Belize offers two types of residency status: permanent residency and temporary residency.
Permanent residence
Permanent residency is intended for individuals who want to make Belize their home and will remain in the country for an extended period of time.
What are the requirements for obtaining a PMP in Belize?
There are the following requirements for persons applying for permanent residence:
- You have legally resided in Belize for at least 1 year at the time of application
- During this year, you did not leave the country for a total of more than 14 days
- You must prove to immigration that you have been and can continue to be financially stable
- You have not been convicted by a competent court of any country of a criminal offense for which you could be sentenced to imprisonment for twelve months or more and have not received a free pardon in respect of the offence.
What documents are required to obtain a PMP in Belize?
To submit an application for residence, original documents must be submitted. These documents will be returned to you after the application is accepted.
Along with the original documents, copies of these documents must be submitted:
The passport must show the date of arrival in Belize, the arrival stamp must be at least one (1) year prior to the application.
If your current passport does not have the required stamp, a previous passport(s) showing the date of arrival in Belize must be provided.
- Medical certificate and tests
A medical certificate refers to a residential medical examination form that must be completed by a licensed medical practitioner in Belize.
The applicant and persons accompanying him (male/female and children aged 16 and over) must provide an individual form of preliminary medical examination.
The letter of the preliminary medical examination must be signed and certified by the seal of the doctor who conducts the examination. Test for HIV, VDRL and tuberculosis must be provided by the applicant and his dependents (wife/husband and children aged 12 and over).
You and your dependents (spouse and children 16 years of age and older) must provide a personal Belize Police Card. A police record is only valid for 6 months from the date of issue.
- Confirmation of financial stability
- 2 photos
- Documents for spouse and child.
Information regarding confirmation of the financial stability of the applicant
To be eligible for residency in Belize, you must provide the Immigration Service with evidence that you are financially stable. You must state that you are able to financially support yourself and any dependents for any period while you have resided in Belize.
You may qualify for financial stability if you:
- You work at an enterprise in Belize
- Employed by an individual in Belize
- Work or earn income outside of Belize
- Self-employed
- Volunteer
- Missionary
- Retired
- If you are sponsored.
What documents must be provided to prove financial stability?
- You must provide a copy of your bank statement. Statements can come from a local banking institution, a foreign banking institution, or both.
- If you do not have a bank account, you must file a declaration explaining your access to funds while in Belize.
- If you are employed, you must provide:
- a letter of employment from your employer confirming the time you worked, your current position in the relevant institution and your salary
- you must provide a certificate from the Belize Social Security Board of Social Security contributions made on your behalf by any and all employers.
- If you are a business owner, you must provide
- proper licensing and registration of the activity of this enterprise.
- a recent business tax assessment from the Belize Revenue Service indicating the income earned by that business during the reporting cycle.
- If you are sponsored, you must show means of support from the sponsor.
Information on documents for spouses and children
Only married spouses can be included in one application, and civil partners must apply separately.
If you are accompanying a spouse
The following documents must be submitted:
- Certificate of registered marriage
- Income tax letter.
- If your spouse is not working, a letter of financial support must be included with the application
- If your spouse is employed, you must provide his/her temporary employment permit and all relevant supporting documents and a social security card.
If you are accompanying a child
The following documents must be submitted:
- Letter of financial support
- Birth Certificate
- Letter of permission/consent from parents and a copy of the parent's ID or a notarized letter of permission if the father/mother is not in Belize and a notarized copy of that person's ID.
Temporary residence
Temporary residence is intended for individuals who have made or are in the process of making a significant commercial investment in Belize, but due to commitments outside Belize cannot meet the normal restrictions for permanent residence.
What are the requirements for obtaining temporary residency in Belize?
Temporary resident status is granted for one (1) year only and may be renewed at the end of that period.
For persons applying for temporary residence, you must:
- Provide evidence of an investment in Belize of at least Five Hundred Thousand Belize Dollars - BZ$500,000.00 (approx. USD 250,000).
What documents are required to obtain temporary residence in Belize?
If you are eligible for temporary resident status, you can also list your spouse and children on your application.
Documents you need:
1. Passport
You must provide a valid passport of the country of which you are a citizen.
2. Record from the police
You must provide a police record from your last country of residence. A police record is only valid for 6 months from the date of application.
3. Letter to the director
Along with your application, you must send a letter to the Director of the Department of Citizenship and Passports explaining why you are applying for temporary residency in Belize.
4. Proof of residency in Belize
You must provide proof of residency in Belize in the form of:
5. lease agreement and utility bill
6. property rights and assessment of property tax by municipal authorities
7. Evidence of investing in Belize.
Information rain proof of investment
You must provide details and proof of investments in Belize of at least BZ$500,000.00.
The following documents must be submitted:
- ownership of real estate
- business or personal bank statements
- company registration certificate or other certificate confirming your participation in a corporate body as the owner of the body or a majority or controlling stake
- trade license
- registration or social security card
- general sales tax returns
- income declaration of the applicant.
How much does permanent residence cost?
The fee for permanent residence depends on the applicant's citizenship.
The fee for permanent residence for minors is 50% of the fee for adults, depending on citizenship.
Information on payment, depending on your country of residence, can be found here: https://immigration.gov.bz/residence/residence-fees/
How much does temporary accommodation cost?
The fee for temporary residence is 1/5 of the fee for permanent residence depending on your nationality. Temporary residence status can be renewed every year. Temporary residence status is valid for one year only.
Where to apply for residency in Belize?
You can apply for residency at a designated Belize immigration office authorized to accept applications.
The list of offices and working hours can be found at the link:
Under the Belize Citizenship Act, you can apply for citizenship if you meet one of the following criteria.
Citizenship by registration
Citizenship by registration includes several subtypes of citizenship.
Conditions for obtaining citizenship for persons with PMP:
- You have a permanent residence for at least 5 years
- You have continuously resided in Belize. This means that after obtaining permanent residence you have not resided outside of Belize for periods exceeding thirty consecutive days or an aggregate of three months in any twelve-month period.
What documents must be submitted to obtain citizenship by registration for PMP owners?
- Citizenship application form
- Photos
- Confirmation of permanent residence
You must provide proof of your PMP status in the form:
- Cards of permanent residence or
- Permanent residence stamp in the passport
A spouse or child applying for citizenship must also meet residency requirements.
You must present all the passports that you have had since obtaining the PMP status. The spouse and child applying for citizenship must also provide their passports.
You and your dependents (spouse and children 12 years of age and older) must provide a personal Belize Police Card.
A police record is only valid for 6 months from the date of issue.
- Medical certificate, HIV and VDRL tests
A medical certificate refers to a preliminary medical examination form that must be completed by a licensed medical practitioner in Belize.
The applicant and his dependents (wife and children) must submit an individual form of preliminary medical examination. HIV and VDRL tests must be submitted by the applicant and his dependents (wife and children aged 12 and over).
You may be required to provide a birth certificate if your name, gender, date of birth or place of birth are found to be incorrect on any supporting document.
It is necessary to provide the accompanying birth certificate of the child.
If your spouse is also applying for citizenship, you must provide a marriage certificate.
Conditions for obtaining citizenship through marriage:
- You have been married to a citizen of Belize for a minimum of 1 year, regardless of whether the spouse was born in Belize or acquired citizenship before the marriage.
What documents must be submitted to obtain citizenship through marriage?
- Citizenship application form
- Photos
- Confirmation of marriage
If you got married in Belize, you must provide:
- marriage certificate issued by the State Statistics Department.
If you are married outside Belize:
- Your marriage certificate must be certified or apostilled by the issuing authority.
If either party has previously been divorced, file a divorce decree.
If either party was previously widowed, provide a death certificate.
- Confirmation of Belize citizenship from spouse
You must provide proof of Belizean citizenship by your spouse with the following documents:
- Belize passport
- Belizean birth certificate and photo ID, applicant ID, or social security card
- Proof of Belizean citizenship and photo ID, passport, voter ID, or social security card.
- Passport(s)
You must present a valid passport of your country of origin.
You must provide a police record from Belize or the country where you have resided for the past 6 months or more. A police record is only valid for 6 months from the date of issue.
- Medical certificate, HIV and VDRL tests
A medical certificate refers to a pre-medical examination form that must be completed by a licensed medical professional here in Belize. You must also provide HIV and VDRL tests done by a medical laboratory in Belize.
- Birth Certificate
- Letter of financial support.
Women/men who are dependent on their spouse must provide a completed and signed financial assistance letter.
Citizenship by origin
Conditions for obtaining citizenship by registration:
- You were born outside of Belize and one of your parents is a citizen of Belize
- You were born outside of Belize before Independence Day (September 21, 1981) and one of your grandparents is a citizen of Belize
- You are a woman and married a Belizean man before Independence Day (September 21, 1981).
What documents must be submitted to obtain citizenship by origin?
- Citizenship application form
- Photos
- Birth Certificate
You must provide a birth certificate.
It is necessary to provide the passport of the country of origin.
For persons under the age of 18 who cannot provide a passport of their country of origin, the birth certificate must be apostilled.
- Proof of Belizean origin.
Where to apply for citizenship in Belize?
Applications for Belize citizenship by registration must be submitted in person at any Belize immigration office. Applications are accepted from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The list of offices and working hours can be found at the following link:
https://immigration.gov.bz/citizenship/citizenship-apply-where/
How much does it cost to get citizenship in Belize?
- Citizenship by Registration – USD 300.00
- Citizenship by Birth – USD 40.00
- Replacement of the certificate of citizenship – USD 100.00.
Residency permit in Belize as a pensioner
Belize has a Belize Retiree Incentive Program (QRP).
This program provides a special residency status for retirees arriving in Belize. The maximum period of stay under this program is one month per year. You will also need to provide proof of financial security by transferring USD 2,000 per month to a Belize bank account.
What documents are required to participate in the QRP program?
To apply for the program, you must submit an application.
In addition to the application, the following documents must be submitted:
- Birth Certificate
- Marriage certificate (if available)
- Police report from the last place of residence, issued one month before the application for no criminal record
- A copy of every page (including blank pages) of your passport
- income statement
This can be in the form of a statement from a pension or annuity company or from your bank. The application must state that your income is at least $2,000 per month or the equivalent of at least $24,000 per year. Another option is to provide a financial statement from a financial institution, bank, credit union or building society in Belize certifying that the applicant's investments or deposits will generate a minimum of $2,000 per month or the equivalent of $24,000 per year.
- Results of medical examination
Candidates must undergo a full medical examination, including an AIDS test. The medical examination is usually carried out in Belize. A copy of a medical certificate stating that you are healthy and free from infectious diseases must be attached to the application.
- Four recent color passport size photographs.
How much does it cost to participate in the Belize Retiree Incentive Program?
The QRP application fee is USD 150.
