Bermuda Entrepreneur and Business Permits in 2026

Bermuda does not publish a generic startup visa or unrestricted freelancer visa. Founders and investors must use the actual business-linked work-permit categories that fit their role. Two of the most important mechanisms are the Global Entrepreneur Work Permit and the New Business Work Permit.

These are work-permit tools, not automatic residence-by-incorporation. Registering a Bermuda company, owning shares or becoming a director does not by itself give a foreign national permission to live or work in Bermuda.

Global Entrepreneur Work Permit

The Global Entrepreneur Work Permit is a narrow one-year route for a bona fide investor or businessperson who is likely to domicile a company in Bermuda. Government guidance describes activities such as business planning and seeking regulatory approval while the Bermuda operation is being established.

Advertising is not required for this permit because it is designed for the founder/investor establishment phase rather than recruitment into an ordinary local vacancy.

The current immigration fee schedule lists the one-year Global Entrepreneur Work Permit at $1,955.

This permit should not be described as a permanent entrepreneur visa. It does not itself create a settlement path, and a business that continues operating after the establishment period needs the appropriate ongoing corporate and immigration arrangements.

New Business Work Permit

The New Business Work Permit can support qualifying personnel of a recently incorporated or newly established exempted company. Updated Government guidance in April 2026 describes a period in which qualifying permits can receive streamlined approval during the company's first nine months after the first New Business Work Permit, provided the first permit is sought within the relevant first-year window after registration or incorporation.

This current guidance should take precedence over older summaries that refer to a six-month period.

New Business permits can normally run for one to five years. They avoid the ordinary advertising requirement but remain subject to restrictions, including limitations around closed, restricted, entry-level, graduate and trainee roles.

Current New Business / Global permit fees

The September 2026 immigration fee schedule lists:

  • 1 year: $1,955;
  • 2 years: $3,475;
  • 3 years: $4,740;
  • 4 years: $6,005; and
  • 5 years: $7,460.

Confirm the current fee and category at filing because immigration fee schedules can change.

Intra-company transfers and specialist mechanisms

An established international group transferring senior or specialist staff can also assess Bermuda's Global / intra-company transfer rules. Qualifying transfers may avoid advertising, but the employee still needs the correct work authorization.

Fintech Business and Family Office categories can apply to qualifying businesses in those sectors. They should not be generalized into founder visas for unrelated companies.

Company formation is a separate process

A founder should separate four questions:

  1. Can the proposed company or partnership be formed and carry on the intended activity in Bermuda?
  2. Does the activity need sector licensing or regulatory approval?
  3. Which work permit, if any, authorizes the founder or employee to perform services locally?
  4. Which residence basis authorizes the person's stay and any dependants?

A company certificate answers only the first of these questions. Immigration and sector regulation remain separate.

Investors seeking residence rather than an operating permit

A person planning a qualifying Bermuda investment of at least BMD $2.5 million should compare the Economic Investment Residential Certificate. EIRC can provide indefinite residence if approved and a specific work-permit benefit for a business in which the qualifying investment was made.

That investor-residence route is different from the Global Entrepreneur permit. A smaller founder investment or ordinary company registration should not be presented as EIRC eligibility.

Freelancers and consultants

Bermuda does not have an unrestricted freelancer visa. Someone performing paid services in Bermuda needs to determine whether the activity is local employment, self-employment or a business service and then obtain the correct immigration and business permissions. A foreign client base does not automatically remove local work or payroll-tax questions.

Remote workers not taking local employment should instead read Annual Residence Permission and the closed Work From Bermuda guide.

Family and tax

Dependants of work-permit holders must meet the applicable residence rules, and a partner's right to work is separate. See Partner and Family Residence.

Businesses and self-employed people should also assess Bermuda Payroll Tax, social insurance and corporate obligations. Bermuda's lack of conventional personal income tax does not eliminate those requirements.

Return to the Bermuda immigration hub, compare North America destinations, or browse Entrepreneur visas and the visa-type directory.

Last verified: 17 September 2026. This page is informational and has not been reviewed by a Bermuda immigration lawyer, corporate lawyer or tax adviser.

Official and supporting sources

Related routes in Bermuda