Barbadians and other Commonwealth citizens who are eligible to register as an elector for the upcoming General Election who are not yet registered are advised that the deadline to register is Monday, January 26th, 2026 at 7:30 PM. It is not possible to vote without being registered.

If you are not sure whether you are registered to vote, or in which constituency, please visit ebc.gov.bb and use the automated chat service in the bottom-right corner of the page to find out. Persons who need to register may submit their application electronically via the official online form.

For urgent enquiries, please call the Electoral and Boundaries Commission at +1 (246) 535-4800.

The upcoming General Election will be taking place on Wednesday, February 11th, 2026.

The Minister responsible for Energy and Business, under the powers conferred on her by Section 3 of the Miscellaneous Controls Act, Cap. 329, has increased the retail price of gasoline (petrol) to $3.88 per litre, and the retail price of diesel to $3.41 per litre. The retail price of kerosene has been reduced to $1.48 per litre.

These price adjustments are effective from Monday, January 5th, 2026.

See historical gas prices in Barbados.

Persons who are self-employed are reminded that National Insurance contributions for 2025 are due by January 15th, 2026.

Self-employed individuals are required to contribute a minimum of $1,200 per year, regardless of their income level, in accordance with the Third Schedule to the National Insurance and Social Security (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2023.

Persons who are registered under the Profession, Trade and Business Registration Act, Cap. 373 are reminded that the deadline for renewing their registration and paying the prescribed annual fee is January 31st, 2026. Any person who fails to pay the prescribed fee before the deadline will also be required to pay a penalty of the same amount.

It is now possible to pay the annual licence fee online via EZPay+, the official payment gateway of the Barbados Government.

Please note it is not possible to use EZPay+ for first time registrations. Persons who are not registered will need to attend in person to have their documentation authenticated and to pay the prescribed fee.

For first time registrations with the Registrar of the Supreme Court, visit the Registration Department at Whitepark Road.

For first time registrations with the Chief Labour Officer, visit the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Third Sector at the Warrens Office Complex.

If you are self-employed, learn more about professional registration to determine if you need to register under the Act.

The Minister of Labour, Social Security and Third Sector, under the powers conferred on him by Section 6(1) of the Minimum Wage Act, 2017 proposes to increase the National Minimum Wage from January 21st, 2026 as follows:

Security guards: $11.66 per hour

All other workers: $10.71 per hour

The minimum overtime rate of pay shall be 150% of the employee's ordinary rate of pay.

The minimum rate of pay on a Public Holiday shall be 200% of the employee's ordinary rate of pay.

It is proposed that overtime pay shall be based as a percentage of the employee's ordinary rate of pay rather than as a percentage of the minimum wage itself. For employees on the minimum wage, this is a technical distinction only. However, for employees that earn more than the minimum wage, their overtime pay will be required to be calculated from their ordinary rate of pay and not from the minimum wage.

For more information, please review the draft regulations.

The Minister responsible for Energy and Business, under the powers conferred on her by Section 3 of the Miscellaneous Controls Act, Cap. 329, has reduced the retail price of gasoline (petrol) to $3.85 per litre, and the retail price of diesel to $3.32 per litre. The retail price of kerosene has been increased to $1.56 per litre.

These price adjustments are effective from Monday, December 8th, 2025.

See historical gas prices in Barbados.

The Minister responsible for Energy and Business, under the powers conferred on her by Section 3 of the Miscellaneous Controls Act, Cap. 329, has reduced the retail price of gasoline (petrol) to $3.94 per litre, and increased the retail price of diesel to $3.36 per litre, and kerosene to $1.51 per litre.

These price adjustments are effective from Monday, November 3rd, 2025.

See historical gas prices in Barbados.

The Minister responsible for Energy and Business, under the powers conferred on her by Section 3 of the Miscellaneous Controls Act, Cap. 329, has reduced the retail price of gasoline (petrol) to $3.95 per litre, and the retail price of diesel to $3.34 per litre. The retail price of kerosene has increased to $1.48 per litre.

These price adjustments are effective from Monday, October 6th, 2025.

See historical gas prices in Barbados.

The Government of Barbados has announced that the Vehicle Rental Levy will take effect from October 15th, 2025. When the Levy was originally announced, the rate was set at $10 per day. However, the government has announced that the rate of the Levy will be $5 per day, up to a maximum of 7 days. This means the Levy will be capped at $35 per rental agreement, regardless of the length of the contract.

Once the Levy comes into force, visitor pemits will be abolished, but a valid domestic or foreign driving licence will still be required to drive in Barbados.

Please note the Levy will apply to both visitors and residents alike, whether they have a domestic or foreign driving licence, if they are renting a vehicle.

From October 1st, 2025, citizens of Belize, the Commonwealth of Dominica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines may live, work and retire in Barbados indefinitely under the freedom of movement. ^[1] No visa or permit is required.

Likewise, citizens of Barbados may live, work and retire in the aforementioned countries from October 1st, 2025 under the freedom of movement.

The authorities of the aforementioned countries have the right to deport, or deny entry to, a person entitled to exercise the freedom of movement if that person:

• is likely to be, or has become, a charge on the public purse; or
• poses a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to public safety, public order, public morals or public health.