Life Unleashed - Bahamas Pet Rules and regulations for moving, relocating, transporting, or traveling with pets to Bahamas

BAHAMAS

Pets

Cats and dogs are required to have an Import Permit issued in advance by the Ministry of Agriculture, Trade and Industry (Nassau), to be brought into the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

For the U.S. and Canada, the main provisions required for an import permit as it applies to dogs and cats are:

Pet must be over six months old.

The animal must be accompanied by a Veterinary Health Certificate presented within 48 hours of arrival in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to a licensed veterinarian for an examination.

The animal must be accompanied by a valid certificate which substantiates that it has been vaccinated against rabies within not less than one (1) month and not more than ten (10) months prior to importation for the one (1) year vaccine. For the three (3) year vaccine it must be within no less than one (1) month and not more than thirty-four (34) months prior to importation into The Bahamas.

Import permits must be acquired in advance.

General Information

The Bahamas is an independent, English-speaking country consisting of 2,387 rocks, 661 cays and 29 islands. It is located in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of the United States of America; northeast to east of Cuba, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti) and north to east of the Caribbean Sea; and west to northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Its size is almost 14,000 km2 with an estimated population of 330,000. Its capital is Nassau. It remains a Commonwealth realm.

The closest island to the United States is Bimini, which is also known as the gateway to the Bahamas. The island of Abaco is to the east of Grand Bahama, also known as the "Big Island". The southeasternmost island is Great Inagua. Other notable islands include the Bahamas' largest island, Andros Island, and Eleuthera, Cat Island, Long Island, San Salvador Island, Acklins, Crooked Island, Exuma and Mayaguana. Nassau, the Bahamas capital city, lies on the island of New Providence.The climate of the Bahamas is subtropical to tropical, and is moderated significantly by the waters of the Gulf Stream, particularly in winter.