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What are the total one time only costs of moving to Belize, including legal, visa and immigration issues?

Christian Burn - Grand Baymen

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condo Amergris Caye Belize – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The total one-time cost for moving to Belize would be between US $6,000 to $7,000, broken up roughly into thirds for these three main items:

All your legal requirements, including visas and paperwork.
Shipping costs. This cost could change significantly based on the weight and size of how much you are moving and how far you’re moving it—moving from California would cost more than moving from Texas.
Getting set up in Belize. This would include, for example, to get a place to rent for a few months.

Posted December 02, 2014

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Virginia Krohn - Villa Cayo Belize

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Camping on Silk Caye, Belize – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

We moved to Belize 25 years ago, brought nothing with us so it was just our airfare and a little extra luggage. We only spent about US $1,000. There is no one time cost for moving to Belize because it depends on what you bring with you. Is it old stuff....... new stuff....... one container or 10....... are you driving down with a camper and a trailer full of stuff............ or are you going to replace everything brand new? Even if you come in on the QRP (Qualified Retirement Program) which allows you to bring anything to Belize duty free you would still have to pay for shipping.

(Camping on Silk Caye, Belize, pictured.)

Posted July 26, 2016

Phil Hahn - Carmelita Gardens

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View of Carmelita Gardens, Belize, from a plane – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

The total one-time costs to move to Belize depend on where you're coming from to begin with. Are you moving all of your household goods? Have you qualified for the Qualified Retired Persons Program? If you do, then you can everything in duty free. Do you need any legal advice? You may or may not; it depends. This is a broad question to answer.

The costs can range on the low end from somebody jumping on an airplane--- the cost of that flight whatever that is, arriving in Belize, getting a 30-day tourist stamp, and then every 30 days getting an extension and going to immigration and proving that they have money to support themselves. You have to show that you are not going to be a burden on the economy and the government and prove that you can sustain yourself. You do that for 6 months at $25 a month, then $50 a month for the following 6 months. In one year, then you apply for residency.

The cost to move also involves if you are renting or have you bought something. But just the move itself can cost as little as an airplane ticket and the ongoing immigration stamps. The actual cost to move could be under US $1,000. For most it's several thousands of dollars, and once again, it depends. Are you bringing in your airplane and your yacht? If you qualify for the QRP (Qualified Retirement Person) Visa, then you are entitled to bring in a certain quantity of items at no duty. But if you don't qualify for the QRP Visa, you can still move your household items, but you'll have to pay duty on your goods coming in.

(Photo: View of Carmelita Gardens, Belize, from a plane, which if you own one, you can bring in tax free on the Belize QRP.)

Posted April 07, 2016

Ryan Wrobel - Wrobel & Co., Attorneys-at-Law

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International airport in Belize – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

Every person who chooses to move to Belize has different interests and needs. Some people choose to enter Belize as a tourist and to rent a small apartment, so for them, the cost will be very low. Other people choose to retire to Belize, qualify the retirement program and want to purchase a beachfront home or a luxury condominium. Their cost to move to Belize would be far higher than in the first example.

If two people get on a plane, fly in and get their tourist visa at the airport, the cost to move to Belize is close to zero. There are no legal costs to get the tourist visa, and you just renew it every 30 days, assuming that you don’t do anything wrong.

In contrast, the range in cost for a married couple to qualify for the Qualified Requirement Program, including government cost and legal cost, is less than US $4,000 to $5,000.

(International airport in Belize, pictured.)

Posted December 29, 2015

Kate Corrigan - Georgetown Trust

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Road to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize – Best Places In The World To Retire – International Living

When I moved to Belize, I did it a little bit differently than other people. I rented out my home back in UK and left everything there. I came to Belize with two suitcases, so I cannot answer those questions from personal experience, because it would be misleading. I arrived with two suitcases and have not actually gone through transporting things yet. When I arrived here, we decided to rent rather than buy, and still do. But we have made some investments. For me, the cost of moving was the flight coming here.

Legal and immigration is simple. You have to stay on a monthly basis, and you just walk into the immigration office every 30 days. They will ask you for your name and your address, they give you a sheet of paper and you walk down to the treasury department and you pay Belize $50 (or US $25) per month for the first 6 months and they give you a stamp. Thereafter, you pay Belize $100 (US $50) until you have been here a year. After a year, you can then apply for residency. So it is US $25 for the first 6 months and US $50 for the last 6 months. That is what it costs to be here during the first year.

In order for you to be able to work, vote, own a golf cart licensed in your name, you need to be a resident. To be a resident, you have to be here for a whole year and not leave for any more than 14 days. You have to stay in the country for 12 months without leaving. I have already been here 4 years and have left only for 2 weeks. There is so much to do and see here and my family likes to come over to visit. Therefore, it is not hard to stay in Belize. You can also apply for a work permit. If you buy a business, you need to have a business owner’s work permit. I did that when i had a restaurant and paid $2,000. It usually takes between 2 to 6 weeks for it to be approved, if they approve it.

If you want to work while you are here in Belize, you have to have a work permit. If you are planning on coming here and buying a business, of course you can oversee what goes on. Like me, I had a restaurant. If you want to be on the premises, you want to be cleaning, you want to be helping, want to be greeting the customers, but then that would be considered as working, which you cannot do unless you have a work permit to do so.

You can get a work permit immediately. You just need to get a form and go through the approval process. It would take two to six weeks provided that you have everything for them. Humility is a great quality here in Belize. Ask questions that you need answers for and get to know the immigration officer. Go to town and just ask those questions. These are the people who grant the permits, so even though you have all been given advice on how to circumvent here and how to buy your way into things, I’m afraid I found that asking the people whose jobs are responsible to do it is the fastest course. That is why I put in my application for work permit and i got it in two and a half weeks. I put in my application for residency after one and a half weeks and I got it in four to eight weeks. Because I asked questions, and I depended on people and I shared with them that I feel honored to be here, they gave it to me.

Posted December 01, 2014

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