Moving to Belize with my mom on QRP

@Karlaclemmer QRP has benefits that make it attractive to some, but it can also come with limitations. Many choose to just apply for permanent residency by renewing their tourist visa while staying in the country for a year instead of doing QRP. Even if QRP doesn't work out, there are options for your family to move.

You do not need to be a resident or accepted into QRP in order to purchase real estate. Belize allows foreigners to purchase and fully own real estate.

Thank you for your reply and the info. If I purchase real estate will my whole family be approved for Visas? is there any reason to think they may not, retrictions etc ?. None of my family have criminal records but are there any other possible restrictions to getting a visa to stay for a year, with the plan of staying permanently after having purchased real estate?

Visas have to be renewed every 30 days, there's no such a thin as 1 year visa.

Once you have purchased property (or, a solid long lease from a BTB-approved place), then it gets easier to get your monthly renewals. After a full uninterrupted stay in the country, a person can apply for permanent residency. Expect to provide on that application financial disclosures on how you are going to support yourself in Belize, and prepare for an extended (a year and still counting, in my case) wait for it. Meantime, still have to renew your monthly visa (at $100US a pop).

@Karlaclemmer

immigration.gov.bz

This site will give you all the info you need for residency.

As mentioned, until you obtain residency, every person in your household will have to get visa extensions every month. Some immigration offices extend visas for two and three months.

Every month is BZD 200 per person.

Oh, I missed something in my sentence:  " ...After a full uninterrupted ONE YEAR stay in the country... "

@Brigitte B

Thank you Brigitte!! I notice you have dogs. How did you transport them to Belize? I have info about a company out of Mexico that will drive a person/persons and their pets from USA to Mexico, and possibly to Belize for approx $7000usd . He has one driver that may be willing to go all the way to Belize. A friend of mine is doing this in October. If anyone has other ideas let me know. I have 2 dogs , 2 cats and 4 family members that would be moving. Considering the cost of flights it doesnt sound too high to me. Also my one dog has cancer and would not be able to fly. so if you don't mind, let me know what your experience was in getting your animals down there.

@Brigitte B

Thank you!!

@TexItalian

Thank you for the reply. Thats a lot of good info.

How do you like living there so far? What made you interested in Belize specifically? If you dont mind me asking. Also it sounds like my first step should be to get ahold of BTB according to all the replies.  Do you agree? I'm interested in renting first, in the Northern region of Belize. So it sounds like a year lease would be minimum.

    @Brigitte B
Thank you Brigitte!! I notice you have dogs. How did you transport them to Belize? I have info about a company out of Mexico that will drive a person/persons and their pets from USA to Mexico, and possibly to Belize for approx $7000usd . He has one driver that may be willing to go all the way to Belize. A friend of mine is doing this in October. If anyone has other ideas let me know. I have 2 dogs , 2 cats and 4 family members that would be moving. Considering the cost of flights it doesnt sound too high to me. Also my one dog has cancer and would not be able to fly. so if you don't mind, let me know what your experience was in getting your animals down there.
   

    -@Karlaclemmer

Before we moved full time, we drove with our dogs, every year. We loved it.

Thanks again!! may I ask where did you drive from? And did you visit many places in Belize before you decided on where you are?

    Thanks again!! may I ask where did you drive from? And did you visit many places in Belize before you decided on where you are?
   

    -@Karlaclemmer

Driving from Alberta, Canada.

We've had a place in Belize (Placencia Peninsula), since 1998. We visited every year for a couple of months and explored every District.  We now live in Cayo.

ok, that's good to know because my intention was to rent in different locations until finding the best area. I'll be checking out Cayo also. Thanks got your help!!

If there is no criminal history and you can show how you will support yourself, I've never seen anyone denied an extension of a tourist visa or denied permanent residency when the time came. We started traveling to Belize in the 90s and made a full-time move in 2002.

You can find some rentals listed on Viviun, 501 Properties, and The Belize MLS. BTB has a list of their gold standard approved hotels and properties, some of which do long-term rentals as well. (https://www.belizetourismboard.org/lice … rd-hotels/) There are lots of Facebook real estate groups too, but I would approach those with a bit more caution. As with any rental or lease, be sure to understand the contract. Be wary of any rental that doesn't have a contract - it's there to protect both you and the landlord. 

For a small country, there is a lot of variety in culture, terrain, and weather (especially rainfall), so planning to spend time in different areas is a great idea.

Folks the document you are talking about, is a "Visitor Permit". Belize has both Visa's and Visitor Permit. These are two different documents with different requirements. Americans do not need a VISA for Belize.

@Karlaclemmer

Renting first during both the "rainy" and "dry season" is a good idea before buying or sighing a lease. You really wont know an area or property unless you experience both.

i had come down to Plascencia  for vacations before I retired in 2015. That year I explored various areas around the country. However I never was able to get into the most Northern areas as intended during October that year because of flooding. In 2016 I bought a Mennonite house In Placencia. We spend about half the year here during 2-3 trips each year. Folks here are getting ready for lobster fess as i type. Hoping  Hurricane Beryl does not kill the whole weekend.   

As far as residency, (or QRP) one needs to spend One year in country with No more than a total of 14 days outside of Belize during that year. Since I need a simple medical procedure several times a year, and can not get it in Belize, I would exceed that 14 days, we just fly back and forth to Texas.  I have looked for "workarounds but never found one workable one to that year in country. The Belize Government website shows Visitor Permit extension can be obtained for 30, 60, 90, and longer spans. We never asked for longer than 90 days as that gets us four months then i need to go back for my treatment. 

With your Mom's age you need to also consider the location of the few hospitals in country. And the possible long drive in the event you need an ER. We both are in our 80s and in good health, but also are very aware of the limited medical facilities here, that we take for granted in the USA.

Also spend some time on YouTube, More Expat channels with good info keep popping up. Just go on YouTube.com and use the search function.

@belizelandoffices

Thank you for the info, thats encouraging. we have 3 sources of income from the US that bring us well above the minimum requirement so I dont foresee any issues there. The most important issue will be to live somewhere that we can access  good medical care with a pain management specialist or a primary care doctor for my 86 yr old mother . She would need to be able to get her prescriptions filled monthly. So i dont know if thats possible through a primary care doc in Belize. i have heard that you can find good doctors in Mexico so living close enouph to travel into Mexico for that would be priority.  There is a lot to work out and I feel like its almost impossible to know for sure without coming there forst and physically going to a doctors office and finding out how this all could be managed. Other than that my Mother is in good physical condition , no chronic illnesses but her pain management requires an inperson visit monthly. Any info on good primary care docs or pain management would be greatly appreciated, whether in Mexico or Belize.

@Aerodex

Thank you for the info. Good to know about the flooding because we were looking in the Northern region of Belize.

The most important issue will be to live somewhere that we can access  good medical care with a pain management specialist or a primary care doctor for my mother . She would need to be able to get her prescriptions filled monthly. So i dont know if thats possible through a primary care doc in Belize. I have heard that you can find good doctors in Mexico so living close enouph to travel into Mexico for that could be an option. Were you not able to get your medical treatments somewhere closer and thats why you go into texas or you were already set up with a Doc there and your specific condition can only be managed there? im just trying to determine if the

concept of traveling into Mexico is not realistic

.  There is a lot to work out and I feel like its almost impossible to know for sure without coming there first and physically going to a doctors office and finding out how this all could be managed. Other than that my Mother is in good physical condition , no chronic illnesses but her pain management requires an inperson visit monthly. Any info on good primary care docs or pain management would be greatly appreciated, whether in Mexico or Belize, or like you said by traveling to Texas or some other US state since she has medicare.