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There's an unwelcome surprise awaiting owners and operators who have traveled to the Bahamas over the past five years: the Bahamas is billing operators who have flown there at any time since May 2021, and even worse, an owner can be stuck with a bill run up by their aircraft's previous owner. The Bahamas Air Navigation Services Authority (BANSA) has recently begun issuing retroactive fees to aircraft operators who flew to, from, within or over the Bahamas in a piston twin, turboprop or jet aircraft. Both private and commercial flights are subject to these fees. Exceptions include: private single-engine piston flights search and rescue or emergency medical operations emergency landings at airports that are not the intended destination Bahamian government-owned or chartered aircraft aircraft belonging to the armed forces or governments of ICAO member states Industry reports claim that these fees can have increases from 300% to 700% and are separate from and in addition to customs fees, airport authority charges and FBO fees. BANSA told CST Flight Services that any aircraft with a debt from an unpaid fee can be seized by the government if the owner refuses to pay, and that this also applies to new owners. What operators need to know The Bahamas is one of the most commonly flown international destinations for the Florida and Southeast audience. Because the charges are retroactive, the added financial wrinkle is that the rates were set after the flights had already been flown and closed out. There is no reliable way to check the balance, as the AirportsBahamas app was not available when trip-support providers went looking and contacting BANSA directly has been the only option. It's unclear whether BANSA will pursue a statutory lien, and if it does, whether the lien would be filed with the aircraft's registry, such as the FAA, or only with the Bahamian government. That's important to know because a debt filed only in the Bahamas would not be recorded in the U.S. aircraft registry or surface on a U.S. title search. It's a huge watch item for buyers of planes that have any history of flying in the Caribbean. The National Business Aviation Association has questioned the legitimacy of these fees, calling the charges "onerous." Along with other industry groups and the U.S. government, it has asked operators who receive retroactive invoices to share them. Find aircraft management and international trip-support providers on GlobalAir.com. For the prebuy liability question, GlobalAir.com also lists title and escrow services.