Process for moving down

Hi Terry & Dean,

I trust that your preparations are going smoothly. As Canadian citizens you are in a better position, cost wise, than obtaining a Schengen Visa for the purpose of entering Belize. The reason for this statement is the fact that Canada is a visa exempt country for the purposes of Belize immigration. Citizens from non exempt country will need to pay for the Visitors visa to enter Belize and in addition will still need to pay for the Visitors PERMIT extension (i.e what has been inaccurately been referred to as a Visa renewal) fee at the expiration of the initial 30, 60, 90, or 180 days permit granted on arrival.

I am assuming that this will be your first time to Belize. If this is the case, it is highly unlikely that you will be granted a Visitors PERMIT that will permit you to remain in Belize for more than 30 days. You will therefore need to apply for a Visitors PERMIT extension just before the end of that initial 30 days here. To avoid having to pay the $100 per month for the entire year, my suggestion is that once you have purchased your home, you should use the ownership documents as support evidence when you go in for the Visitors PERMIT extension and indicate to the immigration officer that you have bought a home with the intention of remaining here and submit a request for a 180 day Visitor PERMIT in order to satisfy the 1 year time requirement to be eligible to apply for permanent residency.

Again I emphasize that as a Canadian citizen the additional step and thus additional cost of obtaining a Visitors VISA to enter Belize (whether single entry or multiple entries) is not a requirement that is applicable to you. In sum, the purpose of the Visitors VISA is to allow ENTRY, while the purpose of the Visitors PERMIT is to permit you to remain after you have entered on a Visitors VISA (which comes with a fee based on nationality) or as a citizen from a Visitors VISA exempt country such as Canada.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have.

With kindest regards,

Raymond

Hi Ray
Ok that is what I thought when reading all the information I can find.
Now how about entering?….
One expat said we should tell the customs agents that we are temporary residents because we are planning on staying ?  Is that correct? … as we will not have a return flight … I understand that if you stay more than 30 days you are automatically considered a temporary resident… is that correct?
Also what other documents should we have?
Another expat has said… bank statements, proof of insurance & a police record check… is that correct?
And is there anything else we need in order to clear customs?
Thank Terry

It doesn't matter what you tell the Immigration Officer at the airport. They won't give more than 30 days  Stamp to nobody. They'll tell you to go to an Immigration Office when your 30 days are up.
About "police report", you only need it from Canada IF you do the QRP (which is basically, a long term tourist).
If you go the resident route, you'll need the report from your local Belize police, close to the time of you applying, which is, after the 12 months uninterrupted in-country stay (yeah, 14 days blah blah).

That’s all good to know
The stamp thing yes I understand that, I guess what I mean is that one expat was asked where is your return ticket.. she said you answer “you are a temporary resident “. That’s actually what I was questioning
Thanks so much Ray!!  I so so appreciate all your answers to my many many questions.. lol lol
Terry

Hi TexItalian
Lol. Should have looked closer!!  Lol lol😂😂
Sorry thought you were Ray
Thanks for your answer 😊
Thanks Terry

terrysnewglc wrote:

One expat said we should tell the customs agents that we are temporary residents because we are planning on staying ?  Is that correct? …

I am looking at my US passport with many entries from Belize Immigration officers over the years.
It clearly states in BOLD text at the top of each sticker glued and signed by them into my passport, "BELIZE VISITOR'S PERMIT EXTENSION" . My understanding, is ones status does not change simply by telling an officer you intend to stay. 

terrysnewglc wrote:

as we will not have a return flight …

You better check with your airline, because as of about 2 years ago US airlines would not let me or my wife board an outbound flight travailing on our US passport unless we had a return ticket. Apparently that was always a requirement of the Belize government but was seldom enforced... nowadays it is.

I do not buy a round trip ticket because we often shorten or extend our stay, by having separate outbound and return tickets it simplifies changing that.   If your airline requires a return ticket to board, buy a fully refundable ticket for the return leg, then cash it in later, just make sure you understand all airline requirements to get your money back.

terrysnewglc wrote:

I understand that if you stay more than 30 days you are automatically considered a temporary resident… is that correct?

Please see my comment above. 
Also from older post on this site, from talking to expats I know, or observing others standing in line getting an extension, and from my own experience month to month, different Belize immigration offices and officers set different requirements on what documents they ask me for from visit to visit. So I take everything I have every time.  It is that "discretion" thing Ray mentioned. 

On the outbound flight, you will be given a Belize entry form to fill out and hand to Immigration. It will ask where you are staying, and for how long among other things. 

terrysnewglc wrote:

Also what other documents should we have?
Another expat has said… bank statements, proof of insurance & a police record check… is that correct?

You get a 30 day visitors permit stamped into your passport at the airport. So at that point they are mostly interested you have place to stay and Return ticket.

It is when you start applying for  "BELIZE VISITOR'S PERMIT EXTENSION" that you will need additional documentation. A lease or house sales contract, income documentation, bank statements, utility bills in your name etc.  Check the government website I provided a link to in an earlier message.
Also the Belize Tourism Board website.

Also if you are going to be opening a Belize bank account, there is documentation and letters of reference from your current bank(s) you will need to bring with you to open a Belize account. See the Belize Banks websites to see the exact current requirements. The Belize Central bank sets the requirements and they change from time to time.

Hi Terry & Dean,

The sole purpose of the Customs Officers are to charge duties on goods brought into the country. It does not matter to them whether you are a citizen, permanent, or temporary resident the same policies, rules, and regulations applies equally to all. Moreover their is a specific designation of temporary residency for the purposes of Belize Immigration. This is granted to folks who for some reason or the other cannot satisfy the one-year in country time requirement to obtain permanent residency but have a business investment in Belize (the last time I checked it was US $250k or more). So I would be very cautious about using that term when entering the country for the first time.

If the items you are bringing are much more that personal effects then I would recommend going the QRP route which would entitle you to duty exemption on a number of items. Document recommended to bring for purposes of custom duties would be payment receipts that would assist the Customs Officers with their assessment of the value of the items as duties are calculated on a percentage based on a published customs duties formula.

It is worthy to note that majority of the houses in Belize are sold furnished and therefore if a particular brand of furniture or appliances are not critically important to you my suggestion would be to travel as light as you possibly can and use the money saved on hauling stuff from Canada to Belize, and the savings of not having to pay custom duties on them to purchase new furniture and appliances here if you can not live with the ones the house you buy comes with.  Otherwise your best option is to apply for the QRP and inform the Customs Officer upon arrival of your intent to buy a home and live permanently in Belize and therefore will be applying for the QRP. 

Also be advised that the electrical system here is similar to the US 120 volts and therefore the plugs might be different from those used in Canada. This is therefore a factor you should take into consideration if you intend to bring appliances from Canada.

I avail myself for any other questions you may have.

Kindest regards,

Raymond

Ray, the electrical systems for North America are the same as used in Belize. 😊

Hi Aerodex & Ray
Wow.. ok now I am really confused.. lol
We have only purchased a one way ticket as we do not plan on leaving. So I don’t understand why they want a return ticket??? 
Can we not enter without one????

As for the goods we would like to ship in, are only personal items… no car, or furniture.. so payment of duty is fine as we are not doing the QRP
We are planning on bringing in a few suitcases filled with personal items. Is there a limit on the suitcases that you can arrive with? Also is there duty on those?

As for our flight we booked on American Airlines, but are leaving from Canada. We had no problem with booking a one way ticket, but I will call them to confirm the boarding process

terrysnewglc wrote:

Hi Aerodex & Ray
Wow.. ok now I am really confused.. lol
We have only purchased a one way ticket as we do not plan on leaving. So I don’t understand why they want a return ticket??? 
Can we not enter without one????

The airlines sign agreements with the government with many conditions to be able to fly passengers in and out of the country. One of those conditions is If the airline fly's someone in, that the government for whatever reason does not want to stay in country, the airline is then obligated to transport them back out.  Obviously the airline does not want to transport people for free. As I said, i have only been asked a few times recently to show a return reservation to Belize immigration, and not every time. But the airline has asked every time when checking in for the departing flight for the last couple of years.

To double check, I just used Google to aske this question, Do I need a return ticket to enter Belize? See for yourself.

Hi Terry & Aerodex,

I concur with the idea of having a return ticket, particularly if you are arriving for the first time. Please be mindful that although you will be coming to reside permanently your immigration status will be a visitor until your permanent residency application has been approved. With this in view, it would be unwise to arrive without having a return ticket. (Not having a return ticket is sufficient grounds for the Immigration Officer to refuse you entry). Furthermore, I have had the personal experience of learning that in some instances a return ticket cost less than a one-way ticket. 

Among the documents you should plan on bring are: 2 letters of Character References from your bank. This can be from the same bank but should from 2 different bank officers. The letter will need to be on the Bank's letterhead. You will need this to open a local bank account in Belize. You should also bring along a police record as this will be required as part of your residency application supporting documents. As both of the above-mentioned documents are time sensitive I would recommend that you do not obtain these more than 3 weeks prior to your departure from Canada.

Brining a recent bank statement as proof of your ability to financially support your stay in Belize and to support your intent to purchase a home in Belize will also be viewed favorable by the Immigration Officer upon your arrival. Also helpful to have on hand as supporting documents for your intention to reside here would be to have a short list of no more than 3 properties that falls within your budget (as evidenced by your bank statement) from which you intend to choose one to be your home.  A rental agreement if you intend to rent before you purchase would also be a great supporting document to have on hand upon arrival.

Based on the items you plan to bring I do not foresee any need to pay custom duties.

My desire if for you to have a clear understanding of what to expect long before you arrive. So if anything is unclear to you, please do not hesitate to ask for clarification.

Aerodex,

Many thanks for the clarification on the appliance plugs. I vaguely recall during a visit to Nova Scotia, Canada that the receptacles and plugs where different from the standard USA type 110 volts ones. This trip was almost 2 decades ago however and it is likely that I am misplacing that experience with somewhere in Europe.   

Kindest regards,

Raymond

I tried getting back to you, but my long text did not go through.  I believe I have your phone number, as my husband is from Limerick.  I will try to talk to you and get things sorted out, as we have been back and forth since 2006,  for about 6 months each time,and pretty much will be able to get things sorted out for you.  I am going back to Canada in a week, so I will reach out as soon as you get back to me if you are interested in my help. sherriparkwaiting@gmail.com