How long can I be in Belize before I have to apply for a residency visa?

For those interested in obtaining permanent residency in Belize, you may begin the application process after you have been in the country legally for one year. You may leave the country for no more than 14 consecutive days at any one time to qualify.

 

This is a process that requires an application, some medical tests, a recent police record and several more papers. It can be a lengthy process. You can hire an attorney to help or many people do this...

For those interested in obtaining permanent residency in Belize, you may begin the application process after you have been in the country legally for one year. You may leave the country for no more than 14 consecutive days at any one time to qualify.

 

This is a process that requires an application, some medical tests, a recent police record and several more papers. It can be a lengthy process. You can hire an attorney to help or many people do this themselves. Our tours do include a visit from an immigration officer who can explain this in detail, and we provide all of the necessary paperwork for starting the process.

 

Some people find they do not even need to apply for permanent residency though, as it is easy to live in Belize without becoming a permanent resident. There are other options for living in Belize long-term if permanent residency is not for you. It really depends on what you plan to do while you are living there. 

To live legally in Belize, it’s not essential to apply for permanent residency. It’s something that you can choose to do so if you are so inclined. When you enter the country, typically, you are on a tourist visa. That visa is good for 30 days. You can apply for a renewal of that visa after 30 days, which is typically “rubber stamped” as long as the applicant stays out of trouble.

 

Theoretically you could be living in Belize...

To live legally in Belize, it’s not essential to apply for permanent residency. It’s something that you can choose to do so if you are so inclined. When you enter the country, typically, you are on a tourist visa. That visa is good for 30 days. You can apply for a renewal of that visa after 30 days, which is typically “rubber stamped” as long as the applicant stays out of trouble.

 

Theoretically you could be living in Belize permanently on a tourist visa as long as you update it every 30 days. Most people who do choose to apply for permanent residency do so in order to be granted permanent residency status, which means they no longer have pay any money to update their tourist visa and having permanent residency also means also you have the ability to legally work in the country.

 

The cost to renew a tourist visa in Belize is currently BZ $50 every 30 days, which works out to US $25.   

 

 

(Christmas tree in Ambergris Caye, Belize, pictured. )

You can be in Belize for 6 months as a tourist but by that time you should have already started the process for your residency. When you come to Belize as a tourist, you have to have your passport stamped once a month and there is a fee to do so.  You have to have a valid return ticket for the entire six months.  If you become a problem during the six months they just put you on a plane back to your home.  If you don't have that return ticket and they want to deport you...

You can be in Belize for 6 months as a tourist but by that time you should have already started the process for your residency. When you come to Belize as a tourist, you have to have your passport stamped once a month and there is a fee to do so.  You have to have a valid return ticket for the entire six months.  If you become a problem during the six months they just put you on a plane back to your home.  If you don't have that return ticket and they want to deport you they will just put you in jail.  

 

The first time you get your passport stamped, they will say nothing to you but by the second and third time, they will tell you to start your paperwork for your residency because they will not let you stay in Belize indefinitely by just getting your passport stamped every month.  They can even ask you to show proof of income from the states.  By the 6th month, if you don’t have something in the works that you can prove, they are not going to stamp your passport and they will tell you to leave........ immediately.  The Belize government is doing this in order to keep out the people who come and just disappear within the fabric of the country. 

 

(Sudent at an archeology dig, Belize, pictured.)