2. QUALIFIED RETIRED PERSON STATUS. The Qualified Retired Persons

Incentive Act passed by the Belize legislature in 1999 is being implemented by the Belize Tourism Board. The program is designed to attract more retirees to Belize. In the first year of operation, the program attracted considerable interest and a number of applications. But the Belize Tourism Board now declines to disclose publicly how many applications it has received and how many have been approved. However, we understand that there are at most a few hundred participants in the program.

Interest in the program appears to be fairly high, but because of the income requirement, inability to work for pay in Belize and other factors, the actual number of retirees under the program in Belize is as yet relatively small and far fewer than are in programs in Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico and elsewhere.

For those who can show the required monthly income from investments or pensions, this program offers benefits of official residency and tax-free entry of the retiree’s household goods and a car, boat and even an airplane. This program also eliminates some of the bureaucratic delays built into other programs. The BTB guarantees action on an application in no more than three months, but we have heard of qualified retirees getting approval for this program in only a few weeks.

Who qualifies? Anyone at least 45 years old from anywhere in the

world can qualify for the program. A person who qualifies can also include his or her dependents in the program. Dependents include spouses and children under the age of 18. However, it can include children under the age of 23 if enrolled in a university.

Benefits: Besides prompt approval of residency for qualifying applicants, import duties and fees for household goods and a vehicle, airplane and boat are waived.

Duty-free import of personal household effects: Qualified Retired Persons under the program can qualify for duty and tax exemptions on new and used personal and household effects admitted as such by the Belize Tourism Board. A list of all items with corresponding values that will be imported must be submitted with the application. A one-year period is granted for the importation of personal and household effects.

Duty-free import of a vehicle, aircraft and boat:

a. Motor Vehicle: Applicants are encouraged to import new motor vehicles under the program, but the vehicle must be no more than three years old. A Qualified Retired Person may also buy a vehicle duty-free in country.

b. Light Aircraft: A Qualified Retired Person is entitled to import a light aircraft less than 17,000 kg. A Qualified Retired Person is required to have a valid Private Pilot license to fly in Belize. This license can be obtained by passing the requirements set by the Civil Aviation. However, if the participant has a valid pilot’s license, that license only has to

be validated by Civil Aviation Department in Belize.

c. Boat: Any vessel that is used for personal purposes and for pleasure will be accepted under this program.

If for whatever reason a Qualified Retired Person decides to sell, give away, lease, or otherwise dispose of the approved means of transportation or personal effects to any person or entity within Belize, all duties and taxes must be paid to the proper authorities.

The Belize Tourism Board states: “Qualified Retired Persons must note that only after three years and upon proof that the transportation that was previously imported to Belize was adequately disposed off, will another concession be granted to import another mode of transportation.”

Income requirement: To be designated a Qualified Retired Person under the program, the applicant must have a monthly income of at least US$2,000. A couple does not need to show US$4,000 a month – just US$2,000, as the applicant is normally an individual and the applicant’s spouse is a dependent under the program.

The income rules for Qualified Retired Persons are, like many things in Belize, a little confusing. On first reading, it looks like the income must derive from a pension or annuity that has been generated outside of Belize. The rules do not specifically say so, but according to Belize Tourism Board officials U.S. Social Security income can be included as part of this pension requirement. This pension and annuity information

then has to be substantiated by a Certified Public Accountant, along with two bank references from the company providing the pension or annuity. These substantiations may not be required if your pension and/or annuity is from a Fortune 500 company. That indeed is one way to show that you have the necessary income. However, there is another way. You can demonstrate that you have the necessary income by providing

documentation that you have deposited the money in a Belize bank. Several retirees have said that they were able to include other forms of income, including investment income, in the US$2,000 figure. In this latter case, the US$2,000 a month income (US$24,000 a year) can be substantiated by showing records from a bank or other financial institution in Belize that the retiree has deposited the necessary money. As a practical matter, some retirees say that they have not been asked to provide documentation.

Background check: All applications are subject to a background check by the Ministry of National Security.

Application: Applications for the program must be made to the Belize Tourism Board in Belize City and include the following:

Birth certificate: A certified copy of a certificate for the applicant and each dependant.

Marriage certificate if applicant is married and spouse is a dependant.

Authentic police record: A police record from the applicant’s last place of residency issued within one month prior to the application

Passport: Color copies of complete passport (including all blank pages) of applicant and all dependents that have been certified by a Notary Public. The copies must have the passport number, name of principal, number of pages and the seal or stamp of the Notary Public.

Proof of income: An official statement from a bank or financial institution certifying that the applicant is the recipient of a pension or annuity of a minimum of US$ 2,000 per month.

Medical examination: Applicants should undergo a complete medical examination including an AIDS test. A copy of the medical certificate must be attached to the application.

Photos: Four front and four-side passport size photographs that have been taken recently of applicant and dependents.

The application form for the Qualified Retired Persons Program is available for download on the Belize Tourism Board Website at www.belizeretirement.org.

Application fees and costs for the QRP program have increased and now total US$1,350 for an individual or $2,100 for a couple.

For information on the program, contact:

Belize Tourism Board

P.O. Box 325

Belize City, Belize, Central America

Tel: 501-223-1913 or 1-800-624-0686

Fax: 501-223-1943

3. OFFICIAL PERMANENT RESIDENT: Requirements and benefits are similar

to those of the Retired Persons Incentive Act. The application process and supporting documents needed are virtually the same as for retired residency. Here are the main differences:

As a regular permanent resident, you do not have to deposit any particular sum in a bank in Belize. However, you do have to show financial resources sufficient to obtain residency status.

You can work for pay in Belize.

At times recently, Belize officials have been telling permanent residency applicants that after three months they would need to apply for a work permit, even though if they did not intend to work. This significantly increases the cost of permanent residency, as protessional workers pay US$1,500 a year and technical workers and self-employed pay US$1,000 for a work permit.

Work permits are now being issued by the Immigration department, instead of the Labor department.

Also, beginning in 2004, many applications were delayed or not approved. Some applicants for permanent residency waited long periods without hearing anything. After application fees and related costs were increased in early 2005, applications for permanent residency seem to move more quickly (surprise!), but still there are delays, and some individuals report they have been turned down for what officials claimed were infractions -- such as crossing the border into Mexico several times, even though they stayed only a few hours.

You must live in Belize for one full year before you can apply for regular

permanent residency. During this period, you cannot leave the country for more than 14 consecutive days, although this rule is inconsistently enforced.

After approval, you have up to one year to bring in household effects duty-free, on a one-time basis.  However, the duty-free exemption does not apply to a vehicle, boat and airplane, as it does for the Qualified Retired Persons program.

It is somewhat expensive to apply for regular permanent residency. Application fees for Permanent Residency vary by nationality, ranging from US$250 to $5,000. For Americans, the fee is US$1,000 per person. There is also, upon approval, a fee of US$150. In addition, if you use an “expediter” in Belize to help you with the paperwork, you'll likely pay a fee of around US$1,500, plus several hundred dollars in travel and photocopying fees and taxes.

Note that these fees are per-person, not per-application, as is the case for the Qualified Retired Persons program. For example, an American married couple applying for permanent residency would pay US$2,000 with the application and US$300 for residency cards after approval.  Some applicants also have been required to post a bond, supposedly to guarantee the cost of repatriation to their home country, should that ever be required.  The bond amount varies, ranging from several hundred dollars to as much as US$2,000.  Other applicants say they have not been required to post the bond.

Residency cards are no longer provided -- instead, your passport is stamped. You apply to the Belize Immigration and Nationality Department rather than through the Belize Tourism Board. For information and application form, contact:

Immigration and Nationality Department

Ministry of National Security and Immigration

Belmopan City, Belize, Central America

Tel.: 501-222-4620

Fax: 501-222-4056

The controversial Economic Citizenship program, under which foreigners were able to buy a Belize passport and residency rights for a fee of US$25,000 to $50,000, was  discontinued in 2002.

In addition to these programs, regular citizenship in Belize is a possibility for those  living in Belize over a long period. To acquire citizenship, applicants must have been a resident or have permanent residency status for a minimum of five years. Applicants  for citizenship need to provide essentially the same supporting documentation as those  applying for permanent residency.  Applicants also must demonstrate a knowledge of Belizean history.