The Bahamas is one of the wealthiest nations in the Caribbean and is a centre of attention for international businesses as its tropical climate aids in its desirability. Foreigners going to the Bahamas for work or employment may require a visa to enter the country. Also if you want to take some employees with you to assist you in the Bahamas, you need to know about the types of work permits for the Bahamas and other requirements associated with it.

Types of Bahamas work visas;

There are two types of work visas offered by the  Bahamas government to foreign nationals;

Short-term work visa - This visa allows the visa holder to stay in the Bahamas for up to 90 days

Long-term work visa - This work visa has a duration of more than 90 days 

Work permits or work visas are actually visas and employees don't have to get some separate documents to enter the Bahamas. Work visas don't offer the privileges that one can enjoy by getting an investment visa for the Bahamas.

Any foreign national who wants to work in the Bahamas for up to 90 days or more than 90 days, is eligible to apply for a short-term or long-term work visa respectively. However, the applicant must:

• Have a clean criminal record
• Have no serious health issue
• Have enough bank balance to bear the travel and residence expenses (If not granted by employer) in Bahamas
• Have identity documents  attested by the country of origin

Foreign individuals may have a business in the Bahamas and want to take employees with them. All of the employees will need a work permit for the Bahamas and a work permit requires certain documents. 

Documents vary from country to country, so before applying, get detailed information about the required documents from the Bahamas embassy serving in your region or if not, any embassy nearest to you. The general requirements for Work Permit in the Bahamas are,

• A valid passport - All foreign nationals who want to enter the Bahamas on a work permit must have a valid passport with a validity of 6 months and a return ticket.
• Two passport-size photos with a white background or according to the requirements of the relevant Bahamas embassy
• A business license or a job letter as evidence of work 
• Evidence of clean criminal record (Police report)
• If there is a conference or invitation letter, a copy of it.
• Copy of child birth certificate to prove the relationship of the child with parents ( if a child is going along with the applicant)
• An original bank statement
• Evidence of residential details in the Bahamas
• Copy of previous visas (if there are any)
• If a company is applying for a foreigner to take employment in the Bahamas, a copy of a valid work permit is required.
• All the certificates (marriage, birth, or death) that are submitted for visa application, must be verified by the country of origin.
• If a foreigner wants to enter the Bahamas by USA cruise ship, must have a valid USA visa
• Properly filled application 
• Health insurance certificate

Note: All the documents should be translated into English.

When to Apply

A foreign national who wants to enter the Bahamas on a work permit must apply at least 1 to 2 months earlier than the entry time as there can be several issues with documents to need a re-submission. Also, lost, or wrongly submitted documents can cause a delay. So it's better to stay safe by applying before a reasonable time to join the job in the Bahamas. 

How to Apply

For the application of short-term or long-term work permit for the Bahamas;

• Start with contacting and booking an appointment with the relevant Bahamian embassy serving your region. If there is no Bahamian embassy in your region, contact the nearest one. 
• Take the visa application form and completely fill it out. Application forms are available at the Bahamian embassy/consulate office. For filling out the application form, use black or blue ink and fill in BLOCK letters.
• Submit the required documents with an appropriate stamp to the relevant embassy and wait for the response.
• There is a duration of one to two weeks between the submission of documents and the response to the Bahamas visa  

Visa Processing Time

After submission of completely filled application and required documents, visa processing time can be 8 to 12 weeks. But if you submit wrong or incomplete documents or documents are lost, it can delay the visa processing time.

Duration 

Depending upon the duration, there are two types of work permits for foreign nationals who want to work in the Bahamas:

• Short-term work permit - with a duration of up to 90 days
• Long-term work permit - with a duration of more than 90 days

Fees

There is a 200 BSD  non-refundable processing fee that can be submitted by cash, credit card, debit card, cheque, or postal money order.

However, for complete fee information about work visas to enter the Bahamas, consult the Bahamian embassy/consulate office serving your region, as there can be different fee requirements for applicants of different countries and also differ according to the type of visa.

Bahamas work permit is extendable however it's not auto-renewable and the applicant must have to apply before the expiry of the original work permit. It's always advised to have a close look at the date of your entry to a foreign country that is mentioned on the original visa so that you can apply for an extension at a reasonable time before the expiry.

If the work permit expires before the visa extension, a foreign individual will not be allowed to stay in the Bahamas any further. The extension is granted by the department of immigration after the submission of the required documents by the visa holder.

Are dependents allowed on work permits?
Yes, foreign nationals can take dependents with them on a work permit for the Bahamas.

Can you study in the Bahamas on a work permit?
No, a work permit visa holder can't study in the Bahamas. To study there, you will need a study visa.

Is business allowed on a Bahamas work permit?
No, a foreigner, who enters the Bahamas on a work permit can't do business here.

What is the minimum wage in the Bahamas?
Currently, the minimum wage is 210 BSD. The government is aiming to raise the minimum wage by the end of 2022.

Is it easy to get employment in the Bahamas?
No! It's difficult to get employment in the Bahamas as the Bahamas government is protective of the rights of its own citizens and doesn't want them to face unemployment.