Belize
Work Where You Vacation (Belize Remote Work Program): health insurance requirements
Yes: health insurance is required
Belize's "Work Where You Vacation" program is its digital nomad route, open to people employed or earning outside Belize. It allows a stay of up to 180 days, renewable while you keep meeting the requirements, and the income threshold is US$75,000 a year for an individual or US$100,000 for a couple or family. Unusually for the region, the official program names an insurance figure: applicants must carry travel insurance with at least US$50,000 of coverage.
The requirements at a glance
| Minimum coverage | $50,000 |
|---|---|
| Repatriation required | Not required |
| Minimum policy duration | Full duration of stay |
| Local-licensed insurer required | No: compliant international IPMI is accepted |
| Accepted proof | A travel insurance policy showing at least US$50,000 of coverage, submitted with the application documents to the Belize Immigration Department. |
Proof of employment or income earned outside Belize, minimum annual income of US$75,000 (individual) or US$100,000 (couple/family), a notarised bank reference and statement of account, a clean police record no older than six months, a valid passport, and the application fee (officially BZD$500 per adult, BZD$200 per child). Applications are submitted by email to the Belize Immigration Department.
Who qualifies for the Belize nomad visa
The income bar is what decides most applications, and it is the number people look for first. Here is the current one, with the conditions that come attached to it.
- Income required
- $75,000/yr ($100,000 for couples/families)
- Length of permit
- 6 monthsnot renewable
- Who can apply
- Employed remotely, Freelancer, Business owner
- Nationality restrictions
- Restricted to nationals or permanent residents of the EU, the UK, the United States or Canada.
Up to 180 days and not extendable, with a maximum of six months in any calendar year. $75,000/yr for individuals, $100,000 for couples or families. Holders may not take employment in Belize. The immigration department and the tourism board publish the fee in different currencies (USD 500/200 vs BZD 500/200), so confirm before paying.
Tax
Foreign income earned here isn't taxed by Belize.
That is a summary of the rule, not tax advice. Residence for immigration and residence for tax are decided separately, and the second one tends to arrive quietly, usually after you have been in the country long enough to stop thinking about it. Take proper advice before the year you need it.
What the income bar really means
Two things get people rejected on income even when they earn enough. The first is proving it: consulates want a documented, repeating history, usually bank statements and contracts covering several months, not a screenshot of a good quarter. Irregular freelance income clears the bar on average and fails on paper. The second is dependants, who almost always raise the threshold, and by a percentage of the base figure rather than a flat amount.
Treat the number above as the floor for the paperwork, not as a comfortable income for living there. It is set by the country’s own cost of living or minimum wage, which means it moves, and in several countries it is re-set every year.
The official Work Where You Vacation program explicitly requires a travel insurance policy with a minimum of US$50,000 in coverage, alongside an income floor of US$75,000 (individual) or US$100,000 (family).
Our take
Belize is one of the few programs that publishes a hard insurance number, US$50,000, so a policy that clearly states a coverage limit at or above that is the baseline for approval. Make sure the figure is visible on the certificate, because the rule is specific and a vague plan can stall the file.
Treat the US$50,000 minimum as a floor, not a target. The figure that protects you in Belize is the medical-evacuation limit, since a bad accident on the cayes can mean an air ambulance to the US costing around US$25,000, so buy cover with strong evacuation and repatriation limits well above the visa minimum.
What happens if you get it wrong
Buying a thin policy that meets the US$50,000 letter but has a low or capped medical-evacuation limit. In Belize that is exactly the cover you are most likely to use, and the gap is paid out of pocket.
Letting cover lapse on a renewal. The program is granted for up to 180 days and renews only while you keep meeting the requirements, so a policy that expires mid-stay can undermine an extension.
Interactive
Verified pricesWhat would it cost in Belize without insurance?
You pay, out of pocket
$1,000–$5,000
A serious private admission or common surgery.
Bars to scale. A flight home is in another league.
That is the bill you carry alone. Insurance exists for exactly this.
See what cover costsTypical private-care estimates for illustration, not a quote. Actual bills vary by hospital, city and severity.
FAQ
Yes. The official program requires applicants to carry a travel insurance policy with at least US$50,000 of coverage, which is unusual in naming a specific figure.
US$75,000 a year for an individual, or US$100,000 for a couple or family, with proof of employment or income earned outside Belize.
Up to 180 days (six months), renewable if you keep meeting the income and eligibility requirements.
No. The program asks for a travel insurance policy with at least US$50,000 of coverage; it does not require a local insurer, so an international policy that clearly states the limit is accepted.
It meets the visa rule, but it is a minimum. Serious cases are often evacuated to the US or Mexico and an air ambulance can cost around US$25,000, so cover with high medical-evacuation limits well above the floor is wiser.
How to apply
- Government fee
- BZD 500 per adult and BZD 200 per child under 18.
- Where to apply
- The Belize Immigration Department: online via the long-stay permit portal, or by email to the department.
- 1
Confirm eligibility: proof of employment outside Belize with a minimum annual income of USD 75,000 for an individual or USD 100,000 for a couple or family.
- 2
Prepare the documents, including a notarised banking reference and statement of account, your passport and proof of remote employment.
- 3
Apply online through the Belize Immigration Department's long-stay permit portal, or by email to the immigration department.
- 4
Pay the enrollment fee and await approval.
- 5
On approval, travel to Belize; the permit allows a stay of up to 180 days, renewable.
Fees and processing times move, sometimes without announcement, and a consulate can add a document the published checklist does not mention. Treat the above as the shape of the process rather than a guarantee, and check the current requirement with the mission handling your application before you book anything.
What policy actually satisfies this visa
Belize publishes a figure, which makes this simpler than most: your certificate has to show at least $50,000 of medical cover. Clear that and the paperwork is satisfied.
A compliant international policy is accepted, so you are not forced into a local insurer. That matters more than it sounds: it means one policy can follow you when you leave, instead of expiring at the border.
Repatriation is not named as a condition, though it is the benefit you would most want to have if the worst happened, and it costs very little to add.
The dates are the other thing that gets applications rejected: full duration of stay
Ask your insurer for a certificate of cover that states your full name as it appears on your passport, the exact policy period, the territory covered, and the benefit amounts. That is a normal request and any decent insurer issues it without fuss. The insurance being real and the paperwork still failing is a more common way to lose an application than being uninsured.
The other ways into Belize
A nomad visa is not the only door, and for a lot of people it is not the right one. If you do not clear the income bar, or you only want a few months, these are the routes the country actually runs.
Visitor's Permit / Entry Visa (short stay)
30 days on entry; extendable in 30-day increments at an Immigration Office (up to roughly 6 months before further review)Tourists and short-term visitors; visa-free on arrival for many nationalities (US, Canada, EU, UK, Australia, etc.), while visa-required nationals must obtain a Belize entry visa first.
Passport valid on entry, onward/return ticket, and proof of sufficient funds (US$75/day is commonly cited but not stated on the official permit page). Visitor's-permit extension fee BZ$200 per 30 days for all nationals. Single-entry visa fee (where required): BZ$200 most nationalities, BZ$750 for India/Nepal/Thailand/Burma/Bangladesh/Pakistan/Sri Lanka, BZ$3,000 for PRC nationals.
Insurance: Not required - no insurance mandated for short-stay entry, but private travel/health cover is strongly recommended as Belize has no reciprocal public health cover for visitors.
Temporary Employment (Work) Permit
Issued for up to one year (or one crop season / one week for some categories); renewableForeign nationals taking up local employment or self-employment in Belize (14 categories: professional, technical, general, agricultural, self-employed, entertainers, traders, etc.), usually employer-sponsored.
Valid passport and Belize visa (if applicable), plus an Income Tax Letter from the Belize Tax Service; application via the Labour Department. Government fees vary by category, approx. US$150 to US$3,000/year (e.g. professional/technical/self-employed BZ$3,000; seasonal agricultural BZ$150), plus a separate immigration fee on approval (figures vary, verify).
Insurance: Not required - no health insurance specified by the official permit; private cover recommended.
Student Permit
One school year (primary/secondary) or one semester (tertiary); renewable for the duration of studyForeign nationals enrolled at a Belizean primary, secondary or tertiary institution.
Letter from the institution stating program and duration, a signed Letter of Financial Support (or sponsor's recent bank statement and proof of Belizean status), valid passport, birth certificate and photos; extra-regional tertiary students also need a one-year return ticket. Fees BZ$200-BZ$3,000 depending on nationality and study level.
Insurance: Recommended - the official permit page does not itemise insurance; carrying private health cover is advised (verify with the institution/Immigration).
Qualified Retirement Program (QRP)
Indefinite residence status while qualified; must spend at least 30 consecutive days/year in BelizeRetirees aged 40+ (and their spouse and dependent children) who want long-term residence in Belize with foreign-sourced retirement income; administered by the Belize Tourism Board.
Minimum retirement income of US$2,000/month (US$24,000/year) from a source outside Belize in an approved currency (USD, GBP, EUR, CAD); police record and a complete medical certificate including an HIV test no older than 3 months. Fees: US$150 application, US$1,000 applicant, US$750 per dependent, plus US$200 per QRP ID card.
Insurance: Not required - no insurance mandated by the QRP; a medical certificate is required, and private health cover is strongly recommended.
Permanent Residence
Indefinite (permanent)Foreign nationals who have already lived legally in Belize for a sustained period and intend to settle permanently.
At least 1 year of continuous legal residence with no more than 14 days spent outside Belize during that year, proof of ongoing financial stability, and no disqualifying criminal conviction (offence punishable by 12+ months). Processing can take 1-2 years; fees vary (verify on the Immigration 'Residence Fees' page).
Insurance: Not required - no insurance specified for permanent residence; private health cover recommended.
Rules are written for foreign nationals generally; visa-free vs. visa-required entry depends on nationality, with many Western, EU, Commonwealth and Caribbean passports getting visa-free short stays while several African and Asian nationalities need an entry visa.
The visa tells you the minimum. It does not tell you what to actually carry. Those are different questions, and the paperwork minimum is nearly always the smaller of the two answers.
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