Yes, you can smoke at Nassau Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) — at designated curbside areas outside the terminals, landside. The airport is smoke-free past security, so smoke before you check in.
Lynden Pindling International Airport is the Bahamas’ main international gateway, on the western edge of New Providence island, and the country’s busiest airport by a wide margin. It is split into three parts under one roof — a US Departures terminal with US pre-clearance, an international arrivals-and-departures terminal, and a domestic terminal — none of which offer smoking once you are through security. If you smoke, plan to do so at the curbside areas before you go airside.
Where to Smoke
Smoking at NAS is outdoors only, landside, at the designated curbside areas outside the Arrivals and Departures terminals. Step outside the building, look for the cigarette-butt disposal units that mark the permitted spots, and you are clear to light up.
The airport’s official guidance is direct: there are no smoking areas past the security checkpoint, and smoking is permitted only in the designated curbside areas outside the terminals. Plan your last cigarette for before check-in, or step back outside between arrival and your onward flight.
After Security and US Pre-Clearance
Once you clear security, the terminals are smoke-free. The US Departures terminal is where passengers bound for the United States complete US Customs and Border Protection pre-clearance — you finish US immigration and customs in Nassau, before you board. That is convenient on arrival in the US, and it matters to smokers: after pre-clearance you sit in a sterile airside zone with no smoking area, and you cannot easily return landside. Smoke at the outdoor curbside areas before you enter the US Departures terminal.
The Graycliff Airport Lounge in the US Departures terminal has historically offered a dedicated smoking room and an outdoor terrace, reached with a paid entry or a Priority Pass membership. Travellers report it closed for remodelling, and the airport’s stated policy is no smoking past security, so do not build your layover around it. The reliable option remains the curbside areas landside.
Vaping
The Bahamas does not single out e-cigarettes for special treatment, and Nassau’s terminals apply the same rule to vapes as to cigarettes: not inside the building and not past security. Use the designated outdoor curbside areas for both.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor terminal | No | Smoke-free throughout all three terminals |
| After security / airside | No | Official policy: no smoking past the security checkpoint |
| Outdoor (landside) | Yes | Designated curbside areas outside Arrivals and Departures |
For the Bahamas’ airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our Bahamas airport guide.