Overall6/10Easier visas than about 55% of cities
Good to know
Good to Know
- The 180-day allowance is measured on a rolling 12-month basis (not calendar year) — track cumulative days carefully if you travel in and out of Bermuda frequently.
- Bermuda does not issue a standalone 'Bermuda visa' for most nationalities — if you're not from a country on the Visa Controlled Nationals List, you simply need a valid passport and onward ticket, no advance visa application needed.
- If your nationality IS on the controlled list, you'll need a valid multiple-entry US, UK, or Canadian visa as your route in — Bermuda immigration checks that visa's validity (45+ days beyond your Bermuda departure), not a Bermuda-issued one.
- A digital nomad-specific residency certificate existed during the pandemic era but that program ended in February 2025, so long-stay remote workers currently rely on this general visa-free tourist allowance rather than a dedicated nomad visa.
- Everyone arriving by air or private yacht must complete the Bermuda Arrival Card before landing; cruise passengers are exempt from this specific form.
- Bermuda no longer has an active digital-nomad-specific visa — the Work From Bermuda Certificate closed to new applicants on February 28, 2025, so don't plan a trip assuming that program is still open.
- For a nomad-style stay today, 'Permission to Reside on an Annual Basis' is the realistic option: it explicitly allows remote work for a foreign employer, but takes roughly 12 weeks to process, so apply well ahead of your intended move date.
- Bermuda has no personal income tax on any foreign earnings under either pathway, but it is also consistently ranked among the most expensive places to live, so 'tax-free' does not mean 'cheap.'
- Your home country's tax rules don't disappear just because Bermuda doesn't tax you — check your own country's tax-residency rules before relying on Bermuda as a tax-free base.
Current Pathways For Remote Workers
Permission to Reside on an Annual Basis
- Eligibility
- Must be 18+, demonstrate good character (police certificate), show 'adequate financial resources' (no fixed published minimum), and hold valid health insurance. No requirement to buy property — renting is accepted.
- Processing Time
- Approximately 12 weeks
- Duration And Renewal
- Nominally granted one year at a time but in practice can be issued for up to 5 years; renewable at least 3 months before expiry.
- Description
- The main current route for a non-employed remote worker to live in Bermuda without local employment. Remote work for a foreign (non-Bermuda-based) employer or clients is explicitly permitted; taking up local employment is not.
- Note For Wfb Transition
- Former Work From Bermuda certificate holders wanting to stay longer must apply for this status 1–2 months before their WFB certificate expires.
Government Fee
- One Year
- BMD 275
- Five Year
- BMD 1,215
Economic Investment Certificate (EIC)
- Duration
- 5-year residency, renewable; requires spending at least 90 days per year in Bermuda and maintaining the investment
- Path Onward
- After 5 years, EIC holders can apply for a standard Residential Certificate, allowing indefinite residency
- Description
- A high-net-worth residency route, not aimed at typical remote workers, requiring a minimum investment of USD 2.5 million into Bermuda's economy (real estate, government bonds, a new business, or local charitable contributions).
Former Program Work From Bermuda Certificate
- Status
- Discontinued as of February 28, 2025 — kept here for historical/transition context only
- Duration
- 12 months from date of issue; renewable only on a case-by-case basis, not automatic — a fresh application was required
- Launched
- August 2020 (also called the 'One Year Residential Certificate')
- Who It Was For
- Remote employees or business owners with a company registered and operating outside Bermuda, freelancers with foreign clients, or students enrolled in a foreign degree program
- Application Fee
- BMD 263
- Processing Time
- Typically about 5 business days, with a stated maximum of 10 working days
- Income Requirement
- No official minimum income figure was ever published. Applicants had to demonstrate 'substantial means and/or a continuous source of annual income' and provide supporting proof.
- Grace Period For Existing Holders
- Holders whose WFB certificate expires get 90 days after expiration to settle affairs and either leave Bermuda or transition to another residency status.
Documents Required
- Color scan of passport bio page (passport valid 6+ months)
- Proof of remote employment (work contract) or business registration/incorporation certificate for the self-employed, OR proof of enrollment in a foreign degree program for students
- Valid health insurance covering Bermuda for the certificate period
- Clean criminal record
- Family members had to apply and pay separately, submitting all applications on the same day
Visa Free Entry
- Overview
- Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory with its own immigration system — it is not part of Schengen or any regional free-movement bloc, and it does not issue a separate 'tourist visa' document. Instead, an immigration officer grants 'permission to land' on arrival at L.F. Wade International Airport and decides the length of stay, up to a legal outer limit.
- Max Stay Days
- 180
- Who Qualifies
- Citizens of the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada are the default baseline nomad group and can enter without any visa. Nationals of most other countries can also enter without a separate Bermuda visa, provided their nationality is not on Bermuda's 'Visa Controlled Nationals List' (set out in the Bermuda Immigration and Protection (Prohibition of Entry) Order). Nationals who ARE on that controlled list must instead present a valid multiple-entry visa (MRV) for the US, UK, or Canada — used as a proxy vetting document since nearly all commercial flights to Bermuda route through those three countries.
- Extension Process
- To stay beyond the initial permission granted on arrival, an application must be made to the Bermuda Department of Immigration in Hamilton before the current permission expires; approval is discretionary and supporting documents (proof of funds, accommodation, onward booking) are typically required.
- Stay Period Basis
- Rolling 12-month period (changed from a calendar-year basis in January 2024). Visitors who have used their full 180 days within the preceding 12 months are expected to depart, and re-entry within the following six months can be refused.
- Work Note
- Visa-free/visa-exempt entry only covers tourism/visiting — looking for or taking up work while on this status is not permitted. Employment requires a Bermuda-based employer to sponsor a work permit.
Official Source Links
Process For Default Group
- Present a valid passport (must remain valid for the entire duration of the stay for US/UK/Canadian citizens).
- Show proof of return or onward travel.
- Complete the Bermuda Arrival Card online (or on paper on arrival) before landing — required for all air and yacht arrivals; cruise passengers are exempt.
- Be prepared to show proof of accommodation and, occasionally, proof of sufficient funds if requested by an immigration officer.
Process For Visa Controlled Nationals
- Must hold a valid multiple re-entry visa (MRV) for the US, UK, or Canada.
- Both the MRV and the passport must remain valid for at least 45 days beyond the intended departure date from Bermuda.
- Travelers arriving without a qualifying MRV, or whose MRV/passport validity is under 45 days, will be refused entry.
- Complete the Bermuda Arrival Card as above.
Tax Notes
- Personal Income Tax
- None. Bermuda levies no personal income tax, and residents under any of these certificates are not taxed locally on foreign-earned income.
- Primary Local Tax Base
- Instead of income tax, Bermuda funds itself mainly through a payroll tax charged to employers (with a portion typically passed on to employees for locally-employed staff) and customs duties — this does not apply to someone working remotely for a foreign employer with no Bermuda employment relationship.
- Capital Gains And Dividend Tax
- Bermuda does not tax profits, income, dividends, or capital gains at the individual level.
- Home Country Taxes Still Apply
- Bermuda's tax-free status does not remove your home-country tax obligations — e.g., U.S. citizens/green-card holders must still file and pay U.S. tax on worldwide income regardless of where they live.
- Day Count Residency Note
- Some tax advisory sources flag that spending 183+ days in Bermuda in a year can trigger local tax-residency status, though because Bermuda has no personal income tax regardless, the practical effect on your Bermuda tax bill is minimal — the bigger issue is whether it triggers residency/compliance questions in your home country.
Program Status
No dedicated digital nomad visa is currently available. Bermuda's 'Work From Bermuda Certificate' (WFB), which functioned as its digital nomad visa, was officially discontinued and stopped accepting new applications as of February 28, 2025. The government has stated it is transitioning back to multi-year residency applications instead.
Visa Ease Tier
moderate
Visa Ease Tier Rationale
Bermuda offers 180-day visa-free entry for most nationalities and a workable, low-fee annual residency route for remote workers (with no local income tax), but its dedicated digital-nomad visa was discontinued and the replacement pathway has discretionary approval and a 12-week wait.
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this visas research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.