Bermuda Economic Investment Residential Certificate
The Economic Investment Residential Certificate grants an indefinite right to reside and seek employment for BMD 2,500,000 — pegged 1:1 to the US dollar — held five years, through property, equity in a Bermuda business, or a non-refundable contribution to the Sinking Fund, the Bermuda Trust Fund or a registered charity. Non-Bermudians buying property also pay a land-holding licence of 12.5% for a house or 8% for a condominium. Holders must spend 90 days a year in Bermuda throughout the five years, and no processing timeline is officially published. See our programme finder and methodology.
Key figures
- From
- $2 500 000≈ $3 337 500 for a family of four, fees included
- Processing time
- 1–3 months
- Physical presence
- Holders must spend at least 90 days in Bermuda in each calendar year for the five years following the grant, and keep the qualifying investment at 2.5 million or more over the same period; both are verified at the end of year five to retain the certificate. Two or more years of continuous residence outside Bermuda without prior leave from the Minister can trigger revocation.
- Family
- Spouse (or legally recognised equivalent) and children aged 18 or under, or 18 to 25 if enrolled in higher education. Dependants receive the right to reside, not to work: employment requires a work permit under the ordinary policy. On death or divorce, the spouse must reapply in their own right.
Timeline and status
The programme announces 1–3 months. That is the official figure, not a commitment. Status checked against Ministry of Economy and Labour — The Economic Investment Residential Certificate Policy (en vigueur le 7 juin 2024) on .
Neither the policy nor the Department of Immigration publishes a processing standard: the certificate is issued once the Ministry of Economy and Labour has reviewed a complete file assembled through the Bermuda Business Development Agency’s concierge. Practitioners describe a matter of weeks to a few months; treat the range above as an order of magnitude, not an official commitment.
Investment routes and what each one really costs
| Route | Official minimum | Real total, family of four | Hold | Recoverable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real estateResidential or commercial property in Bermuda, held at or above 2,500,000 BMD (pegged 1:1 to the US dollar) for five years. Non-Bermudians need a land-holding licence: 12.5% of the price for a freehold house (minimum annual rental value 126,000 BMD), 8% for a leasehold condominium (minimum ARV 25,800 BMD). Licence fee and stamp duty may be counted toward the 2.5 million. | $2 500 000 | ≈ $3 337 500 | 5 yr | No |
| BusinessAlso accepted for this threshold — capital transferDirect or indirect equity in an existing Bermuda-based business, including companies listed on the Bermuda Stock Exchange, or the development and launch of a new Bermuda business. Holding listed securities of exempted undertakings does not count. Investing in a business brings an automatic work-permit approval for that business. | $2 500 000 | ≈ $3 337 500 | 5 yr | No |
| DonationA non-refundable contribution to Bermuda’s Sinking Fund (public debt reduction), to the Bermuda Trust Fund, or a donation to a registered Bermuda charity working in sports development, youth, seniors or health. Government bonds were removed from the eligible list in June 2024. | $2 500 000 | ≈ $3 337 500 | — | No |
Limits and drawbacks
- At 2.5 million BMD this is one of the highest entry tickets of any residency programme, and the amount must be held for five years.
- This is residency, not a passport. The certificate does not lead to Bermudian status, and British Overseas Territories citizenship is a separate British-law process that does not itself confer Bermudian status. Treat a second citizenship as outside this programme’s scope.
- Ninety days of physical presence every year for five years is a real obligation, verified at the end of year five; two years of continuous absence without leave can cost the certificate.
- Buying property adds a land-holding licence of 12.5% for a freehold house or 8% for a condominium, plus stamp duty, and the eligible housing stock is limited by minimum annual rental value thresholds.
- Sources still describe the old 2021 Economic Investment Certificate with its five-year wait, and government bonds are no longer an eligible asset since June 2024 — check the June 2024 policy text, not older summaries.
- No official processing time is published; the timeline depends on assembling a complete file through the Bermuda Business Development Agency.
What it gets you
- Indefinite right to reside and seek employment, granted directly — no five-year probationary certificate since March 2023
- No personal income tax, capital gains tax or VAT in Bermuda; payroll tax applies to local employment only
- An automatic work-permit approval for any Bermuda business you invest in
- Investment amounts denominated in a currency pegged 1:1 to the US dollar
- A British Overseas Territory with English common law, two hours from the US east coast
Tax in brief
- No personal income tax, no capital gains tax, no VAT
- Payroll tax instead: employer rates up to 9.5% by payroll size, plus an employee portion from 0.25% to 12.5% by band, capped at 1,000,000 BMD of remuneration
- Land tax twice a year on the annual rental value, progressive — the top band over 120,000 BMD of ARV is taxed at 50%
- Corporate income tax of 15% since 1 January 2025, but only for multinational groups with revenue of 750 million EUR or more
- Non-Bermudians pay a land-holding licence on purchase: 12.5% for a house, 8% for a condominium
Who else accepts the same kind of investment
Compare it with another jurisdiction
| — | Thailand | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Official minimum | $500 000lower | $800 000 |
| Real total, family of 4 (fees included) | ≈ $667 500lower | ≈ $1 068 000 |
| Announced processing | 1–2 monthsfaster | 24–48 months |
| Presence required | No minimum stay is required to keep the visa, and the usual 90-day reporting is relaxed to once a year — well suited to a part-time base rather than full relocation. | A green card is a residence you must actually keep: extended absences can be treated as abandonment. |
| Investment routes | Government bonds, Business, Real estate | Business |
| A route returns the capital | YesIdentical on this line | YesIdentical on this line |
| Open to Russian applicants | YesIdentical on this line | YesIdentical on this line |
| Region | Asia | North America |
Open the country page · ThailandOpen the country page · United States
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What we do for you
Citizenship or residence, the honest answer often is not the one you arrived with. We take the whole procedure with you — eligibility, the route that fits your situation, the file, the follow-up — with one person on your side throughout.
For Bermuda specifically, you are talking to someone who already knows the file: who to speak to on the ground, what the unit actually asks for, and the points where applications stall.
- One point of contact, from the first call to the certificate
- Vetted partners on the ground — law firms, licensed agents, banks — introduced, not listed
- It starts with a short qualifying call, and no, it is not a sales call
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