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Obtaining Residency In Honduras On
September 3, 1991 the Honduran National Congress passed a law
permitting retired and income resident immigration into Honduras.
This law, set up to encourage such immigration, allows specific
privileges allowing personal effects, household items and a vehicle
to enter the country without taxation. These residency laws are
administered through the Honduran Institute of Tourism, all other
residencies and visas are governed by other government ministries
such as the Direccion General de Poblacion y Politica de Migratoria
and the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores.
Definition:
There are two categories of residents:
1. Retired resident
(residente pensionado)
2. Income resident (residente rentistas)
• Retired resident is exactly that, a person living on a
retirement income.
• Income resident lives on an income from
another country or investments in Honduras.
Honduran
nationals may also apply for the benefits of this law if they
retired from an international institution, foreign government or
international organization in the private sector. They must have
resided outside the country for no fewer than ten
years.
Submitting paperwork: It is recommended your paperwork and
requests be submitted to the Miami Consulate of Honduras, 300
Sevilla Ave. Suite 201, Coral Gables, Florida 33134, Telephone (305)
447-8927. It would, of course, seem logical to send the paperwork to
the Honduras Embassy, 3007 Tilden Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008,
telephone (202) 966-7702. But past applicants have indicated their
charges are higher, the service is slow and paperwork gets lost.
However if you live in another part of the country it would be best
to check with your nearest Honduran Consulate and see if they can
handle it. Use only the major consulates (Consulates General) such
as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and so forth.
Specific
paperwork or red tape required:
A cover letter requesting
residency as a retired resident or income resident. This letter
needs to explain your circumstances and desire for residency.
•
Secure the application “Solicitud de Ingreso como Inmigrante a la
Republica de Honduras” from either the Institute of Tourism in
Honduras or Honduran Consulate. When completed the application must
be accompanied by a 10 lempira stamp, two $50 US stamps and a
consular seal. The foregoing fees are subject to change
• Three
passport sized photos (2”X 2”) of yourself and each of your
dependents. These need to be submitted with the application.
•
Also secure the form from the Institute of Tourism that states you
are not a member of the Communist Party and will respect Honduran
laws. This form must be stamped by the Consul. Lacking the form you
can just write this information on paper and make one copy.
•
Submit your birth certificate and two copies along with a Spanish
translation. This also must have a consular form authenticating the
certificate. The birth certificates must also be submitted for
spouses and all dependents accompanying you.
• A form provided
and stamped by the Consul verifying your papers conforms with
Honduran immigration law.
• A copy of your marriage certificate
if you are married and your spouse is also applying for residency.
If the certificate is in a language other than English, it must be
translated into Spanish. The Consul will need to authenticate the
certificate, add a $50 stamp and the consular seal.
• A letter
and one copy from your medical doctor declaring that you are in
generally good health. Specifically they wish to know that you do
not have any contagious or infectious diseases like AIDS or
tuberculosis. This letter must also be translated, have a $50 stamp
attached and the consular seal as well as being notarized by the
Consulate.
• A letter and one copy from your local police
department verifying you have lived there for at least six months
and have no criminal record. This letter must be no more than six
months old at the time of approval. When submitted the letter must
be in a sealed envelope This letter must also be translated, have a
$50 stamp attached and the consular seal.
• Work contract or a
letter and one copy from the Social Security Administration, your
retirement plan or both verifying you will receive at least $600
every month for life. This must also be translated into Spanish,
have a 10 lempiras stamp and a $50 fee. This document must also be
notarized at the Consulate.
• A valid passport.
The
originals and copies must be submitted as indicated.
When the
paperwork is completed: Following this paperwork the Consular's
Office will require a short interview. Specifically they will ask
you to complete three other forms asking personal details and the
name and address of your Honduran lawyer. Often this additional
paper work can be done by mail. You will sign a promise to convert
$600 into lempiras every month of your stay in Honduras and stay a
minimum of four months out of every year. A copy of your Honduran
bank statement proving the money exchange must be sent to the
Honduran Institute of Tourism. They are required to file and keep
track of the forms. The Consulate will usually require an
appointment for the interview. If all the paperwork is in order, a
six (6) months visa is issued and stamped in your
passport.
Paperwork in Honduras: Once all
the paperwork is done your Honduran lawyer submits the package to
the Institute of Tourism. The Institute will evaluate and approve or
deny the application in 15 to 20 days. However, be forewarned, if
you are missing so much as a signature, stamp or seal the entire
package will be returned.
Final approval: When you get approval
of your residency you will receive an ID card valid for two years.
It will be issued by the Direccion General de Poblacion y Politica
de Migratoria. With this card you are free to come an go as you
please. Remembering however you must live in Honduras for a
cumulative total of four months per year, don't cause any trouble.
Renewal of your residency is automatic, but you must submit
application each time to the Institute of Tourism and documentation
from the Direccion General de Poblacion y Politica
Migratoria.
Income residents (residente rentista): The
procedures as indicated above also apply to income residents
(residente rentista). The difference is that your monthly income
must be $1000 and you must promise to exchange this amount every
month you are in Honduras with a minimum stay of four months. The
government is not concerned with how you arrive at this $1000, it
may come from rental property in your country of origin, a business
you own or have an interest, stocks, bonds or whatever. It is
necessary that your foreign bank verify the income is regular and
meets the basic minimum.
Investment alternative: An alternative
is to invest $50,000 in Honduras. This investment could be in
industry, agriculture, farming, crafts, tourism or another business
approved by the Institute of Tourism. Should you invest this amount
you will be exempt from spending four months of every year in the
country in order to maintain your residency.
No age limit: There
is no age limit for retired or income residents, nor is there
restriction on the number of dependents. Your income from outside of
Honduras is not taxed.
Employment: You will not be allowed to
work for someone else in Honduras. But you can start your own
business, do consulting, work for the government or autonomous
educational institution, or for an educational or health
organization. However income from these sources will be
taxed.
Fees: The Institute of Tourism does
not set the fees the consulate offices can charge for authenticating
your documents or those $25 stamps. Because of this you may see a
difference between what you and someone else has paid. New York
Consulate charges between $500 and $600 and the Miami $550 for
processing the paperwork.
Lawyer must submit paperwork: It is
required that your paperwork be personally submitted by a Honduran
lawyer to the Tegucigalpa office of the Institute of Tourism. You,
unfortunately cannot do it yourself. Seems like they have built in a
source of income in this application process. Present fees to the
lawyers run from $450 to $600 upwards to $1500, this is in addition
to all the authenticating and stamps you have paid for in processing
the paper work. Even though you may plan to live outside of
Tegucigalpa I would recommend you have a lawyer in Tegucigalpa
process your paperwork. This might be better than depending on a
lawyer from another part of the country to make a trip there solely
on your behalf.
Allow yourself sufficient time: This is a lot
of red tape, all I can suggest is to exercise patience, begin your
application process at least six months before you leave your
country. Get all your paperwork authenticated, stamped and rubber
stamped by the consulate before you leave. Then take it to your
Honduran lawyer for final processing when you arrive in Honduras.
Final approval is made in Honduras: It is usually not possible
to get final approval of your resident status before you come to
Honduras. This final process must be done by your lawyer in
Tegucigalpa. However it will save you a lot of agony if you complete
the requirements as outlined above before you
leave.
Requirements after obtaining
residency: All this is new and actual regulations in some
cases are still being worked out. What is mentioned here is
information as stated in the original law and subsequent
regulations, however, like a lot of things in Honduras there is a
difference between what is on the books and what is done in
practice. It is said that there is a limit of $20,000 of household
goods that may be brought in under the exemption. This was not in
the original law, but as mentioned, the Institute of Tourism is the
agency that makes the actual regulations.
Every attempt has
been made to make this information as accurate as possible.
Regulations change, officials may interpret things differently, this
information is meant as a guide and not necessarily the last word on
the subject.
Getting the benefits: Now that you are free to come
and go in and from Honduras, your belongings and vehicle are not.
Here are the procedures for obtaining your benefits of
residency.
Paperwork required for permission to allow your
household goods and vehicle to enter Honduras without taxation:
• A photocopy of your residency certificate.
• A list of all
household goods typed on forms provided by the Institute of Tourism.
Prepare eight (8) copies of this. • A description of your vehicle
and a photocopy of your ownership certificate. Make eight (8) copies
of this also.
All of the above documentation must be signed by
the resident and your lawyer. The shipping point or point of entry
must be listed. A 10 lempiras stamp must be attached. This tax free
privilege is a once time offer, make the best of it as it won't come
again. Your vehicle, however, will be allowed replacement every five
years or sooner if it was stolen or destroyed in fire, collision or
accident.
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HONDURAN RESIDENT VISA REQUIREMENTS FOR U.S.
CITIZEN |
Before requesting the Resident Visa, the Applicant should
have the following:
Passport, valid for a year, at least.
1.
- Certificate of Birth;
2. - Police Record;
3. - Health
Certificate;
4. - Certificate of Income (Bank References or a
letter from the employer will be acceptable) (Please establish how
you will receive your money while you are in Honduras).
All
of the above documents should be authenticated by:
1. - The
Secretary of State of the corresponding State where document was
issued.
2. - The Department of State Authentication Office.
3.
- By the nearest CONSULATE OF HONDURAS. A service charge of US$50.00
per document should be paid by cash or Money Order (payable to the
CONSULATE OF HONDURAS).
Three (03) passport size photos of the
applicant.
The applicant should take the documents to the
nearest CONSULATE OF HONDURAS, where the following forms have to be
filled and/or signed:
1. - Application, to be filled and
signed before the Consul, and payment of US$150.00 (One hundred and
fifty dollars), required per person
2. - A Sworn statement
declaring that the applicant does not belong now, nor has belong
anytime in the past to the Communist Party, to be signed in the
presence of a Consular Officer, and payment of US$50.00 (Fifty
dollars), required per person.
3. - A Sworn statement declaring
that the applicant will abide by the laws of Honduras, to be signed
in the presence of a Consular Officer, and payment of US$50.00
(Fifty dollars), required per person.
After filling out the
above requirements that the applicant will be issued a tourist visa
that will be used to travel to Honduras where the application for
residence and other documents will be filled at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs in Tegucigalpa, D.C., Honduras. The applicant must
continue the procedure, through a lawyer, in order to obtain the
resident visa.
For further information, please contact the
nearest CONSULATE OF HONDURAS.
HONDURAN CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENTS
A United
States citizen may apply for Honduran nationality when one or more
of the following requirements have been met:
After residing in
Honduras for three consecutive years
Those obtaining their
naturalization by Decree of the National Congress for their
extraordinary services to Honduras.
The immigrants that, as part
of selected groups brought by Honduran government for scientific,
agricultural or industrial purposes, meet the legal requirements
after one year of residing in the country; and,
Those marrying a
Honduran by birth.
Except in the case referred to in number two
above, the applicant should resign to his or her previous
nationality and express, before competent authorities, the wish to
acquire the Honduran nationality.
The migración (Mon–Fri
8am–noon and 1–5pm; tel 665 0582) is conveniently close by in El
Centro, (downtown Puerto Cortes)
at 5 Av and 4 C.
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