How do you convert a driving licence in the Bahamas in 2026?

Highway Code visitor guidance and common resident practice allow bona fide visitors to drive on a valid foreign licence for up to about three months after arrival. Carry an International Driving Permit if your home licence is not in English. Rental desks often want a major card, age thresholds around the mid-twenties, and proof of insurance. Uninsured driving is a hard fail.

Once you settle, take employment, or hold a Permit to Reside, plan the Bahamian transfer early so taxis do not rewrite your transport budget. Cable Beach school runs and Paradise Island evenings are easier with lawful papers: Living in Nassau. Finish Immigration before you expect the Road Traffic desk to help: Residence or work permit.

The Road Traffic Department Examination Unit on New Providence handles foreign and Family Island transfers into a New Providence licence. Bring the completed Licence to Drive and Transfer Drivers Licence forms, the licence you are transferring, passport, National Insurance Board Smart Card, and non-Bahamian immigration evidence such as a work permit, residency permit, spousal permit, or permanent residence. First-time Road Traffic clients also register for a Transport Management Number (TMN) in the department’s computer system.

You sit an interview with the Chief Driving Examiner that includes an oral test of Bahamian Highway Code knowledge. After you pass, the file moves to the Driver’s Licence Unit for payment and card issue. Official guidance says many transfers finish the same day, with some files needing up to three business days. Transfer fees are published as about BS$1.66 per month through the end of your next birth month. Get your NIB Smart Card before you book the transfer, because the card sits on the supporting-documents list.