When we first arrived in Belize it was clear that if we intended to earn an income it was going to be necessary to get a work permit. In general, there are two different avenues for getting a work permit – working for someone else or being self-employed. If you plan to work for someone else it should be possible for your employer to guide you through the process.
However, in our case, we were encouraged to get a self-employment work permit since it is often easier to obtain because jobs are not being taken from Belizeans. The process of getting a work permit is fairly straight forward but does require persistence, patience and some money. First we went to the Immigration office and obtained a list of the things that we need to get a work permit. The list included things like a valid passport, bank statement, photos, etc. Once we got all the necessary items we then had to put them together and turn them in. It took some time to have the permit process since there were some items added to the list of things that we need to do to get the permit and there were some things that needed to be clarified. In the end we needed to go to the Immigration office on a regular basis to help the process along but, in general, we found that with a bit of patience working through every issue was possible.
For more information about the work permit process check out the links below.
Below are links to articles related to the costs and procedures involved with getting a work permit:
Entry Requirements and Work Permits - An in depth look at how different types of work permits are obtained.
Requirements in Belize for Residency, and Citizenship - Brief discussion on obtaining residency and citizenship in Belize.
Work Permit Requirements - Official requirements for obtaining a work permit from the government of Belize.