Living in the Bahamas: according to the 2023 Green Paper from the Ministry of Finance, there is no personal income tax

According to the Bahamas Ministry of Finance, as stated in its Green Paper of May 17, 2023, there is no personal income tax in the Bahamas. The levies described on official websites are indirect or direct: VAT at the standard rate of 10%, property tax, and a business license fee. This information does not address your situation in France, where tax residency is determined according to Article 4 B of the French General Tax Code (CGI). This page does not cover capital gains, inheritance, or social security.

What the Ministry of Finance says about income tax

The "Green Paper" on corporate tax, published by the Department of Finance on May 17, 2023, states in section 5.4 that no form of personal income tax exists in The Bahamas. This statement is a premise of the risk analysis for a proposed corporate tax, not the text of a law. An earlier government document, the "White Paper" on tax reform from February 2013, states in its foreword that the country does not impose either personal or corporate income tax.

The same Green Paper examines corporate tax options. As of the document's date (May 17, 2023), these are tax policy options presented in this Green Paper; we do not describe them. This page does not address any tax residency criteria for individuals.

The samples described on the official pages

The 2023 Green Paper describes VAT as the state's primary source of revenue. It identifies the business license, based on turnover, as the main form of business taxation. The Department of Inland Revenue is responsible for the business license, the first home exemption, property tax, and VAT.

The VAT registration threshold is not listed on the Department of Inland Revenue website. Nor are the property tax rates.

Donating real estate: an exemption, without a named tax

A page from the Department of Inland Revenue describes an exemption on the deed of gift of real estate, "for any nationality," between parent and child, child and parent, grandparent and grandchild, and between spouses. The file includes Form 66, the deed of transfer, passports and NIB cards, as well as property tax forms. The page does not specify the tax exempted, the legal basis, or the date; therefore, we are not generalizing this exemption.

A typical case: homeowner (fictitious profile)

Situation. Claire, a fictional character, buys a property in the Bahamas and plans to live there part of the year.

Issue. She wants to know which Bahamian levies target an individual, and what she cannot deduce from the texts.

Strategy. It separates what the Ministry of Finance writes (no personal income tax), what the Department of Inland Revenue describes (VAT, property tax) and what remains unanswered in writing on these pages (capital gains, inheritances, property tax rates).

Result. She notes the standard VAT rate of 10% and property tax payable upon issuance of the invoice. She doesn't specify any figures: no property tax rate is indicated on the official website. She knows that the resident owner's permit (see below) requires proof that property tax has been paid. Her situation in France still needs to be examined separately.

Staying or moving in: permits

The Home Owner Resident Permit falls under the International Persons Land Holding Act, Chapter 140. It is intended for individuals who legally own a primary residence in their country of origin and a habitable dwelling in The Bahamas. The immigration website (updated September 11, 2026) requires, among other things, the registered deed, proof of current property taxes paid, a medical certificate, and a police certificate. The processing fee is $200 and is non-refundable. The website does not specify the permit's duration or whether it allows the holder to work.

For permanent residency by investment, two official Bahamian pages indicate two distinct thresholds, and we do not compare them:

• The immigration page (modified June 12, 2025) indicates a minimum investment of $1.0 million, real estate or Central Bank zero-coupon bonds, held for at least 10 years; the general requirements for the permanent resident certificate include a processing fee of $200; ;
• The Bahamian government portal page (undated) indicates that people who purchase a residence for 1.5 million Bahamian dollars or more are eligible for an expedited review, with a fee of 100 Bahamian dollars.

France Diplomatie (page updated on September 15, 2026) specifies that the passport must be valid for six months after the departure date from the Bahamas. It does not provide information on visa requirements for French citizens, nor on the duration of stay without a visa.

This falls under the jurisdiction of France

For France, tax residency is based on personal, professional, and economic criteria, and it is sufficient for one of these criteria to be met (BOI-IR-CHAMP-10, version in effect since July 28, 2016). A stay of more than six months in the year is not an absolute requirement. The page on the absence of a tax treaty between France and the Bahamas describes the exit tax, departure procedures, and accounts to be declared.

What this page does not cover

It does not address Bahamian tax residency requirements, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, withholding tax, National Insurance Board social security, or local savings. The absence of an answer on the cited official pages does not imply the existence or absence of a tax. Local taxation should be verified with a professional based in the Bahamas.

What changes depending on your situation

• The location of your home, your business and your economic interests, which determine your French tax domicile.
• The nature of your assets in the Bahamas: housing, securities, company.
• The permit in question: owner, resident or permanent resident.
• Your departure schedule from France.

The rule depends on your situation. No results are guaranteed.