For travel writers like me, popping open a laptop to work on a Caribbean beach is a familiar occupational hazard. But amid the pandemic, having to work while you’re in paradise seems like a small price to pay to escape the confines of the living rooms and home offices where we’ve been sequestered for the past year.
Our collective cabin fever hasn’t gone unnoticed. With low virus rates, lots of empty hotel rooms, and safety protocols now firmly in place — plus so many people working remotely, anyway — a number of Caribbean destinations and resorts have launched programs for people who want to spend an extended period of time in the islands.
As the pandemic stretches into its second year, here are the places in the Caribbean where you can spend at least a year mixing remote work and play, blissfully distant from your own backyard.
Anguilla
Anguilla’s remote work program lets digital nomads, students, and families stay on-island for 90 days to one year, at a cost of $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for families. You’ll need proof of employment, a police background check, a passport and copy of your birth certificate, and proof of your relationship to any dependents tagging along.
Antigua and Barbuda
Set up shop in the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda for up to two years with a Nomad Digital Residence (NDR) visa. Applicants must be currently employed or self-employed and able to work away from home with the use of mobile technology. Application fees are 1,500.00 for singles, $2,000 for couples, and $3,000 for families of three or more.
Bahamas
BEATS, or the Bahamas Extended Access Travel Stay program, allows digital nomads to alight in the islands of the Bahamas for up to a year for work and play. “At the end of a long day of meetings or classes, you will be rewarded with breathtaking sunsets, a relaxing walk on the beach, or fresh conch salad to feed your soul. It doesn’t get any better than that,” says Dionisio D’Aguilar, Bahamas Minister of Tourism & Aviation. Island-hopping is encouraged, and while remote workers will need to pay a fee of $1,025 for a BEATS permit, it’s discounted to $525 for college students. If you’re impatient to get going, Bahamas tourism officials promise a decision to approve (or deny) your application within 5 days — so get packing!
Barbados
Barbados’ Welcome Stamp program offers one-year visas to those who want to come and set up shop on the island — as long as they bring their work with them and aren’t looking for a job in Barbados. The program has received thousands of applications since it launched in July 2020. The special work visa costs $2,000.
Cayman Islands
Looking for a longer work stay? The Global Citizen program introduced by the Cayman Islands in October 2020 allows remote workers to decamp to the western Caribbean for up to two years. Like everything else in the Caymans, there’s a hefty price tag attached to the program: applications cost $1,500 minimum, plus $500 for any dependents tagging along. And, you’ll have to prove that you have an income over $100,000 annually (or $150,000 for couples or $180,000 for couples with dependents).
Curacao
Remote workers can stay for up to six months — with a possible extension of an additional six months — under the @HOME in Curacao program. It’s a relative bargain: the application costs $294, but you’ll have to furnish proof of employment and international travel insurance to win approval.
Montserrat
If you prefer to get a little further off the beaten path to social distance and focus on your job, consider the Montserrat Remote Workers Stamp. The tiny island of Monserrat is best known for its active volcano, but with relatively few tourists it’s a great destination for immersing yourself in the rhythms of Caribbean life. Plus, you don’t have to be rich to get to work remotely on Monserrat: the program’s income threshold is just $70,000 annually, and the application fees are set at a reasonable $500 for individuals and $750 for those with (up to three) family members.
The Mexican Caribbean
You can live and work in Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, or elsewhere in the Riviera Maya for at least a year (with a possible extension for three more, if you want) by applying for a Temporary Resident visa from the Mexican government. You’ll need a passport, a bank balance of over $27,000 or a monthly income of over $1,620 during the past six months … and that’s pretty much it. You can work remotely, but not for a Mexican business, and if you fall in love with the beaches, food and tequila you can apply for permanent residency after four years.
Bermuda
The island may not be in the Caribbean, but as an associate member of CARICOM, we’re always happy to include the Atlantic island when we can. So how does Bermuda’s remote work program function? It’s actually pretty flexible. Visitors can get a Work from Bermuda certificate for $263 and stay for up to a year, with the freedom to travel back and forth to their home country during that time. “No need to be trapped in your apartment in a densely populated city with the accompanying restrictions and high risk of infection; come spend the year with us working or coding on the water,” says Bermuda Premier David Burt.