Bermuda Investor Visa

A qualifying investment means an investment of not less than BD$2,500,000, or the equivalent in another currency or asset, in at least one of seven directions: Bermuda situs real estate, whether residential or commercial.

A contribution to Bermuda Sinking Fund for the purpose of debt reduction. A contribution to the Bermuda Trust Fund; a donation to a registered Bermuda charity in the areas of sports development, youth, seniors and health.

A direct or indirect equity investment in an existing Bermuda-based business, including entities listed on the Bermuda Stock Exchange, but excluding where the investment is limited to holding listed securities in exempted undertakings.

Investment in the development and launch of a new Bermuda-based business; or such other social or useful venture that benefits Bermuda, Bermudians and things Bermudian as the Minister may determine

What is granted is two certificates in tandem rather than one: an Economic Investment Certificate and a Residential Certificate, and the authority consistently speaks of a person holding both.

The residence right they carry has no stated end date — the programme’s five-year mark is a test to be passed in order to keep the certificate, not the length of the residence right, and conflating the two misreads the route.

The most striking provision, though, is a transitional rule that creates two parallel populations.

Residential Certificates granted before this policy took effect remain as valid and effective as they were, and stay subject to the policy considerations and rules in force on 28 February 2021 or earlier.

The authority states it in both directions: the rights and restrictions of the new policy do not apply to a holder under the 2015 or 2003 policy, and those of the earlier policy do not apply to a holder under the new one.

Reading any Bermudian provision therefore begins with a question: under which policy was that certificate granted. The current policy took effect on 1 March 2021 by order of the Minister.

One point on how entry works: the first step is not an application but an expression of interest, and the government places a dedicated concierge service for it at the Bermuda Business Development Agency.

The right of residence is described as being for an indefinite period, but it must pass a five-year test with two limbs running side by side.

The first: the qualifying investment must be maintained at a minimum threshold value of $2,500,000 by the specific certificate holder for at least five years.

The second: the holder must reside in Bermuda for a minimum of 90 days in each calendar year for the five years after the certificate is granted.

The policy states that verification of both limbs will be required by the end of the fifth year in order to retain the certificate. This policy was revised in June 2024 and replaces three earlier ones: the 2021 policy, the 2015 Residential Certificate Policy and the 2003 policy

The certificate is issued under section 32(5) of the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956, and it carries two rights. The first is the right to reside and to seek employment in Bermuda for an indefinite period.

The second is automatic approval of a work permit for any business into which the holder has invested. An obligation attaches: the holder must notify the Department of Immigration of any material change in the circumstances under which the certificate was granted.

Eligibility requires being at least eighteen; providing proof, including a letter of intent such as a sale and purchase agreement for a real estate investment, of having made a qualifying investment.

Being of good character and conduct; not having been convicted of an offence which in the Minister opinion shows moral turpitude. Not having been convicted of an indictable offence, whether in Bermuda or elsewhere; and being in compliance with the Bermuda Department of Health requirements and protocols.

The Minister retains the right to request further information to assess suitability

The certificate gives the spouse, and children aged 18 or younger, or children aged 18 to 25 if enrolled in higher education, the right to reside in Bermuda.

A child right to reside as a dependant ceases on completion of their full-time tertiary education, or on reaching the age of twenty-five — whichever happens earlier — unless the Minister responsible for Immigration is satisfied that there are special circumstances.

A dependant wishing to work in Bermuda is subject to the Bermuda Work Permit policy, and so does not enjoy the automatic approval the certificate holder receives.

A dependant must also be the spouse, or any legally recognised equivalent, or a child of the applicant; must be of good character; and must not have been convicted of an offence showing moral turpitude or of an indictable offence

The status this programme grants, whether a visa or a residence permit, does not replace the holder's passport. The holder still travels on the passport of their own country, so the figure below belongs to the Bermuda passport and becomes the holder's only once they are issued a Bermuda passport.

The ranking table of Prosperous Intelligence lists Bermuda as a territory that inherits the United Kingdom passport, so the figure below is the figure for the British passport this territory shares.

According to the Passport Index of Prosperous Intelligence, on data dated 30 September 2026, the Bermuda passport reaches 201 destinations without applying for a consular visa in advance. The figure combines three forms of entry and does not count an e-Visa that must be obtained beforehand:

It is therefore a measure of how easily the holder travels, not a count of visa-free countries in the narrow sense.

For comparison, on the same source and the same method of counting, the Vietnamese passport reaches 44 destinations. The two lists of destinations do not nest inside one another, so the difference is an indication rather than a list of places newly opened.

Prosperous Intelligence dates its data and advises checking with the destination’s official authorities before travelling.

The programme policy, made under section 32(5) of the Act cited in the residence cell of this page, does not mention tax; the programme attaches to no tax regime at all.

The June 2024 policy supersedes the 2021 policy and the Residential Certificate policies of 2015 and 2003.

Its content: a qualifying investment is one of not less than BD$2,500,000 in at least one of seven categories.

Among them are Bermuda real estate whether residential or commercial, a contribution to the Sinking Fund for debt reduction, a contribution to the Bermuda Trust Fund, a donation to a registered charity, a capital investment in an existing Bermuda business, and investment in establishing a new Bermuda business.

An exclusion sits inside the investment category itself: an investment does not count where it is limited to holding listed securities in exempted undertakings.

The maintenance obligations run in two limbs and both are audited: holding the investment at the minimum threshold for at least five years, and being present in Bermuda for at least 90 days in every calendar year during the first five years after grant, with a verification at the end of the fifth year to keep the certificate.

One consequence a property buyer should know in advance: under the parent Act a person who is not Bermudian is a Restricted Person, so a certificate holder must still obtain a separate licence in order to hold or acquire Bermuda land.

The certificate may be revoked under section 34 of the parent Act, including where the holder resides continuously outside Bermuda for two years or more without seeking permission before departing.

On the tax side, the Office of the Tax Commissioner states one sentence that belongs at the front: individuals in Bermuda do not pay personal income tax; instead the Government of Bermuda levies a payroll tax.

Payroll tax is charged on every employer; an employee may have 6% of salary deducted by the employer towards that liability; and the self-employed pay it themselves.

Land tax is payable by every homeowner and long-term tenant twice a year, in March and September, with interest at 7% a year on late payment; those liable include the sole owner, a life tenant, a tenant for three years or more, and a periodic tenant of Government of Bermuda property.

Land tax is calculated on annual rental value across seven bands, at rates from 0.80% in the lowest band to 50% in the band from 120,001 upward, and a person aged 65 or over who owns and occupies their own home receives a BD$1,566 annual relief, available only where the annual rental value is up to 45,500.

The band figures above must be read with a warning, and the warning comes from the source page itself: the page records a last-updated date of 14 July 2026, yet its content still carries tables marked proposed with effect from 1 July 2019, together with the 2018 and 2019 tax periods for commercial property.

The bands and rates above are therefore figures as read from the page and must not be treated as the schedule currently in force without checking them against the Land Tax Act 1967 and the Land Valuation and Tax Act 1967.

Read this cell within its scope. The programme policy covers the investment, maintenance, dependants, property purchase and revocation, and says nothing about tax.

The tax page lists only the two taxes administered by the Office of the Tax Commissioner and how to pay them, and is not a complete statement of Bermuda revenue. Import duty, stamp duty and the land licence fee for a Restricted Person all sit outside it

The fee payable on application for a Residential Certificate is USD 2,755. Once the Minister has approved the application, the certificate is additionally made available in a miniature or wallet-size form to facilitate re-entry into Bermuda.

The USD 2,755 figure is the one in the fee schedule now in force: Head 6 of the Government Fees Regulations 1976, as replaced by the Government Fees Amendment Regulations 2023 (BR 32/2023) with effect from 1 April 2023, sets USD 2,755 for both the economic investment certificate and the residential certificate, and the Government of Bermuda online service page gives the same figure. The policy revised in June 2024 still prints USD 2,625, which is the level the Government Fees Amendment Regulations 2022 (BR 26/2022) set from 1 April 2022, and the policy itself refers readers to the Department of Immigration website for fee information.

The largest cost is not the application fee but holding the investment. The policy requires the certificate holder to maintain the qualifying investment at a minimum of BD$2,500,000 for at least five years, and to reside in Bermuda for at least 90 days in each calendar year over those five years.

Dependants who wish to work in Bermuda must obtain work permits under the work permit policy. Making a false representation in an application is an offence under the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act.