While it’s never easy leaving paradise, it will now be less of a headache for some travelers departing the Bahamas.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently announced that it has opened its first TSA PreCheck location outside of the United States at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas.
The nine-year-old fast-pass program provides low-risk travelers with an expedited screening process at more than 200 airports across the United States—and now Nassau. TSA PreCheck–approved passengers aren’t required to remove shoes, belts, travel-sized liquids, electronics, or light jackets. They have a dedicated security line that’s often much shorter (according to TSA, wait time for PreCheck passengers is less than five minutes 94 percent of the time).
It’s a move that signals the potential for more international PreCheck locations in the future. In a press release, TSA administrator David Pekoske said the Bahamas checkpoint will serve “as a model for further extending TSA PreCheck.”
Already, Nassau is one of 16 U.S. Customs and Border Protection international preclearance locations where personnel inspect travelers before boarding flights headed to the United States so that they don’t have to go through customs or TSA inspections upon arrival or before catching their connecting flight. While Bahama’s other airport, in Freeport, also has preclearance, TSA PreCheck isn’t currently offered there.
TSA PreCheck is available to U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents and costs $85 for a five-year enrollment (though numerous travel-focused credit cards will waive the fee). Those who are interested must submit an online application and then schedule an in-person interview at an enrollment center that includes a background check and fingerprinting. More information is available on the TSA PreCheck website.
Other Department of Homeland Security Trusted Traveler programs, like Global Entry, are also eligible to use the PreCheck screening in Nassau. You can evaluate which program best suits you with the Department of Homeland Security trusted traveler comparison tool.
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