Bahamas C17: Who Uses the Free Digital Customs Form (2026)
Returning resident, visitor with goods, or visitor with only used belongings: the official route changes.
Check whether C17 is your route
Verified
Run by Government of The Bahamas. Last verified August 30, 2026.
The current government entry page gives three routes:
- Returning resident: complete C17 whether or not there are items to declare.
- Visitor bringing other items: complete a C17 baggage declaration and declare them.
- Visitor with only used personal belongings: make an oral baggage declaration.
This is narrower than the Exempt landing-page sentence that says everyone fills C17. Use the government traveller-specific rule instead of sending every visitor to an unnecessary form.
Official digital C17 portal and operator
Verified
Run by Bahamas Customs Department and Ministry of Finance. Last verified August 30, 2026.
exempt.gov.bs says it is officially authorized by Bahamas Customs and the Ministry of Finance. The same page says the app was developed by Exempt Technologies. This is a government-suffix portal with a named private developer, not an unidentified lookalike.
The portal asks the user to scan passport information into a profile before submitting forms. After C17 submission, it issues a QR code for the designated Exempt lane, where Customs reviews the electronic declaration.
Free form, separate customs duty
Verified
Run by Exempt Technologies, Inc.. Last verified August 30, 2026.
Exempt Technologies says the service is provided at no cost. The government-authorized portal can calculate and prepay customs duties. A duty charged on declared goods is not a fee for opening or submitting C17.
Do not confuse C17 with the BDAC pilot
Verified
Run by Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation. Last verified August 30, 2026.
On 5 May 2026, the Ministry of Tourism announced a soft pilot for a Bahamas Digital Arrival Card that combines immigration and customs. The release limits it to select visitors on selected flights and says the traditional paper process remains alongside it.
Do not search for or pay a site claiming every visitor must buy a BDAC. Follow instructions supplied for the selected flight. For the established customs route, use the C17 decision above.
What the digital C17 covers
The public C17 page is titled “BAHAMAS DIGITAL ENTRY CARD FORM NO. C17.” It groups the declaration into Passenger, Travel, Baggage, Invoice, Alcohol, Tobacco and Submission information, and says all fields are mandatory.
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