Work From Bermuda Is Closed: What Remote Workers Can Do Now
This guide is general information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Some links may be affiliate links. See our disclosure.
If you’ve read that Bermuda has a one-year “digital nomad visa” you can apply for online, that information is out of date. The Work From Bermuda (WFB) certificate stopped taking new applications on 28 February 2025 (gov.bm).
A lot of blog posts, listicles and “best nomad visas” roundups haven’t caught up. This guide covers what WFB was, why it ended, what replaced it, and what a remote worker can realistically do now.
What Work From Bermuda was
WFB launched on 9 August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. It let remote workers and university students live in Bermuda for up to a year while working or studying remotely for organisations elsewhere. According to the Government, about 1,800 people took part and about 250 applied to extend their stay (gov.bm).
The old application page at forms.gov.bm/wfb now just shows the closure notice.
Why it ended
The Ministry of Economy and Labour said the move “aligns with the Government’s long-term economic strategy and housing policies, which focus on ensuring that more housing is available for Bermudians” (gov.bm). Bermuda is small and rental housing is tight, so a scheme that brought in remote workers competing for homes was always going to be judged against local need.
What replaced it: Permission to Reside on an Annual Basis
The Government said it would return to multi-year residency applications. For remote workers, the relevant route is Permission to Reside on an Annual Basis. Key points from the Government’s Permissions to Reside in Bermuda document (gov.bm PDF):
- You must show an annual income of at least $75,000.
- You need private health insurance for the whole stay.
- You’re prohibited from taking or seeking employment in Bermuda while the permission lasts. It suits people whose income comes from outside Bermuda.
- Permission is typically granted for a year. The WFB closure notice says it can be granted for periods of up to five years.
- Your passport must stay valid for at least 45 days beyond the period granted.
The documents list is long: medical certificate, two character references, original police certificate, health insurance evidence, passport photos, certified passport copy, a bank reference or 12 months of statements, proof of financial support, and the application fee.
We cover it in detail in Permission to Reside in Bermuda.
How it differs from WFB
| Work From Bermuda (closed) | Permission to Reside (annual) | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Closed to new applicants since 28 Feb 2025 | Open |
| Income test | No published minimum in the WFB notice we cite | At least $75,000 a year |
| Health insurance | Required | Private cover required |
| Paperwork | Simple online form | Police certificate, medical, references, bank reference and more |
| Working for Bermuda employers | Not allowed | Not allowed |
Your realistic options as a remote worker
Option 1: Apply for Permission to Reside
If you earn at least $75k from outside Bermuda and can show it, this is the main legal route for living there long-term while keeping a remote job. Remember the high cost of living: housing in particular can eat a large share of $75k.
Option 2: Visit as a tourist, within the rules
Short visits are possible. FCDO advice is that British citizens can visit Bermuda without a visa for up to 180 days in any 12-month period, with a return or onward ticket. They “must not look for work while visiting as a tourist” (gov.uk). Taxes for Expats says that without a remote-work visa, remote workers “would need a standard work permit or to stay within the tourist entry limit” (taxesforexpats.com). Before working remotely on a visit, get your employer’s sign-off and ask Immigration.
Visitors must complete a Bermuda arrival card (gov.uk). The UK’s ETA scheme is for travel to the UK, and FCDO’s Bermuda entry page doesn’t list it as a requirement for entering Bermuda.
Option 3: Get a job with a Bermuda employer
If you’d rather work locally, you need a work permit sponsored by a Bermuda employer. That means a different kind of move entirely, with the employer advertising locally first.
Option 4: Look at the other residence categories
There’s also a One Year Residential Certificate service (gov.bm). Read its policy PDF on that page to check eligibility before treating it as an option.
What happened to people already on WFB?
Under the closure notice, existing WFB holders had 90 days from their certificate’s expiry to settle their affairs and leave. Anyone wanting to stay could apply for Permission to Reside on an Annual Basis, submitting one to two months before their WFB certificate expired (gov.bm). WFB certificates lasted up to a year, so practically all of them have now expired.
Tax still matters
Bermuda has no personal income tax, but that doesn’t make your UK or US tax disappear:
- UK: whether you stop being UK tax resident depends on the Statutory Residence Test, not on where you happen to be. See UK tax when you move to Bermuda.
- US citizens are taxed on worldwide income regardless of residence. Taxes for Expats notes the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion is often the main tool (taxesforexpats.com).
Your employer may also have payroll, social security or “permanent establishment” concerns about you working from abroad. Get written approval from them first.
How to spot out-of-date advice
Be wary of any page that:
- links to an online WFB application,
- quotes a WFB fee as current,
- calls Bermuda an “easy digital nomad visa”, or
- has no date, or a date before March 2025.
For a side-by-side comparison, see remote work options compared.
Bottom line
The one-year nomad certificate is gone. If you earn at least $75k from outside Bermuda, Permission to Reside on an Annual Basis is the route to look at. Otherwise you need a local job and a work permit, or you keep to short visits. Whichever route you take, budget seriously for housing and health insurance.
Sources checked 12 October 2026. We’ll update this if the Government introduces a new remote-work scheme.
FAQ
Can I still apply for Work From Bermuda?
No. New applications haven’t been accepted since 28 February 2025 (gov.bm).
Is there a new Bermuda digital nomad visa in 2026?
We haven’t found one. The closest equivalent is Permission to Reside on an Annual Basis, which has a $75,000 minimum income and a ban on local employment (gov.bm PDF).
I’m British. Does that make it easier?
Not for the right to live or work there. Bermuda controls its own immigration, and British citizens go through the same residence and work permit routes as everyone else.
Do I need health insurance?
Yes, for Permission to Reside. Compare international health plans that cover Bermuda, such as SafetyWing, but check that the policy meets Immigration’s requirement before you buy. A short-trip travel policy probably won’t. See our health insurance guide.
How do I move money over?
Remote workers paid in pounds often use a multi-currency account to convert into USD or BMD. See sending money from the UK to Bermuda.