Latest information on COVID-19 country status: On 13 December 2022 Dr Melissa Diaz Director of Public Health gave the following update to the media, “We notice that in the first week of December, there has been an increase; the positivity rate has gone to 9.9% and this is a significant jump and there are many reasons for this, we have not only seen an increase in COVID cases in homes but we have had an outbreak at Kolbe, at the prison, and that has accounted for a significant increase for the Belize District so for the Belize District, for the COVID cases, we have gone up from about 2% to the last week going up to almost 16 or 17%, so that’s really the reason we’re seeing that significant jump because the prison had about 42-43% positivity rate last week, now they have managed it well, we have had experience in the last two weeks and the medical team there, they’ve been able to isolate the positive cases and they’ve been able to contain the transmission.” According to Dr Diaz, genome sequencing has confirmed that most of our COVID cases are the Omicron variant – not BQ or XBB like in the US. She added that “Belize continues to have a large number of vaccines. When you look at having the different types, we have AstraZeneca, we have Johnson, and we have Pfizer and cumulatively, we have over 150,000 doses of vaccine so we continue to encourage persons to come in and get your COVID 19 vaccines.”
Belize entry requirements are strict. All visitors must have a passport to enter Belize and their passports must be valid for no less than six months after the intended period of stay. Nationals of the following countries do not currently need visas to travel to Belize: the United States of America, Canada, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, South Korea, Mexico, Israel, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Japan, The Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Uruguay, Malaysia, Morocco, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Honduras, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, Venezuela, The Republic of China (Taiwan), Guatemala, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. See our Belize Visa page.
The country’s primary concern is to assure both travellers and residents that Belize’s tourism product is safer than ever before. A series of new enhanced health and safety protocols have been put in place to protect visitors, Belizeans, and our communities.
Enhanced health and safety measures have been adapted to protect both officers and arriving passengers. Some of these measures include protective barriers to reduce contact between the officers and the passengers, kiosks for scanning of passports upon entry, luggage scanners in the Customs Hall, and safety barriers where inspection of luggage is required.
Tourists visiting Belize can move about freely, as of 1 March 2022. It is recommended that they stay at Gold Standard certified accommodations, and use tour operators, tourism transportation providers, restaurants, tourism sites and attractions, and gift shops. These Gold Standard and certified entities have all been trained and have implemented enhanced health and safety measures.
If you start to exhibit any COVID-like symptoms, immediately notify your hotel’s front desk, and they will implement their Covid Response Plan. Should you develop symptoms, and test positive for the virus while in country, you will be required to quarantine for a minimum of 7 days. It is highly recommended that you obtain the Belize Travel Health Insurance to cover any costs if you become sick while on vacation.
An individual can apply for permanent residence after legally residing in Belize for a minimum of one year. The fee for residency ranges from USD$187.50 to USD$1,562.50 depending on the nationality of the applicant. Individuals who are interested in residing permanently in Belize must submit the following upon application: Applicant must show proof that he/she has been in Belize for one year by using passport/refugees document as evidence. See our Belize Residency and Citizenship page.
Article by M.A. Romero Chief Information Officer (RET) to the Government of Belize. Reviewed by Marvin Manzanero MD M. Sc. (GHP) Director Health Services Belize.