QRP Retirement Program and a Structured Path to Residency

Key Highlights

• ✓ Qualified Retirement Program (QRP): open to applicants aged 40 and over who receive at least US$2,000 a month, or US$24,000 a year, from a source outside Belize in an approved currency. It brings an annually renewed residency card, exemption from Belize tax on income earned abroad, and duty exemptions on household goods, a vehicle, a boat and a light aircraft. You must spend at least 30 consecutive days a year in Belize. The program is run by the Belize Tourism Board and is open to nationals of Commonwealth countries, the United States, EU member states, all South American countries, and a listed group of Asian-Pacific countries.
• ✓ What the QRP costs: US$150 to apply, then US$1,000 for the applicant and US$750 for each dependent on acceptance, a US$200 card fee, and US$25 a year to renew.
• ✓ Permanent residence is a separate route: it requires one year of legal residence in Belize with no more than 14 days spent outside the country during that year — so it suits people relocating full time rather than QRP members who visit.
• ✓ Citizenship: available after holding permanent residence for five years, with continuous residence throughout — no more than 30 consecutive days, or three months in total in any twelve-month period, outside Belize.