Up until recently, American citizens were not required to have passports to travel to adjacent territories such as Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative changed that, tightening travel requirements. Depending on your itinerary and mode of travel, you may have to own a passport to go to the Bahamas.
Entering the Bahamas by Air
If you are entering the Bahamas on an airplane, you will be required to show a passport. If you have never bought one before, you will have to get it at a local passport agency using a birth certificate, citizenship certificate, consular certificate of birth abroad or naturalization certificate. If you have an undamaged passport issued within the last 15 years when you were 16 or older and under your current name, you can renew by mail instead.
Entering by Open-Loop Cruise
The requirements for travel to the Bahamas on an open-loop cruise (a cruise that doesn't returns to the United States) are only slightly laxer. You can use a passport card instead of a passport book if you prefer to, but you are required to carry one or the other. A passport card is obtained either by mail or at a passport agency. The main difference is that a passport card is cheaper and more portable (wallet sized) and that it is only valid for land or sea travel to and from Mexico, Canada and the Bahamas.
Entering by Closed-Loop Cruise
Closed-loop cruise passport requirements are the most lax. A closed-loop cruise is one that departs from and returns to the same American port. For one of these cruises, you can get by with an official U.S. photo ID and proof of citizenship. For example, you could use a birth certificate and a current driver's license to cruise.
About The Author
Isaiah is a freelance writer living in Portland, Oregon. Prior to writing, he worked in a tutoring center, helping students in reading, writing, math and history. In his articles, Isaiah strives to make complex subjects accessible to readers of all ages.
