Household goods to Bermuda: duty-free with a Transfer of Residence Certificate, otherwise 25%
If you come to live in Bermuda for the first time, you bring your used household goods free of import duty. You show that you may live there, and you have owned the goods for more than six months. If you ship them, you ask for a free Transfer of Residence Certificate at the airport on arrival. Whatever is not exempt usually costs 25% import duty plus 1.25% wharfage.
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If you come to live in Bermuda for the first time, you bring your used household goods free of import duty. This is called the transfer of residence allowance. You need two things for it: proof that you may live in Bermuda, and proof that the goods are older than six months. If you ship your household goods, you ask Customs for a free Transfer of Residence Certificate at the airport on arrival. Whatever is not exempt usually costs 25% import duty.
When are your household goods exempt?
Bermuda Customs names three conditions for first-time residents:
- You may live there. You show your permission, such as a work permit or a spousal letter (the letter for the spouse of a Bermudian).
- The goods are older than six months. You must be able to prove this, for example with receipts.
- They are personal effects, professional effects or household goods. So no goods for trade.
The customs tariff says the same in its own words. Used personal effects are goods you have owned for at least six months before your arrival. They fall under 0%. Do not sell them at a profit within six months of importing them.
Customs names the work permit and the spousal letter as examples. Are you coming on another route, such as Permission to Reside or the investor certificate? Then email customs@gov.bm in advance with your papers and ask whether you qualify for the exemption.
What does it cost if it is not exempt?
| What | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Used personal effects, owned for at least 6 months | 0% | tariff, chapter 98 |
| New or too-recent goods, most goods | 25% | tariff |
| Household appliances such as a washing machine | 25% | tariff |
| Wharfage on air or sea freight | 1.25% of the value | declaring goods |
| Other goods a resident brings along | free up to BD$300 | duty free allowances |
Wharfage is a charge on freight that arrives by ship or plane. Baggage you carry yourself, and post, are exempt from it.
One Bermudian dollar (BD$) is exactly one US dollar. BD$300 is about €268.
A car is not part of your household goods. It pays its own, high import duty, and may only enter under strict conditions. Read car and driving licence in Bermuda.
How do you arrange it on arrival?
It depends on how your goods travel.
| How your goods arrive | What you do |
|---|---|
| They are in your luggage | tick the box on the Customs Traveller Declaration |
| They travel as baggage up to 90 days before or after your arrival | declare them on a Bermuda Customs Declaration, with code 4413 |
| They are shipped as household goods | a copy of your Transfer of Residence Certificate with the declaration |
The Customs Traveller Declaration is the form you fill in at the airport on arrival. A new version has applied since 1 October 2026.
You ask a customs officer at the airport for the Transfer of Residence Certificate yourself, on the day you arrive to take up residence. It is free and you get it immediately. You need it for the declaration of everything you ship. So put it on your list for travel day.
A shipped consignment is declared on a Bermuda Customs Declaration at the Customs Long Room in Hamilton, or through your forwarder. Anyone claiming relief first needs a CAPS ID, a registration number with Customs. Ask your mover whether their agent in Bermuda arranges this.
We did not find on the Customs website by when a shipped consignment must arrive. The 90-day period applies to baggage. Plan the shipment close to your arrival, and ask Customs (customs@gov.bm, 441-295-4816) whether a limit applies.
Are you bringing cash?
If you bring more than BD$10,000 in cash or negotiable instruments, you declare it to Bermuda Customs, through the red channel. When leaving the Netherlands you declare €10,000 or more to Dutch Customs. Note the difference: in the EU the rule is "from", in Bermuda "more than".
For large amounts a transfer is usually easier. Bear in mind that in Bermuda you pay 1.25% tax when you buy foreign currency, such as euros, at a local bank. Read banking and payments in Bermuda.
What else do you bring?
You may also bring 1 litre of spirits, 1 litre of wine and 200 cigarettes duty-free. How to bring medicines, you can read in medicines across the border.
A dog or cat does not travel as household goods. It needs its own import permit. Read pets to Bermuda.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.2: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Bermuda or go straight to step 4.2 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Government of Bermuda — Exemption from duty when moving to Bermuda, with the proof, the six months and the Transfer of Residence Certificate — gov.bm
- Government of Bermuda — duty free allowances, with the relief when moving and baggage up to 90 days before or after arrival — gov.bm
- Bermuda Customs Tariff 2026 — chapter 98, used personal effects at 0%, and the general rate of 25% — gov.bm
- Government of Bermuda — declaring goods to Customs, with wharfage, the CAPS ID and cash above BD$10,000 — gov.bm
- Government of Bermuda — the new Customs Traveller Declaration since 1 October 2026 — gov.bm
- European Commission — declaring cash when leaving the EU from €10,000 — taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu
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