Bahamas

The Bahamas has a remote work permit and an investment route to permanent residence. Most remote workers will look at the first; the second suits people buying property or bonds at a high threshold.

• Remote workers and students: the BEATS permit is a one-year residence permit, renewable up to 3 years in total. It sets no income floor, asks for proof of employment or self-employment outside The Bahamas and covers remote work only.
• Investors: economic permanent residence requires at least $1,000,000 in real estate or Central Bank zero-coupon bonds, held for 10 years, and lasts for life unless revoked.
• Retirees and people of independent means: the Department of Immigration's fee scale also lists an annual residence permit. This site has no page for it yet.

Visitors: Depends on nationality: US citizens up to 8 months as bona fide visitors; listed South American nationals up to 3 months; Canadians and US permanent residents up to 30 days; UK, EU and most Commonwealth citizens are visa-exempt for a stay set at entry. Visitors may not work. The immigration officer sets the length of stay at the port of entry, and every visitor needs a return or onward ticket (Department of Immigration).

The Bahamas is an expensive place to live, and crowd-sourced data for it is thin, so the figures below are a rough guide only. Numbeo lists Bahamas prices in US dollars.

• Nassau (updated Oct. 2, 2026, 11 contributors): a one-bedroom apartment lists at about $1,490 a month in the center and $2,000 outside it. Numbeo has too little data to estimate other monthly costs (Numbeo).
• Freeport (updated Oct. 2, 2026, five contributors): about $990 for a central one-bedroom and $920 outside the center (Numbeo).

Rent alone takes $1,500 to $2,000 of a Nassau budget before food, power and transport, which come on top. Furnished short-term rentals usually cost more than long leases.

Nassau: the capital on New Providence has the main international airport, the most coworking options and the widest choice of rentals. It suits remote workers who want services and flights close by, at the highest cost.

Freeport: the main town on Grand Bahama is quieter than Nassau, with lower listed rents and its own airport.

Marsh Harbour: the hub of the Abaco Islands, built around boating and the cays offshore. It suits people who want island life with basic services.

Governor's Harbour: a small, slow-paced town on Eleuthera for those who value quiet over convenience.

Speedtest's Global Index for August 2026 puts the median fixed broadband speed in The Bahamas at 92.63 Mbps and the median mobile speed at 43.49 Mbps (Speedtest Global Index). That is enough for video calls in Nassau and Freeport.

Connections are slower and less consistent on the Family Islands. Anyone planning a long stay outside New Providence and Grand Bahama should ask the landlord for a recent speed test before booking.

Coworking is concentrated in Nassau, with a few spaces in Freeport. Elsewhere, cafes and hotel lobbies are the usual fallback.

The Bahamas levies no personal income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax. (PwC tax summaries) Neither BEATS nor permanent residence creates a special regime.

The main tax visitors meet is value added tax at 10% on most goods and services (Department of Inland Revenue). Property buyers should also check real property tax and stamp duty.

With no personal income tax in The Bahamas, the real question for most remote workers is their home country. Leaving a country does not always end tax residence there, and some countries tax citizens wherever they live. Anyone who needs proof of Bahamian tax residence for a bank or another tax authority should ask the Department of Inland Revenue what it requires.

• Arrival: carry a return or onward ticket and be ready to show enough money for the stay. The officer sets the permitted stay, and visitors may not work (Department of Immigration). BEATS holders show their QR code on arrival.
• Health: BEATS requires health insurance for every applicant and dependent. The largest hospitals are in Nassau and Freeport, and serious cases on the smaller islands often mean a flight to one of them.
• Phone: BTC and Aliv are the two mobile networks and both sell prepaid SIM cards.
• Hurricanes: the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June through November. Check that rentals have storm shutters and that insurance covers evacuation.
• Getting around: islands are linked by domestic flights and ferries, and outside Nassau a car or bike is usually needed.
• Safety: check current government travel advice before arrival and follow usual precautions at night in Nassau.