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Promote:Bahamas

Invest in the Bahamas

A short guide for companies expanding into the Bahamas: the economy at a glance, the rules and steps to set up, and who can help, each with its source.

1. Bahamas at a glance

The currency is the Bahamian dollar.

Source: Central Bank of The Bahamas, foreign exchange page⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

2. Before you set up

The investment agency, any one-stop route, the sectors reserved for nationals and the zones, as the guide found them.

3. Steps to set up

The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.

Setting up in the Bahamas

  1. Contact the Bahamas Investment Authority in the Office of the Prime Minister about your project before you register a company.Bahamas Investment AuthorityOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Office of the Prime Minister, agencies and responsibilities⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  2. Get an approved trade name from Inland Revenue, or an approved company name from the Registrar General for a limited company.Registrar General's Department$25 fee for an approved trade name from July 1, 2023Official page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Department of Inland Revenue, applying for a business license⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  3. Ask the Central Bank to designate your company as resident or non-resident for exchange control purposes.Central Bank of The BahamasOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Central Bank of The Bahamas, company designation notes⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  4. Request agency approvals, such as those from planning, environmental health, police business licensing and the National Insurance Board, then apply online for the business license.Department of Inland RevenueOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Department of Inland Revenue, applying for a business license⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

Show 3 more set-up steps
  1. Register online for VAT and a tax identification number at vat.revenue.gov.bs.Department of Inland RevenueOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Department of Inland Revenue, applying for VAT registration⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  2. Register on Click2Clear if your business will import or export cargo.The Bahamas Customs DepartmentOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Bahamas Customs Department, Click2Clear single window⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  3. To operate inside Freeport, apply for a Port Authority license; the Hawksbill Creek Agreement benefits also need a Customs bond.The Grand Bahama Port Authority, LimitedCustoms bond of $5,000 minimum for Hawksbill Creek benefitsOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Bahamas Customs Department, general customs procedures⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

4. Organizations that help investors

Start with BAIC, BIA and Bahamas Customs. Each card links to the organization’s own site.

Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets

Investment and business setup

Show 2 more organizations

Customs and tax

Chambers and industry associations

5. Worth knowing

6. How Promote:Global helps

  • Compare the Bahamas with other countriesSet the Bahamas beside other countries on investment momentum, fundamentals and trade access, before site, tax and legal work.
  • Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
  • Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.

Turn this guide into your Bahamas project.

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Promote:Bahamas is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.

Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of October 30, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.