What that means is, if you are planning to travel outside the United States (for example to the Bahamas) by way of any type of  aircraft or airline, you must be in possession of a valid passport at the time of your departure. If you fail to present a valid passport to the airline or charter company, they are required, by law, to deny you boarding. No exceptions.

We'd like to point out that this is NOT a change in Bahamian Law. Technically, Bahamian law still allows visitors from the US to enter the Bahamas with a birth certificate accompanied by a valid picture ID. However, in cooperating with the United States new policies, the Bahamas Immigration Department is requiring all US citizens entering via commercial aircraft to present a valid US passport for entry.

Don't get confused by the technicalities! If you are planning a trip to Bimini (or anywhere outside the US for that matter), Get Your Passport!

We're passing this information along to our guests as a service, and, this information should not be used as official information regarding US Passport policy and requirements. Here are links to some sites that can give you more information.

US State Department Passport Information

Official Info from Bahamas.com

At the time of this writing it was our understanding that visitors arriving by boat, either private boat or cruise ship, were not required to have a passport. We understand that that step will be implemented in early 2008. Please check the US State Department web site for official information and updated requirements.