The 1% Processing Fee, Its $10 Minimum, and Its $1,500 Cap
By George · updated 2026-10-08 · worked examples checked against the Bahamas Tariff Act (schedule version 2026-2027)
Every customs entry into The Bahamas pays a processing fee of 1% of the value, with a $10 minimum and a $1,500 maximum. It applies whether or not the goods carry duty, and it's charged per entry rather than per item. Because of the minimum, it works quite differently on small and large shipments.
Under $1,000, you pay the minimum
1% of $1,000 is exactly $10, so $1,000 is the break-even point. Below that you pay $10 whatever the value:
- $200 entry: 1% would be $2. You pay $10.
- $500 entry: 1% would be $5. You pay $10.
- $1,000 entry: 1% is $10. You pay $10.
- $2,000 entry: 1% is $20. You pay $20.
Above $150,000 the cap applies and the fee stops at $1,500. That matters for vehicles and container loads, not for online shopping.
What the minimum does to small parcels
On a cheap item, the $10 minimum can be the largest charge on the bill. A $15 paperback has no duty, but the entry still pays $10 processing and $2.50 VAT: $12.50 of charges on a $15 book, or 83% of the price. A $25 phone case at 20% duty pays $5 duty, $10 processing and $4 VAT, which is $19 on a $25 item.
Those figures are correct. A fixed fee is simply large next to a small price.
It's charged per entry, and you control the number of entries
Because the minimum applies to each entry, four small shipments pay it four times and the same goods in one shipment pay it once. Four $50 orders of 20%-duty goods cost $108 in total import charges, while the same $200 of goods on a single entry costs $75. That's $33 saved, about 16% of the order value, with the same goods and the same rates.
The effect is bigger on duty-free goods, where the fee is a larger part of the bill: four $25 duty-free parcels cost $54 in charges, against $21 for one $100 entry.
The consolidation guide covers how to do this in practice.
VAT applies to the fee as well
The processing fee is part of the landed cost, so 10% VAT is charged on it and the $10 minimum actually costs $11. It's a small amount, but it's one more reason a mental estimate tends to come out low; see why 10% VAT costs more than 10%.
To see the fee worked out on a real value, use the duty calculator.