Biscayne National Park

Permit Information

NPS Special Use Permit required. Email BISC_Permits@nps.gov with a completed application plus the $150 non refundable application fee to begin the review (roughly 10 business days for standard projects, longer for complex ones). Additional cost recovery applies if NPS staff are assigned as on site monitors. 95 percent of the park is underwater, so ceremonies require boat access.

Planning Your Day at Biscayne National Park

One-Spot Day

Biscayne has 3 practical ceremony zones, only one reachable without a boat: Convoy Point (the visitor center at the mainland, 9 miles east of Homestead, accessible by rental car), Boca Chita Key (7 miles offshore, requires boat or CUA charter, iconic 1930s ornamental lighthouse with Miami skyline on the west horizon), and Elliott Key (9 miles offshore, requires boat or CUA charter, largest island in the park with maritime hardwood hammock and quiet bayside harbor). Pick your access model first: rental car only means Convoy Point; chartering a boat (or bringing your own) opens Boca Chita for the lighthouse money shot or Elliott Key for the quiet hammock alternative (Elliott Key has seen hurricane related closures in recent years, so confirm the island is currently open by calling 786 335 3620 before committing to it). Charter operators must hold an NPS Commercial Use Authorization (CUA); work with a park approved captain who knows the harbor depths and tide charts. Build a Convoy Point backup into every permit in case marine forecast cancels access.

Ceremony + Portraits Split

All ceremony sites take an NPS Special Use Permit, $150 non refundable application fee paid with application, standard processing roughly 10 business days. Email BISC_Permits@nps.gov. Additional cost recovery if NPS staff are assigned as on site monitors. Any paid vendors (officiant, florist, photographer collecting fees) must hold a Commercial Use Authorization via cua.nps.gov; the couple is responsible for verifying vendor CUAs before hiring. Review the Superintendent's Compendium before applying. Harbor docking fee $25 Friday through Monday and federal holidays at Boca Chita and Elliott Key. Park wide cap of 25. Practical caps tighter: Convoy Point 20 (pavilion and jetty space), Boca Chita 12 (harbor bulkhead and lighthouse area), Elliott Key 15 (harbor slip availability and charter capacity). Terrestrial scattering of ashes is NOT authorized anywhere in the park.

A Note on Light

Biscayne is a bright, reflective, salt aerosol environment and the light is harsh midday in summer but magical at the edges of the day. Convoy Point faces east over Biscayne Bay, so sunrise is the signature window: the bay glows pink and gold with the mangrove seawall in silhouette. Boca Chita is the sunset location: the west seawall faces downtown Miami, and golden hour 60 to 90 minutes before sunset frames the ornamental lighthouse against the Miami skyline (the single most distinctive image in the park). Elliott Key's bayside harbor also faces west and delivers sunset 60 to 90 minutes before sundown with the Florida mainland on the horizon. Dry season (late November through mid April) is the only honest ceremony recommendation because summer brings daily afternoon thunderstorms, 90% humidity, punishing heat, and mosquito clouds severe enough to shut down a ceremony. December through March give the most reliable weather windows. Bring polarizers everywhere to cut water glare and saturate turquoise; bring lens cloths because salt spray is constant.

Ceremony Spots at Biscayne National Park

• Convoy Point & Dante Fascell Visitor Center Grounds — Couples who want a Biscayne elopement without chartering a boat, the only land accessible corner of the park, with mangrove lined seawall, jetty walk, and shaded pavilion options
• Boca Chita Key Harbor & Ornamental Lighthouse — Adventurous couples chartering a boat for an iconic 1930s lighthouse and Miami skyline elopement
• Elliott Key Harbor & Picnic Grounds — Couples who want Biscayne's largest, most pioneer historic key, maritime hardwood hammock, bayside harbor, and true solitude