Moving to Guernsey for Work
Discover everything you need to know about relocating to Guernsey for a new role.
Guernsey is an island of around 63,000 and part of the Channel Islands – located between England and France in the English Channel. From a professional standpoint, Guernsey is popular with workers from the UK or mainland Europe that are looking for a higher quality of life, higher potential salaries and want to take advantage of the various financial benefits the island offers.
The island itself is independently governed, meaning it has its own rules regarding employment, migration and finances that all differ from the UK.
For those working in more specialist fields, Guernsey is the opportunity to deliver this specialist service in a vastly different setting that offers a change of pace, stunning vistas and a completely different feel to the majority of metropolitan areas where you’d find similar roles.
With that in mind, if you’re looking to move to Guernsey for work or simply want to find a new role, we’ve explained everything you need to know about moving to Guernsey for work and how to find a job in Guernsey.
How Do I Move to Guernsey for Work?
If you have a British or Irish passport or you’ve been granted the status of ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK’, you can move to Guernsey, live in a single-occupancy ‘Open Market’ property and work indefinitely.
If you live in a multi-occupancy ‘Open Market’ dwelling, you’re able to work in Guernsey for a maximum of five years and then leave the island.
Following a change in guidelines on 1 January 2021, all EEA and non-EEA residents moving to the island for employment have to apply for a visa to enter the UK and Guernsey.
When you move, you’ll need to apply for a Work Permit (visa) and an Employment Permit (sometimes referred to as a Right to Work document) from your employer. Depending on the role you’re applying for, your employer can apply for this on your behalf. Employment permits typically run for either five years or eight years.
When you start your new role, you’re required to show your permit to your employer and they’ll have a copy on their records.
Every person working in Guernsey also has to inform the Social Security board and register with the island’s Revenue Service. Upon your registration, you’re given a tax number and coding notice while your employer will also receive a copy.
Moving to Guernsey: Tax, Money & Social Security
As a self-governed Crown Dependency, Guernsey is able to set its own financial and legal systems. This means that tax operates slightly differently than it does in the UK.
The personal tax rate for an individual in Guernsey is 20%, following the deduction of any personal allowance or relief. There is no minimum amount of tax contribution required to become a resident of Guernsey.
If you’re a new resident of Guernsey, there is a temporary tax cap of £50,000 per annum, provided that you meet the following criteria:
- You were a non-Guernsey resident in the 3 years before you moved to the island
- You have purchased an open market property twelve years prior or after arriving on the island and paid at least £50,000 in document duty.
Company tax works slightly differently and there are three tax rates. The base rate for most companies is 0%. There’s a 10% rate for financial businesses such as those in banking, regulated fiduciary or insurance. Finally, there’s a 20% rate on any activities related to utilities or income from owning property in Guernsey.
The Guernsey social security scheme funds healthcare while also providing benefits in the workplace including:
- Sickness benefit
- Invalidity benefit
- Industrial injury benefit
- Unemployment benefit
- Pension
- Workers Compensation
- Bereavement benefit
- Death grant
- Maternity benefit
The social security scheme is funded by payments from Guernsey residents, through earnings or an income-related contribution scheme. Guernsey residents pay Social Security (national/social insurance) at a rate of 7% of earnings (at the time of writing). Typically, your social security contributions are automatically deducted from your salary by your employer. If you’re self-employed, you pay 11%.
Social security is applicable to everyone over school leaving age. If you do not work but earn revenue from other sources, an alternative rate applies.
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Moving to Guernsey: Cost of Living
According to Numbeo, the cost of living in Guernsey is 16% higher than the UK, which takes into account things such as groceries, average prices in restaurants and other everyday matters.
Where the island truly differs is in the property prices. Much like its sister island Jersey, space in Guernsey is at a premium, which has translated to higher property prices. The average property on the island is around £493,000 – much higher than the UK average and more akin with London prices.
For those buying property on the island, there are two categories: the Local Market and the Open Market. Most homes on the island are Local Market, which means only qualified residents or licence holders are able to purchase them.
Open Market properties, on the other hand, can be purchased by anyone that has the right to reside in the UK or an EU member state. As you’d imagine, there are fewer Open Market properties available and this status is generally reserved for larger, more expensive properties on the island.
Moving to Guernsey for Work: Salaries
While the property market is more expensive than the UK, the tax implications and higher salaries offer multiple benefits for Guernsey residents.
The island is affluent and salaries are much higher than the UK – the average salary is around £64,510 as opposed to the UK’s £38,000.
Guernsey is recognised for the strength of its financial and tech sectors, with a huge selection of positions available in roles such as fund and trust management, banking, accountancy and compliance.
Try our Guernsey Salary Calculator
Want to work out what you stand to earn? Take a look at our Guernsey Salary Calculator here.
All You Need to Know About Relocating to Guernsey
You do not need permission from the Guernsey Border Agency to live or set up a business on the island if:
- You are a British citizen
- You are a national of a member state of the European Economic Area or Switzerland
- You are a national with permanent settlement in the UK, Bailiwick of Jersey, or the Isle of Man
- You have gained a Right of Abode UK
If these circumstances do not apply to you, you must obtain entry clearance with a Visa before arrival to the island. You can apply for entry clearance online through the British Consular representative in your country of residence. You should seek advice from Guernsey Border Agency before doing so.
You could also take the Investor Immigration route or Entrepreneur Immigration route to Guernsey. These routes are available to non-EU passport holders who wish to live in Guernsey’s Open Market – either through investing in the island or buying or establishing a business here.
To take the Investor Immigration route, you need to obtain an Investor Visa. You must have £1m available and invest £750,000 for the benefit of Bailiwick of Guernsey. Alternatively, Entrepreneur Visa holders must invest £200,000 into a new or existing Guernsey company which you will manage yourself.
The most common route of entering Guernsey is by purchasing an Open Market property, which establishes you as a resident.
Once your Open Market address is reviewed and identified, you simply apply for an Open Market Resident Certificate which also covers your immediate and extended family.
This is much more simple than many other countries which require wealth tests or assessments from the government.
Anyone living in an Open Market property can live and work within Guernsey indefinitely and there is no minimum income requirement.
Read our Working in Guernsey FAQs
Below we’ve gone through some of the most common questions we hear regarding finding a job in Guernsey and moving to the island for work:
Properties in Guernsey generally land in two categories: ‘Local Market’ or ‘Open Market’.
A local market property is for qualified local residents or workers whose employer has applied for an Employment Permit on their behalf.
On the other hand, if you have a British or EEA passport or have ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK’ status, you’re able to move to Guernsey and buy an open market property. A single occupancy open market property allows you to work in Guernsey for as long as you like. A multi-occupancy open market property means you’re able to work in Guernsey for a maximum of five years.
If you’re applying for a Work Permit you’ll speak to the Guernsey Border Agency, who issue them for a maximum of five years. Depending on the role you’re applying for, an employer may apply for the Work Permit on your behalf.
In addition to a Work Permit, you’ll also need an Employment Permit (sometimes referred to as a Right to Work document) from your employer.
No, you do not pay VAT in Guernsey. VAT can also be deducted from the price of goods which are exported/mailed to Guernsey if it meets the conditions laid out by HMRC.
Guernsey has an income tax rate of 20%. There is a single person allowance which means you don’t pay income tax on the first several thousand of your earnings.
Guernsey also doesn’t have Capital Gains Tax, Inheritance Tax or any other wealth tax.
Guernsey doesn’t have council tax but there is an annual tax on real property and annual parish rates designed to cover infrastructure costs.
Guernsey residents pay social security (national/social insurance) at a rate of 7% of their earnings, which applies to everyone once they leave school.
This supports a number of schemes and benefits for employed people including things such as sickness benefit, pensions and maternity benefits.
Supporting You at Every Step
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For candidates that need additional support, we’re able to prepare you for the entire application process. Whether you need help with your job search or preparing for an interview, we make sure that you’re always prepared for the next step in your application.
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