Bahamas Digital Arrival Card 2026: New Online Entry Form for Visitors

The Bahamas has introduced the Bahamas Digital Arrival Card, an online form that combines immigration and customs declarations. Learn more about who must complete it, what data the portal asks for, the customs rules and what the card does not replace

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The Bahamas is changing the way visitors prepare for entry. On 5 May 2026, the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation in Nassau launched the Bahamas Digital Arrival Card (BDAC) as a pilot programme. The card lets travellers send their immigration details and customs declarations online before they land, instead of filling in paper forms on arrival.

The change matters to anyone planning a holiday, business trip or other journey to the islands. According to Travel And Tour World, the pilot first covered selected flights only, but the official government portal now states that visitors are required to complete a Digital Arrival Card. Below is what the system asks for, how the customs part works and what the card does not change.

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What is the Bahamas Digital Arrival Card?

The Bahamas Digital Arrival Card is an online form that collects the information a visitor would otherwise write on a paper immigration card, together with the customs declaration. The Ministry of Tourism described it as the country's first digital system intended to replace paper-based immigration documentation for arriving visitors.

The card is a documentation and declaration tool. It gathers arrival information before the traveller reaches immigration and customs desks, but the checks themselves still take place at the border.

Several countries have moved in the same direction in recent years. About the new travel rules of 2026, from ETIAS and ETA to digital arrival cards, we wrote in a separate overview.

How did the pilot programme start?

The Bahamas Digital Arrival Card was introduced on 5 May 2026 as a controlled launch, not as an immediate nationwide replacement of the existing procedure. Under the original pilot, only passengers on selected flights could complete their arrival documents through the dedicated online form.

Three government bodies developed the programme together:

• the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation;
• the Bahamas Department of Immigration;
• the Bahamas Customs Department.

This cooperation reflects the dual purpose of the card. Immigration clearance and customs declarations remain separate official responsibilities, even though the information for both is now collected in one shared online submission.

During the pilot, the paper-based process stayed in place alongside the electronic system. This allowed officials to evaluate how the platform performs, gather feedback from participating stakeholders and spot technical or administrative problems before wider use.

Who has to complete the Digital Arrival Card now?

The Ministry's May announcement spoke of a limited pilot on selected flights. The wording on the current government-hosted portal is broader: it states that visitors are required to complete a Digital Arrival Card.

The portal also explains that one arrival card can cover a family. Which relatives count as eligible family members is set by the portal's own definition, so travellers going as a group should check it before filling in a single card for everyone.

According to Travel And Tour World, the publicly available material does not show the exact date when the original pilot arrangements changed, and it does not confirm the operational status of every entry point. Travellers are advised to follow the current official instructions and any guidance from their airline or other transport operator.

What information does the Bahamas arrival card portal ask for?

The official portal takes the traveller through personal details, journey information and declarations. It requests:

• names;
• citizenship;
• country of residence;
• passport details;
• arrival date;
• mode of transport;
• the island through which the traveller intends to enter the Bahamas;
• the country and city of departure;
• flight or vessel details, where applicable;
• baggage information and customs declarations.

An optional passport-upload function helps fill in the personal details. Before submitting, the traveller can review all the information entered on the card.

Email verification and accuracy checks

The portal includes an email verification step and asks travellers to confirm that their personal information is correct before submission. Names and passport numbers must match the travel document exactly.

The portal gives two warnings worth noting:

• incorrect details may lead to processing delays;
• a submitted declaration cannot be edited afterwards through the form.

In practice, this means the card is best filled in with the passport at hand and checked line by line before pressing submit.

About how the India e-Arrival Card works and how to fill it out — read more at the link.

What must be declared to Bahamas customs through the card?

Customs documentation is a full part of the Digital Arrival Card. The portal contains guidance on four groups of items:

• personal belongings;
• new goods;
• commercial items;
• currency.

Travellers are instructed to declare applicable new goods, including gifts and products intended for sale. Ordinary used personal belongings are treated differently under the stated guidelines.

The portal also explains when cash and certain other valuables must be declared once the relevant thresholds are reached. The thresholds themselves are given on the portal.

Submitting the declaration online lets travellers prepare it before reaching the border, but it does not remove any customs obligation. Customs officers keep their authority to inspect luggage and goods.

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What legal changes made the digital card possible?

According to the Ministry of Tourism's original announcement, the Bahamas Digital Arrival Card followed several months of system testing and amendments to the Immigration Act. These amendments created the legal basis for digital entry documentation.

The legal step was necessary because immigration declarations are part of the country's regulated border procedures. Replacing an established paper document with an electronic one therefore required a change in the law, not only a new website.

Does the Digital Arrival Card replace a visa or passport?

No. The Digital Arrival Card is an administrative entry document. It is not a visa, a visa exemption or an immigration approval.

Travellers remain responsible for meeting the entry requirements of the Bahamas that apply to them:

• holding valid travel documents;
• obtaining a visa where their nationality and circumstances require one.

Completing the online card does not, by itself, give permission to enter the country. Immigration officers continue to apply Bahamian immigration law, including their power to inspect travel documents. The card changes how arrival information is submitted, not the legal conditions of admission.

China has drawn a similar line between an arrival card and a visa. About what the China Digital Arrival Card changed for travellers, read in our earlier article.

Is the card linked to biometric border gates?

The arrival card is part of a wider government push to modernise immigration administration and public services. In its 2026 Speech from the Throne, the government of the Bahamas outlined plans for a National Biometric Immigration System, which would include:

• biometric electronic gates;
• overstay alerts;
• enhanced fraud detection.

However, the biometric system and the Digital Arrival Card are separate initiatives. The official information does not show that the arrival card introduces biometric gates or automated immigration clearance. For now, the card should be seen as a digital documentation and declaration system only.

Will the Bahamas Digital Arrival Card shorten queues at the airport?

The Ministry named a smoother arrival experience as a central aim of the initiative. Travellers can provide the required information before departure rather than completing every document after landing, which reduces reliance on paperwork where the digital process is available.

At the same time, Travel And Tour World notes that the government has not published verified figures on how many minutes the system saves, how much it shortens immigration queues or how many passengers have used it. Any claim of measured time savings would therefore be premature.

What does the change mean for airlines, agents and hotels?

Airlines, travel agents, tour operators and accommodation providers regularly tell international visitors what they need for entry. With the Digital Arrival Card, accurate pre-departure information becomes even more important.

Because the original pilot was limited to selected flights while the current portal gives broader instructions, tourism businesses are advised to rely on the latest official operational guidance and not assume that the pilot conditions still apply. In a destination where international arrivals are central to the economy, the way visitors prepare for entry is closely tied to the travel industry itself.

What should travellers to the Bahamas do now?

Before a trip to the Bahamas, it makes sense to take a few steps:

1. Check the current instructions on the official Bahamas Digital Arrival Card portal and any guidance from your airline or vessel operator.
2. Check whether your nationality needs a visa, and make sure your passport is valid: the card does not replace either.
3. Fill in the card with your passport in front of you, so that your name and passport number match the document exactly.
4. If you travel as a family, check whether all relatives fall under the portal's definition of eligible family members for one shared card.
5. Decide in advance what to declare: new goods, gifts, items for sale and cash or valuables above the stated thresholds.
6. Review everything before submitting, because the declaration cannot be edited afterwards.

An arrival card is only one part of a well-prepared trip to the Bahamas. A Travel guide from Visit World explains the entry rules, documents and local practicalities of the country in one clear format. Get your Travel guide before you fly.

We remind you! In our previous article, we wrote about the Vietnam Digital Arrival Card and the new entry rules in Ho Chi Minh City.

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