Belize Qualified Retired Persons (QRP)

The Qualified Retired Persons (QRP) Incentive Program is Belize's residence program for retirees with income from abroad. The Belize Tourism Board runs it under the Retired Persons (Incentives) Act, Cap. 62 (Belize Tourism Board).

• Minimum age: 40
• Income: $2,000 a month or $24,000 a year from outside Belize
• Time in Belize: at least 30 consecutive days a year
• Local work: No, except for approved QRP Investors
• Status: a QRP Resident Card, renewed every year, that allows multiple entries without a visa

The QRP is not a work permit and is not built for remote workers still earning a salary. Remote workers should look at the Work Where You Vacation program instead.

The Belize Tourism Board's conditions (BTB):

• Age: 40 or older
• Income: the applicant receives a retirement income of $2,000 a month or $24,000 a year, generated outside Belize in an approved foreign currency (US dollar, pound sterling, euro or Canadian dollar)
• Deposit: The required income must be deposited in a bank, credit union or licensed financial institution in Belize, monthly (US$2,000 by the 15th) or yearly (US$24,000 by April 1).
• Security clearance: the applicant must pass a check by Belize's Ministry of National Security
• Annual stay: at least 30 consecutive days in Belize each year

Nationality: the BTB lists qualifying countries: all Commonwealth countries except Belize, the United States, EU member states, all South American countries and a set of Asia-Pacific countries (Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam).

Family: Yes. Dependents are a spouse and children under 18. Dependents may not work in Belize either (Cap. 62).

QRP Investors: an approved QRP member may run a business in Belize with a business plan, investment capital of at least BZD 1,000,000 (about US$500,000), proof of at least 90 non-consecutive days in Belize and a commitment to employ at least five Belizean citizens. The business pays full taxes and duties.

Documents for a new application, for the applicant and each dependent (BTB):

• The completed and signed application form
• A notarized birth certificate and, where relevant, a notarized marriage certificate
• A police record no more than six months old
• Notarized copies of every page of a valid passport, blank pages included
• Proof of the retirement income
• A statement from an international financial institution showing the deposit of that income
• A signed undertaking to deposit the required income in a Belize financial institution
• A medical certificate with an HIV test, no more than three months old
• Two 2-by-2-inch passport photos, one notarized and one not

For the annual renewal: the renewal form, notarized passport pages, an original or certified annual statement from a licensed Belize financial institution and two photos.

The BTB's fee schedule, payable in US dollars and non-refundable (BTB):

• Program application fee: $150
• Applicant fee: $1,000
• Dependent fee: $750 for each dependent
• QRP ID card: $200 per card
• Card renewal: $25 a year per card

A single applicant pays the application, applicant and card fees in the first year. Notarization, police records, medical exams and courier costs come on top and vary by country.

Applications go to the Belize Tourism Board: Belize Tourism Board, #64 Regent Street, Belize City (P.O. Box 325). The BTB can be reached on (501) 227-2420 (BTB).

1. Gather the documents and pay the $150 program application fee
2. Submit the file to the BTB, which reviews it while the Ministry of National Security runs the security clearance
3. On approval, pay the applicant, dependent and ID card fees
4. Receive the QRP Resident Card and have it scanned once by the Immigration Department so the status links to its records

The card is not a travel document on its own: holders show it with their passport at the border. The BTB publishes no processing time.

Duty-free imports approved under the program need paperwork filed with the BTB three weeks before the goods arrive.

QRP status has no fixed end date. Resident card renewed every year (US$25) with an updated application form, passport pages, current Belize bank statement and photos. (BTB)

To keep the status, members must spend at least 30 consecutive days a year in Belize and keep depositing the required income in a Belize institution.

Permanent residence: QRP status is its own resident card and does not convert to permanent residence; permanent residence is a separate Immigration Department application after 1 year of legal residence with no more than 14 days abroad. (Immigration Department)

QRPs are exempt from all taxes and duties on income from outside Belize, and from capital gains and inheritance tax; household goods, a vehicle, light aircraft and boat may be imported duty-free in the first year. (BTB)

The duty exemptions carry conditions: a vehicle must be no more than five years old, one vehicle may be imported every three years with proof the previous one was disposed of properly, and a light aircraft must be under 17,000 kg.

A QRP Investor's Belize business pays full taxes and duties. Members should check how their home country taxes the pension or other income they bring in.