Customs: No visa or special permission is required to enter The Bahamas; however, the airlines require a return ticket. Proof of US citizenship is necessary when departing. A passenger departure tax is levied on visitors and residents.

Currency: No restriction is placed on the amount of US currency that may be brought into The Bahamas. US currency may be used where prices are shown in both Bahamian and US dollars.

Health: No inoculations are required. Health requirements may change; check latest information. It is not necessary to sterilize foods bought in reputable stores. Water is potable but saline, and many people use bottled water. Mosquitoes, sandflies, and termites are ubiquitous pests. Poisonous insects include the ground and black widow spiders, scorpions, and centipedes.

Transportation: New Providence and Grand Bahama have international airports. Both have local bus service; however, the vehicles are small, unscheduled, and usually crowded. Taxis are plentiful but expensive. Traffic moves on the left.

New Providence has more than 420 km. (260 mi.) of paved roads; Grand Bahama and the other islands have 500 km. (340 mi.). There are no railroads. Transportation between the islands is by air and sea.

Tourist attractions: Nassau can be explored in about a week. Trips to adjacent beaches, such as Paradise Island, can be made by boat or bridge. Popular Family Islands for fishing are Eleuthera, Abaco, Exuma, and Bimini. Other Family Islands are accessible by air or by boat, but tourist accommodations on the more remote islands may be primitive. The most colorful events are the native Junkanoo parades on Boxing Day (Dec. 26) and New Year's Day.

National holidays: Establishments, including the US Embassy, may be closed on the following Bahamian holidays:

New Year's Day, January 1; Good Friday, date varies; Easter Monday, date varies; Whit Monday, (7 weeks after Easter--date varies); Labor Day, first Friday in June; Independence Day, July 10, Emancipation Day, first Monday in August; Discovery Day, October 12; Christmas Day, December 25.

Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, April 1990.