When an employee (at least 1-year tenure) is dismissed because of redundancy, the following notice periods must be observed:
In case of dismissal due to causes other than redundancy, the following notice period must be observed:
Foreign nationals who wish to work in the Bahamas for more than 90 days are required to obtain a work permit with the following documents (not a full list):
The long term work permit is valid for 1 year and has to be renewed annually.
For short-term work lasting less than 90 days, a short-term work permit (also with application requirements) is required.
For foreign nationals wishing to work remotely for a foreign company, a visa program named BEATS grants a residence and work permit for 12 months. The cost of this program is BSD 1,025, and it can be renewed annually for a maximum duration of 3 years. No minimum length of stay is required. Citizens from the USA, Canada, the EU, and Britain do not need an additional travel permit.
Employees become entitled to annual leave after a year of service. Annual leave is based on tenure at work and paid in advance, as basic salary:
For public sector employees, annual leave may be accumulated for up to 3 years. If an employee's contract is terminated before utilizing all leaves, they will be entitled to payment for the remaining leave duration on a pro-rata basis.
In the Bahamas, the Employment Act indicates that the standard workweek is 40 hours (8 hours per day). Minors under 18 years of age cannot be employed for more than 24 hours in a school week or 40 hours in a non-school week.
In every 7-day period, an employer must allow each employee at least 48 hours of rest with not less than 24 of such hours being consecutive.
The Bahamian Employment Act entitles female employees to 12 weeks of maternity leave. The leave must begin at least 1 week before the date of delivery and last for at least 8 weeks after. The employee is required to submit a certificate issued by a medical practitioner or midwife setting forth her expected delivery date.
Maternity Benefit is a weekly payment made by the National Insurance Board of the Bahamas to eligible insured women while they remain at home during late pregnancy and delivery. The benefit is paid at a weekly rate of 66.66% of the woman’s average insured income.
During the employee's maternity leave, the employer must pay the mother a minimum sum equivalent to 33.33% of that portion of her wages which does not exceed the National Insurance ceiling on insurable wages (BSD 810 per week). A woman on maternity leave may not receive payment from her employer more than once every 3 years.
The minimum wage is BSD 260 (Bahamian dollars) per week beginning January 2023.
Salary must be paid at regular intervals, not exceeding 1 month, and employers must maintain a payroll record for at least 3 years.
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