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Above: A typical retirement home in tranquil Western Belize - a few miles from shopping and entertainment in neighbouring Guatemala. Easy access to a different culture, cuisine and sights. Note most of Belize has access to cable T. V. but some expats also own satellite T. V.
Belize.com reviews options available for retirement and living in Belize, living as an expat and yes, eventually acquiring full citizenship in the beautiful tropical paradise and tax haven. Article researched by Belize.com contributor and noted travel writer Lan Sluder of BelizeFirst Magazine.
There are three options for those wishing to live or retire in Belize or to spend extended periods of time in the country. Each has advantages and disadvantages.
This is the easiest, cheapest way to live in the country for a while, and it requires no long-term commitment. The procedure is simple: You get a 30-day entry card free when you arrive in the country by air, land or sea. After 30 days, you can go to an immigration office (or police station in remote areas) and renew the tourist card monthly for US$25 a month for up to six months, and then US$50 a month after that. After six months, you almost must register as an alien.
Citizens of the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Norway, Venezuela, Hong Kong and CARICOM member states get a tourist card without having to apply in advance for a tourist visa. Other nationals must apply in advance for a tourist visa, and in some cases there is a fee. See the Belize Tourism Board web site, www.travelbelize.org for details. As a tourist cardholder, you can enjoy Belize without a long-term commitment. You can buy or rent property, but you cannot work for pay. In theory, when you renew your tourist card, you are supposed to be able to prove that you have sufficient resources, set at US$60 a day, to stay in Belize, but this requirement is not usually enforced.
The Qualified Retired Persons Incentive Act passed by the Belize legislature in 1999 is run by the Belize Tourism Board. The program is designed to attract more retirees to Belize. In the first years of operation, the program attracted considerable interest and a number of applications.
But the Belize Tourism Board now mysteriously declines to disclose publicly how many applications it has received and how many have been approved. However, we understand that there are at most a few hundred participants in the program. Interest in the program appears to be fairly high, but because of the income requirement, inability to work for pay in Belize and other factors, the actual number of retirees under the program in Belize is as yet relatively small and far fewer than are in programs in Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico and elsewhere.
For those who can show the required monthly income from investments or pensions, this program offers benefits of official residency and tax-free entry of the retiree’s household goods and a car, boat and even an airplane. This program also eliminates some of the bureaucratic delays built into other programs. The BTB guarantees action on an application in no more than three months, but we have heard of qualified retirees getting approval for this program in only a few weeks. Who qualifies? Anyone at least 45 years old from anywhere in the world can qualify for the program. A person who qualifies can also include his or her dependents in the program. Dependents include spouses and children under the age of 18. However, it can include children under the age of 23 if enrolled in a university. Benefits:
Besides prompt approval of residency for qualifying applicants, import duties and fees for household goods and a vehicle, airplane and boat are waived.
Application requirements and most benefits are similar to those of the Retired Persons Incentive Act, but there are some important differences. The application process itself and the supporting documents needed are similar to those for the QRP although the applications are processed by different organizations.
Here are the main differences: As a regular permanent resident, you have two major advantages over a participant in the QRP program. First, you do not have to deposit any particular sum in a bank in Belize. However, you do have to show financial resources sufficient to obtain residency status. Second, as a permanent resident, you can work for pay in Belize. You also enjoy some advantages as a resident rather than a “long-term visitor” as you are considered as a QRPer, such as not having to pay the land or sea exit tax when departing Belize. Further, you can vote in local (not national) elections in Belize.
You must live in Belize for one full year before you can apply for regular permanent residency. During this period, you cannot leave the country for more than 14 days. Even a short, two-hour visit across the border into Mexico or Guatemala counts as one day’s absence. Note, however, that the Immigration and Nationality Department sometimes interprets this requirement only as meaning that you cannot leave the country for 14 or more CONSECUTIVE days.
It is somewhat expensive to apply for regular permanent residency. Application fees for Permanent Residency vary by nationality, ranging from US$250 to $5,000. For Americans, the fee is US$1,000 per person. There is also, upon approval, a fee of US$150. In addition,
If you use an “expediter” in Belize to help you with the paperwork, you'll likely pay a fee of around US$1,500, plus several hundred dollars in travel and photocopying fees and taxes. Note that these fees are per-person, not per-application. For example, a U.S. married couple applying for permanent residency would pay US$2,000 with the application and US$300 for residency cards after approval.
You apply to the Belize Immigration and Nationality Department rather than through the Belize Tourism Board. For information and application form, contact: Immigration and Nationality Department Ministry of National Security and Immigration, Belmopan City, Belize, Central America; tel.: 501-222-4620; fax: 501-222-4056.
Time for approval of a permanent residency application varies. Some find that the process goes fairly quickly, taking only a few months. Others say it took up to a year, or longer, for approval.
Next: Belize Residency, Citizenship - Pros and Cons and Insider Tips.
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