125+ web files in a constantly updated compendium on Bermuda's accommodation options, activities, art, aviation pioneers, beaches, business, commerce, community, culture, cuisine, customs, disability accessibility, districts, economy, education, employment, entertainment, environment, fauna, flora, food, gardens, geography, getting around, golf, government, history, homes and housing, internet access, islands, laws and legal system, local groups and organizations, media, motor vehicle options, music, municipalities, parishes, politics, postage stamps, public transport, religions, sports, traditions, tourism, vacation planning, vital statistics, watersports, wildlife, work permits, etc. For tourists, business visitors, employers, employees, newcomers, researchers, retirees, scholars. Funded by and linked to The Royal Gazette, Bermuda's only daily newspaper.

About Bermuda

Insider's guide, with many essential facts before you arrive

By Keith Archibald Forbes (see About Us) exclusively for Bermuda Online

To refer to this web file, please use "bermuda-online.org/abcbda3.htm" as your Subject.

All our files on Bermuda

Bermuda National Symbols are

About our Bermuda Islands

One of the nine smallest places in the world, in total land area. 21 square miles or 53 square kilometers, compared to the USA's 9.629 million square kilometers. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_outlying_territories_by_total_area .

  Bermuda is "bm" as a country code on the Internet. Bermuda is named after the man who first discovered it, Spanish navigator Juan de Bermudez.  Before he first discovered Bermuda via shipwreck on local reefs in 1503, Bermuda was uninhabited. Later Spanish, Portuguese, French and British mariners also came ashore, mostly involuntarily because of sharp uncharted reefs that damaged or sunk their ships. As soon as they built small vessels from local cedar, or made repairs, they left. Portugal and Spain claimed Bermuda but did not take possession or settle. Bermuda had no permanent residents until 1609 when the flagship "Sea Venture" of the British Third Supply Fleet was caught in a tempest with 150 British officials, colonists and crew, including Admiral Sir George Somers, Sir Thomas Gates as Virginia's first Governor-Designate, and John Rolfe. See Bermuda's Links with the USA and Bermuda's Early History portrayed in its cultural postage stamps. 

The other name - the Somers Isles - commemorate Bermuda's British founder father, discoverer in 1609 and colonizer, Admiral Sir George Somers, when it was not populated at all. In 1612 the Bermudas, then the Somers Islands, were in the third charter of the Virginia Company. More English colonists arrived specifically for Bermuda. The charter was revoked in 1684 when Bermuda became a British crown colony. However, it was once referred to as Virgineola, in its 16th century brief period as a dependency of Virginia.

Today, Bermuda remains a (nominal) British possession, a completely self-governing British Overseas Territory, with its own laws - not those of the United Kingdom. No UK laws apply in Bermuda and Britons are just as much foreigners as are Americans, Canadians, Europeans, Asians and other citizens.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the British Government department responsible for Bermuda's foreign affairs, through its headquarters in London and its Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates. It is represented by the Deputy Governor's Office at Government House, 11 Langton Hill, Pembroke HM 13, Bermuda. Telephone: (441) 292-2587, Fax: (441) 295-3823). E-mail depgov@ibl.bm.

The whole of Bermuda is tiny by world standards - with a land area of only 21 square miles or 56 square kilometers. It includes all the islands mentioned above. Residents and visitors can travel from one end to the other in just over an hour and from north to south in 10 to 15 minutes. Scientific theory has it that what we know today as Bermuda began some 100 million year ago as a volcanic mountain, with the volcanoes having disappeared 70 million or so years ago. 

Some oceanographers say the Bermuda Rise juts up from the deep Atlantic Ocean floor in the form of three steep- sided mountains, the largest of which supports the Bermuda Islands we know today, on the southern margin of a shallow water platform, with Challenger and Argus (or Plantagenet) Banks to the southwest. Others say the Bermuda Rise is five mountains including the more distant Bowditch and Muir Seamounts (the furthest of which is about 150 miles to the northeast).

The Bermuda Mountain is longer - 32 miles - than the land area width and much wider - 16 miles wide - than the maximum land width of 1.5 miles. At sea, the Argus and Challenger Banks are round and about 6 miles across. 

Below the level of limestone and 450 feet below sea level is volcanic rock; and below that, only black lava and other igneous volcanic rock. Only in one place in Bermuda - 60 feet below sea level at the southern end of Bermuda International Airport -is volcanic rock found so near to sea level.

Bermuda is (an observer) member of CARICOM and member of the ICFTU and IOC.

Advance information on travel documents required

Bermuda is a foreign country and requires valid passports from:

• Americans (who number about 85% of all visitors, See Bermuda's Links with USA).  Before they arrive, American visitors should note that the US Government has implemented new regulations that will require all those traveling to Bermuda and from here to the USA by air or sea to travel on a valid passport. All travelers, including American citizens, going to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada must have a valid official passport to enter or re-enter the United States. Other regulations will require that visa applications to Bermuda via the USA or from Bermuda to the USA for those thinking of going from Bermuda to live and/or work in the USA be completed online. The USA's Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires this. Further details can be obtained from the US Consulate in Bermuda. Americans should also read and heed the US State Department's Travel Advisory section on Bermuda, on its website.

• Non-citizens of the USA must also carry a US Green Card showing them to be legal registered aliens there, if entering Bermuda from USA 

• Britons (5% of all visitors, see Bermuda's Links with the UK):

• Canadians (5% of all visitors). See Bermuda's Links with Canada file.

• Non-citizens of Canada or the United Kingdom must have an appropriate travel visa from Canada or the United Kingdom if entering Bermuda and not a citizen of that country.

• Nationals of other countries (5% of all visitors).

• All adults and children - irrespective of nationality - should have individual official passports from their country of birth or domicile to enter Bermuda. It is the only way of confirming and proving both your nationality and your identity. Birth certificates and drivers' licenses, not issued by countries but merely by sub divisions of them, don't show such confirmation or proof. Travel documents for all must be shown to Bermuda Immigration on arrival.

Plus:

• If it applies to you, a valid visa, including from Jamaican nationals. Citizens of other countries may and should consult a British Embassy or Consul. Plus, if - like all nationals of Caribbean islands far to the south of Bermuda - they travel to and from Bermuda via Britain or Canada or the USA, they must obtain and bring the appropriate in transit documentation or visas required by the Immigration authorities of these countries for both portions of the journey.
• An original marriage certificate or certified copy as further proof of identity for a married woman with travel documents still in her maiden name.
• A valid airline or cruise ship onward ticket for travel beyond Bermuda or return ticket back to place of residence, within 30 days. If your documentation is insufficient or unsatisfactory, you may be denied travel or Bermuda entry. If minor children travel with someone who is not a parent, there must be a letter from a custodial parent authorizing the trip. Only if you are going to and from Bermuda by yacht do the travel documents exclude a return ticket by air or cruise ship. Check Bermuda Harbor Radio for details.
• On the Bermuda Immigration Questionnaire, always show the full physical name, address, postal code and telephone number of where you will be staying, whether a hotel or a private home. You could be refused admittance if you do not. If your visit is for vacation purposes only, say so. If you're a non-Bermudian traveling salesman intending to solicit any kind of business as a representative of a company or organization not based in Bermuda, you must be issued, prior to your arrival, with a permit by the Bermuda Immigration authorities. Bermuda Employment and Work Permit Procedure describes the formalities and procedure required. Do not try to seek employment if you are a non-Bermudian on vacation.  Be aware that the Bermuda Government has a stop list of undesirables and fugitives wanted by other countries and does not hesitate to invoke it if given cause.
• The normal maximum length of stay for visitors by air, cruise ship or yacht is 21 days - three weeks (unlike in countries such as the USA, Canada and United Kingdom which can be six months). Visitors who are not Bermudian by birth or status or do not have Permanent Resident Status or do not have a valid Work Permit to satisfy Bermuda Immigration will not be eligible for any extension beyond three weeks, not even for staying with close relatives "to look after a sick patent or sibling." The only exception is if you can prove all the following from your documentation: you are yourself a local real estate owner; have the means to support yourself without local employment; have proof of employer/employee or, as a local homeowner have individual major medical insurance coverage in Bermuda - essential. In which case, longer stays - up to 6 months - are possible by application directly and solely to the Immigration authorities of the Bermuda Government. Do not risk over-staying and its repercussions. 

Airlines serving Bermuda

Airport

Airmail & surface mail & packages

Air mail, in normal conditions, from North America or Europe can take more than a week to arrive and is sometimes delayed for longer. Most of the incoming mail comes from the USA. Residents without their own Post Office mailboxes should note that incoming mail will not always be delivered every weekday, never on Saturdays, Sundays or Public Holidays; and not if the postal carrier is sick or away.

All mail leaving Bermuda for the USA, Caribbean and South America is x-rayed in Bermuda. Always use first class air mail or courier service or secure electronic mail. There are several courier services operating to and from Bermuda.

Only car ships - no freight ships or scheduled aircraft - go between the Caribbean and Bermuda. Surface mail can take many months, especially when misdirected to places with no passenger shipping or airline connections to Bermuda.  Mail problems usually occur more frequently from November to March when, in more normal circumstances, air services from the USA to Bermuda are fewer in number and with smaller aircraft.  Because of this, regular air mail from the USA for Bermuda has been sent to London first, then redirected to Bermuda on British Airways on the three days a week winter service. To help avoid such problems, all Christmas parcels from Bermuda should be sent by an early or mid October deadline and for Bermuda residents and visitors, letters should be sent no later - and ideally much earlier than - December 8. If with questions, call the Post Office at 297-7893.

Packages sent to recipients from Bermuda by courier are treated in a different way to regular airmail. Recipients must always give their full physical postal addresses, postal codes and telephone numbers. Costs will include:

• Courier charge
• Bermuda Government imposed courier service fee per package
• Customs duties on imports at prevailing rates per item

The overall effect is that a US$39 pair of trousers from a good US retail store like Land's End could end up costing the recipient over US$90.

Animals, birds, sea creatures and fish

See Fauna.

Architecture and water supply

See under Traditions and homes.

Area Code

• Internet Country Code. BM.
• Postal Code. No USA/Canadian (as Bermuda is not part of either) or British-style but one unique to Bermuda.
• Telephones. From North America, dial 1 (441) then a 3-digit exchange and 4-digit number. From Great Britain and Europe, dial USA-style as 001 (441), then the above. Although extremely expensive compared to USA, Canada, United Kingdom and Europe, there are cable, telephone, facsimile and Internet services. Telephone charges may be reversed. Except for Airlines serving Bermuda and very few others - only a handful - 1 800 toll free calls cannot be made from Bermuda. The great majority advertised as toll-free on all North American television stations accessible via cable in Bermuda are in fact full toll calls from Bermuda, at regular per-minute overseas rates. 

Average life expectancy (longevity)

Figures released in July 2009 show Bermuda's life expectancy of 77 compares to 77.1 in the US; 78.1 in the UK; 76.9 in Portugal; 79.6 in Canada; 79.2 in France; 79.5 in Spain; and 72.3 in Hungary.

Banned imports

Including, but not confined to, narcotics and weapons.

Bermuda Arrival tax (cruise ship passengers) & departure tax (air)

Arriving via cruise ship or yacht incurs a per-person Arrival Tax imposed by the Bermuda Government, in lieu of the Departure Tax. The Wall Street Journal newspaper reported this tax as by far and away the highest such tax of any vacation destination. Plus,  there is a charge per night in Bermuda per cruise ship passenger in both the high season (May through August) and low season (from September). This is the Bermuda Government Passenger Tax - http://www.taxbermuda.gov.bm/guide_passengercabin.htm.

Departing by air to any overseas destination from Bermuda is currently US35.00 per person, irrespective of class of airline ticket. See http://www.taxbermuda.gov.bm/guide_aircraft.htm.  It applies to ALL outward bound visitors and residents, per trip. Airlines serving Bermuda now include this in the cost of their tickets. On a per square mile basis, the tax makes Bermuda, with its 21 square miles, at US$1.66 per square mile, by far and away the most expensive place in the world from which to exit. 

Bermuda associations, clubs, other non-profit organizations

Bermuda automobile, moped and scooter restrictions

The Bermuda Government does not permit visitors to rent automobiles or drive those owned by residents. Visitors are restricted to a low powered rented moped or scooter (not safe if you are not used to them). Companies are not allowed to own cars in corporate names. They don't have chauffeured limousines. Bermuda properties are not allowed to have limousines to collect or deliver guests to the Bermuda International Airport. Public buses are not equipped to accept passengers with luggage. Only one automobile is allowed for each Bermuda family or household.

Bermuda banking

Most American, Canadian & other visitors will find that if they need cash in Bermuda, local ATMs from either of the two largest local banks will service them. But note carefully the dollar notes they dispense will be in non-exportable Bermuda dollars only (which cannot be cashed overseas). It is an odd anomaly in a country where the US$ is otherwise fully accepted as a legally permitted currency for visitors.

Bermuda beaches

Bermuda books

Because so many have been written, brief mentions only are included. Because Bermuda has changed so much over the years, all older guide books are no longer accurate.

Bermuda Coat of Arms

Awarded by Royal Warrant at the Court of St. James, London, on October 4, 1910. Commissioned by the Bermuda Government from London's College of Arms for Bermuda's tercentenary in 1909. 

It is a white and blue shield with a red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of Admiral Somer's flagship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609.  

Armorial Ensigns are Argent on a Mount Vert a lion sejant affrontee Gules supporting between the forepaws an Antique Shield Azure, thereon a representation of the wreck of the Ship 'The Sea Venture' (AD1609) all proper, together with the motto Quo Fata Ferunt.  

This is from Virgil's Aeneid and its translation from the Latin is Whither the Fates do Lead Us.

Bermuda laws

Bermuda Police Service

Police Headquarters, 10 Headquarters Hill, Devonshire DV 02, Bermuda. P. O. Box HM 530, Hamilton HM CX. (441) 295-0011. Fax (441) 299-4459. Government House has direct responsibility for the operational side of Policing with the Police Commissioner reporting directly to the Governor, while budgeting and manpower is Government’s responsibility. The service is paid for by Bermuda taxpayers, not the United Kingdom. 

Bermuda is now the third most heavily Policed country in the world according to statistics unearthed in December 2009 by Bermuda's  The Royal Gazette newspaper. Bermuda has 7.01 Police officers for every 1,000 people, just behind Montserrat at 7.81 per 1,000 of population and Mauritius at 7.24.  There are also several hundred part time, all Bermudian, Bermuda Police Reserves (telephone (441) 299-2442), with a capacity of up to 180 men and women. In comparison,  Isle of Wight Police force, just off the south coast of England, covers an area of more than 146 square miles and a population of more than 129,000 with 208 police officers and 77 backroom staff a fraction of the Bermuda total. The English Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey also make interesting comparisons. Guernsey, which has a 65,000 population spread over 24 square miles, has 177 police and 37 civilian backroom staff, comprising 214 in total about one third of Bermuda's total. And yet crime dropped 12 percent in 2008 with 2,648 incidents compared to 3,024 the year before.  Bermuda Police recorded 2,918 crimes last year. Jersey, Channel Islands, has 240 Police officers serving 90,000 islanders over 45 square miles, costing the Jersey taxpayer $36 million just over half of the Bermuda bill. That force had to deal with 4,802 crimes last year. Closer to home, the Cayman Islands has 343 Police and auxiliary officers and 64 support staff covering 101 square miles of land spread over three islands dealing with 2,501 crimes in 2008 in a population of around 50,000.

In the USA, there is an average of 2.5 (two point five) Police Officers for every 1,000 permanent inhabitants. Sutherland, Scotland, has 29 policemen in 2,300 square miles.

In Bermuda, a 24 percent rise in manpower in just ten years means there are now 29 Police and support staff for every square mile of Bermuda territory. Pundits and former Police officers are now questioning whether the Island gets value for money for the $60.5 million annual bill because crime is still rising and shootings have become commonplace. The Bermuda Police Service has a 2009/2010 budget for 477 officers, a rise of 155 officers in ten years, now supported by 136 civilian staff, making a total of 613 people. (In 1999 the Bermuda Police strength stood at 408 officers, supported by 86 civilians a total of 494 people in an annual budget $41 million). The rise means there is now one Police officer for every 142 people in a population of around 68,000. Former Police Commissioner Colin Coxall said: "I find it quite extraordinary that a relatively small island should require such high levels of policing to maintain law and order. This must be one of the highest ratios of Police officers to square miles in the world. One has to ask the question, with that level of policing are the officers being deployed in the most effective way possible?" But it would be wrong to solely blame the Police for the crime surge as there were failings throughout the justice system. Crime is the biggest fear among Bermuda's residents according to recent polls, particularly among seniors with 41 percent listing it as their largest worry. That fear is understandable with violent crime now far more visible. As well as deadly gun violence there have been violent clashes at Cup Match and football games. Gang warfare is now running wild with four people shot dead since May in 2009 alone, making Bermuda per square mile the 2009 murder capital of the world..

It is no secret that much of the crime committed on the Island is drugs related, and it is well documented that more than half of Westgate's (Bermuda's main prison) inmates have used drugs prior to incarceration. The rate of recidivism remains stubbornly high at around 80 percent.

Facilities and services include a fleet of boats including 22 foot Boston Whalers, 27 foot Boston Whalers, 24 foot Arctic Rigid inflatables and a 46 foot Hatteras. Police officers provide the primary search and rescue facility in local waters (there are no police helicopters). There is also a Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) of the Bermuda Police Service, for Internet-related crimes and anti-money laundering procedures, following implementation of the Proceeds of Crime (money laundering) Regulations 1998. All members of the Association of Bermuda Compliance Officers in regulated institutions - such as banks - are required by law to appoint a reporting or compliance officer. He or she is responsible for passing reports of suspicious transactions to the FIU.  The Police Support Unit has a wide variety of tasks. The attractions of the service include a starting salary from $45,900 excluding overtime, a retirement pension plan and vacation of 24 working days annually. Police do not usually wear pistols, primarily because all members of the public are forbidden by law to carry guns. But despite this, Bermuda has had more firearms offences in the past two years than in all the earlier 20 years combined, primarily because of many illegal local drug pushers. Another direct result of this has been the availability to all policemen and policewomen of a dual purpose protective vest that can combat knives and gunshot attacks. Officers can carry radios, batons, handcuffs  and other equipment in special, easy to reach pockets. 

Some officers undergo special training in Britain. Ranks follow the British tradition. In ascending order of seniority, they are constables, sergeants, inspectors, chief inspectors, superintendents, assistant commissioners, deputy commissioner and Commissioner. 

Periodic visits are made by Britain's senior advisor for Dependent Territory Police Forces. He makes periodic recommendations to increase efficiency and effectiveness.

• Bermuda Police Association. A trade association for members and retirees of the Bermuda Police Service. It has an Officer Safety Committee. 
• Bermuda Police Benevolent Fund. Registered charity  002
• Bermuda Police Marine Search & Rescue Association. Registered charity 441
• Police Complaints Authority. See Bermuda Government Boards. 

Bermuda References

• Bermuda I of 1946 and Bermuda II are the air transportation agreements between the United Kingdom and the USA, signed in Bermuda.  
• Bermuda 1 was also the name of a Spitfire Mark IIb P8507 aircraft bought for the Royal Air Force by Bermudians, by public appeal. It shot down five German aircraft before it failed to return in August 1941.
• The Bermuda Bowl is a six super-grandmaster double round, all-play-all, bridge tournament. It is played not only in Bermuda but in Monte Carlo and elsewhere.
• Mariners know of Bermuda Fitted Dinghies - found and raced only in Bermuda.
• "Bermudan" NO - Bermudian YES! Despite what Webster's and other dictionaries say, there is no such word as "Bermudan" - and never has been. The correct word is Bermudian - like Bostonian or Canadian or Floridian. (You would never say Bostonan or Canadan or Floridan, just as you should never say Bermudan). Bermudians were recognized in official English documents from 1612. Even ships have been officially named Bermudian. In the Quebec & Gulf Ports Steamship Company service to Bermuda from New York from January 1874 until after World War I, its last steamer was the S.S. Bermudian, which became a troopship following the outbreak of the war. It was such a favorite ship with Bermudians that to this day the name Bermudian remains on a Bermuda tug. Multinational yachts people know the expression Bermuda rigged - never "Bermudan" - when they compete in famous races. 
• There are numerous other places with Bermuda in their names, such as Bermuda in Louisiana, Bermuda Loma in Cuba, Bermuda Bluff Island in Beaufort, South Carolina. It has 150 acres have red-roofed wooden houses, salt water lagoons and many names of areas similar to our Bermuda. There are also Bermuda Hundreds in Virginia, a Bermuda Pond in England, Bermuda Village - a retirement resort adjacent to Bermuda Run, North Carolina, a 1,000 acre town with 1,500 residents and Bermuda Run Country Club which includes 36 holes of championship golf. Membership in the club is included with residency in Bermuda Village.  
• Several houses are named Bermuda in Scotland owned by retired Bermuda Police Service officers. There is a Bermuda limousine service in New York City and Bermuda theme casino and hotel at the River Palms Resort in Laughlin, Nevada, near Las Vegas. 
• Tycoon owner Allen Paulson, one of the world's richest men, decks out his 1,054 staff in Bermuda shorts and jackets and has filled the hotel with Bermuda palms and plants and Bermuda cuisine. 
• Many golf courses are turfed with Bermuda grass.
• "Bermuda Onions" are what Bermudian people call themselves. They were first British people and territory in the New World to grow a special type of big juicy onion - originally from Britain - in 1612. From then to about 100 years ago,  they were exported in quantity every year to the USA and Canada. The varieties best known in Texas and Georgia descend from original Bermuda onions. The thriving one way trade ceased when the USA passed laws banning imported agricultural products. Now most Americans know nothing about the distinctive Bermuda onions, which are still grown here.
• Bermuda shorts. Millions know of these as dress walking shorts in the Bermudian style, Bermuda national dress. 
• Bermuda shoes. One of the 2003 styles of the English shoe company Shipton & Heneage. Costs £59 in navy with brown leather.
• Bermuda Triangle. This is infamous. It is the triangle of ocean and Sargasso Sea between Bermuda, Florida to the south west and Puerto Rico well over 1200 miles due south. Read the excellent linked web site for details of what happened. But it is not well known that it is also the name for a district of old Vienna in Austria that was there before the official discovery of Bermuda in 1609.
• The Bermudas. A cantata, in 5 sections, as an original commission for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), written in 1957 by the Scottish composer Iain Hamilton. The work, part of a major concert marking the Bicentennial of the island's capital, Hamilton, was sung and played by the Bermuda Philharmonic Society's Choir and Orchestra, conducted by their Music Director Graham Garton.

Bermuda shopping - what to bring

Primarily because of a very high Bermuda Government import duty, prices of all liquor (including wine and beer) bought in Bermuda are high - sometimes twice or more than in the USA. As visitors, you may import one liter per person. Soft carbonated drinks are also expensive by North American standards, US $3.24 for a 2 liter bottle of the Bermuda-made product, or $1.99 for a same size imported house brand soda.

There are no large discount stores like in the USA. To avoid paying much more in Bermuda, stock up on:

• Allergies medication if you need them. You may not be able to acquire more locally. Some pharmaceuticals available without prescription elsewhere require prescriptions in Bermuda from registered local medical doctors who must be seen first. Not all drugstores in Bermuda are licensed dispensing pharmacies (See under Pharmacies in Senior Citizens of Bermuda). Most hotel drugstores are not.
• Books, camera or video recorder with fresh battery and plenty of cassettes or packages of film (film processing is very expensive locally, about US$ 25 for a 24 exposure 35 millimeter film, compared to one quarter of this or less in Canada, the USA and United Kingdom. So it is suggested you get processing done at home. A camera battery locally will cost you at least US $ 18.
• Clothing (all categories). Woolens are not recommended.
• Daily newspaper from your home town or magazines or both.
• Golf balls and clubs, if you play.
• Hearing aid, if needed.
• If you smoke cigarettes, you are allowed one carton without import duty.
• Laptop computer and software if you use them.
• Liquor or liqueur, one unopened one liter bottle per person without import duty - to avoid the US $25 a bottle or higher price in Bermuda for imported spirits.
• Personal radio.
• Portable electrical appliances if standard USA 110 to 115 volts, such as a hair dryer or razor.
• Prescription pharmaceuticals.
• Sun tan lotion and toiletries.

Bermuda Society

Formed in London in 1987 to look after Bermuda's interests on a number of fronts, particularly in the areas of finance and commerce. Its membership includes Bermudians living in London and rest of UK, plus former Governors of Bermuda. It promotes Bermuda's image; fosters closer links between Bermuda, the UK and Europe. works with BIBA and others and Bermudian students in the UK.

Bermuda taxes

Bermuda has both direct taxes - in Employment Taxes paid by both employers and employees - and so many indirect taxes including import duties averaging 31 percent at wholesale value and a high Death Duties tax that all locals and visitors pay a premium in costs of all imported goods and services. The biggest cost is to pay for the 51 paid legislators - 17 times the international average of the ratio of legislators to voters in a total of only 20 square miles - and army of civil servants amounting to 15 percent of the entire work force. Mostly because of this, the overall cost of living in Bermuda is about 2.64 (two point six four) times the cost of living in the USA and about 1.8 (one point eight) times the cost of living in Canada or the United Kingdom. This is one reason why the Internal Revenue Service of the USA allows Americans living and working in Bermuda a $ 76,000 exemption before they pay USA federal taxes.

Bermuda Time Zone

Bermuda is in the Atlantic Time zone, like Nova Scotia to the north and Caribbean 1,000 miles south. Atlantic Time is one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST). Bermuda is normally four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time and British Summer Time in the United Kingdom. But as the latter occurs one week before Bermuda observes the beginning of US Daylight Savings Time on the same night as the USA, for one week only, Bermuda is five hours ahead of the UK.

Betting

See "Gambling."

Business hours

Most offices open from 9 am to 5 pm five days a week. Many shops and restaurants (except those in hotels) are also open on Saturday but not on Sunday. See the Bermuda Cuisine list of restaurants. At this time, all retailers including restaurants who wish to open on Sundays must apply to the Minister of Finance for a special permit and pay for it. Only a few are open on Sunday from 1 pm to 5 pm. Gas stations are usually open on Sundays until 5 pm. A handful of hotel branch store and other pharmacies and some non hotel restaurants are also open on Sundays for dinner. On a public holiday, all local restaurants and shops close and only hotel restaurants are open.

Calling home prior arrangements

See International Direct Dial Telephone Access and costs from Bermuda.

Cameras and photography

Camp sites

They are administered by the Bermuda Government. They are available ONLY to Bermudians and other residents - not tourists - for very short periods usually around late string and summer public holidays, in park lands or near public beaches. There is a limited season and campers must bring their own tents, sleeping bags, clothing and more. In the year 2000 there was a $50 deposit and $5 per night charge.

Census

Under the Bermuda 2002 Statistics Act enacted by the legislature, there will be a census every 5 years starting in 2010. All once-voluntary surveys are now compulsory, backed up by heavy fines or imprisonment for non-compliance.

Climate & Weather

Churches

Most of the 65 to 70 percent of the black population of Bermuda prefer the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Most of the white Europeans or North Americans (about 30 percent of the community) are Anglican or Episcopalian.  Weekend times of church  services are in the Saturday print editions of the daily and twice a week newspapers.

Churches or denominations with websites should check our Links policy is they wish for their websites to be included here. Once they hyperlink to Bermuda Online at www.bermuda-online.org, a reciprocal hyperlink to their website will be shown quickly, plus an email address. Sorry, not otherwise.

Churches include:

• African Methodist Episcopal. Many churches.
• Anglican Church. With one in every parish and three in St. George's and Pembroke Parishes. There is a Bishop of Bermuda.
• The Baha'i Community of Bermuda. 
• Christ Church, Warwick. Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Built 1719.
• Christian Resource Center in Bermuda.
• Church of God of Prophecy
• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
• Church of the Nazarine
• Ethiopian Orthodox, Old Military Road, St. George's. Phone 297-2085.
• The Evangelical Church of Bermuda. 1 Mission Road, Paget. 
• First Baptist Church of Bermuda, 134 Middle  Road, Devonshire. Phone 236-7414. Fax 232-0179. 
• Jewish Community. P. O. Box HM 1793, Hamilton HM HX. Voice mail 291-1785.
• Methodist Churches of Bermuda (of the United Church of Canada)
• Online Christian Fellowship Network of Bermuda
• Peace Lutheran Church, South Road, Paget DV 04
• Roman Catholic Church. For over 55 years in 2008, priests have come from the Waterloo, Ontario, province of the Congregation of the Resurrection. See the book "Bermuda's Priests" by Father John McCarthy, 1954, with  152 pages, illustrated and the 2003 book by Father James Wahl on the history of the Roman Catholic Church in Bermuda titled "Planting the Banner of Christ on the Isle of the Devils." Nine churches, including St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church. 23 South Road,  Smith's Parish. Phone 236-9866. Fax 232-2824. There is a Roman Catholic Bishop of Bermuda.
• Southampton Seventh Day Adventist Church
• St. Andrew's. Presbyterian Church of Canada. Air conditioned and wheelchair accessible.
• Salvation Army in Bermuda. Six locations. Divisional HQ at 92 Reid Street, P. O. Box HM 2259, Hamilton HM JX. Phone 292-0601. Fax 295-3765.

Adjutant Lute DesBrisay, Salvation Army. She arrived on January 2, 1896 and officially began the Salvation Army in Bermuda.

• The Open Door Christian Assembly, Harrington Sound Road, Smith's. Phone 293-2689.
• White Hill Gospel Chapel, 1 St. George's Bay Road, Sandys.
• Unity Foundation of Truth in Bermuda
• Youth Working in Unity for the Kingdom

City and town

Both the City of Hamilton and Town of St. George have elected Mayors and Councilors. The town was Bermuda's original settlement in 1609 and capital from 1612 until superseded by the city in 1815. The city and Hamilton Parish should not be confused with each other. They are separate entities six miles apart, named after different people. Bermuda International Airport Photo: Government Information Services, Bermuda

Harrington Sound (on the left of what looks like two lakes above, but which in fact has an access to the sea under Flatt's Bridge and has many subterranean caves) marks the lowest point on the Bermuda sea platform. It is about 23 meters in depth at its deepest point (off Devil's Hole). Its geological formation is not yet fully explained. It is not the crater of an extinct volcano as often assumed. To the right of Harrington Sound is Castle Harbour, with the airport nearby

Coastal erosion

Bermuda is widely susceptible to this. Hurricanes and winter storm surges have debilitating effects on shorelines. A Jamaican firm, Smith Warner International, was commissioned in July 2003 by the Bermuda Government to do a survey at taxpayers' expense.

Consulates

Cost of Living

Credit cards

American Express or Master Card or Visa are usable in most gift shops, hotels and restaurants in Bermuda. But be sure to check ahead.

Crime

Internationally, Bermuda has a medium-high crime rate - as duly noted by both Britain and the United States of America in their travel advisories. But there are probably more crimes in Bermuda per capita - per square mile among its 68,000 residents in 21 square miles than anywhere else in the world. In the 1970s, a Governor, his aide and the Chief of Police were assassinated. in 1996, there was a notorious rape, torture, sodomy and murder of a 17 year old innocent Canadian tourist. (See under "Rebecca Middleton" in Bermuda Laws). Most crimes locally are by locals seeking illegal narcotics or the money to pay for them. They trespass by night or day at premises used by visitors and locals. Some may have illegal guns. These thieves go after valuables like cash and credit cards not locked in safes.  The crime rate is such that all visitors should not, under any circumstances, leave your room or suite or cottage sliding glass doors or apartment windows or doors unlocked by day or night. If you merely lock a nylon screen from the inside by night or by day if you are out, you risk being robbed by thugs who will cut the screen and enter. Always use a secure safe in your room - and inform the local police promptly if you are robbed or assaulted. Also, be wary of venturing out at night and do not carry a handbag on you or when you are on a moped or scooter, in a place where it can be easily snatched by a thief.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Board: Visitors raped, murdered and sodomized in Bermuda, or their families, should not expect quick or generous or any compensation. Only dependants, not family members, are usually eligible. In the case of raped, sodomized, tortured and murdered 17-year old Canadian visitor Rebecca Middleton, her family had to wait 10 years and in 2006 got only a nominal $2,840.63. 

Tourist Crime Unit: Bermuda's many crimes against tourists have received such bad publicity in the USA (from where over 80% of tourists come), Canada and UK that a Tourist Crime Unit has been established, using 2 members of the 469-strong Bermuda Police. 

Cuisine

Currency

See Money.

Customs Exemptions for incoming residents and visitors

For Bermuda Customs (Import Duty) purposes, residents - not visitors - can claim a $100 per person duty free allowance (it was a $200 per person allowance until April 1, 1996 and $400 per person a few years ago) each time they travel for over 3 days, or can lump all such allowances together if returning to Bermuda as a family. 

But residents should retain in their possession and produce if necessary the receipts for clothes, personal effects and goods they purchase abroad, in case their value declared by the resident is challenged by a Bermuda Customs officer. Duty is payable at 30% of the value of purchase cost abroad of imported goods less the $100 per person duty free travel allowance. Some goods are duty free, such as books and computer business software (not games). The mere $100 per person duty free allowance for residents allowed by the Bermuda Government does not compare well with the present £145 per person duty free allowance applicable in the United Kingdom for purchases outside the European Union (EU); the much more generous rate for travelers within the EU; $300 for Canadians returning to Canada from abroad; and $800 in the USA for US residents visiting Bermuda.

Also - unlike US citizens or registered aliens returning home to the USA after a vacation or business trip who qualify routinely for a further US Customs exemption of up to $100 per day of bone fide goods shipped from abroad, for their own personal use - Bermudians or residents do not get the same consideration from the Bermuda Government.

Visitors are not entitled to the US$100 duty-free allowance of returning residents. Instead, they may bring in gifts up to the total value of $25 (compared to $100 or so in most other countries) after which they pay duty at prevailing rates.

Daylight Savings Time

Bermuda follows the USA, on the same day, instead of the UK and Europe, later. In Bermuda in 2007, as in the USA, clocks were set forward an hour on Sunday, March 11. Previously, daylight savings time for Bermuda and the United States started on the first Sunday in April — when clocks went forward an hour — and ended on the last Sunday in October, when they would fall back. In 2007, clocks will not fall back until the first Sunday in November rather than the last Sunday in October. In 2005 the US Congress passed a bill to extend daylight savings time by a month and last year the Bermuda House of Assembly passed the Time Zone Bill, which keeps Bermuda in line with the US change. The US Congress hoped the change would reduce energy use.

Departure tax

In 2008, The Miscellaneous Taxes (Rates) Amendment Act increased the rate of departure tax for all visitors and residents from $25 to $35 per person. Bermuda has by far and away the highest Departure Tax in the world per square mile, - of US$1.66 per square mile.

Disabled or special needs residents and visitors

The airport in Bermuda has no jetways so the handicapped in wheelchairs or otherwise disabled must be lifted down manually, when arriving and departing. Please see the Bermuda Physically Handicapped Association for more details. For details of hospitals and medical support groups locally, see Health Care Support Groups in Bermuda.

Divorces

About the same number per capita as in USA.

Drug Stores

See under "Pharmacies" in Senior Citizens of Bermuda. "

Film companies

If not Bermudian, the company will need to:

• register with the Bermuda Department of Immigration & Labor
• have a local (Bermudian) agent
• secure Work Permits for all non-Bermudian personnel coming to Bermuda

Flora.

Gambling 

Government levies a tax on all betting. It is officially frowned on but unofficially sanctioned and encouraged. Some want to see Bermuda become an open gambling center. There are numerous other forms of gambling which do not use the gaming machines. Locals and visitors can gamble openly on bingo, raffles, in licensed premises on horse races, British soccer pools, American and United Kingdom horse racing and greyhound racing, American football, Crown and Anchor at cricket games and elsewhere, floating poker games.  During the NFL season, it is estimated that more than $350,000 is bet on teams. Types of licenses under the Betting License Act 1975 include

• Pool Betting Agent's License - for UK football pools.
• Restricted Bookmaker's License
• Bookmakers' License.

Gambling on cruise-ships on Bermuda ports: not allowed. An attempt to allow it in 2009 was defeated by the Bermuda parliament.

Consult: Betting Licensing Authority and Bermuda's Betting (Regulations & Tax) Act.

Gasoline and oil costs

See why Bermuda is one of the most expensive places in the world.

Golf

Golf is a superb but expensive pastime in Bermuda.

Gratuities

They are expected from visitors at the rate of 15 percent of a restaurant bill instead of tipping, 10 percent or more of where you stay in most cases, a discretionary amount when using a gas (petrol) station, usually US $2 for two bags if you use a packer in a grocery store, and whenever you use a taxi, at about 15 percent of your fare.

Grocery stores

Please budget in advance for Bermuda prices. Most visitors have no prior idea food shopping is so expensive. What a couple can buy in the USA for a week will be less expensive than buying food in Bermuda for two days. Only locally owned stores are allowed. So they do not have bulk purchasing power or other economies of scale. Also, they have very high import duty rates imposed by the Bermuda Government which average 30 per cent at wholesale costs. Only a few stores can offer prices comparable to those in the USA. The good news is that the larger, full service premises with an extensive range of meats, seafood, vegetables and products are now open from 8 am to 10 pm daily except Sundays and from 1 pm to 5 pm on Sundays and are not as expensive as convenience stores. One of the most convenient is The MarketPlace, with branches island wide. Its e-mail address is marketpl@ibl.bm. Or Miles Market, on Pitt's Bay Road, telephone 296 7615. E-mail miles@ibl.bm

Guns of all types are forbidden

Under no circumstances are individuals allowed to import or own guns, not even BB or pellet guns or slingshots. Penalties for doing so are severe.

Health Clubs

See under Clubs, fitness centres and health clubs in Employers.

Hospitals, health care services, health insurance

All visitors - including those from the UK - should note they are not covered locally, so should insure themselves adequately to cover their visit or employment locally. Costs of medical services are appreciably more expensive than in USA. 

Hotel occupancy and gratuity taxes

Hotels, cottage colonies, guest houses, etc. are required to add the Bermuda Government's Hotel Occupancy Tax, currently 7.25 percent, to your room rate. Most will also ask you for a further 10% or more of your total bill, as gratuities for their staff. There is also a Resort Levy tax for people staying at resort hotels.

Language

English is the only official language but a few people, mostly expatriates, may speak others.

Literacy

98% of all males and 99% of all females age 15 and over can read and write.

Local and overseas newspapers and magazines

The Royal Gazette (on the Internet daily, Monday to Saturday except for public holidays in print editions) national and international newspaper - the only daily -is better than most newspapers up to 10 times the population and size of Bermuda. All places to stay have them. Overseas newspapers, sometimes a day old, are weekday and Sunday editions from Boston, London, New York, Washington DC and elsewhere. There are also leading British and North American business magazines. But the latter two categories are very expensive locally. The Sunday edition of the Boston Globe is over US $5.00. Some English Saturday or Sunday newspapers now cost $10 in Bermuda. 

Mail Service 

See Postal Service and Post Offices.

Maritime claims

Bermuda has internationally recognized maritime claims to an exclusive fishing zone of 200 nautical miles and a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles. In 1996, the claims were embodied an exclusive economic zone.

Money

• The US dollar is the recommended currency for all visitors. Unlike other foreign currencies, it is accepted everywhere in Bermuda, at par with the Bermuda dollar - which is strictly local. But US Money Orders issued by the US Post Office cannot be cashed in non-American Bermuda.
• Bermuda's banks offer the Euro to all visitors and business executives or representatives heading for  Europe. However,  incoming visitors from Europe should note that the Euro is not accepted in Bermuda. They should use US dollars.

Newcomers who are working

Population

Postal Service and Post Offices

There is a Post Office in every Parish (county). They are owned by the Bermuda Government, sell postage stamps, commemorative First Day Covers, pre-stamped air letter forms without enclosures, have and rent Post Office boxes for those who prefer to receive their mail this way instead of being delivered. They are open 5 days a week, from 8 am to 11:45 am then from about 1:30 pm to about 4:45 pm. Most are closed on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays. When this happens, unlike in Europe, North America and United Kingdom where there are machines selling postage stamps, there are no other ways in Bermuda to buy postage stamps. Post offices do not sell postcards. There is one mail delivery a day, 5 days a week (Mondays-Fridays except Public Holidays) to homes without Post Office boxes, less when a postal worker is sick or if there is a dangerous dog on the premises. Tourists and business visitors expecting any mail during their Bermuda visit should allow at least a week for receipt and should ask at where they stay for mail as there are no mail deliveries directly to their cottages or rooms or apartments or rented houses.

Public Holidays

Note both their celebrations and how services are restricted on the days concerned.

Religions

See "Churches."

Restaurants

Only one outlet of Kentucky Fried Chicken is allowed to operate as a restaurant franchise.

Roads

In Bermuda's 21 square miles in total land area, the Bermuda roads - the biggest being one lane each way usually - total about 155 miles (250 km) in statute miles total length of all of them combined. Only the main roads - North Shore Road, South Road and Middle Road, for their positions on the North Shore, South Shore and Middle respectively - are wide enough for traffic to go on either side. Many residential roads are too narrow for fire trucks and ambulances to enter. All roads have names, British style. All are listed alphabetically, with local postal codes. Most road signs and direction markers are in both miles and European-style kilometers. 

The surface of all Bermuda roads is asphalt with granite aggregate chips. They provide a durable, reasonably non-skid surface. The asphalt is flexible enough to absorb the weight of heavy vehicles without cracking. It is impervious and sheds water. But their narrow width is another matter. They are often congested, very narrow, hilly, noisy, sharp-cornered and twisting compared to most other places. 

In many parts of Bermuda, there are either no sidewalks or pavements or on one side of the road only. They are not suitable for people in wheelchairs or who have difficulty walking or who are on roller blades or scooters. Health and safety-conscious visitors are advised not to run or jog on them because of the illegally high speed of many local motorists but instead to go to one of the national parks. 

Bermuda has the busiest and noisiest roads in the world, with more road traffic and illegally noisy vehicles by far per square mile, than any other place in the world. 

Non-smoking visitors cannot assume that hotels are for non-smokers only. Some may have non-smoking sections. Always check directly with the hotel concerned. Effective April 1, 2006, smoking in public places was banned in Bermuda. Legislation enacted in late 2005 makes it an offence to light up in bars, restaurants hospitals, hotels, offices and schools across the Island. It also sees cigarette vending machines banned along with tobacco advertising at sporting events and it is illegal to sell cigarettes to under 18s. There is a $1,000 fine for those who break the law.

Travel Insurance

It is often assumed - wrongly - that because Bermuda portrays a British image and is not yet politically independent of Britain, that British National Health laws apply and visitors don't need insurance. British National Health don't apply (in fact they don't even apply when traveling in UK if you are not a resident of UK),  there is no reciprocal health insurance arrangement with Britain or any other country - and nationals of all countries including the USA, UK, Canada, are advised to cover themselves for adequate travel insurance, or be prepared to accept any liability financially.  Bermuda is more expensive than even the USA for health related costs which are not insured.

Tiny Bermuda - with only 20.75 (twenty point seven five) square miles and with the third highest population in the world per square mile - has some of the highest costs of accommodation in the world and the huge cost of living expenses to go with them. Bermuda organizations trying to help visitors in distress cannot be expected to continue to bear any costs for cruise ship or other visitors who do not take sensible contingency precautions.

For your own piece of mind, ensure your plans to Bermuda include taking spare money, travel insurance and health insurance to cope with possible unexpected accommodation in an emergency medical situation for any reason or a death. It seems many visitors do not do this, yet have no hesitation in renting motor scooters or mopeds in Bermuda, which can be very dangerous to those not familiar with them; drive them on the wrong side of the road compared to Europe, USA and Canada; and end up having accidents, with their vacation ruined. Thus, they become clients of the Overseas Family Help Committee of the Hospital Auxiliary organization in Bermuda - which will not cover any of their hospital or medical or related expenses.

Every week, visitors suffer such emergencies when in Bermuda but do not make contingency plans. Some claim they have no money and no health and travel insurance for unexpected problems. They are not being exempted from any health or hospital costs incurred in Bermuda, in the same way that visitors to the USA or Canada are not being exempted if they fail to insure themselves adequately.

Visitors from the UK and European countries who take out travel insurance should note that Bermuda is not in the UK or Europe but in the (most expensive) "worldwide" category of countries. Visitors from the USA, Canada and elsewhere who do so should remember that Bermuda is not part of the UK but a "foreign country."

Pre-existing health conditions will apply to all insurances.

 Work Permits

Required for all non-nationals including those born in Bermuda without a Bermudian parent.

Yacht arrival tax 

In 2008, this increased from $15 to $35 per person.