| Homesteading
In Belize |
| By Bill
& Claire Gray |
Bill &
Claire Gray are the couple others turn to when answers are wanted about
moving to Belize They live there and they love it. They've written the
only available book on the subject.
They are
much in demand as lecturers on moving to Belize. They work with retirement
organizations who bring tour groups to Belize. They are the authorities
on moving to Belize.
Peaceful,
tropical and nestled on the Caribbean coast, Belize has an abundance
of something it's island neighbors lack... land. It is twice the size of
Jamaica and with a population of only 220,000, sparsley scattered
over it's 8,886 square miles it is largely devoid of human settlement.
As a foreigner not only can you buy land and own it outright, the
government of Belize will actually give you land practically for free. |
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| Here is how
it works: you apply to the Deparment of Lands and Survey for a piece of
land, generally they will assign you a parcel of land, but at times you
may be able to choose the piece of land you will recieve.
We had a friend
who had his eye on a half acre not too far from the international airport.
He looked up the property on the government survey map and found the number
it had been assigned, and when he applied for land he requested that particular
piece and got it. He has since built two beautiful houses on that land.
Once your application
has been approved you will notified by the Lands Department. You can then
go to the local Lands office and sign your lease with the government of
Belize. You will pay your yearly lease which will cost anywhere from $5-$17.50
depending on your lands location and size. Technically you will be leasing
the land from the government until you develop it, at which time you can
buy it from them at a cost of around $250.
Don't let the
phrase "developing" your land scare you off. This doesn't mean building
a resort on it. |
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| Something
as simple as clearing the brush from your land and/or laying a foundation
on it will probably satisfy the government. Even if you don't build anything
on your land for years, if youv'e at least put some effort into it the
government will probably let you keep it. The idea is to give the land
to somebody who will do somehthing with it, and if they don't lease it
to somebody else who will.
Who qualifies
to lease and subsequently buy land at such a low cost from the government
of Belize? Citizens and Permanent Residents of Belize, with Belizean Social
Security numbers.Those are the only requirements, so it is quite possible
for a foreigner to qualify.
We are not
saying that there isn't any red tape involved but it is certainly minimal.
For example: |
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Offshore Resources Gallery
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| To become
a Permanent Resident of Belize can take as little as a year, costs $625
US, and does not require that you actually live in Belize permanently.
You do not
need to hire a lawyer to apply nor invest a certain amount of money in
the country.
In the 1950's
5 Mennonite families originally from Canada emigrated to Belize,
seeking religious freedom. They got thousands of acres of, for $5 an acre.
They have transformed that "raw bush" as it's called in Belize
to farmland and today they literally feed the country.
Poultry, Diary
products, rice, corn and beans are just a few of the crops the Mennonites
raise. The year round sunshine gives them 2 growing seasons a year so succesfull
was their homesteading that today there several thousand Mennonites in
Belize.
If you would
like more information on Belize feel free to contact us at Preview Publishing,
Box 107, Corozal, Belize Tel/Fax 501-4-23406 Email:prepub@btl.net |
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Article
Index ~ Belize
Index ~ |
