Permanent Residence

Summary

The Department of Immigration says a Certificate of Permanent Residence is a long-term legal-status document issued for the duration of a person's life unless revoked.

The exact rights attached to the certificate depend on the route and status granted, so applicants should not assume every permanent-residence case carries the same work rights.

Published Eligibility Categories

The permanent-residence page lists several routes, including:

• spouse of a Bahamian after five years of marriage, where the marriage is subsisting and the couple is cohabiting
• certain persons born outside The Bahamas to a Bahamian mother
• economic permanent residence
• certain long-serving public officers and professions
• persons with long legal work-permit histories in The Bahamas

For the economic route, the page says the applicant must make a minimum investment of BSD $1.0 million through qualifying real estate or zero coupon bonds and hold the asset for at least 10 years.

Core Application Requirements

• BSD $200.00 non-refundable processing fee
• Letter of request addressed to the Director of Immigration
• Duly completed application form with a BSD $10.00 Bahamian postage stamp, legible and notarized
• Original medical certificate dated within 30 days before submission
• Original police certificate issued within six months and covering five years of residence for applicants age 14 and older
• Two current passport photographs
• Signed readable passport bio page copy for the applicant
• Passport bio page copies for spouse and children where applicable
• Original birth certificate for the applicant
• Two character references
• Marriage certificate, spouse and child birth certificates, deed poll, divorce decree, or death certificate where applicable
• Proof of current immigration status

Additional Documents That May Apply

• Documentary proof of payment of real property tax
• Conveyance for residential property owned in The Bahamas
• School letters
• Adoption records
• For economic applications, financial references verifying economic worth and route-specific investment evidence

Important Official Notes

• The Department provides different permanent-residence forms for different routes, including spouse and economic applications.
• All foreign-issued documents must be properly verified by apostille or legalization and authenticated before submission.
• Certified English translations are required for foreign documents.

When To Escalate To A Human

• You are not sure which permanent-residence route fits your case.
• Your case depends on marriage, birth-status, or long work-permit history that needs legal interpretation.
• You are applying through the economic route and need confirmation that the investment structure qualifies.
• Your foreign civil documents are not yet apostilled, legalized, or translated.