Visa & Residency Information for Honduras
Mar 22, 2013
If Honduras is on your ‘hit list’ as a possible second home or retirement destination, you are no doubt curious about what is involved with being a legitimate resident. After all, it’s one thing to visit and explore your options (go HERE to learn about the Caribbean Lots project in Trujillo, Honduras), but another to actually make the move to purchase property and live there either full-time or several months of the year.
Visas in Honduras
If you’re simply visiting Honduras as a tourist or to explore your property options, you will of course require a passport from your home country. There are very few countries in the world that require you to apply for a visa to simply visit Honduras.
Residency in Honduras
So, you’ve made the decision to live in Honduras, either full or part-time. A very exciting prospect! Prior to moving to your dream, Caribbean retirement destination, it’s important you compile the proper paperwork and visit your local (in your home country) Honduran consulate. The following is a list of documents you will require:
- A valid passport. It must be valid for at least a year from the date of your application.
- A health certificate. This doesn’t have to be done in your home country; you can have it done in
Honduras if necessary.
- Migratory records, etc, that you obtain once you’re already in Honduras.
- A photograph (a passport picture works well for this).
- A police record from your home country.
- Financial documentation to back-up the type of residency you’re applying for.
Permits for residency in Honduras are processed in the capital city of Tegucigalpa, by the Secretary of Justice. Therefore, finding a local attorney is mandatory as its necessary for them to file your application.
Residency in Honduras falls into four basic categories. Permits that may be acquired are:
- Retired: You must be receiving a minimum of $1500 a month, for the rest of your life, from either
a private or government establishment.
- Relative: You must be related to a citizen of Honduras.
- Rentist: You must be receiving an income of at least $2500 a month from a source outside of
Honduras. For example, bonds, rents, deposits, etc.
- Investor: You must be able to prove that your project is being, or will be, denoted by a venture of
no less then $50,000
These residency options will permit you to include your spouse and any children that are moving with you.
You might be wondering what the purpose and/or advantage of applying for residency in Honduras is… well, consider this: as a non-resident, you can’t stay in the country any longer then 90 days. Which, if you plan to only visit a few months a year, will work a-ok for you. However, if you’re thinking of a more long-term or permanent living arrangement, residency is a must. Especially if you wish to bring any of your belongings with you. If you have residency status, you’re able to bring all of your household items at once with a duty-free exemption. And if you have a retired residency status, you can ship in a new car and boat every five years.
Basically, if all you’re looking to do is purchase a nice little piece of paradise and either quietly retire or venture out and start your own business, and you have no ulterior motives or anything to hide, obtaining your residency in Honduras is a painless task. A little paperwork both in your home country and in Honduras and you’re an official resident of a spectacular Caribbean country!
