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Bahamas: Moving to Cable Beach:
Hi Juls18 - I too am Canadian and moved to Nassau in 2014 with a work permit. I'm working for a private firm and my husband retired in Canada before joining me here. My work permit was issued quite quickly. However, my husband's took almost a full year to process and by the time he received it, we had to go through the renewal process again. He never received his permit "card' for the first year. The second year, it took about 3 months for the permits to be approved and the cards were not received until about 3 months before they expired. This year the permits were approved in about 2 months and the cards were received about 2 months later.
The challenge with not having the permit cards is that you will need to carry a copy of the letter from the employer showing the permit application or approval and a copy of the receipt for the fees paid whenever you travel in and out of the country. My husband was only granted 90 day visas the first year when he entered the country (which he had to do some heavy persuasion with immigration to get) and he was travelling back home to Canada often enough that this worked. Having the permit card is much easier. Note the annual permit is $1,000 so if it isn't covered by your husband's work, you may want to consider just coming as a tourist if you travel back home enough. It seems a bit of a cash grab given how long it takes to process and that you often never get the card until it is nearly expired.
We live in Cable Beach and my husband uses public transportation to go downtown quite often - has no trouble with it. Generally it only runs in daylight hours (last bus is about 6:30 I believe.
Hope your move goes well.
Bahamas: Downtown Nassau:
Downtown Nassau is safe during the day but avoid walking anywhere off the resort at night. Shopping downtown is mostly jewelry stores, souvenir shops and the straw market.
There is very little for live entertainment other than at Atlantis.
The areas with the highest crime are the east side of Nassau (Fox Hill area) and the area around Kemp Road.
Bahamas: Moving to Canada:
Hi Natasha - I'm from Canada and currently living here in Nassau. I'll be returning sometime in the next few years. I'm happy to share information about Canada with you.
Jane
Bahamas: Holiday lets:
Buying properties for holiday rentals is very common here. However, you need to be strategic in choosing your location. I would not recommend buying properties on the east side of the island (New Providence) as that is where most crime occurs. Most people will be looking to rent on the west side of the island and someplace near a beach (walking distance) and close to buses (jitneys) and groceries. This is typically the Cable Beach area. To purchase a property in this area, a two bedroom unit will range from $250,000 up to $1 million USD. A three bedroom unit will be in the $450,000 to $1.2 million. I live in a gated community where there are many holiday rentals. The rents go for about $2,500/week (low season) to $3,500 week (peak season). The units here cost on average $350,000 for a 2 bedroom and $500,000 to $650,000 for a 3 bedroom depending on condition. You would need to budget for renting about 15 to 25 weeks a year since many places are vacant from August through to November. You will need to factor in the Stamp Tax that is payable upon purchase (2.5%) plus VAT (7.5%) - often these are split with the vendor. Your legal fees are typically 2.5% of the purchase price. You will also need to consider whether you are financing locally or from a foreign source. If you need a mortgage from a local bank you will pay another Stamp Tax of 1% of the mortgage amount. The lawyers take care of getting the foreign ownership permissions in place for you. You will also need to consider whether you will be required to register for a Business License and VAT depending on the annual revenues.
Bahamas: Buying Online:
I know that many 'locals' purchase items online and have them shipped to the Island. Does anyone have tips for what to buy online vs. buy locally? Which websites provide the best prices for household goods/furniture? Which shipper/customs broker provides the best rates? Any other tips?
Bahamas: flight path noise?:
We live in Delaporte Point - a bit west of Bayroc. We have very little airplane noise. As most have noted, all major flights come in over the west by Love Beach. However, some of the BahamasAir flights (turbo props) do occasionally fly nearby when lining up to land. The noise is not a problem though and I think Bayroc would have less. Plus Bayroc would have thick concrete walls that would drown out most noise.
Bahamas: Move help:
Sending things by mail may be a problem. I had a friend send me a Christmas card and it didn't arrive until the end of May! You may be better using a courier like DHL or shipping by air. I used a local moving company to help me with goods I shipped from Canada and they cleared everything and delivered it to our condo. I would definitely look at options for sending things over. You may also want to look at including extra baggage when you fly over and just paying the extra charges - sometimes its cheaper than the courier or alternatives. I came with two suitcases, three carry ons and a box. I paid about $100 for the extras which was probably much better than other options.
Bahamas: VAT query:
If the property will be exported, then you can arrange to purchase it zero-rated. You would need to provide evidence of export. The shops on Bay Street in Nassau are able to not charge the VAT because they obtain evidence of export at the time of sale to non-residents/visitors. However, if you are resident on the island (e.g. living here under a work permit) then such sales are not eligible for zero-rating.
Bahamas: Moving to Nassau - Help.:
I am also working out near Montague Beach but am renting in the Cable Beach area. Most expats live around Cable Beach and the bus system around Cable Beach is very convenient. It isn't too convenient however to get to Montague Beach from there. I believe there are some condos not too far away just off Shirley Street and on Village Road. I don't know if they are the safest areas to be as a foreigner. You definitely want to be in a secure location if you are living on your own - find a gated community if you can. If you are planning to use public transportation, then check the bus schedules online https://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/wcm/connect/ee780aaf-f343-4352-a6c9-d95ca89cd7ae/RT+Dept.Official+Bus+Routes.pdf?MOD=AJPERES. Note that there is limited service on Sundays and the buses don't run after 6:30pm.
Bahamas: Rentals, work, crime, import duty, hindsight...and many more!:
I am a professional that moved here last fall. I am here on a work permit but my spouse is not permitted to work. He is now retired fortunately. Although I work on the east end of Bay Street, we decided to get a residence in the west end since most expats live out here and the crime is much lower. Most crime and murders are occurring on the east end - particularly near Fox Hill Road, Soldier Road, Carmichael Street area.
We purchased a used vehicle when we got here and I use it for work. My husband uses the #10 bus occasionally but only during daylight hours.
We are living in a gated community for security reasons.
We brought with us clothes, some kitchen ware, linens and a few personal effects to make it feel like home. We bought a gas barbeque once we arrived here. We paid about $1,900 US$ for customs duty on the items we brought over and saved a fair bit by itemizing in detail the pieces in our container. We hired a local mover to clear the goods for us and deal with all the import matters. He charged only $500 including the costs of delivering the pallet to our townhouse.
If you were to choose a place to reside on the east end, look for only a gated community (Treasure Cove, Palm Cay, etc) and use extreme caution when you are out at night and which roads you travel on.
If you choose the west end, you can get to St. Andrew's school within 30 to 45 minutes and it may be worth the commute time so you have a better quality of life.
As for work life here, most professionals are not working the long hours that we experience in North America. The office apparel is very business like - it's rare to see casual Fridays. Suits and dresses on women is commonplace.
Plan to get a cable/phone/internet package from either BTC or Cable Bahamas. Both offer bundled packages for a reasonable cost. I use Cable Bahamas and it includes 600 minutes a month for calls back home free of charge.
When looking into rentals, ask about the monthly cost of electricity and if the maintenance fee/condo fee is on top of the rent. Electricity can be almost as much as the rent if you are not careful. We have managed to keep our electricity costs quite low by managing how much we use our A/C.
Hope these tips help!
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