Bahamas: passport and entry requirements
The Bahamas is visa-free for a holiday, and you're given up to 30 days on arrival. Its passport rule is stricter than most, needing six months' validity beyond the day you plan to leave rather than the day you arrive.
On this page
Your passport
Your passport has to have at least six months left on it after the day you plan to leave, so work from your departure date when you check, not the day you arrive. Everyone travels on their own passport, children of any age included, and because a child's lasts five years against an adult's ten they rarely all expire together. Check each when you book and renew any that fall short, as it takes weeks.
Getting in
You don't need a visa to visit the Bahamas, and you're given up to 30 days on entry, which the Immigration Department can extend up to eight months. Overstaying is taken seriously, with fines, detention or deportation, so if you want longer than your stamp allows, sort the extension before it runs out.
A yellow fever certificate is only needed if you're arriving from a country where yellow fever is a risk, so a trip straight from the UK doesn't call for one.
Every child needs their own passport, at any age, valid as long as the adults'.
Official sources
Last checked 11 August 2026. Passport and entry rules change, so always confirm on GOV.UK before you book or travel.
