The residence routes to Bermuda: work, a Bermudian partner, your own income or investing

Q: How does the work route work?

Only your employer can apply for a work permit . First the job must be advertised, so that Bermudians go first. For 48 closed occupations, such as receptionist, real estate agent and administrative assistant, no permit can be granted. For 18 restricted occupations, such as electrician and waiter, at most two years at a time. The employer must also show that you speak enough English, unless you have a qualification obtained in English. All of this is in working in Bermuda .

Q: Can you live on your own income?

Yes, with Permission to Reside on an Annual Basis : permission to live in Bermuda as a resident, usually for one year. The requirements: an income of at least $75,000 a year , from work outside Bermuda or from assets; your own health insurance for the whole period; living in Bermuda for at least 90 days per calendar year ; being 18 or older, with a passport valid 45 days beyond the permission; not working in Bermuda, and not looking for work there either. Among other things you submit a police certificate, a medical certificate and two character references. The fees are $275 for one year or $1,215 for five years. You renew at least 60 days before the end. Working remotely for an employer or your own business outside Bermuda is allowed with this permission, as long as that employer has no branch in Bermuda. The brochure only prohibits work "in Bermuda" and accepts income from work outside Bermuda as proof of your means. When Work from Bermuda ended, the government itself referred the remote workers to this route. And Immigration has told law firm Appleby that such work is allowed without a work permit. It is not in the law word for word; ask Immigration for written confirmation before you count on it.

Q: And investing?

With the Economic Investment Residential Certificate (EIRC) you invest at least 2.5 million dollars (about €2.2 million) in Bermuda, in a home, a business or a fund, and you hold it for five years. At least $25,000 goes to Bermudian charities, within or on top of that amount. You may then stay indefinitely and look for work. You spend at least 90 days a year there. The fees are $2,755 (about €2,460), under the fees regulations since 2023; the 2026 policy still says $2,625, the 2022 rate. On top of that, since the end of September 2026 you pay $10,000 to the Bermuda Business Development Agency, which vets your application and prepares the file for the minister. All applications go through that agency.

Q: Can you ever stay permanently?

Only after living there a long time. You apply for a Permanent Resident's Certificate after at least 20 years in Bermuda. Bermudian status through marriage is only open to Commonwealth citizens, and a Dutch national is not one.

With a Dutch passport you may spend up to six months in any twelve months in Bermuda without a visa, but you may not work or look for work. Living there is only possible with permission from Immigration, through four routes: work, a Bermudian partner, your own income of at least 75,000 dollars a year, or an investment of 2.5 million dollars. The nomad programme ended in 2025, and there is no retirement visa.

6 min read

Written and checked by Auke on 26 October 2026, against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.

With a Dutch passport you do not need a visa for Bermuda. As a visitor you may spend six months (or 180 days) there in any period of twelve months, with a return ticket. You may not work or look for work. If you want to live there, you need permission from Immigration, the immigration department under the Ministry of Economy and Labour. There are four routes: work, a Bermudian partner, your own income or a large investment.

There is no retirement visa. Someone over 67 can only live there on their own income, and then you need at least 75,000 dollars a year (about €67,000). With an AOW and an average pension you will not reach that. The nomad programme Work from Bermuda ended on 28 February 2025; whoever works remotely now chooses the own-income route.

By law the Bermudian dollar is equal to the US dollar. We convert amounts at the European Central Bank rate of 23 October 2026: 1 euro is about 1.12 dollars.

Which route suits you?

Route	For whom	Working in Bermuda	Fees
Work	anyone who finds a Bermudian employer	yes, for that employer	1 year $1,015 (≈ €907), 5 years $6,510 (≈ €5,816)
Spouse of a Bermudian	married to a Bermudian who lives there	yes, without a work permit	$190 (≈ €170)
Unmarried partner	living together, as a guideline for at least two years	only with your own work permit
Own income	at least $75,000 a year, 90 days a year in Bermuda	no; remotely for abroad yes	$275 a year or $1,215 for 5 years
Investing (EIRC)	at least $2.5 million, held for five years	yes	$2,755 (≈ €2,460), plus $10,000 for the BDA

What applies as a visitor?

Within any twelve months you may spend six months or 180 days in Bermuda, whichever is longer. That may be in one stretch or in parts, counted from your first arrival (section 28 of the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act, the immigration law). You need a return or onward ticket that stays valid the whole time.

If you want to stay longer than your stamp allows, you apply for an extension before it runs out. You do that in person, together with your host, at the Compliance Section at 30 Parliament Street in Hamilton, between 9.00 and 12.00. It costs $130 (about €116).

NederlandWereldwijd has no travel advice of its own for Bermuda. Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory, but with its own laws. Dutch nationals have no special rights there, such as free movement or a right to work.

How does the work route work?

Only your employer can apply for a work permit. First the job must be advertised, so that Bermudians go first. For 48 closed occupations, such as receptionist, real estate agent and administrative assistant, no permit can be granted. For 18 restricted occupations, such as electrician and waiter, at most two years at a time. The employer must also show that you speak enough English, unless you have a qualification obtained in English. All of this is in working in Bermuda.

What if your partner is Bermudian?

If you are married to a Bermudian who lives in Bermuda, you may live there as if you were Bermudian yourself (section 27 of the immigration law). You may also work without a work permit (section 60). Immigration confirms this in a letter, for $190. You need that letter when you arrive to live there.

A Dutch registered partnership or a marriage between two men or two women counts as a domestic partnership under the Domestic Partnership Act: the Netherlands is named in Schedule 2 of that act. The act then reads "spouse" in other laws as domestic partner, and the immigration law is not excepted from that. So you have the same rights as a spouse. For a partner of the same sex Immigration has a scheme of its own: a letter that lets you live and seek work as long as the relationship lasts, for $190. For a registered partnership of a man and a woman you apply for the usual spouse letter, with your partnership certificate; whether Immigration issues it to registered partners too is not confirmed. With a work permit a domestic partnership counts as a marriage in any case: that is in the work permit policy.

If you live together without a marriage or partnership, the partner guideline applies. Your partner then earns at least $60,000 a year (about €53,600) and you have your own health insurance. You get five years of residence, but no free right to work: working is only possible with the usual work permit.

Can you live on your own income?

Yes, with Permission to Reside on an Annual Basis: permission to live in Bermuda as a resident, usually for one year. The requirements:

an income of at least $75,000 a year, from work outside Bermuda or from assets;
your own health insurance for the whole period;
living in Bermuda for at least 90 days per calendar year;
being 18 or older, with a passport valid 45 days beyond the permission;
not working in Bermuda, and not looking for work there either.

Among other things you submit a police certificate, a medical certificate and two character references. The fees are $275 for one year or $1,215 for five years. You renew at least 60 days before the end.

Working remotely for an employer or your own business outside Bermuda is allowed with this permission, as long as that employer has no branch in Bermuda. The brochure only prohibits work "in Bermuda" and accepts income from work outside Bermuda as proof of your means. When Work from Bermuda ended, the government itself referred the remote workers to this route. And Immigration has told law firm Appleby that such work is allowed without a work permit. It is not in the law word for word; ask Immigration for written confirmation before you count on it.

And investing?

With the Economic Investment Residential Certificate (EIRC) you invest at least 2.5 million dollars (about €2.2 million) in Bermuda, in a home, a business or a fund, and you hold it for five years. At least $25,000 goes to Bermudian charities, within or on top of that amount. You may then stay indefinitely and look for work. You spend at least 90 days a year there. The fees are $2,755 (about €2,460), under the fees regulations since 2023; the 2026 policy still says $2,625, the 2022 rate. On top of that, since the end of September 2026 you pay $10,000 to the Bermuda Business Development Agency, which vets your application and prepares the file for the minister. All applications go through that agency.

Can you ever stay permanently?

Only after living there a long time. You apply for a Permanent Resident's Certificate after at least 20 years in Bermuda. Bermudian status through marriage is only open to Commonwealth citizens, and a Dutch national is not one.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey, step 1.1: 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 1.1 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.

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