Moving to Bermuda from the UK: The Complete 2026 Guide

Last checked 12 October 2026

This guide is general information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Some links may be affiliate links. See our disclosure.

Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory. It has the Queen’s-English spelling, left-hand driving and a familiar legal heritage, so for a Brit it can feel like an easy move. It isn’t. Bermuda runs its own immigration system, British citizens get no automatic right to live or work there, and the cost of living is famously high.

This is our hub guide. It walks through the whole move in order and links to detailed guides on each step. Every factual claim links to its source, usually the Government of Bermuda or GOV.UK.

Step 1: Choose your legal route

There are two main routes for UK movers:

Route A: a job with a Bermuda employer (work permit)

Most people move this way. You need a job offer, and the employer applies for your work permit. They must first advertise the job locally for at least eight days and give Bermudians priority (gov.bm). Standard permits last one to five years.

Full detail: Bermuda work permits explained.

Route B: income from outside Bermuda (Permission to Reside)

If you’ll keep working remotely for a UK employer, or live off a pension or investments, the route is Permission to Reside on an Annual Basis. It needs at least $75,000 a year in income, private health insurance, and no local employment (gov.bm PDF).

Full detail: Permission to Reside in Bermuda.

What about Work From Bermuda?

It closed to new applicants on 28 February 2025 (gov.bm). Ignore any site telling you to apply for it. See Work From Bermuda is closed.

Step 2: Gather your documents early

Whichever route you take, expect to need:

• ACRO police certificate: often the slowest item. Allow six to eight weeks.
• Medical certificate on the Bermuda form.
• Certified passport copy and passport photos.
• Birth and marriage certificates, and children’s birth certificates.
• References, a CV and qualifications.

Full detail: Police and medical certificates from the UK.

Step 3: Sort out the UK side

Tax

Bermuda has no personal income tax, and Taxes for Expats notes that most residents have little foreign tax available to credit (taxesforexpats.com). But moving to Bermuda doesn’t by itself end your UK tax liability.

• Whether you’re UK tax resident is decided by the Statutory Residence Test (SRT). HMRC’s guidance note RDR3 explains it (gov.uk). It looks at days spent in the UK, work patterns and UK ties (home, family, work).
• If you leave the UK, you can tell HMRC using form P85 to claim any tax refund and update your records (gov.uk). If you already file Self Assessment, HMRC’s P85 page explains when you should report your departure on your return instead.
• UK-source income, such as UK rental income, can stay taxable in the UK even after you become non-resident.
• Remote workers on a UK payroll need particular care: your employer may keep deducting PAYE unless HMRC agrees otherwise. Discuss it with your employer and an adviser.
• Leaving partway through a tax year can mean “split year” treatment under the SRT. It’s covered in RDR3.

Our UK tax guide covers the Statutory Residence Test tests and day counts in detail. Get advice from a UK tax adviser who deals with emigration. The stakes are high, especially if you have property, shares or a business.

National Insurance and State Pension

• HMRC explains how National Insurance works when you go abroad (gov.uk).
• You may be able to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions to protect your UK State Pension record (gov.uk). Get a State Pension forecast and compare the cost.
• The UK does have a social security agreement with Bermuda. It’s listed in HMRC’s guidance on reciprocal agreements (gov.uk). HMRC’s employer guidance says employees working in an agreement country usually pay social security there rather than UK National Insurance. Someone sent temporarily may be able to keep paying UK NI with a certificate of coverage (form CA9107) (gov.uk).

Practical UK admin

• Tell your bank, pension providers and HMRC your new address once you have one.
• Decide whether to keep a UK address for correspondence.
• Cancel or transfer council tax, utilities, TV licence and broadband.
• Student loans: you still have to repay your loan while abroad. Keep your Student Loans Company account details up to date (gov.uk).
• Voting: British citizens who previously lived in the UK can register as overseas voters, and must renew every three years (gov.uk).
• Read the FCDO’s Bermuda travel advice before you go.

Step 4: Money

• The Bermuda dollar is pegged 1:1 to the US dollar, and US dollars are widely accepted (wise.com, US News). You’re really converting GBP→USD.
• Compare providers by amount received, not headline fees. Specialist services such as Wise use the mid-market rate. See sending money from the UK to Bermuda.
• Opening a Bermuda bank account needs ID, proof of address, proof of your tie to Bermuda (such as a work permit) and a BM$100 opening deposit at Butterfield and HSBC. See opening a bank account in Bermuda.

Step 5: Healthcare

• Employees: your employer must insure you, and any non-employed spouse, to at least Standard Health Benefit, and can deduct up to half the standard premium from your pay (Health Insurance Act 1970).
• Permission to Reside: you need private health insurance for the whole stay. Compare international plans, and nomad-style options such as SafetyWing, making sure Immigration accepts the policy.

See health insurance in Bermuda.

Step 6: Housing

Bermuda’s rental market is tight. The Government ended Work From Bermuda partly to keep more housing available for Bermudians (gov.bm). Practical points:

• Start looking before you arrive, but don’t send deposits for properties you haven’t seen (or had viewed by someone you trust) and without a signed lease.
• Ask whether a property is furnished, whether a car is already registered to the residence, and how far it is to a bus stop or ferry.
• Ask your employer whether they offer any relocation or temporary accommodation help. It varies from employer to employer.

See renting in Bermuda for sourced rent levels and where to live for a parish-by-parish guide.

Step 7: Shipping your belongings

• Standard customs duty is 25% of the value above allowances (Customs Declaration).
• First-time residents with permission to live in Bermuda can claim duty relief on used goods over six months old.
• Ask for a Transfer of Residence Certificate at the airport when you arrive. It’s free and issued immediately, and your mover needs it to clear a separate shipment (gov.bm).
• Get several mover quotes, for example through Sirelo.

See shipping to Bermuda.

Step 8: Getting around

• One private car per residence (Motor Car Act 1951).
• Visitors can’t rent ordinary cars. Licensed two-seater minicars and scooters are available (gov.bm).
• The US Consulate calls scooters the “greatest road peril” on the island (bm.usconsulate.gov).

See cars, bikes and mopeds.

Step 9: Phone and internet

Keep your UK number (useful for bank security codes) at least at first, and get a local SIM or eSIM on arrival. For the first few days, One Communications sells a Tourist eSIM: $5 for 1 day/1GB up to $50 for 30 days/25GB, including a local number (onecomm.bm). International eSIM apps such as Airalo (affiliate link) are an alternative. See phones and eSIMs in Bermuda. UK mobile roaming in Bermuda can be expensive. Check your network’s charges.

Step 10: Pets

Animals need an import permit (Customs Declaration). Start months ahead.

For a printable version, see the moving checklist. Also useful: cost of living, payroll tax, schools and visiting first.

A rough timeline

Bottom line

Decide your legal route first, because everything else depends on it. Start the slow paperwork (ACRO, medical) early, get proper UK tax advice, and don’t make anything irreversible until your permit or permission is approved.

Sources checked 12 October 2026. This guide is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice.

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