from canada to belize

heatherklynch wrote:

hi there, I am planning on selling and moving to corozal in the spring. I am driving from nova scotia, hopefully with my cat. I am looking to rent a 2 bedroom with an outdoor space. not really interested in buying. I am a 50 year old female. I may be interested in working or starting a tea room. I am not sure what i have to do before I make the move and what gets done there. This is a a large life change for me..i am recently divorced and my children are grown.  Any advice on what to get done here before i come there to live? also, I was planning/hoping to take a week off work this winter to come for a week and check it out...advice on where to stay? or realators that can help?... Thank ~ Heather

Hi Heather;
Welcome to the Belize Forum. There are many helpful threads that will give you some insights into things like driving through Mexico based on the experiences of others that have done it. Simply ask the question in the search feature. I'm not sure how much research you have done so far but you should be aware that you will need an import permit for kitty. Here is a link to an article I have written about bringing your Pet to Belize our experience was flying rather than driving but the links provided will get you in touch with BAHA which is the governing authority for bringing pets into Belize.

Also working in Belize is not as easy as just showing up and going through the classified section. You will need work permits even if you start your own business. Here is a link with some options for Working in Belize

Things I would recommend doing there before you move to Belize is to renew your passport and get the one that is issued for 10 years. There is no Canadian Embassy in Belize to facilitate easy renewal. Secondly opening a bank account is more difficult here than in Canada and originals of specific paper work is required that is often hard to obtain once you are here, and should be brought with you. Here is a link to Opening a Bank Account in Belize. In the mean time I would recommend visiting your bank and make sure your debit card will be accepted in the ATM machines here while you wait for your local account to be opened, and have the daily and weekly limits raised to the maximum that your bank will allow.

With regards to places to stay in Corozol when you visit, I must admit that I have little experience with businesses in that area, hopefully others can make some recommendations. You might also try placing an ad in the housing tab located at the top of the page. Or visit some of the travel websites (VRBO, AirBnb) to see reviews and what is available.

Good luck with your research and upcoming visit.

I hope this helps.

Hello Everyone. I am new here. My husband and I are thinking about driving from Alberta Canada to San Ignacio and are wondering if anyone could direct us towards a safe route. We will be driving with our 2 dogs, and 1 cat.

thanks.

milobean wrote:

Hello Everyone. I am new here. My husband and I are thinking about driving from Alberta Canada to San Ignacio and are wondering if anyone could direct us towards a safe route. We will be driving with our 2 dogs, and 1 cat.

thanks.

Welcome to the Belize Forum milobean. I do not have experience with driving to Belize, we flew with our dog. Many others have done it though and have posted their experiences. If you use the search option (the little magnifing glass) at the top of the page and type in "Driving through Mexico to Belize" you will find several previous threads of the experiences of those from both Canada and the US that have done it.

I hope this helps. Enjoy the Forum and let us know how we can help.

Milobean We drove from Edmonton to Placencia in Jan of 2016. We took central route through USA and Mexico, and spent 3 nights in Mexico, a total of 8,5 days in total ( importing our truck took us all day )  We did not travel with any pets though. PM with your email and I will contact you with our route etc.