Moving to Belize solo

Good night,  I now join this forum,  I am thinking of doing some business in belize. Please let me know if its a good idea.  Thanks

Greetings from Belize Trinbago380,

As a native citizen, resident, and business owner of Belize I can say with conviction that your idea is a great one. As a young developing country that is strategically located both is Central America and the Caribbean, and sharing borders with North America (Mexico, USA, and Canada) and colonial ties to the UK, the market sphere is pretty close to endless for the person(s) with the vision and passion to pursue any practical business endeavor. In addition, the relative ease of starting a business in Belize makes it even more appealing. Here is my 10 easy steps to opening a business in Belize - a guide for expats.
I avail myself for any questions that may arise.

Best regards,

Ray4s1

After a fishing trip to Belize I decided to move from Massachusetts to Bz and escape the winters.
That was 1991, This Christmas will mark 30 years in country. Not even a molecule of thought about going back north. Especially since the U.S seems to have lost its collective mind.
Bz is a 3rd world country and one must adjust to the life style that fits the country. Lowered expectations  re all the bells and whistles available elsewhere. But the pace of life, the weather, the people, especially the people make it an ideal fit for me and my wife who joined me after a few years.
We have become citizens and consider ourselves to be Belizeans now. 
The advice that is most useful to people thinking of making the move is to rent for a year or so.
See if it fits your expectations. If it does, building or buying is relatively cheap compared to most parts of the US. If it doesn't turn out to be what you want on a permanent basis at least you had a nice long vacation.
If you have specific questions  e mail me  at   [email protected]
I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have. If I don't have an answer, I will say so.
best to all

I moved solo to Belize late January 2020, right before the pandemic & 6 month total country lockdown. I had spent a month, Sept. 2019 in Cayo & moved into a house 5 down from where I stayed. The neighborhood is what I wanted, local, friendly, edge of town, yet close enough that I could walk.

I knew 2 neighbors & the lockdown had me meeting more as we all seemed to come together. I live in a “government house”, have a dog the neighbors insisted I get who loves kids, tolerates females, dislikes men!

I have found it fairly easy to fit in, but I've traveled a lot, lived in various places & have ever found it difficult to make friends.

Lifestyle is slow, things happen on a ”manana” timeline, government & businesses operate on who you know/are related to, and there are business that are openly racist toward whites-you learn quickly which ones & avoid.

I chose to live in Belize as I am happy here.

Hi,  yes i like this,,  i want to visit belize

Hi, how are you,  i like belize, i want to visit belize, ,,  my email,,,. ****,
. please give me your email,,?

Hello

I'm one of those that went to belize and loved it also planning on moving back in january ..the people are great and you will be fine ...im a single   female and feeling good about my moving ...

I want to visit belize, but i need tour invitation letter,  any one can give me tour invitation letter

Thanks for the input. I agree about the States. Its a shit show nowadays. Im a single, partially handicap female. Do they have hospitals/doc offices? Im on a blood thinner and antidepressant. Would I be able to acquire those or get blood work? Im sure you may not know but its nice talking to someone that's actually living there. Thanks, Jackie

It sounds like a great move for you. I am also solo and also looking at moving to Belize. I have been there and just really liked what I saw. I have two dogs and I am looking for a place to live any suggestions?

I am looking to make my first trip after lots of research. I am hoping to find out a average affordable safe area rental cost. It's only me, but a two bedroom place would be ideal. I am looking to rent. What would be an average affordable price range? Thank you
Dean

Thank you Ray, as this is a direction that I would also be looking into. I am looking for a field that I can work remote.

Dean

Thank you as these are the questions that I have as a single man. You captured my thoughts and questions.

Dean

  hello

as far as 2br places you really have to look around, that's what i did San Pedro i like a lot was a little more then i wanted to pay ...but i would love to have a business there ....so i went over to Caye Caulker its slow but the vibes are just what i was looking for ...again looking around i did find something in my budget ..and its safe and loving people im hoping to find something to do ....good luck maybe i will see you around 

Thank you for the feedback. After more thought, a 1 bedroom is all that I need. Still working on resetting my mind as to what is important. I will be looking at where you are as well. I plan to stay a month and look around. And I hope to also see you around as well. What type of hotel or place would you recommend for a affordable months stay? May I ask if not to personal, how did you do it? Did you visit first and then come back to relocate? Or did you go fully Monty and just go for it? I want to get away from Belize City ASAP after I get there to get away from the tourist stuff. Again, thank you neighbor for information and response.

Rental market can vary depending on location. The areas where American/ foreigners live , rents can be ridiculously  high as much as USA but are generally a better standard. Best to rent from locals where you can find reasonable property's or from a Belizian estate agent. Whereas opening a business is easy but hard to make a decent living as the country is bankrupt and has been for a few years. Locals do not have the money for goods and people are scraping to get by. Businesses that relay  on the foreign market also struggle as the population is small, with few tourists compared to other Caribbean countries. Covid has not helped with the importation of goods from USA and its become difficult to source many everyday items. Agriculture has suffered here for years with farmers suffering due to lack of support from previous and presemt government. Im not glossing over the reality here. Although Belize is strategically placed geographically wise it is 20 or so years behind many other countries in the region. So if the quiet slow paced simple life is for you then you will enjoy it here and your money will go far. If you are going to stay bring sheets, towels, good footwear and underwear as these are difficult to source.

I hope your move goes well!!

thank you for info ..i been there and your right and yes i plan to bring sheets towels 

sorry for the delays ..i have been trying to get things together..yes i came over 1st than back again now this time will be the move ...im try to pack sheets towel etc... not to much but just trying to make myself comfortable belize is a jewel ..yes i love CC and plan to be there but i want to travel around the different parts to see if i will like those places to live...hopkins is 4 hours away..yeah i understand about being in belize city tho ....its a lot to do there but its a little expensive there if your on a budget and thats ME ...reach back out to me ..when is ur 30 days up...

there is everything in belize
just bring your vehicle ...

Can I not order what I want on Amazon and walmart.com and just have it delivered?

Can I order from Amazon and Wal-Mart

drive to Chetumal for SAM's - Walmart - OfficeDepot
you need a Forwarder for online purchases outside of Belize
keep in mind No returns
once you live in Belize you will adjust to a basic life

You bring up an interesting topic, when you mentioned bringing a vehicle. I have a Range Rover, is that too big for the area? Would a smaller car me better? I now need to look into auto shipping cost. Do most folks buy a used car there as it would probably be cheaper I would guess.

Where is Chetumal located at Belize

What bank is the best in the USA for the move to Belize and what is the best bank in Belize to have to move money around

you will hardly find parts for a Range Rover
lots of parts for Ford  vehicles

search and you will find

I just left Belize. Went to several different areas looking at potential future home locations. Cars: I was surprised to see so many new, quality SUVs and not that many car dealerships.  Several locals said people fly to Houston/Dallas, buy the car and drive back through Mexico. We didn't speak about import taxes, etc. Everyone said the trip through Mexico was increasingly dangerous. No specific event just a general feeling some had. They recommended I not do it alone. Have not looked into shipping via container but given the back-ups to supply chains I'm not sure that is feasible at this time.

I thought I was responding directly to this post but my message is posted. Basically folks told me the majority fly to Houston and drive new car back through Mexico. Didn't talk about import taxes, etc but they all said the best and cheapest route was buy in states and drive back.

I think that car is to big also that the roads and the sand will eat that paint up ...and buying a golf cart with my music and some cool lights... ...did you take a water taxi over to CC yet?...im trying to pack a few things sheets blankets towels Etc.....a few more months ...

I was traveling thru Americas and stayed a few months in belize .. eventually I found one sick puppy then another .. and ended up with 12 doggos..and eventually more different animals. .. I was 31yo at that time. I decided to buy some land and build a home but .. (long story) anyway I am posting here for a reason. As mentioned I have some land, but its a bit to much to handle on my own. So if you are a hardworking person, you want to live a self sufficient life and you are looking to live in a small community then feel free to contact me. It's hard to start things on you own. Been there ..and it is still hard. Had many volunteers but you need to have some work experience to be able to work in belize climate . It's always hot and when it's not hot it's rainy and when it's not rainy it's humid so volunteers 18-25 are not made for 'hard' work as they don't know what hard work is. Especially in belize climate.
If you want to try your luck : ***   contact me

I am a 71 yo Veteran with Arthritis. Not sure how much I could work.

We have the same problem here in Texas.   Can't find good labor help.

Duty on vehicles is outrageous if you're bringing one in, especially newer 'luxury' vehicles like Range Rovers. It's also difficult to get parts for some vehicles, so be sure to bring something that's a standard model, and nothing too special. Unless you are savvy and know the vehicle you're bringing in is in excellent condition, it's probably not worth the hassle now. There's a fairly good selection of vehicles to buy in the country that are duty-paid and you can buy parts when needed. Rust is a nightmare here, so make sure there isn't a speck on anything you might bring in.

per my experience thus far .. we've been here a month.
With shipping what it is these days, having a vehicle transported via ship is quite expensive and timing leaves quite bit to be desired. My "quote" for vehicle and household goods (four crates) changed from $3000.00 US to $20,000 US. And the sail dates have changed numerous times. Seems Shipping Co's want to deal with larger customers.
As to duty .. if I am not mistaken for vehicles it's 70% of Kelly Blue Book value.
You may want to investigate Belize's QRP which allows for household goods and one personal vehicle (car, truck, plane, boat, UTV etc) to enter country duty free.

Locales are telling me about services where you contract a locale to drive your vehicle for you through Mexico.

Hello

Im have been there now looking to move there ...so what kind of work you talking about ...