Who may apply for a Belize work permit?
Anyone seeking employment in Belize.
PURPOSE OF WORK PERMIT
Once a work permit has been acquired a person is able to remain in Belize for an extended period of time while being gainfully employed at the same time. It is the second step towards applying for residence status in Belize. Once you have acquired residence in Belize, you will be eligible to apply for citizenship after five years.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
- Application Form (We will provide this)
- Passport Copies of entire passport (including all blank pages)
- Eight (8) Passport Photographs
- Police Record from last place of residence.
- Police record from Belize
- Recommendation from Village Council/Town Board where business will be located
- Recommendation from Belize Tourism Board or Relative Agency if the business is Tourism oriented (we can assist with arranging an appointment)
- Belize Local Corporation Documents
- Information regarding local bank account for Local Corporation
- Belize Trade License depending on where the business will be located. The business will need to have a physical location to be inspected for trade license approval.
- New Local Companies are required to submit a Business Plan to be vetted by the Ministry of Economic Development/BELTRAIDE before submitting application to Labor Department. We can assist in preparing a business plan.
- Certificates, Diplomas, Credentials, etc. of the applicant.
- Proof of funding of Business.
NOTE: For Private Individuals – Kindly Request Appointment to discuss this matter.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Applications are submitted to the Labor Department
- Applicants must have a valid passport and updated visa entry
- The Belize work permit is valid for only one year
- A Work Permit is not Applicants must apply every year (if required)
- After receiving your Work Permit, you are entitled to apply for Permanent Residence.
APPLICATION PROCESS
- The Local Company should be formed, and the relevant licenses should be obtained and attached to the Business Plan before submitting application to BELTRAIDE.
- Once the Local Company approval has been received from BELTRAIDE applicants will be required to attend an interview with the Labor Department. All documents must be available at the interview.
- This process takes approximately 2 – 3 months before we receive a response from the Labor Department. We are to advise that additional documents may be requested by the Labor Department at a later date depending on the nature of the business
- During this time, you will be required to extend your passport stamp with the Immigration Department.
- Once the application is approved a fee of US $1,000.00 is to be paid to the Government at the Immigration Department.
- Once the application is approved, the business will be registered at the Income Tax Department and obtain its Trade Identification Number.
- Applicants will be required to apply for their Social Security Card in the district the business will be operating. Note: The social security card is only valid for one year.
PAYMENT REQUIRED WHEN APPLYING FOR A WORK PERMIT IN BELIZE
| Work Permit Processing fee in Belize City | USD $780.00 |
| Administrative & Miscellaneous Expenses | USD $75.00 |
| -(Courier, Telephone, Stamp, Labor Dept. Fee, Fax, etc) | |
| Total | USD $855.00 |
If the business will be operating in a District other than the Belize District additional fees will be required.
RE-APPLICATION FEE (2nd Year)
The cost to re-apply is as follows:
| Processing Fee | USD $500.00 |
| Administrative Fee | USD $60.00 |
| Total Due | USD $560.00 |
NOTE: The Annual Fees to be paid to the Government upon approval of the permit is $2,000.00 BZE
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
We may accompany you to the Labor Department for a fee of US $150.00.
NOTE: These fees will vary if the application is made outside the Belize district.
This type of “temporary residence” is for persons who have made or are in the process of making a substantial commercial investment in Belize, but due to commitments outside Belize cannot meet ordinary permanent residence restrictions.
Temporary Residence status is given for a period of only one (1) year and becomes renewable at the end of that given period. Qualifying persons applying for Temporary Residence are required to show evidence of investments in Belize valued no less than five hundred thousand Belize dollars ($500,000).
If you qualify for temporary residence status your dependents can also be included on your application submission.
Required documents:
- Valid passport from your country of citizenship
- Police record from your last country of residence (NOTE: The police record is only valid for 6 months from the date of application)
- A letter to the Director of Nationality and Passports Department explaining your reason for requesting temporary residence in Belize
- Evidence of Residence in Belize – You must provide evidence that you have established residence in Belize, in the form of:
- rental or lease agreement and a utility bill; or
- property title and property tax assessment by municipal authority
- You must provide details and evidence of investments in Belize valued at not less than BZ $500,000.00. The following documents must be provided:
- title of real estate ownership
- business or personal bank statements
- company registration certificate or other certification showing your interest in a Corporate body as owner of the body or of a Majority or controlling interest
- Trade license
- Social security registration or card
- General sales tax returns
- Income tax returns
Anyone intending to launch a business (trade) within Belize city limits must apply for a trade license before commencing operations. Trade licenses are not required for businesses operating in rural areas. Fees are determined based on a percentage of the annual rental value of the premises and are due within 30 days after receipt of the bill. Percentages range between 2% and 25% depending on the type of business. Trade License applications are approved quarterly; a special meeting can be called at the request of the applicant for an additional fee. Any business providing a service is considered a trade.
Required documents:
- Business registration certificate
- Completed trade license application form
- Trade License Application Fee US $ 200.00
A non-refundable fee of BZ$150.00 must accompany the application.
NOTE: A separate fee will be levied once the trade license has been approved. This fee is generally calculated based on the size of the office space being utilized for your business.
Our team of trained professionals are able to prepare a complete and comprehensive business plan for your business no matter how unique or novel your business idea is.
Our business plan development service consists of helping you set up a comprehensive business plan for your organization. A comprehensive business plan helps you to share strategy, priorities, and specific action points with stakeholders, or share and explain business objectives with a management team, employees, or new hires. You can also use it to develop new business alliances or seek external funding.
We offer several levels of service in business plan development:
- developing a full business plan
- reviewing an existing business plan
Our services are delivered to you in the form of a written report. They start by defining your needs: the purpose of the business plan, its target audience and the type of service needed. Then we start gathering information on your company, the sector, and so on. We will perform r5equired research or hold interviews where necessary to gather missing information. From this information, we give a thorough review, set up a concise business case or develop a comprehensive business plan.
Interested in business plan development? Whether you are a start-up, company, consortium, or SME, feel free to contact us. Our experts would be glad to make time for an informal chat.