Permanent Residency in Belize

When can I apply for Permanent Residency in Belize?

For many people who want to move to Belize, gaining Permanent Residency in the country is a primary goal. There are a number of reasons people seek Residency here, but one of the primary reasons people seek Residency is that once you are granted Residency, you no longer need to go to the Immigration Office each month and pay $200 BZD ($100 USD) for each family member to renew their Tourist Visa. You are granted official Immigration status to remain in the country.

Other reasons for desiring to be established as a Resident in Belize include that Permanent Residents have the ability to legally work here, and many parts of daily life, including things like opening a bank account at a local bank, and dealing with anything related to setting up and running a business, including a rental property, are much easier after one has Residency.

Permanent Residency in Belize is designed for those who wish to make Belize their home and will be staying in Belize for a long period of time. According to the Belize Ministry of Immigration, one must meet the following criteria in order to apply for Permanent Residency in Belize:

1. You must have been legally living in Belize for a minimum of one year at the time of submitting your application.
2. During your year in Belize, you must not have left the country for more than 14 days in total.
3. You must show documentation that you have been, and will be able to continue to be, financially stable.
4. You have not been convicted by a competent court in any country of a criminal offence for which you may have been liable to a sentence of imprisonment of twelve months or more and have not received a free pardon in respect of the offence.

When you first arrive in the country, you will given a 30-day Tourist Visa, and prior to applying for Permanent Residency in Belize, during your one-year waiting period, you must make sure that you have submitted your applications and have applied for the Visitor’s Permit extension every 30 days. For more information on the Tourist Visa, see our article on Belize Visa Questions.

How do I apply for Permanent Residency in Belize?

The first step in the process is to visit the Belize Immigration site and download the Residence Application form, and the other forms which are required for the process. It will be easier to see what you need if you download all of these documents. Some of these documents, for example, the Medical Certificate Forms, will need to be printed so that you can take them with you to the doctor when you go for your required exam.

What documents are required for Permanent Residency in Belize?

Along with the Residence Application, you will need to provide these original documents when you turn in your application to Immigration:

• Original Passport – The passport must indicate an arrival date to Belize, the arrival stamp must be at least from one year prior to submission of application.
• Medical Certificate – The medical certificate refers to the Residence Medical Examination Form that needs to be completed by a Licensed Medical Practitioner here in Belize.
• Medical Tests Form – The HIV, VDRL, and TB Test Form must be submitted by applicant and accompanying dependents, spouse and children 12 years of age and above.
• Police Record – For your Police Record, you need to visit your local Police Station in Belize, fill in an application, and pay the application fee, for your record. The Police Record can sometimes take weeks or more to be processed and returned to you.
• Proof of Financial Stability – In order to qualify for residence status in Belize, you are required to prove to the Immigration Office that your are financially stable. You must indicate that your are able to financially sustain yourself and any dependent during any period while you were residing in Belize. *See an expanded explanation of this in the section below.
• Photos – For applicant and spouse and each dependent, you need two 2 x 2 passport-style photos. They are required to have a white background, and no sleeveless garments can be worn.
• Spouse and Child’s Documentation – Only a legally married spouse can be included on same application, common-law partners must apply separately.

Tips for Residency Application document preparation

First, be sure to make at least two complete sets of copies of all of the documents which you are required to turn in to Immigration with your Residency Application. This is important because you will always want to be able to quickly supply a substitute document if you are contacted by the Immigration Office and told that something is missing or has been lost. Next, anytime you speak with Immigration Officers, it is best practice to have a full set of all documents you have submitted in front of you for quick and easy reference.

For the Proof of Financial Stability Documents, you should make copies of the past six month’s of your primary bank statements (It is OK to redact the account number). If you own property in Belize, it is also a good idea to include a copy of your Land Title, and if you are collecting a private pension, a copy of your pension information. Finally, if you are collecting Social Security in the US, a copy of your Social Security Benefit Form.

Though I was not yet collecting Social Security when I applied for Residency, the Immigration Officer required that I submit a copy of my US Social Security Statement, showing that I would be eligible to collect Social Security and the amount of the benefit.

For an even more detailed rundown of the required documentation, check out the Permanent Residency Application Guide from the Belize Immigration website.

I didn’t include this list of documents here to overwhelm anyone; rather, I hope that by demonstrating that there will be a pretty big paper chase prior to submitting your application for Permanent Residency in Belize, folks will be able to get organized when the time comes to submit their application.

What else do I need for my Permanent Residency application?

Prior to coming to Belize, it is a really good idea to secure official hard copies of a number of additional official documents. While it is slowly changing and some things are moving online, Belize is still a very paper-centric bureaucracy. If at all possible, I recommend bringing the following original documents, and if unable to get original documents, you should plan to bring certified, notarized copies.

• Birth Certificates for all members of the family.
• Marriage License
• Divorce Decree if divorced.
• College Diploma
• Social Security Card
• Driver’s License
• Any other official documents

What is the Residency process?

The Belize Immigration website details six-steps in the process of gaining Permanent Residency in Belize. See the six steps below, and then we’ll take a look at a few of them in greater detail, along with a brief discussion of the timeline of this process.

• Step One: Gather required documents
• Step Two: Submission of application
• Step Three: Interview with Immigration
• Step Four: Interview with Police Department
• Step Five: Notification of approval by the Immigration Office
• Step Six: Payment and Submission of Security Bond
• Step Seven: Delivery of Residence Card

How long will it take me to get Permanent Residency in Belize?

This is one of the most frequent discussion topics on many of the Belize expat forums, and there is often a lot of disinformation on this topic. Some folks claim that one needs to hire an attorney or an expediter of some sort in order to move the process along, however, just as many people state that they had paid a good deal of money to an Immigration expediter here, and they received nothing in return.

I do not believe that there is a magic formula of any sort to expedite this process. It is not a complicated process; however, it does require one to be very organized and to have a great deal of patience. Belize, and especially many of the governmental departments, move at a pace much slower than one is used to in North America. This Residency process can take a long time, so hope for the best, but be prepared to wait it out.

One recent change to the process is that it now appears that one needs to make an appointment with the Immigration Office to turn in the Residency application, and I have read that some folks had to wait several months before they could get an appointment; thus, if you are nearing your one-year mark in country, and you know that you will have your documents ready, it is likely a good idea to make an appointment in your 10th or 11th month of the first year so that you can get in as soon after your one-year waiting period as possible.

When is the Residency Interview?

Once you submit your application to the Immigration Office and your application is accepted as complete, you will then be scheduled for an official interview. In the past, folks had to travel to Belmopan for the interview, but it appears that one can now interview in their local Immigration office. I was very fortunate in that the Immigration Officer conducted my interview on the day that I turned in my application, but I understand that this is not standard practice, so you could have a wait of a few weeks, or a month or two, for your interview.

As part of the Interview process, you need to supply Immigration with the names of two Belizean referees who will vouch for you, and while the Immigration website indicates that they are to accompany you to the interview, my references were simply called on the phone, and I have heard from others that this was also the case with them.

What is the Residency waiting game?

The first step in the Residency waiting game is the wait for your police interview. After your application has been approved and you have had your Immigration interview, the next step is your interview with the Special Branch of the Police Department.

You are not given an appointment time, so you just have to wait until you are contacted by the police. In my case, around three months after my Immigration interview, the police called me one morning and told me to come into the office within an hour for the interview; thus, I was given no advance notice.

I have read that people have waited over six months to be contacted by the police. This is why I recommend that even though one is technically allowed to travel out of the country once the Residency application and interview are complete, I would not leave until after the police interview because if you are out of the country when they contact you, who knows how long it might be before they call you again!

The Residency waiting game goes into overdrive

After the police interview is complete, you simply have to wait for your application to be vetted. There is no telling how long this wait might be, and I have read stories of folks being called five or six months after their police interview, and, at present, there are others who have been waiting between one and two years for the call.

Eventually, you will be called by Immigration to be told either that the application has been accepted, or Immigration will tell you that they need additional documentation of some sort.

In 2023, there seemed to be an enormous backup in Residency approvals after news reports that several Chinese nationals were discovered in Belize who had gained Permanent Residency status through fraudulent means. At the time, the Director of Immigration stepped down, and a few others were pushed out, and while the government was dealing with the mess, all Residency activities were paused for around six months.

Of course, many applicants were upset because they were in the last phase of the process, and everything was put on hold; meanwhile, they were still required to visit Immigration every month to renew their Tourist Visa at a cost of $200 BZD ($100 USD), per person, per month.

How much does Permanent Residency in Belize cost?

Once you are called with final approval of your Residency, you will need to visit Immigration to pay your Residency Fee. The Residency Fee is per person.

The latest Fee Schedule for Permanent Residency indicates the following depending upon your nationality:

• US citizen: $4,000 BZD ($2,000 USD)
• Commonwealth citizens: $3000 BZD ($1,500 USD)
• European citizens: $6,000 BZD ($3,000 USD)
• Permanent Residence fee for Minors is 50% of Adult Fee based on Nationality.

Belize Immigration Website

What is the final step in the Residency process?

For many years, after being granted Permanent Residency in Belize, one would receive a large stamp in the back of their passport with their Residency information, and the stamp did not need to be renewed until the passport expired. However, at present, after paying the Residency fee, one must now wait to have a Residency card issued.

I have read reports of folks waiting from a couple of weeks to well over a month to get their Residency Card after they had completed the entire process. I believe that one must again visit the Immigration Office in order to pick up your Residency Card in person.

Final thoughts on the process of applying for Permanent Residency in Belize

From my personal experience, and from the experiences of others with whom I have spoken or have read about their experiences, the two vital ingredients for the successful completion of the Permanent Residency in Belize process are organization and patience.

On average, from everything I have read in the Facebook Groups and forums over the past year or two, most people are not receiving final approval for their Residency for 12-24 months after their application was submitted and accepted. This means that one may need to be in Belize, and continue to pay monthly extension fees for two to three years before final receipt of Permanent Residency status may be approved.

Some folks seem to have expectations of getting through the process much faster than this, and these expectations can lead to real frustration. At present, until there is evidence to the contrary, I would plan for the worst case, and not expect to be granted Residency until you have been in country for nearly three years.