Country guide
Buying property in Bermuda as a foreigner
Rules last checked 2 November 2026 · 4 official sources · Education, not financial, tax, legal or immigration advice.
A non Bermudian needs a land licence to own land in Bermuda, under the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act.
What are you doing with Bermuda?
Returns after tax, what is withheld, and the way out.
Stamp duty on a Bermuda property transfer runs from 2.1 percent on the first $100,000 up to 7.35 percent above $1.5 million. Details
Bermuda's land tax is based on the annual rental value, starting at $150 for a private dwelling with a value up to $22,000. Details
Questions people in this position often miss
- Will I be taxed twice?Depends on your country
The country of the property and the country where the owner lives can each tax the same rent or gain.
- Can I borrow locally?Not confirmed yet
Lending to a buyer living abroad is limited in many countries and the loan to value limit can be lower.
- Can I move the money out of my own country?Depends on your country
Some countries cap or review money sent abroad to buy a home, and banks ask where the money came from.
- What do I report at home?Depends on your country
Foreign property, foreign accounts and foreign rent can each carry a form in the owner's own country.
- What is changing soon?Not confirmed yet
Bans, tax schedules and visa routes carry end dates, and a purchase often takes months to complete.
Whether a purchase gives a right to live there, and what living there costs in tax.
A residential certificate can be issued to owners of the freehold of residential premises, on application. Buying does not by itself grant residence. Details
A non Bermudian needs a land licence to own land in Bermuda, under the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act. Details
Stamp duty on a Bermuda property transfer runs from 2.1 percent on the first $100,000 up to 7.35 percent above $1.5 million. Details
Bermuda's land tax is based on the annual rental value, starting at $150 for a private dwelling with a value up to $22,000. Details
Questions people in this position often miss
- Does buying give me the right to live there?Answered below
A residential certificate can be issued to owners of the freehold of residential premises, on application. Buying does not by itself grant residence.
- What happens if I die, or the family inherits?Not confirmed yet
Inheritance tax, and who may inherit, can differ for heirs who live elsewhere.
- Can I move the money out of my own country?Depends on your country
Some countries cap or review money sent abroad to buy a home, and banks ask where the money came from.
- Will I be taxed twice?Depends on your country
The country of the property and the country where the owner lives can each tax the same rent or gain.
- What is changing soon?Not confirmed yet
Bans, tax schedules and visa routes carry end dates, and a purchase often takes months to complete.
Part year stays, the yearly bill, and what the family inherits.
A non Bermudian needs a land licence to own land in Bermuda, under the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act. Details
Bermuda's land tax is based on the annual rental value, starting at $150 for a private dwelling with a value up to $22,000. Details
A residential certificate can be issued to owners of the freehold of residential premises, on application. Buying does not by itself grant residence. Details
Stamp duty on a Bermuda property transfer runs from 2.1 percent on the first $100,000 up to 7.35 percent above $1.5 million. Details
Questions people in this position often miss
- Does buying give me the right to live there?Answered below
A residential certificate can be issued to owners of the freehold of residential premises, on application. Buying does not by itself grant residence.
- What happens if I die, or the family inherits?Not confirmed yet
Inheritance tax, and who may inherit, can differ for heirs who live elsewhere.
- What is owed every year, even if the home sits empty?Answered below
Bermuda's land tax is based on the annual rental value, starting at $150 for a private dwelling with a value up to $22,000.
- Will I be taxed twice?Depends on your country
The country of the property and the country where the owner lives can each tax the same rent or gain.
- Can I move the money out of my own country?Depends on your country
Some countries cap or review money sent abroad to buy a home, and banks ask where the money came from.
What is owed each year, on rent and on a sale, and what the heirs face.
Bermuda's land tax is based on the annual rental value, starting at $150 for a private dwelling with a value up to $22,000. Details
Stamp duty on a Bermuda property transfer runs from 2.1 percent on the first $100,000 up to 7.35 percent above $1.5 million. Details
Questions people in this position often miss
- What do I report at home?Depends on your country
Foreign property, foreign accounts and foreign rent can each carry a form in the owner's own country.
- Will I be taxed twice?Depends on your country
The country of the property and the country where the owner lives can each tax the same rent or gain.
- What happens if I die, or the family inherits?Not confirmed yet
Inheritance tax, and who may inherit, can differ for heirs who live elsewhere.
- What happens when I sell?Not confirmed yet
Tax on the gain, and sometimes a share of the price held back by the buyer, can apply to an owner living abroad.
- What is changing soon?Not confirmed yet
Bans, tax schedules and visa routes carry end dates, and a purchase often takes months to complete.
Who may buy
Choose a nationality to see the rules that apply to it.
Every rule, for every buyer
| Buyer | Property | Reading | Conditions | Applies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everyone else | land | Approval needed | The Government of Bermuda describes arrangements for non Bermudians to own land without a land licence as contrary to the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act, so a non Bermudian needs a land licence to own land. | Check it is still current. Based on the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956 dated 1 January 1956. |
What it costs to buy
Stamp duty on a transfer of Bermuda property
- Rate
A sliding scale on the value: 2.1 percent on the first $100,000, 3.15 percent on the next $400,000, 4.20 percent on the next $500,000, 6.3 percent on the next $500,000, and 7.35 percent above $1.5 million.
What if the price is…?
- Stamp duty on a transfer of Bermuda property (a banded scale)BMD 14,700
Duties and fees under the rules shownBMD 14,700
- The sliding scale on the value of the property, on the part in each band, in Bermuda dollars.
Only duties stated for a foreign buyer of a home are counted: flat rates, flat fees and the standard banded scale shown. Reliefs, exemptions and the buyer's own circumstances can change the result. A planning figure, not a quote: legal fees, agent fees and local taxes are extra.
What an owner pays each year
Land tax
- Rate
Based on the annual rental value of the property. For private dwellings the tax is $150 for an annual rental value up to $22,000, and above that $150 plus rising percentage bands of the value in each slice.
From your country
The country of the property is only half of it. The country where you live can limit the money you send, tax the same rent and gain again, and ask for forms of its own.
Choose where you live to see what your own country does when you buy in Bermuda.
Residence through property
Residential Certificate
- Threshold
A residential certificate under section 32(5) of the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act can be issued to persons who own the freehold of residential premises. It is an application based status, not residence granted by buying.
- Status
open
- Check
Check it is still current. Based on the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956, section 32(5) dated 1 January 1956.
What is still open
These points could not be confirmed from an official source yet, so they are not stated as rules.
- The rule on tax on rent and on sale for an owner living abroad could not be confirmed from an official source yet.
Sources
Official pages these figures come from (4)
See what this does to your own numbers
Add a property in Bermuda next to everything else you own, and see the income and net worth that follow after tax, year by year.
Free to start. No card. Rules checked 2 November 2026.
This is education, not financial, tax, legal or immigration advice. Rules change and depend on the buyer's own facts. Advice from a licensed professional in the country concerned is what settles a particular purchase.