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But, I digress. This article is about retirement.

In early 1999 the Government of Belize enacted a law to encourage English-speaking people of means to retire to Belize.

The main provisions of the law require a qualified retiree to deposit $2,000 U.S.each month or an annual deposit of $24,000 U.S. in any commercial bank in Belize. The applicant must be 45 years old or more to qualify.

When approved, the applicant may bring into Belize his used household goods, personal effects, one automotive vehicle, one boat and one airplane with no customs duty or other taxes or fees. The Retiree may replace the vehicle, the boat and the car every five years, tax free.

Retired persons may not accept gainful employement in Belize.

All income received by the Retiree from whatever sourse shall be free of taxes.

For full details and application forms you may write the Ministry of Tourism, Belmopan, Belize, Central America.

Best retiree’s incentive program: Belize offers the most attractive incentive program for foreign retirees anywhere in the world. It’s run by the Ministry of Tourism, so the program is simple and user-friendly. You can import your car, light aircraft, boat, and personal belongings duty-free and another duty-free car every five years. You don’t pay tax on any income sourced outside or inside Belize, and you can direct foreign-business activities from within the country. As long as you have an income of $2,000 a month, and are at least 45 years old, you qualify. Belize also has an incentive program for businesses. It has the same advantages as other tax havens, but with an English-style legal system which should be familiar to most North Americans. For more information, see The Belize Retirement Program: http://www.belizeretirement.org -

Face it, we're all getting older. Who needs the cold winters? Come to the Tropics. Two thousand dollars a month is adequate at this writing--if you are away from the high rents in Belize City. If you can afford to buy a house at the outset so much the better. Living on the Cayes is expensive too, but there are great places to live on the mainland that are not so costly. There are no "Retirement Communities" in Belize at this time, but one is on the drawing board and, if successful, it will doubtless spawn a number of others. You should plan to spend at least two weeks in Belize travelling in the country, meeting people, and getting a feeling for each district. When you find a place you believe you might like, plan to move into the area for a six-month trial period.

If you do not wish to be a qualified Retiree you can enter Belize for six months as a tourist. You can bring your car with you. At the end of six months you can pay the import duty on the car or you can sell the car and let the new owner pay the duty. The details of the car will be entered on
your passport when you arrive and you will not be able to leave the country until the import duty has been paid or the car re-exported.

When you arrive at the border, don't jump out of the car and yell, "Here I am, Belize. I've come to live here the rest of my life." All that will do is make the Customs Officer turn on his calculator and start adding up the taxes he is going to charge you.

When you come to retire all your USED household goods, personal effects and the tools of your trade are allowed in duty free. Be sure they are USED and not brand new and still in their wrappings. Your motor vehicle, boat or airplane are not duty-free, unless you are a Qualified Retiree.

We have a lot of good doctors in Belize but no really A-1 hospital or nursing home. This is a problem, but it is not insurmountable. There is Wings of Hope, a charity airline which will fly emergency cases to the excellent hospital in Merida, Mexico. An Air Ambulance service from Miami is available at outrageous rates.

If you are not going to be a Qualified Retiree you must apply for Permenant Residence, but a Work Permit may be another matter. If you propose to enter a business venture which will compete with Belizeans or take a job which a Belizean can fill, you can expect problems from the Ministry of Labour. Don't let anyone tell you to pay a fee to someone for a Residency Permit.
Apply directly to the Government.

Once you are here get involved in the affairs of the community--the Church, the Zoo, the Rotary Club, Lions, YMCA/YWCA, Hospital Auxillary, Red Cross, etc. There is something you can do besides just sitting around in front of a TV set waiting to die. You must have learned something in all the years you have lived. Pass it along to someone.
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