Belize Immigration Services

Belize Qualified Retirement Program

Eligibility assessment, application preparation, document coordination, and end-to-end support for individuals and families seeking to reside in Belize through the Qualified Retirement Program.

40+ Minimum age currently published by the Belize Tourism Board.
US$2,000 Minimum qualifying retirement income per month from outside Belize.
US$24,000 Equivalent minimum qualifying retirement income per year.
30 Days Minimum consecutive physical presence in Belize each year.

Who may qualify

Eligibility is broader than many applicants expect.

The Qualified Retirement Program is not restricted to persons of traditional retirement age. Eligibility is assessed through age, qualifying foreign income, nationality, security clearance, financial arrangements in Belize, and continuing annual compliance.

Age forty or older. The principal applicant must meet the minimum age published by BTB.
Qualifying dependants. A spouse and children under eighteen may be included, subject to the applicable forms and supporting documents.
Foreign retirement income. The applicant must beneficially receive the required income from a source outside Belize in an approved currency.
Belize financial undertaking. The applicant must provide a written undertaking concerning deposit of the required funds with a Belize bank, credit union, or licensed financial institution.
Security clearance. Applicants must pass the security-clearance process conducted through the Ministry of National Security in Belize.
Annual presence. The applicant must be able to remain in Belize for at least thirty consecutive days during each year.

Income qualification

A traditional employment pension is not the only possible source.

BTB currently recognises several forms of retirement income. The central issue is whether the applicant is the beneficial recipient of sufficient, documentable income generated outside Belize.

US$2,000
monthly

Or US$24,000 annually, generated outside Belize and received in an approved foreign currency, currently including the United States dollar, pound sterling, euro, and Canadian dollar.

Pension
Annuity
Social Security benefits
Investment account
Inheritance
Reverse mortgage
Personal savings
Retirement contribution plans
Other qualifying retirement income

Program advantages

Residency, mobility, exemptions, and relocation benefits.

Acceptance into the program can provide a structured immigration status and valuable exemptions. Every benefit remains subject to the governing legislation, BTB procedures, customs requirements, and continuing compliance.

QRP Resident Card

The applicant and accepted dependants may receive QRP Resident Cards permitting residence in Belize. Cards are subject to annual renewal.

Multiple Entries

QRP members may make multiple entries into Belize without obtaining a separate visa under the program, while continuing to travel with their national passports.

Household and Personal Effects

Qualifying household and personal effects may receive import-duty and tax exemption for personal use during the first year of acceptance, subject to advance approval and customs procedures.

Qualifying Vehicle

A qualifying motor vehicle may be eligible for duty and tax exemption, subject to model-age limits, advance documentation, approval, and proper disposal requirements.

Motorboat and Light Aircraft

The program provides for possible duty and tax exemption on a motorboat and qualifying light aircraft for personal use, subject to the applicable registration and approval procedures.

Foreign-Source Income Treatment

BTB states that QRP members are exempt from taxes and duties on qualifying income received from outside Belize, as well as capital gains tax and inheritance tax.

Residential Property

QRP members may purchase land for construction of a residence or acquire a completed home for residential use, subject to the normal property and transaction requirements.

Family Relocation Structure

The program permits qualifying spouses and children to be included, allowing the application to be prepared around the applicant’s wider family-relocation plan.

Vehicle replacement timing: BTB’s current public page contains different replacement periods in its summary and detailed procedure. The applicable timing, disposal evidence, and customs requirements should therefore be confirmed directly with BTB before relying on a replacement schedule.

Application file

Documents must be prepared as a coordinated evidential package.

The application is more than a single form. It requires identity, family, police, financial, medical, passport, and photographic evidence prepared in the prescribed format for the principal applicant and applicable dependants.

01

Member and Dependant Application Forms

Completed, signed, and dated application forms for the principal applicant and each qualifying dependant.

02

Birth and Marriage Evidence

Notarised or certified birth certificates for the applicant and dependants, together with a marriage certificate where applicable.

03

Police Records

Original police records or certificates, currently required to be no more than six months old, from the relevant last place of residence.

04

Complete Passport Copies

Notarised or certified copies of complete valid passports, including blank pages, for the applicant and each dependant.

05

Proof of Qualifying Income

Documentary evidence showing the principal applicant as beneficial recipient of at least US$2,000 monthly or US$24,000 annually from outside Belize.

06

International Financial Statements

Original or certified financial statements evidencing receipt or deposit of the stated retirement income.

07

Written Undertaking for Belize Deposits

A signed undertaking addressing deposit of the required funds into a qualifying domestic financial institution in Belize.

08

Medical Certificates and Test Results

Current medical evidence for the applicant and each dependant, prepared according to the tests and validity periods published by BTB.

09

Passport Photographs

Two matching frontal passport photographs for each applicant, including the required certified or notarised copy.

Our engagement

Structured support from initial assessment through submission readiness.

Our role is to organise the application logically, identify evidential gaps, coordinate the required materials, and help the client approach the process with a complete and professionally prepared file.

1

Eligibility and Nationality Review

We assess the applicant’s age, nationality, family composition, proposed dependants, income source, and intended annual presence.

2

Income and Financial-Evidence Analysis

We examine whether the proposed income source can be documented and whether the supporting statements and institutional records are suitable.

3

Personalised Document Checklist

We prepare a file-specific checklist covering the applicant, spouse, children, certificates, passports, police records, medical evidence, photographs, and financial documents.

4

Certification and Form Preparation

We coordinate the sequence for notarisation, certification, application forms, undertaking letters, and supporting declarations.

5

Application Assembly and Quality Review

We organise the file, confirm internal consistency, review names, dates and amounts, and identify missing or outdated evidence before submission.

6

Submission and Follow-Up Coordination

We assist with submission planning, responses to information requests, procedural follow-up, approval-stage requirements, and QRP-card preparation.

7

Renewal and Continuing-Compliance Calendar

We help the client understand annual card renewal, local financial evidence, passport documentation, photographs, and continuing physical-presence obligations.

Published government fees

Current BTB figures should be reconfirmed before payment.

BTB currently publishes the following amounts in United States dollars. The authority states that application fees are non-refundable. Government fees, forms, payment instructions, and processing requirements may change.

Application program fee US$150 per application
Principal applicant final program fee US$1,000
Dependant final program fee US$750 per dependant
QRP identification card US$200 per card
Annual QRP card renewal US$25 per card
Published fees are presented for general orientation only. The applicable total should be confirmed directly against the latest BTB forms and payment instructions before the applicant transfers funds.

Separate business route

QRP members seeking approval to conduct business in Belize

Ordinary participation in the Qualified Retirement Program should not be confused with approval to operate a business. A QRP member who intends to carry on business in Belize must apply separately to BTB and satisfy the published investor conditions.

BZ$1 Million Minimum published investment capital, equivalent to US$500,000.
90 Days Minimum non-consecutive residence in Belize for the investor route.
5 Employees Minimum number of Belizean citizens to be employed by the business.

Annual compliance

Approval is the beginning of the compliance cycle.

QRP status and cards require continuing attention. Members should plan for annual renewal, updated passport materials, local financial evidence, photographs, and compliance with the program’s presence and reporting conditions.

01

Annual Card Renewal

QRP cards are renewed annually using the required forms, documents, photographs, and renewal fee.

02

Local Financial Evidence

Renewal currently includes an annual statement from a qualifying licensed domestic financial institution in Belize.

03

Passport and Border Use

The QRP card does not replace the member’s national passport when crossing Belizean border points.

Important regulatory notice. The Belize Tourism Board and other competent Belize authorities retain full discretion over eligibility, security clearance, document acceptance, benefits, exemptions, approvals, renewals, customs treatment, and program administration. Information published by authorities may be amended. No page, consultation, or document-preparation service can guarantee approval. Current legislation, official forms, fees, procedures, and authority instructions should be verified at the time of each application.