Cruise to Bahamas - Need Visa?

[statavarthi]

Hello,

I am on a H1B visa with a valid visa stamp. I am looking at booking a cruise that has a port of call in Nassau (Bahamas) for a few hours. Does this need a Bahamas Visa?

I am sure this question has been asked before, but I did not find any clear answer. Can any one with a personal experience provide feedback please?

The Cruise folks say that I do not need a visa, but hearing it from some one who has cruised before to Bahamas will make me feel better.

When I call the Bahamas Consulate, they say that I don't need a Visa if I am a resident. But they fail to elaborate on what a "Resident" really means? Is a person on H1B considered resident? ( I know that for tax purposes H1B is a resident alien)

UPDATE - Thanks for response. We succesfully completed our eastern carribbean cruise. No visa required for eastern carribean route. Need valid visa for reentry though. Overall a very smooth process. I highly recommend Carnival. Lots of Indian food (veg as well) onboard.

Thanks!
Sreedhar

[Sach]

Hi

Hi,

I had gone to bahamas via cruise on H1. I did take the bahamas visa to travel but no one even looked at the visa. There is no entry on that page. I dont think you need the Visa but yes make sure you have all travel documents when you come back to US as you will be facing US Immigration.

Enjoy your vacation....