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Bermuda Government today

Constitution, Executive, Legislature, Judiciary, Voters

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

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

Basics

General Election 18 December 2007

Between The Progressive Labour Party (PLP) - in Government since 1998 - and United Bermuda Party (UBP) - in Opposition. The PLP remained as the Government by winning 22 seats to the UBP's 14. The UBP lost several key seats.

In accordance with the Bermuda Constitution (Amendment) Order 2003 and its Second Schedule, electoral districts changed in March 2003 from 20 dual-seat (2 members of Parliament) constituencies with significant variations in size of each - in 9 Parishes of almost the same size of each Parish - to 36 single-member constituencies. It meant a reduction of 4 Members of Parliament. Each constituency is about 0.58 of a square mile on average, with between 1,031 and 1,143 voters; and has one paid legislator.

Bermuda Constitution

A written document 96 pages long, it went into effect on June 8, 1968. The Bermuda Constitution is not like other constitutions which cover all nationals and non-nationals. The Bermuda one covers Bermudians and their spouses only, not the 25 percent who are not and probably will never be unless they marry a Bermudian, or are born to parents one of whom must be a Bermudian.

The Bermuda Government has three main branches - Executive, Legislative and Judicial - in the British "Westminster" system. They are described below.

Bermuda Government Boards

The over 108 boards of political appointments acceptable to the Premier include, at the top, a reference to the relevant Act of Parliament and all members of that Board. They advise their respective Ministers - who may use his or her discretion instead of accepting their recommendations.

Bermuda Laws 

Summarized in this Bermuda Government website.

Bermuda's biggest employer by far

The Bermuda Government employs more than 14% of Bermuda's entire adult working population and is also easily Bermuda's biggest real estate property owner. Many buildings house the legislators and civil service. The Government controls things which in many other countries are privatized. Typical examples are in airports, tourism, transport. All first world countries have privatized them wholly or partly, but not in Bermuda. Government has 38 quangos and public funds.

Bermuda Government revenue from taxes

Bermudians, other residents and visitors spend more per square mile in taxes than anywhere else in the world, both per capita and in total. The table below is in order of revenue by source. One direct consequence of the Budget is that its taxes impact so hugely on Bermuda that the overall cost of living in Bermuda is at least 380% more expensive than in the USA and 280% more expensive than in the UK and Canada.

Bermuda and/or Municipal Government and social rank definitions and explanations, UK-style

** On recommendation of the Bermuda Government (Premier's Office) to the UK. For government service. Unlike in the UK, in Bermuda there have never been any Bermuda Government-nominated recommendations for a Dame or Knight who is not in government but is instead in international or local private-sector business.

* Also on recommendation of the Bermuda Government ( Premier's Office) to the UK. For government or other service.

Unlike in the USA, UK, Canada, etc. there is no government way to contact MPs via email, nor are their email addresses, if they have them, published routinely.

Executive branch

Bermuda is externally a self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It makes all its own laws. UK and European Community laws do not apply in Bermuda. Newcomers from other countries can come here to work despite the island's small size and exceptionally high population per square mile but, unlike in Britain, are not allowed to gain citizenship or vote or acquire lower-priced real estate unless they they qualify for citizenship in ways no other Western country require. In the UK, USA, Canada and elsewhere, citizenship comes after 3 (if married to a national) or 5 years, tops. But not in Bermuda, not even if you stay longer than 5 years. In Bermuda, only with marriage to a Bermudian and living with a spouse for over 10 years can someone not Bermudian apply for citizenship. Even children born in Bermuda are not Bermudian under Bermuda law unless one parent is.  

More information about the role of Britain in Bermuda. Her Majesty the Queen is Bermuda's official Head of State. In London, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, London, England, is responsible for Bermuda, other territories and agencies including UK visas, British Council and BBC World Service. The Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Bermuda is appointed by The Queen (on the advice of the British Government in London) after consultation with the Premier of Bermuda. 

The Governor of Bermuda from December 2007 is career diplomat Sir Richard Gozney, former British High Commissioner in Nigeria and Her Majesty's Non-Resident Ambassador to the Republic of Benin and the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. Sir Richard has worked in Argentina, Indonesia and Swaziland and at the Foreign Commonwealth Office as Head of Section for NATO nuclear arms control, Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary and Head of Security Policy Department. He was awarded the Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2006. He graduated from St Edmund Hall at the University of Oxford in 1973 with a Bachelors in Geology. His wife is Lady Diana Gozney. They live at Government House, 11 Langton Hill, Pembroke HM 13 phone 441 292-1271, Governor's Office Fax 441 292 2256. Until he arrived, Deputy Governor Mark Capes (Deputy Governor's Office Fax 441 292 1913. Email depgov@ibl.bm) acted as Governor. The Governor from April 2002 to October 12, 2007 was Sir John Vereker.  His wife Judy - Lady Vereker - was a native Washingtonian. 

His Excellency the Governor has his own Flag of Office. It is a Union Jack but in its center it has the Bermuda arms on a white disc encircled by a green garland. Uniforms for the Governor are made in London by Davies & Sons. They include a full dress blue and tropical cotton drill. It is based on old British military Field Marshals, with a white pith helmet with dyed scarlet swan's feathers plumage and Mameluke sword by Wilkinson Sword. The price of about $10,000 is met by the British Government. The official car used by the Governor  features a crown instead of a license plate, with extra large width, length and horsepower by Bermuda standards and the Governor's Flag.

The main challenge for a Bermuda Governor is to balance two sometimes contradictory functions. First, he is the primary source of information from Bermuda to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the state of affairs in Bermuda. Second, he is the voice of the United Kingdom and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for advising Bermudians what they can and cannot do under British/United Kingdom laws. The salaries of the Governor, Deputy Governor and their staff are paid by Bermuda's taxpayers, NOT the British Government. Bermuda, despite its tiny size, is wealthy enough not to need the support from the United Kingdom some other overseas territories get.  

The duties of the Deputy Governor include being an ex-officio notary public who can perform or notarize anything on behalf of the Bermuda Government but may not receive a fee for this service. He is married, with 2 grown-up daughters overseas and a dog. He served as a British diplomat in Belgium, Portugal, Yugoslavia, Jordan, Nigeria, Austria, Turks and Caicos and most recently Anguilla. From 1994-1999 he was First Secretary Economic and Environment in New Zealand before becoming Deputy Governor in Anguilla. During his most recent spell in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London, from 1999 to 2002, Mr. Capes was Deputy Head of Parliamentary Relations and Devolution Department, in which capacity he also served as Foreign Affairs Advisor to the UK Branch of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

In July 2003, Bermuda formally joined the Caribbean Community, as an Associate Member (non-voting member), in certain areas but not in others. This specifically excludes the free movement of Caribbean nationals to Bermuda and any prospect of Bermuda joining CARIFTA or its newest free trade organization - the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) - and its hopes. Membership of the Caribbean Community will cost Bermuda about US$90,000 a year. Direct trade between Bermuda and Caribbean countries is also welcomed and encouraged, especially given the close or extended family links many Bermudians have with Caribbean islands or territories. Because of this, there is a Monday-Friday 10 am and 5:45 pm 5-minute Caribbean news feature on local radio (VSB) produced by the BBC of England and a lively Caribbean-produced feature on certain evenings. But the irony is that there are no scheduled air or sea services at all between Bermuda and the Caribbean, as there were in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Many visitors to Bermuda from the USA and Canada assume - wrongly - that there are air services connecting Bermuda with the Caribbean nearly 1,000 miles to the south. Presently, virtually all imports to Bermuda made in the Caribbean come via the USA or Canada. All visitors to Bermuda who are nationals of and resident in Caribbean islands must come via the USA or Canada or United Kingdom and must have appropriate visas to come via those countries. (Effective January 2003, all Jamaican nationals who are not Bermudian must also have a visa to enter Bermuda on business or vacation).

Cabinet Ministers and MP's salaries

All Cabinet Ministers are Bermudian by birth or through their parents. They are appointed by and answer to the Premier. He can  extend or reduce their Cabinet responsibilities, at his discretion. They must be either elected Members of Parliament or members of the Senate. They are referred to as Ministers in the British way because they control and administer and set the policy for their portfolios. They are paid a regular and pensionable salary - far more generous than in the private sector - as Members of Parliament or Senators with an additional sum if they are also a Cabinet Minister. 

• As Premier, Dr. Ewart Brown now earns over $220,000 per annum as Premier, the current MP's salary of over $50,000 per annum as a Member of Parliament and $162,000 per annum per Ministry as a full-time Minister of both Tourism and Transport, etc. 
• Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance Paula Cox now earns a salary of $170,000 per year as a full-time Minister plus additional salaries as Deputy Premier and over $50,000 as a Member of Parliament
• Ministers get $150,000 if full-time (most consider themselves to be) and $100,000 per year if part-time. 
• Ministers' cars are provided free as one of their perks, with an unlimited gas (petrol) allowance, a large Peugeot. Their other benefits include calls made from home, credit card for overseas travel, health insurance, generous pension.
• MPs recently received a pay hike from $39,428 to $50,000 – a 26.8 percent pay rise.

Premier, Government Leader, Minister of Tourism and Transport

Dr the Hon. Ewart Brown, JP, MP.

Portfolio as Premier is (in alphabetical order):

• Archives
• Cabinet Office
• Central Policy Unit
• Bermuda Independence Community
• Communication & Information Services
• Delegated Affairs
• Government House
• External Affairs
• Human Resources
• Lotteries
• Management Services
• Public Service Commission
• Statistics

Portfolio as Minister of Tourism includes:

• Bermuda Alliance for Tourism
• Ministry of Tourism
• Stonington Beach Hotel
• Telecommunications ( including Wireless Telegraphy). 
• Tourism
• Visitors Industry Partnership

Portfolio as Minister of Transport

Responsible for staffing, managing and regulating transportation in Bermuda, including the airport, weather services, buses and ferries. Recent projects included new catamaran ferries; Rockaway ferry stop; security upgrades to the airport and bus terminal; creation of a new Department of Maritime Administration; new x-ray equipment to scan all airport checked luggage.

• Airport Operations
• Air Transport
• Civil Aviation
• Marine & Ports Services
• Maritime Administration
• Ministry of Transport
• Public Transportation Board
• Transport
• Transport Control

Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance & Economic Development

The Hon. Paula Cox, JP. MP. Phone 295-5151 extension 1495. Fax 295-5727.  No published e-mail address in the Bermuda Government's The Social Agenda 2005.

• Accountant General
• Audit
• Bermuda Monetary Authority
• Customs
• Development of New Business
• Finance Companies
• Ministry of Finance
• Pensions
• Post Office
• Registry of Companies
• Small Business (including the Small Business Development Corporation)
• Social Insurance 
• Tax Commissioner

Other Government Cabinet Ministers and Senators

Main Government Offices

The Bermuda Government is the largest local employer by far. The Ministers and Ministries above have more than 60 departments. Members of the Civil Service are bound by, among other things, The Public Service Commission Regulations 2001. Their offices include the following most visible to locals, visitors and newcomers.

36 elected members in House of Assembly

House of Assembly about 1985

Elected legislators  are men and women  who are Government or Opposition backbenchers. Their salaries are more than in some places far bigger than Bermuda, yet all are part-time, with a total of about 2 weeks per year overall in the House of Assembly if they have a perfect attendance. Some have poor attendance. They are popularly elected to terms of up to five years by the registered voters of Bermuda - Bermudian or non-Bermudians who were Commonwealth citizens in 1979 (but not later) under the universal franchise system. 

A Constituency Boundaries Commission, appointed in late 2001, recommended reduction of members from 40 to 36. It was approved and was in place for the July 2003 General Election. In the House, the Premier, as an elected member, represents the 22 elected members of the Progressive Labor Party. The Opposition is the United Bermuda Party, with 14 elected members. Bermuda's third political party is the National Liberal Party (NLP) - with no elected representatives. 

The House celebrated its 385th anniversary in 2005. It first convened on August 1, 1620, in the town of St. George, Bermuda's first capital. Only the legislative assemblies of the United Kingdom and Iceland pre date it.

The dress code for all Bermuda legislators was relaxed in July 2000. Now men may wear Bermuda Shorts or safari or Nehru suits and women trouser suits.

There is an Annual (except in 2007 due to a pending election) Speaker's Dinner, every November, hosted by the Speaker of the House of Assembly. 

Currently, Bermuda is over-governed compared to places elsewhere with far fewer politicians per voter. A typical example is St. Lucia, with 14 parliamentarians in its 240 square miles. Barbados, also in the Caribbean, has 28 elected members in its parliament and 12 senators, in its 166 square miles and with a population of 266,000.

The Bermuda Government has 9 appointed Parish Councils, 2 elected municipal Corporations each with their full slate of aldermen and councilors like much larger cities and towns abroad and 108 Government Boards in which there are 800 part time members (none of them full time civil servants, all reporting to a Member of Parliament).

Bermuda has the highest costs anywhere per square mile of airlines' fees and related taxes; alcohol taxes; arrival taxes for cruise ship visitors; customs (import) duties; departure taxes; huge annual automobile annual registration; licensing and related taxes averaging US$ 550 per vehicle; gasoline taxes which have not been reduced in the recent oil crisis and which have pushed local retail prices to over US $6 a gallon; returning residents import duties of 23% on all goods worth more than $100 per person (the allowance for returning residence used to be $400 per person); and hundreds of other indirect (consumption based) taxes alone. Plus, because the Bermuda Government levies a very significant import duty on fuel oil and natural gas, the highest anywhere per square mile, electricity and natural gas costs in Bermuda for businesses, homes, and all guest properties including hotels are vastly more expensive than they are in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom and Europe.

11 appointed members in the Upper House - Senate

Like all Members of Parliament, all Senators are Bermudian. Bermuda has a bicameral legislative body, an appointed Upper House (Senate) and an elected Lower House.  The Upper House, Senate since 1980, is appointed by the Governor. He also appoints three independent Senators. They are Alfred Oughton; Dr. Idwal Wynn Hughes; and Carol Anne Marie Bassett. Officially, they represent neither the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) in government nor the United Bermuda Party (UBP) in opposition. All 11 Senators are paid, but less than Members of Parliament.  Despite its name as the Senate, and its description as the Upper House,  it is very much a junior forum.

Cabinet Office, home of the Senate. Photograph by the author

Opposition Leader and UBP Shadow Cabinet include

• Michael Dunkley, JP. 

• John Barrett, JP, MP. 

• Maxwell Burgess, JP, MP. 

• Jon Brunson, JP. MP. 

• Neville Darrell, JP. MP.

• David Dodwell, JP. Tourism.

• Wayne Furbert, JP. MP.

• The Hon. Dr. Grant Gibbons, JP, MP.  E-mail ggibbons@ibl.bm.

• Patricia Gordon-Pamplin, JP. MP.

• Louise Jackson, JP, MP. Community, Cultural Affairs, Seniors, Disabled.

• Trevor Moniz, JP. MP. Shadow Attorney General, Legislative Affairs, Justice, Telecommunications and E-Commerce.

• Suzanne Roberts-Holshouser, JP. Women.

• Cole Simons, JP. Environment.

Freedom of Information Act

None, unlike in United Kingdom, USA, etc.

Judicial branch

Its members are appointed by the Bermuda Government, not elected. They are paid for by the Bermuda Government. Courts are the Supreme Court and Magistrates Courts. These are headed by the Chief Justice, appointed by the Governor. It administers the Bermuda legal system which passes its own laws. For some matters, they are based on English law but are modified - sometimes hugely - by Bermuda laws endorsed and approved by the Legislative branch. Bermuda Laws are summarized in this Bermuda Government website.

Also see Bermuda Law Reports, a private-sector initiative that provides considered judgments of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal for Bermuda from 1990 to the current date. In some cases - for example in Human Rights laws, laws affecting senior citizens and the disabled and their parking in Disabled Parking areas - Bermuda laws either don't exist at all despite repeated requests, or relate solely to Bermudians not other residents, or are poor. 

Human Rights limitations

Bermuda laws apply, not UK laws, even though Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory. Unlike in the UK, Canada, USA, etc. the local Human Rights Act and Amendment Act relate only to Bermudians, not non-Bermudian retirees or guest workers. For example, where the Constitution says no discrimination by way of race or country of origin, etc, in practice non-Bermudians are regulated heavily in Work Permits regulations, exclusions, number of jobs they can have; property they may and may not buy; becoming Bermudian only by marriage and living together with a spouse  - and eligible only after 10 years of such marriage. 

Also, for disabled, Human Rights Acts in the UK, USA and Canada specify the definition of disabled as some permanently disabled. But in Bermuda for the permanently disabled, the act gives them no such protection at all. Nor are there any transportation laws laws for the disabled, as they are in UK, USA, Canada, etc.

Policing

Government House has direct responsibility for the operational side of Policing with the Police Commissioner reporting directly to Governor Sir John Vereker, while budgeting and manpower is Government’s responsibility.

Who the Premier and Ministers met in Washington DC in May 2006

• Susan Ralston: Assistant to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, senior adviser to George W Bush. Manages Rove’s office. Her brief states she is in charge of presidential events and one of her biggest tasks was providing co-ordination between the White House and the victorious Bush-Cheney campaign in 2004. The highest-ranking Filipino American with close access to the President.
• Ruben Barrales: Named among the most influential Hispanics in the US in the 90s, the son of Mexican immigrants is a financial whiz whose tax expertise has helped make a California state a debt-cutting pioneer.
• Congressman Charles B Rangel: Serving his 17th term as a Harlem representative and founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Democrat was the driving force behind a $5-billion Government empowerment zone reviving neighbourhoods across the States. He is also chair of the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control and leads the battle against drug abuse and trafficking. Member of the House Judiciary Committee during the Nixon impeachment hearings and fought in Korea from 1948-52, the Harlem resident was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze star for wartime bravery.
• Senator George Allen: Touted as a possible future Republican President in some Washington circles. Self-proclaimed “common sense Jeffersonian conservative”, he pledges to cut the tax burden on families and small business bosses. As chairman of the Senate High-Tech Task Force the Virginian introduced broadband-friendly policies and helped curb Internet taxation. Tabled a Congress bill that raised the death payment to families of soldiers killed in service from $12,000 to $100,000. Political heroes: Ronald Reagan and Thomas Jefferson.
• Senator John Ensign: Former veterinarian from Nevada, his gamble to open the first 24-hour animal hospital in Las Vegas paid off. Fights for smaller Government, strong national defence and an aggressive approach to terrorism. Also a keen environmentalist and was named legislator of the year by the Humane Society of the US for his commitment to fair treatment of animals.
• Senator Norm Coleman: From anti-war and pro-civil rights student protestor in the 60s to Minnesota state prosecutor in the 70s, Senator Coleman has had a richly varied career.
  The former mayor switched from Democrat to Republican in 1996, has lobbied hard on behalf of farmers and is a strong believer in renewable fuels. Chair of the Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigations that carried out the groundbreaking probe into allegations of abuse related to the UN oil for food programme – uncovering Saddam Hussein’s role in the scandal.
• Senator Melquiades Martinez: The Florida representative is the first Cuban-American to serve in the Senate. Came to the US as part of a humanitarian scheme to help Cuban children escape Castro’s communist regime. Has helped promote home-ownership for low-income workers.
• Senator Susan Collins: Maine Senator is chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has power over the Department of Homeland Security. Co-wrote the most sweeping intelligence reform for more than 50 years in the wake of 9/11.Her family runs a fifth-generation lumber business and seen as a tireless advocate for education. The LA Times called her a champion of good Government.
• Dennis Hastert: Speaker of the House of Representatives. Third in line of presidential succession and is also a member of the Minor League Baseball Caucus. Time with the influential Republican was seen as a major coup by the Bermuda delegation.
• Congressman GK Butterfield: His father, who hails from St. George’s, Bermuda, was the first black elected official in east North Carolina in the 20th Century. His son served on the Supreme Court until 2002 and often returns to Bermuda where the Democrat has many relatives.
• Senator David Vitter: Seen as an outspoken conservative reformer who puts his Louisiana state first. Focused on lowering prescription drug prices and saving the coastline.

Each year, Bermuda Government bursaries are awarded to selected Bermudian applicants undertaking a course of study at a university, college or training institution in order to acquire professional or technical qualifications specified by the Cabinet as essential or desirable for appointment to offices in the Public Service. The annual allowance is accompanied by provisional undertaking of employment in the Public Service upon successful completion of the course of study.

There is also a supernumerary program. A supernumerary trainee is a Bermudian who is professionally and or technically qualified in a chosen career and needs post-qualification experience. Supernumerary officers are given favorable consideration for appointment to positions held by contract officers. There are now over forty trainees studying in various fields in the Bermuda Government.

Voters of Bermuda and non citizens who can never vote

March 9, 2007. Efforts by an Opposition Minister to persuade Government to provide absentee voting at the next general election - in the same way absentee voting is not only allowed but encouraged in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom and Europe has has been for some time - were defeated. Shadow Minister for Legislative Reform and Justice John Barritt moved a motion in the House asking for the facility, which, he said, would help the housebound, those on vacation, and also Bermudians studying and working abroad. He said former PLP Premiers Jennifer Smith and Alex Scott had both backed the idea of voting by post, with this getting as far as draft legislation drawn up in 2005 under Mr. Scott. He pointed out that an average of 20-25 percent of those eligible to vote have not turned out at recent elections, and argued that an absentee vote could encompass around 1,000 people unable to vote in person at any given time. "This evening, the only argument we have is 'when?' and 'how soon will we get this?' and 'can we get this done when we come back (to Parliament) in May?'" said Mr. Barritt. However, Premier Ewart Brown successfully got the wording of the motion changed to one that said the Government would take note of "the need to continue research into electronic voting and proxy voting" in a 21-11 vote along party lines. Dr. Brown said the Progressive Labour Party was committed to extending the franchise in any way that is fair and can be implemented. However, speaking after his bid was defeated, Mr. Barritt said: "I was disappointed, most disappointed actually, not for myself or the Opposition but for the people of Bermuda — the voters. "What's clear from the amended motion Premier Brown put forward is that they had and have no intention of proceeding with absentee balloting for the next general election." He speculated: "My suspicion is that the Premier and his political advisors have made a crude political calculation here. They don't need or want absentee balloting on the basis that they won the last two elections without it so they've decided not to risk its introduction now."

Strict voting laws bar people from voting if they have lived away for more than six months. Checks are made to see if Bermudian voters were still resident or just flying in. Many Bermudians want to come home and vote who live abroad but cannot, despite being Bermudian and having an ongoing Bermudian connection. Under Bermuda's archaic laws they are longer entitled to vote. Bermuda's strict laws barring votes from those who had spent a relatively short time away need to be changed. British voters can be gone for up to 15 years before they lose the right to vote in UK national elections and European Union elections. Bermuda's six month limit is far too short and was one of several aspects of electoral law which needs to modernized. It means that Bermudians who are students abroad cannot vote if away from Bermuda for more than six months at a time. The United Bermuda Party want to introduce absentee ballots to allow all registered voters to vote if they are off the Island at the time of an election or the day of the advance poll — which is just a week or so before the election. To deny them that democratic right is a Human Rights wrong in other countries. 

In contrast to Bermuda, in the United Kingdom every British citizen who has been registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years is eligible to vote. If now living overseas,  for example in Bermuda, they can vote in General elections (for the UK Parliament) and European Parliamentary elections. They don’t have to go all the way back to Britain to do it, as when they register in the UK they have the choice of voting by proxy, post or in person if they happen to be in the UK on election day.

Also see under Bermuda Citizenship.

Bermuda voters in general and other elections or referenda are at least 18 years old and are either Bermudian by birth or status, or non Bermudians, long term residents of Bermuda for decades, citizens of the (British) Commonwealth of Nations, who were otherwise registered and qualified to vote in 1979, have remained residents since then - and, like Bermudians - have registered to vote.

Most - about 78% - residents were born in Bermuda of Bermudian parents (or a Bermudian parent) and are Bermudian. Elsewhere, automatic citizenship applies to all children born there. But children born in Bermuda, without either parent being Bermudian by birth or status at the time, are not Bermudian. They are NOT allowed to register to vote in any election after they become 18 years old. All British Commonwealth of Nations nationals including Australians, Britons, Canadians, New Zealanders and West Indians and all other non Bermudians of good character and reputation who have been long term residents of Bermuda for 20 or more years but were refused Bermuda status if they applied for it and were not registered to vote in 1979, are NOT allowed to register to vote. There is no longer any mechanism providing for any other individuals who may be also be long term residents of Bermuda, but who do not have close family ties with Bermudians, to become local citizens. Without this designation, they can never vote. And because they cannot, nor can they ever own mid priced real estate by Bermuda's standards. They are limited to the top 5%  in price and Annual Rentable Value (ARV).

Under Bermuda law, the only people who are irrevocably Bermudian are those born here with at least one Bermudian parent. Those not born here from a Bermudian parent have conditional Bermuda status. They must have received it officially before 1991 (no longer issued except in the special 2002 cases mentioned below) to spouses and children of Bermudians) by virtue of residence.

Citizenship is not given to any non-national unless he or she marries a Bermudian and stays married to and lives with that Bermudian for at least 10 years and then applies for citizenship and receives it. 

Non-Bermudians not allowed to vote - even when they have been model residents in every way for years - are mostly from the USA, Britain, Canada,  Caribbean and Europe, but some are from Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines and elsewhere. Without citizenship, persons also cannot buy any real estate as Bermudians can if they can afford it; are limited to the top 5 percent of property in assessed value and must pay a substantial purchase tax on top of other taxes; cannot obtain any local scholarships from any organization; and if of employable age are not allowed to take any employment but are limited to the kind of employment on a Work Permit approved by the Immigration authority of the Bermuda Government.

Minor concessions were granted in 2002 to some non-Bermudians with over 20 years of continuous residence and demonstrated good character and conduct. They were given Permanent Residents Certificates (PRCs).

They took effect on October 31, 2002 with the enactment of the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 2002.  Having a qualifying Bermudian connection is key to getting Bermuda Status (citizenship) after 20 years. Otherwise, there is no  chance at all of getting it. Those whose brothers and sisters are Bermudians, or who were registered as voters on the Parliamentary Register before May 1, 1976 are entitled to apply for Bermuda Status if they qualify. All others can apply for Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) if they qualify. So far, some 800 persons have done the latter. Application criteria include being ordinarily resident in Bermuda before 31 July 1989 and for a period of 20 years immediately before application; are at least 40 years of age; and are of good character and conduct. Their full names, addresses, parishes and postal codes are published in the Official Gazette. Those with a Working Resident Certificate (WRC) - introduced in 1998 - must still apply for a PLC as some years have passed since they proved their eligibility. Having a PRC will provide security of employment and residence to long term residents. But having either a PRC or WRC does not entitle any non-Bermudian to buy lower or mid-priced real estate. They continue to be limited to the top 5% in price and Annual Rentable Value (ARV). 

All other applicants for the PRC must also demonstrate good character and conduct and must prove that he or she was ordinarily resident in Bermuda before August 1, 1989 and be at least 40 years old on the date of application.

In most other countries, persons of good character who wish to become citizens can do so after 3-5 years, do not need a qualifying local connection; can buy any real estate they wish, at any price; and do not have to be a particular age.

According to the Bermuda Olympic Association, only persons who are Bermudians in their own right can represent Bermuda at the Olympics, Pan Am Games or Central American & Caribbean Games. But this qualification is not fair to persons not born in Bermuda and born in Bermuda but not with a Bermudian parent or married less than 10 years to a Bermudian; or not given citizenship in 3-5 years as in all other UN-member countries.

A non-Bermudian who marries a Bermudian and wishes to apply for local citizenship (Bermuda Status) must (a) have been married to the same Bermudian for ten (10) continuous years; (b) during that marriage, been ordinarily resident in Bermuda for at least seven (7) years, the last two (2) years of which must be continuous to the date of application; (c) have been living together with the Bermudian spouse as husband and wife continuously for the two (2) years immediately before the application; and (d) be of good character and conduct. When the application is made, the Bermuda Government issues a public notice in a local newspaper of record giving notice of the application, the name and address of the applicant and a note saying that any person who knows if any of the provisions have not been fulfilled, or why Bermuda Status should not be granted to the applicant, should send a written statement to the Chief Immigration Officer, Department of Immigration.

If a marriage breaks down, a non-Bermudian will lose the spousal letter but still have the right to ask for permission to seek employment in Bermuda and apply for a work permit. A non-Bermudian should know in advance that working without a work permit is illegal after persons are no longer living together in marriage. For more information, contact Immigration.

Voter statistics

In November 2007 there are 42,337 voters, about 59 percent of Bermuda's total current population. As soon as local citizens become at least 18 years old they can register to vote.