Bahamas

The Sexual Offences Act sets up a Sex Offender Register kept at the Registry under the Superintendent of Prisons. It records convictions in Bahamian courts, and no public search of it was found. An immigration officer grants leave to land only if satisfied that the visitor has not, since age 14, been convicted anywhere of murder or of an offence punishable in The Bahamas with three years or more, where the Board or the officer deems the person undesirable because of it.

Brief profile · Last verified: October 30, 2026 · All countries

Each statement is labelled Law (statute, regulation or court ruling), Policy (official guidance) or Reported practice (what officials report doing). Items marked Recheck could not be fully confirmed from a primary source.

The country's own registry

  • Law There is a Sex Offender Register and a Sex Offender Registry, managed day to day by the Superintendent of Prisons (Sexual Offences Act, s. 26A). Courts send the Registry particulars of convictions for specified offences recorded in the Magistrates Court, Supreme Court or Court of Appeal (s. 26B(1)).
    Source: Sexual Offences Act, Ch. 99 (Reprint, Official Gazette 24 March 2025)
  • Law A registered offender must report within three days, report changes of residence or name within seven days, and report again each year (ss. 26F–26G). No sex offender may leave The Bahamas before first reporting to the Registry an intention to leave (s. 26F(2)).
    Source: Sexual Offences Act, Ch. 99 (Reprint, Official Gazette 24 March 2025)
  • Law The Minister responsible for national security may make regulations on disclosing information about sex offenders who present a risk of significant harm, including notice to the general public (s. 26J). No public search of the Register was found.
    Source: Sexual Offences Act, Ch. 99 (Reprint, Official Gazette 24 March 2025)
    Recheck: Confirm whether regulations under s. 26J have been made and whether any public notification is in use.
  • Finding No published rule found as of October 30, 2026. No rule entering a visitor's foreign conviction in the Bahamian Register was found.

Entry and admissibility

  • Law An immigration officer may grant leave to land only on being satisfied that the person has not, since attaining the age of fourteen, been convicted in any place of murder or of an offence punishable in The Bahamas with imprisonment for three years or more, and is by reason of that conviction deemed by the Board or an immigration officer to be undesirable (Immigration Act, Ch. 191, s. 22(1)(g)).
    Source: Immigration Act, Ch. 191 (Statute Law of The Bahamas, LRO 1/2017)
  • Law The officer must also be satisfied that the person is not reasonably believed to have come for any immoral purpose, is not on the Stop List, and is not someone whose presence would in the Board's opinion be undesirable and not conducive to the public good (s. 22(1)(f), (h), (j)). The Director of Immigration may still permit a refused person to land, on conditions (s. 23).
    Source: Immigration Act, Ch. 191 (Statute Law of The Bahamas, LRO 1/2017)
  • Law The Board may enter on the Stop List any non-citizen outside The Bahamas whose landing appears undesirable in view of information or advice from any source the Board considers reliable (s. 24).
    Source: Immigration Act, Ch. 191 (Statute Law of The Bahamas, LRO 1/2017)
  • Finding No published rule found as of October 30, 2026. No official report of The Bahamas refusing a U.S. registrant was found.

Visa / travel authorisation

  • Policy U.S. travellers coming for tourism do not need a visa for up to 90 days. They need a valid U.S. passport and proof of anticipated departure; cruise passengers may use another WHTI-compliant document such as a passport card.
    Source: U.S. Department of State: The Bahamas International Travel Information (archived copy of 9 July 2026)
    Recheck: travel.state.gov returned 403 to the build network; the archived copy of 9 July 2026 (page last updated 24 January 2024) was used. Confirm the current page.

Legal Disclaimer

International laws, immigration policies, and registry requirements change frequently and may vary depending on citizenship, visa type, offense history, and purpose of travel. Entry decisions are made solely by each country's immigration authorities. Always verify current requirements using official government sources before traveling. This page is not legal advice.