Economic Permanent Residence

1. Permanent residencypossible
2. Citizenshipafter 10 years

• Permanent residency
• Citizenship 10 years
• Dual citizenship not allowed
• Language required for citizenship

Country

Bahamas

Program

Economic Permanent Residence

Local name

Permanent Residence — Economic Status

Type

Investor visa

Status

Active

Min stay

90 days per 12 months

Lifetime economic permanent residence under section 17A of the Immigration Act for a minimum BSD 1,000,000 investment in Bahamian real estate or Central Bank Zero Coupon Bonds, held for at least 10 years. The certificate may be issued without work rights (BSD 20,000) or with the right to engage in gainful occupation in the holder’s own business (BSD 25,000).

Tax regime

Exempt

Tax rate

0.0%

Regime name

Zero Income Tax

Foreign income taxed

No

Capital gains taxed

No

Method

in person

Processing time

Up to 90 days

Apply from abroad

Yes

Investment minimum and routes are set by the Immigration (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2024 (in force 1 January 2025): BSD 1,000,000 in real estate or Central Bank Zero Coupon Bonds, held 10 years; deeds of gift do not qualify. Holders must reside in The Bahamas at least 90 cumulative days per year (Immigration (Amendment) Act, 2021, s.17A(1)(b)). Certificate is for life unless revoked; a completed application is deemed approved after three months (s.17A(7)). Government fees (Immigration Fee Scale): BSD 200 processing; BSD 20,000 certificate without gainful occupation or BSD 25,000 with right to work in own business; BSD 300 per endorsement (spouse/dependant). Citizenship: permanent residents may apply after 10 years of PR status with the residence conditions on the Immigration citizenship page; naturalisation requires renunciation of other citizenship and sufficient English (Bahamas Nationality Act). The Bahamas levies no personal income, capital gains or inheritance tax. BSD is pegged 1:1 to USD. Annual Permit to Reside (BSD 3,000/year) and Home Owner Resident Permit are lower-cost yearly alternatives that are not this economic PR route. The bahamas.gov.bs permanent-residence service page still shows outdated figures (BS$1.5M speedy consideration, BS$100 processing) and should not be used for thresholds.

1. Oct 10, 2026
   • Years to citizenship not set 10
   • Investment options updated

   verified against immigration.gov.bs, fee scale, Immigration (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2024 and citizenship/nationality sources; checked 2026-10-09; government certificate fee set to USD 20,000; citizenship after 10 years; dual citizenship not allowed; language required for citizenship; minimum stay 90 days per 12 months; work rights corrected (no employment, no work permit); processing time 56–70 days→up to 90 days; application link switched from the stale bahamas.gov.bs service page to immigration.gov.bs; notes and description refreshed for 1 Jan 2025 $1M / 10-year rules (immigration.gov.bs) Source