Non-Resident Traders

Traders who reside off-island but who choose to do occasional business on the Isle of Man are considered to be non-resident traders (NRT) for the purposes of the Non-Resident Traders Act 1983.

The Act requires any trader who is not resident in the Isle of Man and who intends to sell or expose or offer for sale or seek orders for the sale of any goods to members of the public in the Island to obtain a Non-Resident Traders Licence from the Office of Fair Trading. No advertising is permitted until a licence has been granted.

To try to ensure a level playing field for Island traders, non-resident traders have to pay a licence fee to do business here. The fees for the licence depend on how long they are planning to do business on the Island. The licence fee is currently £2120 for the first three days for which the licence is valid and £320 for each succeeding consecutive day.

If the trader is attending an event certified by the Department of Economic Development as being of importance to the tourist industry AND the goods are DIRECTLY RELATED to the event, then the fee is reduced to £370 but is effective for the duration of the event only.