Bermuda insurance for nomads

Bermuda has one full-service hospital, the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH) near Hamilton, run by the Bermuda Hospitals Board. It carries the only 24-hour accident and emergency department on the island, around 300 beds, and the full range of inpatient, surgical and diagnostic care for a population of roughly 60,000 plus visitors. Less serious problems can go to the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre in St George's, mental health is handled by the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute, and there are government community health centres and private GP clinics for routine consultations. There is no free public system for visitors: nomads and longer-stay residents are expected to carry health insurance and pay private rates, and care is billed broadly along US lines.

English is the official language and doctors are typically US or UK trained, so navigating care is straightforward. The emergency number is 911 for ambulance, fire and police. Pharmacies are easy to find around Hamilton and the parishes, but they do not honour US or other foreign prescriptions, so anything you need must be re-prescribed by a Bermuda doctor; bring a good supply of essentials with a doctor's letter. The island reality is the part that matters most for insurance. KEMH handles the great majority of cases, but for complex trauma, specialist surgery or anything it cannot treat, patients are flown off-island, almost always to the US east coast, which is about two hours away by air. Air-ambulance evacuations are coordinated by KEMH's medical social workers, and that flight is where an uninsured bill turns life-changing.

For short stays, US, British, Canadian and Australian visitors enter visa-free, generally for up to 180 days, since Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory that waives visas for these nationalities. You should travel with a passport valid for your stay (the US advises at least 45 days beyond departure), proof of a return or onward ticket, and you must complete the free online Bermuda Arrival Card before landing. Travel insurance is not a legal entry requirement for tourists, but given that visitors pay full private rates and the nearest specialist hospital is a flight away, a policy with strong medical and evacuation cover is the sensible default.

The dedicated remote-work route, the Work from Bermuda one-year residential certificate, closed to new applicants on 28 February 2025 and is no longer available, so there is currently no live digital nomad visa. The realistic path for a longer stay is now Permission to Reside on an Annual Basis, which can be granted for up to five years and explicitly allows remote work for companies outside Bermuda while barring local employment. There is no published minimum income figure, though the Work Permit Policy points to household thresholds in the region of US$60,000 to US$125,000, and valid health insurance is a stated requirement, available through the government Health Insurance Department or private insurers. Full detail and the latest status are on the Bermuda remote work visa page.

• The nomad visa is closed. The Work from Bermuda certificate ended on 28 February 2025, so do not plan around it; the current options are short visa-free stays or Permission to Reside on an Annual Basis.
• Off-island evacuation. Serious or specialist cases are flown to the US east coast by air ambulance, and that flight is the reason medical and repatriation cover matters more here than almost anywhere.
• Cost of everything. Bermuda is one of the most expensive places in the world, and private medical care is no exception, so budget for high bills and expect to pay as a private patient.
• Hurricane season. The Atlantic season runs June to November; direct hits are rare but strong storms do occur, so build in flexibility and follow local warnings.
• Scooters and the sea. Moped and scooter crashes are the leading cause of tourist injury, and Portuguese man o' war can wash up on south-shore beaches mainly between May and September, so ride carefully and check beach conditions.