlimited visits for two years at $1,500 up to 50 feet, $2,500 over 50 to 100 feet, and $8,000 over 100 feet, plus its own two-year anchorage fee if you anchor out [1][2]. It requires a Click2Clear registration, you still file an inbound declaration and check in on every arrival, and it doesn’t cover processing fees, passenger taxes, or officers’ attendance and overtime charges [1][2].

A hypothetical illustration, arithmetic on the published schedule only: a 65-foot motor yacht spending four months in Bahamian marinas with six non-resident guests and crew aboard would need the 6-month permit at $750, would owe no anchorage fee while moored at marinas, would owe $300 for each 30-day fishing permit if anyone fishes, and, with six people aboard, would be over the three-person threshold for the $20 passenger tax [1].

A word of caution on stale pages. A Bahamas Customs FAQ page dated January 2, 2026 still shows an older fee table, with 3-month and 12-month permits and a 90-day free re-entry [5]. The April 2026 schedule above replaced it [1][2][3]. If a marina, an agent, or an old cruising guide quotes the older figures, rely on the current Customs clearance page.

4. The CBP decal: $38.04, and it’s by calendar year

Private vessels 30 feet or longer pay a CBP user fee on arrival from abroad. You pay it once a year by buying a decal, at $38.04 per decal on CBP’s current fee table and Form 339V [11][12]. Without a decal, CBP charges the same fee at the first arrival [11]. Points the seasoned owner remembers:

It covers a calendar year, not 12 months. The decal is proof that the fee is paid for the calendar year, and the form asks which calendar year you are applying for [12]. A 2026 decal ends with 2026, so a crossing in January needs the 2027 decal.
Buy it early. You can buy online through CBP’s DTOPS site by card or ACH. Paper orders ship by first-class mail, and CBP says to allow 4 to 8 weeks; checks add 15 days [12].
Put it in the right place, once. The decal goes on the outside of the vessel within 18 inches of the normal boarding area [12]. It can’t be transferred to another vessel. An unused decal can be exchanged only within 30 days of issue, or through January 31 if bought before January 1 for the renewal year [12]. Once applied, it can’t be exchanged. A lost or stolen decal can’t be replaced, so you buy a new one [12].
Have the number ready. CBP asks for the decal number when you phone in your arrival [9].

5. Coming home: report immediately

Federal regulations require the master of any vessel arriving from a foreign port or place to report the arrival to CBP immediately [6][7]. That includes a boat that visited a hovering vessel or took on merchandise outside the territorial sea [6][7]. A day spent offshore without calling at a foreign port isn’t a departure from the United States, so it doesn’t trigger the rule [6]. A stop at Bimini does.

The CBP ROAM app is the modern route. CBP retired its old Small Vessel Reporting System and no longer accepts float plans [6]. CBP ROAM is a free app, used with a free Login.gov account, that lets the master report the arrival from a phone or tablet. Traveler and vessel profiles can be saved for the next crossing, and a CBP officer reviews the trip and sends the admissibility decision by push notification and email [8][9].
When the app isn’t enough. ROAM satisfies the face-to-face inspection requirement except for travelers who need an I-94, travelers who owe duty on goods, and other cases CBP decides [8][9]. Otherwise you phone in and report in person where directed. In Florida the small-vessel numbers are 1-800-432-1216 and 1-800-451-0393 [9].
Declare what you bought. CBP’s guidance describes a returning-resident personal exemption of $800, or $1,600 in some cases, generally available once every 31 days after at least 48 hours abroad [17]. Goods beyond that are dutiable. Our guide to traveling with a fine watch or jewelry shows how to prove that a piece you took with you was already yours.
The penalty is real. Under the statute, a master who fails to report is liable for a civil penalty of $5,000 for the first violation and $10,000 for each later one, and the vessel itself is subject to seizure and forfeiture [10]. Intentional violations can also carry criminal penalties [10].
Foreign-flagged yachts. If your yacht is registered outside the United States or Canada, CBP says to contact a local CBP office for a cruising license [9]; ROAM can also handle cruising-license applications and arrivals at later U.S. ports of call [8].

6. The details that end voyages early

Firearms. The Bahamas allows at most three firearms aboard a pleasure vessel, none over .308 caliber and none automatic, with up to 250 rounds per firearm. All must be declared with serial numbers, and they must stay aboard. Open center-console boats may not carry firearms at all. Undeclared firearms can mean forfeiture, fines, and in some cases imprisonment [1].
No charters on a cruising permit. A vessel used for hire or carrying cargo isn’t a pleasure vessel under Bahamian rules and can’t get a temporary cruising permit. Charter vessels are entered as commercial vessels, with a $75 processing fee and a $20-per-person departure tax [1][4]. If you charter your yacht out, decide before you cross which way it is going.
Who may use the permit. The temporary cruising permit is for a vessel brought in by a non-resident who won’t be employed in the Bahamas for more than six months [1].
Keep the Florida clock in mind. If you bought the yacht in Florida under the nonresident exemption, its deadlines still apply. See our Florida yacht tax guide.

Before you cast off: a checklist

Pack the original registration or documentation and every passport aboard [1][9].
Get the FCC ship station license and the operator permit, or file for them, before the crossing [14][15].
Buy the CBP decal for the calendar year of your return, and fix it within 18 inches of the boarding area [11][12].
Choose the 30-day, 6-month, 12-month, or two-year option by the length of your stay and how often you cross [1][2].
File the Click2Clear inbound declaration before arrival, and pay online or arrange cash payment with your marina [1][4].
Budget for anchorage, fishing permits, and passenger tax [1][5].
Declare any firearms with serial numbers, or leave them home [1].
Install CBP ROAM, set up Login.gov and your profiles at the dock, and report the moment you return [8][9].

Frequently asked questions

How much is a Bahamas cruising permit in 2026?

From April 1, 2026, a 30-day permit costs $150 up to 30 feet, $250 over 30 to 50 feet, $350 over 50 to 100 feet, and $600 over 100 feet. Six-month permits cost $300, $750, or $2,000, and 12-month permits $500, $1,000, or $3,000, for vessels up to 50 feet, over 50 to 100 feet, and over 100 feet. Anchorage, fishing, and passenger fees are extra [1][3].

Do I need a CBP decal to return from the Bahamas by boat?

If the boat is 30 feet or longer, you pay the CBP user fee, $38.04, either with an annual decal bought in advance or at the first arrival. The decal covers one calendar year [11][12].

Do I need an FCC license for my VHF radio to go to the Bahamas?

Yes. The FCC says a ship station license is required when a vessel travels to a foreign port, and it names the Bahamas. Docking in a foreign port also requires a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator Permit for the operator [14][15].

How do I report my return to the United States by boat?

The master must report the arrival to CBP immediately, by phone or through the free CBP ROAM app. Some travelers, such as anyone who needs an I-94 or owes duty, must also report in person [6][7][8].