{"id":17141,"date":"2018-02-07T12:00:51","date_gmt":"2018-02-07T17:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=17141"},"modified":"2021-02-06T12:22:02","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T17:22:02","slug":"moving-family-belize-need-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/moving-family-belize-need-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving Your Family To Belize: What You Need To Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Moving Your Family To Belize: What You Need To Know<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Belize<\/a> is quickly becoming a popular expat destination, thanks to the promise of a higher quality of life for a lower cost of living. If you\u2019re seeking information on whether or not a relocation abroad would be a good idea, you\u2019re probably seeing plenty of information out there that\u2019s geared toward retirees. <\/span><\/p>\n

But, what about those who are still raising families? Some common questions you might have would include asking where are the best schools? How does the visa process work when you are bringing over a whole family? Which are the safest areas for the kids to explore and make friends? <\/span><\/p>\n

While we can\u2019t possibly answer every<\/span> single<\/span><\/i> question you might have, we can help with some of the basics.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Moving the Whole Family \u2013 Visas<\/b><\/h2>\n

Fortunately, if you are coming from North America, you will not need a tourist visa to get into the country. You can spend up to one month there before needing to apply for a visa renewal for $25 USD. This will allow for another month\u2019s stay and will need to be renewed each month during the time you\u2019re applying for <\/span>permanent residency<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

A popular option if you are over the age of 45 is the Qualified Retirement Program<\/a>, in which individuals over 45 can bring their dependents over with them and everyone can get residency. Other perks include tax exemption on income and duty-free importation of personal belongings.<\/span><\/p>\n

In order to move the whole family, each dependent will need to supply the Belizean Immigration Office<\/a> with application forms, police records, passport copies, birth certificates, marriage certificates, and proof of income. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Education\/Schools<\/b><\/h2>\n

The Belizean school system is based on British curriculums. Primary school is free, but secondary school (high school) costs about $400 USD per year. Most schools are tied to a religion, and the Catholic schools have been noted by many expats as being particularly good. You\u2019ll find that in Belize, the children are required to wear uniforms, so those and books will also be charged to parents.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of an influx of demand from expatriate immigrants in Belize<\/a>, the country is offering more international schools as well. These schools provide an option for those who are worried about a tough transition from their country of origin, but who also don\u2019t wish to be homeschooled. <\/span><\/p>\n

These schools teach curriculums based on those of the U.S., UK, France, Canada, or Australia\/New Zealand. Different languages are typically taught, and you can usually find schools teaching their classes in any of the following languages: English, French, Spanish, German, or Japanese.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the international school options are a bit pricier, they offer a standard of excellence that can\u2019t be beaten. Some of the most popular ones for expat families are as follows: Belize High School<\/a> in Belize City, Caye Caulker Ocean Academy<\/a>, QSI International School of Belize<\/a> in Belmopan, and San Pedro High School on Ambergris Caye.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s a podcast from The Expat Money Show with Mikkel Thorup<\/a>, where Mikkel talks to Sam McRoberts about travelling the world with his family<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Moving Your Family To The Safest Areas In Belize
\n<\/b><\/h2>\n

San Pedro, Placencia, and San Ignacio are the cities with the largest expat locations and are known for being among the safest areas for families. They are, however, a bit more expensive than other areas as a result. Those who wish to keep a tighter budget head to Corozal on the mainland, which is known for having a lower cost of living. Each of these areas has different things to offer as far as activities and events. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

San Pedro<\/strong><\/h3>\n

San Pedro is located on the island of Ambergris Caye<\/a>, and it offers gyms, yoga, and wine bars where the expats gather to relax and enjoy the island life. Family activities include snorkelling<\/a> as well as tours to the mainland to view the Mayan ruins and go cave tubing and zip-lining. <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Placencia<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Placencia<\/a> is a peninsula on the Caribbean coast, known for its palm trees and beaches. Here, you can visit the Placencia Lagoon, where manatees and saltwater crocodiles dwell. There are also diving spots for the Belize Barrier Reef <\/a>and a nearby community famous for its drumming and dance.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

San Ignacio<\/strong><\/h3>\n

San Ignacio<\/a> is located on the banks of a river near the Cahal Pech Mayan ruins<\/a>. This location is great for history buffs, offering museums and Mayan plazas and temples for viewing. There is also a nearby rainforest, called Medicine Rainforest, which showcases medicinal herbs native to the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Corozal Town <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Corozal Town<\/a> is just inside of Belize\u2019s border with Mexico. It\u2019s a quiet town on the Bay of Corozal, where the children can go swim and never be too far from home. Corozal is often described as a rustic Caribbean paradise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Handpicked Related Content: The Expat Life In Corozal, Belize<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n

No matter which of these popular, safe areas you choose, you can rest assured knowing that <\/span>Belize real estate<\/span><\/a> is more than affordable. You can settle your family in Belize for about half of the living cost you\u2019re likely used to, and you can make more room in your budget for adventures and memories.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is<\/b> probably the most extensive ebook on <\/b>Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Eliminating Your Taxes, Protecting Your Assets And Regaining Privacy Over Your Life And Investments<\/i><\/b>. It is called<\/b> The<\/b> Ultimate Guide To Going Offshore<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0 <\/b><\/p>\n

I hope you enjoyed reading this article: <\/b>Moving Your Family To Belize: What You Need To Know.<\/b><\/p>\n

Is leaving your home country for a new country a priority of yours? Do you wish you knew how, but don’t? Then<\/b> here is a great article<\/b><\/a> for you to read. It can help you understand a little bit about Citizenship-By-Investment programs around the world. For more information on the CBI programs, please<\/b> contact our office HERE<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Moving Your Family To Belize: What You Need To Know Belize is quickly becoming a popular expat destination, thanks to the promise of a higher quality of life for a lower cost of living. If you\u2019re seeking information on whether or not a relocation abroad would be a good idea, you\u2019re probably seeing plenty of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":431,"featured_media":17142,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[32,71,101,127,137,168,233,235,258,338,355,451],"yst_prominent_words":[2136,10372,1837,23951,2342,2033,35278,23805,5111,3511,5309,35277,35276,23804,2216,2831,2812,2604,2692,7063],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Belize_over_the_water.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17141"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/431"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17141"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44239,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17141\/revisions\/44239"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17141"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=17141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}