Central America is characterized by a sufficient number of small states. Some of them are well known to tourists from Europe, while others, on the contrary, are almost not available. And therefore, many are surprised when they find out about the popularity of the request for how to obtain Belize citizenship.
The tiny country, which until 1973 was called British Honduras, and now just Belize, at a certain period suddenly became very popular, however, not among ordinary tourists looking for the sun, beaches and serene relaxation on the shores of the azure ocean. The secret was in certain programs that offered citizenship in exchange for investment. Below we will tell you about what conditions were set for potential wealthy applicants, what requirements had to be met for admission to Belizean citizenship for ordinary foreigners.
Naturalization is a way to become a citizen of Belize
The two main legal documents in force in the country regulate all issues of citizenship - the Constitution of Belize, of course, and the Citizenship Law, adopted in 1981, amended and amended in 1985. Foreign nationals wishing to change their permanent residence to this Central American state need to study these acts before applying for citizenship.
In Belize, at the moment, there are several methods of admission to the citizenship of the country, which are designed for different categories of applicants. Some people automatically acquire the right to be considered a Belizean citizen, for example, children born to parents who have citizenship or received it as a result of naturalization. For most foreigners, naturalization is the best option; among the conditions that apply to a potential applicant for Belize citizenship, the following can be distinguished:
- availability of a document confirming a permanent residence permit in this country;
- residency qualification, that is, a period of continuous residence of at least five years;
- constant steady income, that is, working in a public or private enterprise, running your own business, having finances in your accounts;
- trustworthiness, meaning that there are no incidents ending in a police station, under investigation or in “places not so distant”.
In principle, most of these conditions can be found in the legislation of different states of the planet. Naturally, one more of the conditions is integration into the local society, perhaps a potential applicant will have to pass an interview on the knowledge of the language and culture of the country. Belize requires knowledge of the state language, the role of which is assigned to the English language. With this condition, applicants usually do not have problems, since, constantly living and communicating, everyone pulls up the vocabulary. For the second test, during which knowledge of the history and culture of the country is checked, it will be necessary to prepare separately. On the other hand, why not find out how the first inhabitants lived and what prospects the state has in the future, this helps to quickly integrate into the local community.
How to get Belize citizenship in other ways?
There are other ways in Belize to become a full member of society and obtain a local passport. One of the easiest ways is to marry a citizen of the state, the residency requirement in this case is reduced, after a year of residence in the territory, being in a legal relationship, you can apply for citizenship. If children appear in this marriage, they automatically acquire the citizenship of the country, and their foreign parent receives preferences, in particular, the period of residence may not be taken into account.
At one time, in Belize, there were several programs that simplified the acquisition of local citizenship, including the acquisition of citizenship by foreign spouses, foreigners who reached retirement age, and an economic program. The essence of the latter was that the Belizean authorities provided an opportunity to obtain citizenship in exchange for serious financial injections.
Moreover, a potential applicant who was ready to invest in the development of the economy and the tourism business was still not given complete freedom. Certain conditions had to be met and in this case, for example, he could not organize an independent business, first it was necessary to find a partner who had either a Belize passport or a residence permit (permanent). This was followed by the organization of business, legislative registration, registration with the tax authorities, obtaining a bank and insurance account. The residency qualification was also preserved, that is, a person with a lot of money and a desire to become a citizen of the country must live for some time in the status of a permanent resident.
