Doing Business in Bermuda

Salesperson's Permits

The following outlines the regulations and procedures of obtaining the required Salesperson's Permit for the purpose of selling or showcasing your product in Bermuda. Although the actual permits are issued by the Immigration Department, application for Salesperson's Permits must be made through the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce.

In order to assist us in obtaining your Salesperson's Permit in a timely manner, please download and print the permit application and send it to our office via an International Courier Service with the applicable application fee in sufficient time for it to reach our office AT LEAST 21 WORKING DAYS prior to your intended date of arrival in Bermuda.

Upon arrival in Bermuda, the salesperson must declare to the Customs officials at the airport all product goods or samples together with a complete invoice of those products. A deposit is required which includes the custom's duty, payable on the value of the products as well as an additional 50% of that amount. Depending on the nature of the goods, products will either be sealed for transportation to H.M. Customs Office in Hamilton City where, after obtaining the necessary Immigration permission, the goods will be inspected and released to the salesperson; or, the Customs officials will themselves transport the goods to H.M. Customs in Hamilton city. Products may be retrieved by the salesman only after obtaining and producing the necessary Immigration permission.

Upon departure from Bermuda, the salesperson must again take his goods to H.M. Customs in Hamilton where they will be cleared and the deposit will be refunded.

Salespersons without a sole Bermuda agent will be referred by the Immigration/Customs officials at the airport to the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce office. The Chamber will, in turn, assist the salesman in setting up appointments. The salesperson will then be granted a Salesperson Permit by the Immigration authorities and will be able to proceed to clear his goods through Customs as described in (2) above. The permit is valid for 1 month only. Salespersons who have a sole Bermuda agent should advise the Bermuda agent of their arrival well in advance. The Bermuda agent must notify the Department of Immigration, in writing and on business stationery, that: a sales person is arriving in on a specific date via Airline and Flight No. The Bermuda agent must also state clearly in their letter to Immigration that they are the sole agent for the above named applicant and give a description of the applicant's product line. The above notification is in lieu of a Salespersons Permit and cost $390.00 per month.

The Bermuda agent may arrange for pre-clearance of the salesperson's goods provided that an invoice showing the value of all goods can be produced in advance. If no pre-clearance has been arranged, the salesperson must proceed to clear his/her own goods. Salespersons planning to travel to and from Bermuda on weekends when the Customs Department and Chamber of Commerce offices are closed must make their arrangements well in advance of arrival in Bermuda, in order to facilitate clearance procedures.

Note: Persons selling advertising also require a Salesperson Permit.

For more information, contact our Customer Service Representative.