The Bahamas – Small Business UK

You’ve probably seen or read about The Bahamas and their glorious pink sands with swimming swines doing some piggy paddle at the beaches (pictured). The Bahamas is also known for rake n’ scrape music, which is traditional Bahamian folk music played on improvised musical instruments such as ripsaws.

In The Bahamas, locals typically serve up peas and dumpling soup, Bahamian fish stew, conch ceviche and fire engine (steamed corned beef with veg and lots of black pepper), finished off with duff (dough filled with sweet filling such as guava and topped with buttery boozy sauce) for dessert.

The cost of living is more reasonable on some things rather than others, as evidenced from these figures from Numbeo:

• Three-course meal for two in a mid-range restaurant: $100 (£80.60)
• 1 litre of regular milk: $3.97 (£3.20)
• 500g loaf of fresh white bread: $4.58 (£3.70)
• One way ticket on public transport: $1.50 (£1.20)
• Basics for an 85m2 flat: $284.84 (£230)
• One bedroom flat in city centre: $1,089.29 (£878.50)

You’ll find co-working spaces in Nassau with internet speeds that rank #90 out of 182 in the world (Speedtest).

The digital nomad visa

https://www.bahamasbeats.com/

Visa name: BEATS

Fees: A $1,000 (£812) permit fee if your application is successful and a $25 (£20) application fee. A further $500 (£406) and application fee is required for each dependent.

Length of stay: Up to a year

Can I extend my stay? Renewals will be considered for up to another three years

Salary required: A proof of employment is required, but no minimum salary is specified

Background checks: None officially stated but likely to include criminal record checks

Requirements:

• Valid passport
• Medical insurance card (the same for any dependents)
• Proof of employment, which can be a job letter

How to apply: Apply via https://portal.immigration.gov.bs/. Approval can take up to five days.