Return or Onward Ticket
A return or onward ticket, or other proof of onward transportation to a country to which the passenger has right of entry, is required of all visitors.

Passports
Passports are the preferred document for entry into Bermuda and are required of all visitors from countries that require a passport for re-entry purposes or for entry through another country to which the passenger has right of entry.

Proof of Citizenship and Identification
All travelers must carry with them proof of citizenship and personal identification (including photo ID)
relevant to a return to their own country or for re-entry through another foreign country, as required by Bermuda Immigration authorities. This applies to adults and children traveling alone or with their parents. See ‘Requirements for Children’ for additional notes concerning children who are traveling with an adult other than a parent and/or are in the process of adoption.

Visitors from the USA must present any one of the following items of identification (including photo ID):

• U.S. Passport (if expired it should be of sufficiently recent vintage so that the photograph resembles the bearer);
• Birth Certificate with a raised seal or official stamp, together with photo ID issued by a competent
municipal authority, with photo ID (photo ID is often not available for children aged16 years or under
who are traveling with their parents);
• U.S. Re-entry Permit;
• U.S. Naturalization Certificate;
• U.S. Permanent Resident Card (refer also to Visas later in this document).

Visitors from Canada must present any one of the following items of identification:

• Valid Canadian Passport;
• Birth Certificate or certified copy, together with photo ID; or
• for people born outside of Canada, a Canadian Certificate of Citizenship, or their Permanent Resident (PR) Card which as of December 31, 2003, replaces the Landed Immigrant Status papers.

Visitors from the U.K. and Western Europe must present a valid passport from their country.

Whatever the visitor’s country of origin, three things should be stressed:
• Driver's license is not acceptable as proof of citizenship;
• Foreign citizens not bearing one of the listed documents may be refused entry into Bermuda (specific requirements can be obtained from your own Immigration Department);
• Neither Bermuda nor US Immigration Authorities accept a notarized copy of a hospital birth certificate, or similar non-government document as proof of citizenship;
• A married woman whose identification documents are in her maiden name but who is traveling
under her married name should also carry her marriage certificate or certified copy as further
proof of identity.

Requirements for Children
(See also Proof of Citizenship and Identification above)
Children traveling with an adult other than a parent must be in possession of the travel documents specified above along with a letter from a parent authorizing the adult to accompany the child for the trip.

Parents of adopted children should be particularly careful that they carry with them the proper documents for their adopted children, especially if the children are of a different nationality. Parents in the process of adopting children are advised not to leave their country with the children until all the legalities and paperwork have been finalized.

Children entering Bermuda for the purpose of adoption must be in possession of documents from the
Bermuda Department of Immigration confirming they have been cleared for entry into Bermuda.

Remember, a valid passport is always the best document for any traveler to carry.

Length of Stay
Most bona fide visitors with a confirmed return ticket and place of accommodation will have no difficulties with Bermuda Immigration Control. There is a special Secondary Immigration Control section at the airport to deal with any arriving passengers who are in unusual circumstances. Bermuda Immigration authorities may restrict length of stay, for example, passengers arriving with an open return ticket will have a time limit imposed upon them. An application to extend the length of stay must be made in person by appointment with an Immigration Inspector at Immigration Headquarters in the City of Hamilton.

Passengers who arrive with only a one-way ticket into Bermuda will not be admitted unless prior Bermuda Immigration authorization has been given. People wishing to enter Bermuda for the purpose of residence, employment or for an indefinite period will not be permitted to land unless they have prior authorization from Bermuda Immigration authorities to do so.

Visiting Yachts and Their Crews. H.M. Customs may give permission for a vessel to remain in Bermuda waters for an extended period. Yachtsmen are advised not to confuse this permission with the separate and specific permission required, from the Department of Immigration, by each individual to remain in Bermuda beyond the usual 21 days.

During the Hurricane Season, from 1st June to 30th November, visiting yachtsmen may be given permission to stay in Bermuda for up to five months so as to provide safe haven.

A yachtsman wishing to avail himself or herself of this privilege must submit, to the Department of
Immigration, proof:
• of citizenship
• of the means to repatriate himself or herself by air, should the need arise
• of health insurance
• in writing, that he or she will not seek or take up employment in Bermuda.

VISAS
Nationals of the following countries require Bermuda entry visas. Signed into policy on 10th January, 2003, by the Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety with effect from 15th January, 2003. This list replaces that issued on 18th February, 2002.

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
Cambodia, China (Peoples’ Republic of)*, Croatia, Cuba, Czechoslovakia (former)**, Djibouti, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somali, Soviet Union (former), Sri Lanka, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al Khaimah, Sharjah, Umm al Qaiwain), Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia (Federal Republic of).

* Holders of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Passports or British National (Overseas)
Passports do not require visas for Bermuda.

** Nationals of Slovakia traveling on Czechoslovakian passports need visas. Citizens of the Czech
Republic do not need visas for Bermuda.

Note: An exception will be made for a visitor who has a valid passport and proof of a right to reside in the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom. For an American resident, that means a Permanent Resident Card is required. A Canadian resident must have their Permanent Resident Card. A United Kingdom resident must be able to show that no limit has been placed on his or her stay in the United Kingdom. Those who require visas to enter other countries on departure from Bermuda must have those visas prior to arrival in Bermuda.

Visas to enter Bermuda may be obtained from the Visa Section of a British Embassy, British High Commision, Consulate or other British Foreign Service establishment abroad.

Stateless Persons
Stateless Persons (persons who have no national status) should be in possession of a document and visa allowing them to return to the country from which they departed, or to another country willing to accept them on a residential basis.

Resident non-Bermudians
Resident non-Bermudians who are employed in Bermuda must use their “Confirmation of Re-entry” document to get back into Bermuda. Family members who live in Bermuda without a work permit, must obtain a re-entry permit through the permit holder’s employer before leaving.

Employment
Employment in Bermuda of non-Bermudians is prohibited without the permission of the Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety, and possession of a Work Permit. Visitors to Bermuda are not allowed to take any form of employment, nor are they allowed to look for employment and/or permission to work while they are on the Island.

Domestic Help
Those who wish to import their own domestic helpers may not do so without first advertising the vacancy three times in local newspapers. If no Bermudian can be found to fill the vacancy, then the prospective employer must apply to the Chief Immigration Officer in writing in advance of arrival.

Salesmen Entering Bermuda
Refer to the section on Salesmen's Permits on the "Bermuda Customs Regulations" page on our website.

Non-Bermudian Entertainers
The hotel, nightclub or other organization importing such people for temporary employment must apply in advance and in writing to the Chief Immigration Officer. If non-Bermudian entertainers wish to bring with them photographs, recordings or other materials for sale, they must obtain Immigration permission to do business in Bermuda and must also pay a non-refundable duty on the items involved.