QRP, permanent resident and personal items

No can do.  If you bring it in under QRP and then leave the QRP program you will have to pay the duty on all your items at that time.  You may really want to think about the car issue.  You can always buy one in Belize or you can use the bus system.  My mom live in Ladyville and went her first year without a car.  I know in Belize City and on Ambergris Caye taxis are plentiful.

She finally bought a car last month as she intend to stay close to the city, main roads.  Where you are going to be and where you want to travel have a lot to do with the type of vehicle you need.  You didn't say what kind of car you have, but you will want to make sure it's sturdy if you decide to bring it to Belize.

When I move down next month, I'm going to do the same as my mother did.  Move with a bunch of suitcases through the airport as a tourist.

My thought had been if Either my husband or i did the QRP then could the other do the residency? Also with the QRP I thought I could buy a new car in Belize Duty free instead of importing one is that correct.

I came in under QRP, and my wife the residency. I purchased the new vehicle in Belize and didn't have to pay the duty amount. Obviously either way costs some money and has their good things and not so good things. That is why we split how we have come in. So far (7 months) it has worked out well.

If one of us needs to go out of the country the QRP person can go and look after family matters as on the QRP you can come and go as you want. This then does not effect the Residency person that can only leave for 14 days a year (initially).

You can quit the QRP program but wait until your items have depreciated. For customs in Belize they assume a 15% depreciation per year. So as you can see you will need to stay a while for the duty fees to go down.

Yes, it makes sense. You either opt for QRP, with its duty benefits, or you just come in on a tourist visa, pay duty on your imports, and acquire Permanent residency after 12 months of continual living in Belize. You can't chop and change.

What are the benefits of residency vs. tourist?

Drop me an email - *** - and I'll send you information on both.

john

done.
Thanks!

Thank you for your posting as I would also like to know the answer to that. My husband and I are planning to move to Belize and have many questions like where are the safest places to live and what places to absolutely avoid.

Some individuals on this forum would suggest that nowhere in Belize is safe.
I would suggest you avoid Belize City in general, but I feel most other areas of Belize are safe. There are some caveats to that, like anywhere else in the world - be careful who  you befriend, try to meet people through others that you know and trust, don't leave 'stuff' lying around where it could be easily taken (crimes of opportunity are not uncommon, it's a poor country), don't flash jewelry or money or flaunt your wealth, and stay out of 'urban' bars late at night.
Visit-more than once before you make any definite plans, and visit several areas.
Good luck in your quest, and enjoy your time in Belize.

Thank you so much that really helps.

jacott wrote:

Yes, it makes sense. You either opt for QRP, with its duty benefits, or you just come in on a tourist visa, pay duty on your imports, and acquire Permanent residency after 12 months of continual living in Belize. You can't chop and change.

It is important to note that you DO NOT acquire "Permanent Residency" after 12 months. After 12 months of continual living in Belize (during which time you may not leave for more than a cumulative total of 14 days), you MAY APPLY for permanent residency. That process can take at least a year and I know of several people that have been waiting for almost two years. So the process in total may be up to 3 years to get your Permanent Residency status.

my son has done his 12 months with less than 14 days exits, and put in his papers exactly one year ago he has had most interviews and it seems just final to go but don't know when that will be. after application goes in you have much more flexibility to come and go intp/out of Belize about 100 days i believe. unfortunately with the pay for passport scandal it has slowed things even more. You also continue the monthly check in until you get accepted as a permenant resident.

Yes, my apology, Billdoesbelize is correct.

After 12 months in Belize you may apply for Permanent Residence.

THere has been a back-up due to a scandal in the Immigration Department and your application may take 12 monthd to processd, or even longer.

John Acott

Important to note that my application for residency is in and I was told that the 14 days per year rule applies until residency is granted

I was recently in Belize and have heard talk that they are doing 2012 applications now. Also any comments on bringing my 1973 Land Rover with me and what I might be charged for duty on it. It is a four cylinder gas truck. How do they look up the value of a vehicle this old?

So my parents are moving with us, they will be retired so no issue they won't need to work they can do the QRP program, i assume that is best for Retire's correct?  Or am I wrong?  My husband and I eventually want to find some kind of work, so i suppose we need to start the process for permanent resident. 

Can you work with the QRP program?  I currently have a  telework job as an RN and hope to continue this job for a few years live in Belize and my US job will pay me to my US account.  But I don't enjoy that job (mostly hate it) so i plan to find something I love, but the pay is good so i can stick with it for a while. 
My husband is a teacher, he might eventually want to work.  We have good savings to get us by a few years and my current job. 
But my question is if we do eventually want to work and own a business what would be our best bet? 
I do want a car, but we can buy one in Belize.  Not sure about personal belongings.  we have dogs that we will need to move with us.  It would be nice to drive down as we live in South Texas, but not sure what the duty tax is and how much if we bring our own stuff. 

I am just trying to figure out all the financial stuff and its a little confusing for me as to what path we should take.  We are moving to have more time as a family and better slow pace for our 4 year old.

Your parents could certainly do the QRP but then you cannot work, you can own a business but not work in it. The US income is not taxable in Belize , You should do Residency to work and it could take up to 2 years plus to get it, during which time its possible to get a work permit if a Belizean cannot do the job. Look hard at the 2 programs as a mix could work well for you , in our case QRP was not an option we wanted at all.

I would not hesitate to drive with the dogs and if your parents are bringing a vehicle under the QRP that may be an advantage, specifics need to be considered closely.

waljoa wrote:

Your parents could certainly do the QRP but then you cannot work, you can own a business but not work in it. The US income is not taxable in Belize , You should do Residency to work and it could take up to 2 years plus to get it, during which time its possible to get a work permit if a Belizean cannot do the job. Look hard at the 2 programs as a mix could work well for you , in our case QRP was not an option we wanted at all.

thank you for the reply I am just really trying to understand what is the best for us, and i guess the best if I keep working my current job in the US and how that all works with taxes.  I guess mainly if i can work my US job while working on residency, I am a nurse so not sure if that qualifies as a job that a Belizean is not able to do, i know the pay is low compared to the US but so is the cost of living so not how it equals out, i read Nurses are paid like $10.00/hr but not sure if that is correct.

I really don't think you would be able to get a nursing job in Belize and yes the pay is very low , there have been other discussions about nursing but have not heard of them actually getting a job. Income from outside Belize is not taxed here , your pay is deposited in your current bank , transfer of funds can be hard and most just use the ATM.
Read up on QRP and residency , QRP is a permanent tourist with some duty benefits some find it works for them but the cost is close to the yearly residency  costs and renews yearly, Residency will take a minimum of 2 years but then you are a part of the country and can work if you wish.