What can you tell me about the Belize Qualified Retired Persons Incentive Program (QRP)?
Thinking about a tropical island to get away? Belize offers the best on Retirement Programs. The Qualified Retired Persons (QRP) Incentive Program is one of the most renowned immigration programs in Belize.
Choosing to retire in Belize allows you to import your car, boat and personal belongings Tax-free. It is also a perfect spot for water sports enthusiasts and adventure junkies alike, and can be enjoyed without going over the budget.
Who Can Qualify
- Anyone 45 years and older from the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Commonwealth countries, Belize and any other country.
- Qualified persons can include their spouse, dependendants 18 years of age and younger, college students dependentant up to 23 years old.
- Belizeans who are 45 and older can qualify if they are returning to live in Belize.
Documents Required
- Submit Application Form
- Birth Certificate Copy for each member of the family(Notarized)
- Marriage Certificate Copy, (if married and spouse is a dependant) (Notarized)
- Authentic/Original Police Record from last place of residence, issued 1 month prior to application for applicant, wife and children 18 years and older.
- Passport Color Copies of Complete Passport (including all blank pages) for each family member, each page must be certified and stamped by a Notary Public from your place of residency.
- Proof of Income
An official statement from a Bank or Financial Institution from the country of residence certifying that the applicant is the recipient of a monthly income of a minimum of US $2,000.00 through a pension or annuity that has been generated outside of Belize.
* Please note that after approval into the program all retirees are to open a Local Bank Account and deposit their monthly pension funds. The Belize Tourism Board will request bank statements on a yearly basis to show proof of income and compliance with the retirement program. - Medical Examination plus AIDS test for each member of the family.
- Four front and four side passport photographs of each family member.
Incentives and Benefits
- Qualified Retired Persons can import personal effects free of import duties;
- Qualified Retired persons are strongly encourage to procure a vehicle in Belize, no older than three years. However, we will facilitate duty and tax exemption on an imported vehicle. Motor vehicles must be no older than 3 years from the present year;
- Qualified Retired Persons can import a boat free of import duties to be used for personal use;
- Qualified Retired Persons are exempted from payment of all taxes on income received from outside Belize.
General Information
- Qualified Retired Persons are not allowed to seek employment in Belize, however, voluntary work and business investments are encouraged;
- Qualified Retired Persons will be asked to submit a yearly bank statement showing compliance with the financial requirements of the program;
- You will be required to renew your retiree status every year;
- You will require a Customs Broker to process you importation of personal effects, vehicle or boat at your expense. You can request Broker available or check in the yellow pages;
- You are not allowed duty free on items used to repair or build, neither tools of their trade;
- You must spend an equivalent of 1 month in Belize annually to maintain your retiree status.
- Anyone 45 years and older from the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, Commonwealth countries, Belize and any other country.
- Qualified persons can include their spouse, dependendants 18 years of age and younger, college students dependentant up to 23 years old.
- Belizeans who are 45 and older can qualify if they are returning to live in Belize.
Documents Required
- Submit Application Form
- Birth Certificate Copy for each member of the family(Notarized)
- Marriage Certificate Copy, (if married and spouse is a dependant) (Notarized)
- Authentic/Original Police Record from last place of residence, issued 1 monthprior to application for applicant, wife and children 18 years and older.
- Passport Color Copies of Complete Passport (including all blank pages) foreach family member, each page must be certified and stamped by a Notary Public from your place of residency.
- Proof of Income
An official statement from a Bank or Financial Institution from the country of residence certifying that the applicant is the recipient of a monthly income of a minimum of US $2,000.00 through a pension or annuity that has been generated outside of Belize.
* Please note that after approval into the program all retirees are to open a Local Bank Account and deposit their monthly pension funds. The Belize Tourism Board will request bank statements on a yearly basis to show proof of income and compliance with the retirement program. - Medical Examination plus AIDS test for each member of the family.
- Four front and four side passport photographs of each family member.
Note: Items 5, 7 and 8 canbe completed in Belize when you are visiting.
Incentives and Benefits
- Qualified Retired Persons can import personal effects free of import duties;
- Qualified Retired persons are strongly encourage to procure a vehicle in Belize, no older than three years. However, we will facilitate duty and tax exemption on an imported vehicle. Motor vehicles must be no older than 3 years from the present year;
- Qualified Retired Persons can import a boat free of import duties to be used for personal use;
- Qualified Retired Persons are exempted from payment of all taxes on income received from outside Belize.
Note: All importation must be done within a year after the date of approval into the program. A Master List of household & personal effects must be submitted for approvalbefore shipping.
General Information
- Qualified Retired Persons are not allowed to seek employment in Belize, however, voluntary work and business investments are encouraged;
- Qualified Retired Persons will be asked to submit a yearly bank statement showing compliance with the financial requirements of the program;
- You will be required to renew your retiree status every year;
- You will require a Customs Broker to process you importation of personal effects, vehicle or boat at your expense. You can request Broker available or check in the yellow pages;
- You are not allowed duty free on items used to repair or build, neither tools of their trade;
- You must spend an equivalent of 1 month in Belize annually to maintain your retiree status.
Note: If you desire to apply forWork Permit and Permanent Residence your Retirement Card will be revoked andpayment will be required for all Duty Free Items.
Application Processing Fees
- Our application processing fee for a Single Applicant and follow up on Retiree Card and Customs Letter for Duty Exemption is US $700.00 in addition to general sales tax of 12.5% plus estimated miscellaneous expenses of US $100 for local courier, telephone, fax, e-mail, photocopy and office supplies.
- Processing of Additional dependent to the same application pays a fee of US $75.00, plus 12.5% general sales tax for a total of US $84.37.
- The program fee to the Belize Tourism Board is US $1,200.00 for a Single Applicant; additional dependant pays a fee of US $750.00, which includes fee for the issuance of the Retirement Card. Note that payments to the BTB must be paid by form of a US Bank Draft, US Cashier’s Check or US Cash.
- A Non-Refundable application fee of US $150.00 payable to the Belize Tourism Board must accompany the application and required documents.
- Kindly note that the below does not include medical examination expense, photographs, notarization of documents and overseas couriers for the application. Any additional work will be at a fee of US $50.00 per hour.
Click here for the BTB Belize Retired Persons Incentives Program application form with instructions, details and contact information.
Article Number: 308
Author: Tue, Nov 5, 2013
Last Updated: Tue, Feb 2, 2016
Author: Marty Casado
Online URL: https://ambergriscaye.com/help/article/what-can-you-tell-me-about-the-belize-qualified-retired-persons-incentive-program-qrp-308.html