Employer-sponsored work permission for employment lasting more than ninety days.
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Caribbean · Immigration
Bahamas
Bahamas sits in Caribbean. Its immigration system runs 17 distinct routes — led by work, family and short stay & visit, each set out in official law. All 17 cite an official government source, shown on the route with the date we last read it. Who actually qualifies depends on your full profile.
- Immigration routes
- 17across 10 route categories, each set out in official law
- Source-cited routes
- 17 of 17cite an official government source, with the date we last read it
- Largest category
- Work3 of the 17 routes — see them under Work below
- Region
- Caribbean
- Capital
- Nassau
- Population
- 403,033
- Official language
- English
- Currency
- BSD
- Time zone
- UTC-05:00
Source-cited pathways
Immigration routes
All 17 routes, grouped by purpose — 17 of 17 cite an official government source directly.
Work
3 routes
Work and residence permission for a foreign national directly employed under a Bahamian government contract.
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Work permission for a specific assignment lasting from one to ninety days.
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Investment
1 route
Economic permanent residence based on a qualifying investment in real estate or zero-coupon bonds.
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Study
1 route
Non-work residence permission for a person attending a school, college or university in The Bahamas.
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Family
3 routes
Permanent residence for the foreign spouse of a Bahamian after at least five years of marriage and cohabitation.
Can bring: spouse, de facto partner
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Non-work residence permission for the dependent spouse or minor child of a person lawfully based in The Bahamas.
Can bring: spouse, dependants, children
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Residence and work permission for the foreign spouse of a Bahamian citizen during the first five years of marriage.
Can bring: spouse, de facto partner
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Independent means
1 route
Residence-entry facilitation card for a person whose primary residence is abroad and who owns a habitable home in The Bahamas.
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-08-03
Digital nomad
1 route
— No eligibility summary published for this route yet
Official source of the governing body: bahamasbeats.com · checked 2026-08-03
Residence-based status
1 route
Permanent residence through specified long service, work-permit history or long residence categories.
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Short stay & visit
3 routes
Discretionary short entry permission for a non-Bahamian visitor whose name appears on the Restricted List.
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Short professional visit for eligible senior managers, listed professionals, researchers or event exhibitors without gainful employment.
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Entry as a visitor, with an advance visa required only for listed nationalities.
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Ancestry & return
2 routes
Permanent residence for the published category of persons born abroad to a married Bahamian woman and non-Bahamian husband.
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Resident status for specified constitutional birth and Bahamian-parentage cases.
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Other & special
1 route
Institutional resident status for accredited diplomats and consular officers taking up an official post.
Official government source: immigration.gov.bs · checked 2026-07-26
Official sources
- Bahamas Department of ImmigrationGovernment
- Living in the Caribbean | Bahamas BEATSGovernment
- cdn.bahamas.gov.bsGovernment
- Bahamas Legislation On-lineGovernment
- [NSO] Department of StatisticsGovernment
See which Bahamas routes you actually qualify for.
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