The signing took place Feb. 5 during a ceremony in Nassau. The new agreement was signed by CBP Office of Field Operations (OFO) Executive Assistant Commissioner Diane J. Sabatino and Foreign Minister of The Bahamas Fredrick A. Mitchell, and replaces the 50-year-old Preclearance agreement, which pre-dates the formation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and CBP.
Preclearance operations started in The Bahamas in 1974, making it one of 15 locations in six countries offering Preclearance, along with Aruba, Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, and the United Arab Emirates.
The program enables CBP officers to perform the same immigration, customs, and agriculture clearances typically done upon arrival in the United States before international travelers depart from certain foreign airports, enabling them to travel to the United States without a visa.
After landing at a U.S. port of entry, the passengers save time by avoiding CBP inspections and may continue to their destinations as if they arrived on a domestic flight.
Usha Pitts, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in The Bahamas, took the signing ceremony as an opportunity to congratulate The Bahamas on welcoming a record 9 million tourists, mostly U.S. citizens, in 2023.