Moving & Living - Bermuda - Complete Guide

01Choose your parish and test the commute

Choose a base around the journeys you will repeat: work, school, food shopping and healthcare. In Bermuda, a parish name is only the beginning of that decision. The exact road, walk to a bus stop and return-service timetable matter when comparing two otherwise similar homes.

Use the tourism authority's Hamilton walking route to orient yourself around Church Street, Queen Street and Front Street. Treat the walk as a way to understand the area, not evidence that every nearby rental is suitable.

1. Mark the actual workplace or campus and each child's proposed school before viewing rentals.
2. Use Shorelink's official trip planner and current schedules to compare the morning departure and evening return. Account for the walk at both ends, and a fallback when a preferred service is unavailable.
3. Visit the shortlist at the times you expect to leave and return. Inspect road access, steps, lighting and the practical shopping journey.
4. Book a temporary base while inspecting permanent homes, then make the lease decision using the complete household journey rather than a photograph or a parish label.

02Choose the permission for your actual move

Start with the activity you will undertake and the people moving with you. Visitor entry, residence permission and permission to work answer different questions. A travel document accepted at the border does not authorise employment, and a school offer does not settle an accompanying parent's immigration status.

1. Prepare a household list showing nationality, relationship, age and intended activity for every person.
2. Select the actual permission and submission process with the responsible employer or Immigration. Keep approval and document preparation separate from flight bookings.
3. Record what the issued permission allows, its duration and the renewal requirements. Resolve the conditions of any overseas remote work directly with Immigration; do not infer a working entitlement from independently funded residence.

The Work From Bermuda initiative concluded on 28 February 2025 according to its government application page. An archived description of that programme is not evidence of an open digital-nomad route.

Obtain permission for each accompanying person

Apply the current dependent framework to Standard and New Business permit households.

1. Document the recognised relationship, children's ages and education or guardianship. Parents and other relatives need independent residence permission.
2. Have the employer assess base salary and medical cover. Married-spouse and unmarried-partner households are counted differently; bonuses and allowances do not replace base salary.
3. Obtain each entry/re-entry document and compare expiry with passports and the sponsor's permit.
4. Distinguish job seeking from working: a dependent's employer needs the applicable permit; children's residence does not grant job-seeking rights.

03Arrange the job and employer application

Have the employer complete local recruitment and the permit application

Before arranging a job-based move, establish the permit category for the actual role. The government's 2026 work-permit guidance places the application with the employer and requires approval before employment begins.

1. Have the employer assess whether the occupation is open to an overseas application and whether a category-specific recruitment exception applies.
2. For the ordinary advertised route, the employer publishes the vacancy in a local newspaper and on the government job board for at least eight days, considering qualified local applicants.
3. Agree and sign the employment contract, then have the employer submit the complete online application with the supporting file required for that permit.
4. Keep the application reference and wait for formal approval before starting work. The published twenty-working-day period concerns complete applications and is not a guaranteed travel deadline.

Optional: establish the business and work permissions separately

If the move involves operating a business, start with the government's business-formation guidance to determine the applicable company or partnership structure and permissions to trade. Incorporating a company does not by itself approve your employment.

The New Business Work Permit concerns qualifying new exempted or section 114B companies and has timing and role restrictions. Have the company establish eligibility and the actual employee category before submitting the application. Do not treat it as a general self-employment or ordinary settlement route for anyone purchasing a small business.

04Build the move budget from net pay and actual quotes

Build two budgets: the cash needed to reach a functioning home, and the spending repeated after the first month. Request a take-home-pay illustration from payroll, then use actual housing and insurance quotations. The table deliberately leaves household-dependent amounts as quotes rather than inventing an island-wide monthly total.

Charges above were checked on 13 October 2026: BELCO's supplier page and the government fare page updated 6 July 2026. They are specific Bermuda services, not a representative monthly household budget. Amounts are shown in Bermudian dollars (BMD, written BD$). The Monetary Authority Act establishes this local currency; supplier pages sometimes abbreviate it to $. Confirm account terms and any foreign-currency payment charges before payment.

1. List every initial payment due before the first salary reaches your usable account. Include the interval in temporary accommodation and the rent payment needed at handover.
2. Separate amounts reimbursed by the employer from amounts paid directly. Record the reimbursement date and documents required, since an eventual refund does not fund an immediate payment.
3. Set a reserve for changes to travel dates, shipment timing or the temporary stay using your own quoted costs.
4. Keep home-country tax and financial obligations alongside the Bermuda calculation. Moving does not establish that every former obligation has ended.

05Arrange school placement or college admission

If children are moving with you, resolve school placement alongside dependent permission and the housing search. A place at a school does not itself approve a child's residence. Take recent reports, birth or passport records, and any learning-support assessments to admissions discussions.

1. For the public system, contact the Department of Education at [email protected] about the child's age, proposed address and arrival date. Ask for the current new-student form and placement instructions, especially for a move during the school year. Use the correct intake year's guidance rather than an older registration link.
2. For private education, compare curriculum, year placement, learning support, transport and the complete fee schedule. Warwick Academy, at 117 Middle Road, Warwick, publishes its entry points and rolling admissions for other year groups. Rolling admission depends on a vacancy; it is not a guaranteed place.
3. Use Warwick's application instructions to upload a birth certificate or passport, the latest report where applicable, and relevant educational assessments. Its published one-time non-refundable application fee is BD$100. The school then arranges a confidential reference from the present school. Budget tuition separately from this application charge.
4. Bermuda High School for Girls provides another named starting point, from early years through its senior programme. Follow the application page for the child's actual stage and discuss assessment, availability and fees with admissions.
5. Obtain a written placement decision and starting arrangements before finalising the daily school journey. Ask what uniform, equipment and records must be ready for the first day, then test the trip from the proposed home.

Obtain college admission before the student-residence application

For study at Bermuda College, choose the programme and intake with admissions first.

1. Contact [email protected] about programme availability, qualification assessment and the intended intake; not every listed programme is offered every semester.
2. Use the college's application instructions to prepare official academic records and external results, English translations and any required language evidence, recommendation and medical disclosure.
3. Accepted full-time applicants aged eighteen or older prepare the student residence file: insurance, funding, police and medical records, plus admission confirmation.
4. Apply at least two months before term. Student residence prohibits employment and job seeking.

06Assess independently funded residence

For retirement or another independently funded stay, use the annual residence policy, not an assumed retirement visa.

1. Establish the household assessment: age eighteen or older, individual annual income at least BD$75,000, private insurance and ninety days' residence per calendar year.
2. Prepare medical and original police certificates, two references, three photographs, certified passport and applicable visa copies, bank evidence and funding records.
3. Submit the application with payment evidence. Passport and applicable visa validity must extend forty-five days beyond permission; this route prohibits employment and job seeking.
4. Start renewal at least sixty days before expiry, using the policy's updated-document checklist.

Before ending an existing home or insurance arrangement, obtain the decision and review its conditions with the household. Keep the recurring income evidence available for renewal and establish how ongoing healthcare and any care support will be funded. Plan for the actual permission period, with an alternative if a later application is unsuccessful.

07Prepare documents, the shipment and any pets

Prepare the household shipment before departure

Make an inventory with purchase dates, values and supporting receipts, then separate qualifying used belongings from newer purchases. Under Bermuda's transfer-of-residence guidance, first-time residents need proof of residence permission and evidence that goods claimed for relief are over six months old. Returning residents also need evidence of more than a year overseas.

1. Give the shipping agent the inventory and residence documentation, and obtain an itemised freight, handling and clearance quote. Do not treat an exemption as covering every item automatically.
2. For goods accompanying you, select the appropriate transfer-of-residence box on the Customs Travellers Declaration.
3. For separately shipped goods, request the Transfer of Residence Certificate from a customs officer at the airport when arriving to take up residence. The government states that the certificate is free and processed immediately. Keep a copy for the shipment's clearance.

Optional: approve the pet's journey before booking it

Start with the official dog and cat import conditions, matching the origin country and direct routing. Rabies requirements have origin-specific exceptions; do not use another traveller's vaccination timeline. Prohibited dog breeds cannot be imported for residency, while restricted breeds require approval and suitable premises.

1. Have the veterinarian review the microchip, vaccination history and required examination treatment against Bermuda's checklist.
2. Arrange the health certificate within ten days before arrival and submit the supporting documents for the import permit. A digitally signed certificate must be sent directly by the veterinary facility.
3. Wait for the issued permit, then carry its printed copy and the original veterinary certificates with the animal. Permit validity runs ten days from the certificate date, not from the day you receive approval.
4. After arrival, license a resident dog with Environment and Natural Resources at Botanical Gardens, Paget.

08Complete the arrival and temporary-home handover

Carry the issued originals for the moving journey

After the permits are issued, organize the household's arrival file against Appendix IV of the 2026 work policy. It requires incoming workers to possess their original work document and accompanying dependents their original entry/re-entry document.

1. Collect the actual issued documents rather than booking around the employer's application receipt or an expected decision date.
2. Check every name and permission expiry against the passports and itinerary. Keep each person's original accessible during the journey, with separate backup copies.
3. Describe the arrival purpose consistently with the permission obtained. Resolve an incorrect document with the employer and Immigration before travelling.
4. Assess transit permission for each passport separately. Under the 17 September 2026 entry order, scheduled nationals need qualifying Canada, UK or US entry-and-re-entry authorization valid for forty-five days beyond intended departure from Bermuda, or the specified government letter establishing spouse-of-Bermudian or belonging status. Read the schedule and its starred-nationality exceptions for the actual passport.

Complete the airport-to-home handover

1. Keep the temporary accommodation address and host's contact details available offline. Arrange the onward journey for the actual flight time and baggage, and confirm access if arriving after the property's usual reception hours.
2. After entry processing, retain the issued or endorsed records with your permission file. Complete the customs declaration for the goods accompanying you and request the transfer-of-residence certificate if a separate shipment needs it.
3. At the temporary home, confirm the checkout date, extension terms, internet access and a working telephone contact. Locate the nearest practical food-shopping option and the stop serving the next day's journey.
4. Notify the employer or college that you have arrived and confirm the first appointment. Use the issued permission's conditions to establish when work or study can begin.
5. Keep the permanent-home search, bank appointment and service applications in a dated checklist. Avoid committing to a rental handover before you have established access, supply arrangements and the cash needed to make the agreed payments.

09Complete employment and local registrations

Ask for a take-home-pay calculation

Use remuneration rather than salary alone: Bermuda's Payroll Tax guidance includes relevant cash and non-cash employment benefits. Ask payroll to show the treatment of accommodation, bonuses and other allowances before agreeing your move budget.

The 2026/27 employee schedule applies marginal rates to successive bands, not the highest rate to the whole salary. For a hypothetical annual taxable remuneration of BD$120,000, the calculation is BD$48,000 × 0.25% + BD$48,000 × 7.75% + BD$24,000 × 10.75% = BD$6,420 annually, or BD$535 a month if spread evenly. This is an illustrative employee payroll-tax calculation for 1 April 2026–31 March 2027, not a complete deduction or living-cost estimate. Social insurance, insurance deductions and your personal circumstances are separate.

The employer pays the total payroll-tax liability to the authority; the employee portion may be deducted through payroll. Business owners and self-employed people should establish their own registration and filing obligations with the Office of the Tax Commissioner. Immigration approval and tax registration are separate tasks. Overseas tax residence and continuing obligations need a separate assessment in the relevant jurisdiction.

Obtain your Social Insurance Number

1. Tell human resources whether you already have a Bermuda Social Insurance Number, so an existing record is not duplicated.
2. For a first application, use the Department of Social Insurance's portal and select the number application. Follow its current supporting-document checklist.
3. Retain the application reference and give payroll the issued number. Keep contribution records and compare deductions with your payslip.

The department's online-service announcement requires number applications online from 24 February 2025 and provides in-person assistance. If the portal fails, contact [email protected] or +1 441 294-9242 for help; do not default to an old downloadable paper form.

10Open the bank account and establish payments

Prepare identity, address and Bermuda-connection evidence

Once the relevant residence or employment record is available, use HSBC Bermuda's own application checklist to prepare the account file. Its adult accounts require applicants aged at least eighteen, and each joint applicant supplies their own documents.

1. Prepare a current passport, the accepted evidence of connection to Bermuda and the FATCA/CRS individual self-certification. A work permit or employer letter is one employment-based example; other supported categories include study and residence.
2. Use an accepted address record, such as a signed lease or utility bill dated within three months. If the record is not in your name, follow the bank's co-resident-letter requirements with that person's address and identity evidence.
3. Read the named account agreement and current fee schedule, including payment and currency services needed for salary and household bills.
4. Follow the bank's application link and complete any follow-up verification. Its advertised contact time is not a guarantee that the account will be approved immediately.
5. After approval, activate the payment services and test a small transaction before redirecting regular income.

11Inspect the home and sign the correct rental agreement

Check the property's rent-control status before signing

After choosing a base, identify the actual rental unit and its Annual Rental Value, or ARV. Consumer Affairs' current guidance places homes with ARV of BD$22,800 or less within rent control; ARV is not the landlord's quoted annual rent.

1. Inspect the unit and record its condition, furnishings, supply arrangements and address.
2. For a controlled property, obtain the registered rent and any approved increase. The authority says landlords must disclose these rather than simply offering a higher vacant-unit price.
3. Put rent, deposit, repair responsibilities, payment dates and the inventory in the lease. Establish the applicable deposit rule for the unit with Consumer Affairs before paying.
4. Keep receipts and the signed condition record. At departure, request deposit return in writing and obtain reasons and receipts for any deductions.

12Confirm insurance and register for routine healthcare

Arrange cover before travelling, then establish where you will receive routine care after arrival. A residence approval is not an insurance policy. Annual residents and international students must retain the private cover required by their immigration permission.

Confirm cover before your first working day

1. Ask human resources for the insurer, policy number and effective date in writing. Under sections 20–24A of the Health Insurance Act, compulsory insurance includes employees and their non-employed spouses, subject to the applicable statutory exemptions. Tell the employer when your spouse's employment circumstances change.
2. Obtain the benefit schedule and proposed payroll deduction in writing. The published consolidated Act's sections 21 and 22 and the Health Council's current explanation differ on deductions for enhanced cover. Ask the Health Council's employer-compliance team to confirm the lawful amount for the actual policy before treating the employer's contribution as a complete take-home-pay calculation.
3. Ask the insurer separately about children, prescriptions, outpatient consultations, dental care, maternity, existing conditions and overseas referrals. Establish whether a provider bills the insurer or expects payment followed by a claim. Keep receipts and any prior-approval reference.
4. Register with a primary-care practice accepting new patients. Send your medication list and relevant records, and arrange a first appointment before your existing prescription supply runs out.

The Bermuda Health Council accepts employer-insurance queries and complaints. The government's Health Insurance Department handles HIP and FutureCare; eligibility and age-subsidy conditions must be established for your own residence status. These are not automatic benefits for every incoming retiree.

Save the correct urgent-care details

King Edward VII Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department, in the Acute Care Wing in Paget, operates around the clock. Call 911 for an ambulance. Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre at Southside handles minor urgent illnesses and injuries during its published weekend hours; it does not replace the hospital for serious emergencies. Save the hospital page and verify the centre's opening hours before travelling there.

Bermuda is reforming health coverage. The government's August 2026 overview describes a core package and intended single-payor system, rather than confirming blanket entitlement for new arrivals. Obtain your actual insurance confirmation instead of treating the reform timetable as proof of coverage.

13Connect the home and arrange daily transport

Arrange BELCO service for the selected home

After agreeing the rental handover, establish whether electricity is included or whether you must open the account. BELCO's customer page provides the new-service application and payment services.

1. Confirm the exact dwelling, meter and service-start date with the landlord before submitting the new-service request.
2. Follow the new-service application linked from BELCO's customer page. Its published connection charge is BD$50, with no connection charge for landlords/homeowners; non-Bermudian residents also provide a BD$150 deposit. Keep the receipt: BELCO says the deposit and accrued interest are applied to the final bill when service ends.
3. Allow BELCO's published one to three business days to process a new-service request, then confirm activation before moving in. These are the supplier's published account charges, not a monthly electricity estimate.
4. When the first bill arrives, use its account and meter numbers to register the customer portal. Set the bank payee against the correct account if using local online banking.
5. Review actual consumption and the fixed and variable bill components before setting a recurring electricity allowance.

Activate a phone connection, then order home internet

1. Confirm that your handset is unlocked and compatible with the service you choose. One Communications' prepaid plans provide a named local starting point; compare validity, data, calls and ongoing top-up requirements before choosing a bundle.
2. For an initial arrival connection on a compatible device, follow the provider's tourist eSIM instructions, install the issued profile over Wi-Fi and select the correct mobile-data line. Calling and texting benefits depend on an active data pack; plan the top-up or longer-term account before it expires. Test a local call and data connection, then give the working number to services handling your applications.
3. At the permanent home, establish whether internet is included in the lease or must be ordered separately. Ask the provider to confirm availability at the exact unit rather than assuming a service advertised island-wide can be installed there immediately.
4. Compare the full monthly charge, installation, deposit, equipment and cancellation terms. Digicel Bermuda's home-internet page is another practical starting point. Confirm an appointment and who will be present for installation.
5. Test the connection in the room where you will use it, including the actual video or work applications needed. Retain mobile access until the home service works reliably for your routine.

Set up Shorelink fares and test the daily journey

After arrival, use Shorelink's official schedules, trip planner and alerts for the actual home-to-work or school route. Pink bus-stop poles indicate travel toward Hamilton; blue poles indicate outbound service.

1. Download the app through the government links. Create and verify an account or choose guest purchase, which has fewer available features.
2. Select the fare for the journey and buy it with a supported Mastercard or Visa. Keep a paper-ticket or exact-change alternative if the phone cannot be used.
3. Activate the purchased fare when boarding and show its validation screen. For a connecting bus, use the activated-ticket transfer validation before boarding.
4. Test the walk to the stop or ferry landing, the required departure and the last return service before committing to a commute.

The government fare page distinguishes short three-zone journeys from longer fourteen-zone journeys and lists ticket booklets and monthly passes. Compare the fare product against the tested route rather than automatically buying a visitor day pass. Cash boarding requires exact coins; dollar bills are not accepted.

Optional: complete the local driving process

Build the first week's travel around buses, ferries or booked transport while arranging a licence. Follow Transport Control's driving application steps:

1. Complete the application, including the doctor's fitness certification. New residents must establish that they will reside in Bermuda for at least thirty days.
2. Take the completed form and an accepted identity document—passport, birth certificate or work permit—to TCD for the written examination. Study the local road rules rather than relying on experience elsewhere.
3. After passing, purchase the learner's permit and arrange practical preparation. Book the driving test through TCD; the four-wheel test includes reversing, parallel parking and supervised driving.
4. Arrange the appropriate insurance and vehicle registration separately before putting a purchased vehicle on the road. Establish the property's vehicle-registration arrangements with the landlord before paying a seller.

Understand the home's water system at handover

Ask the landlord to show you the tank access, level-monitoring method, pump and any treatment equipment, and record who pays for cleaning, maintenance and supplementary deliveries. Check the last cleaning date and roof-maintenance records. The government's water safety guidance calls for tank cleaning at least every six years and roof cleaning or repainting every two years; it explicitly says not to drink well water or put it in the tank. Ask Environmental Health about testing and interpretation when the home's water quality is uncertain.

Include water responsibilities in the rental agreement and report pump failures or leaks promptly. Monitor the supply during dry periods and obtain an actual delivery quote when needed rather than adding an invented flat water bill to the household budget.

14Complete the first month and build a local routine

Use the first month to turn the arrival paperwork into an organised household record. Keep one folder for immigration permission, another for the lease and utility accounts, and another for insurance and employment. Each person's permission may have a different expiry; record the actual date rather than assuming the whole household renews together.

1. In the first week, confirm the employer has your local contact details and issued registration number. Save emergency contacts, establish insurance access and test the route to work or school at the times you will actually travel.
2. At the permanent-home handover, reconcile the inventory, meter record, water arrangements and outstanding repairs with the landlord. Keep the signed records and deposit receipt together.
3. After the first payslip and bills, compare actual deductions and household usage with your provisional budget. Separate refundable deposits from spending, and adjust the electricity and transport allowances using your own evidence.
4. Add renewal reminders based on the conditions of the issued permits. Keep the current official application links in the same record so a future renewal does not start from an obsolete saved form.

Choose a regular local activity

The Bermuda National Library offers resident membership from age seventeen, using Bermuda photo identification or photo identification with proof of local address. Follow its membership application for access to the services that suit you. Parents or legal guardians handle children's membership.

For an arts-based routine, look through Masterworks' classes and workshops and choose a session appropriate to your age and experience. Book against the actual event's availability and price; a photograph of an older museum sign does not establish today's admission terms. Repeated visits to a library, class or local club make community-building a practical weekly commitment.