If I live in Belize, do I have to renounce or relinquish my US citizenship?
Jaseth Bassaragh - The Alpha & Omega Group
You don’t have to renounce your US citizenship because Belize has a dual residency and dual citizenship policies in Belize.If you get a Belize passport, the US government will ask you to choose where you want to hold citizenship, but Belize will never ask you to choose.
(Passport with Belize stamp on bottom of left page, pictured.)
You don’t have to renounce your US citizenship because Belize has a dual residency and dual citizenship policies in Belize.If you get a Belize passport, the US government will ask you to choose where you want to hold citizenship, but Belize will never ask you to choose.
(Passport with Belize stamp on bottom of left page, pictured.)
Posted April 29, 2015
Ryan Wrobel - Wrobel & Co., Attorneys-at-Law
You would be in no danger of losing your US citizenship if you choose to permanently retire in Belize and there is nothing that would put your US citizenship in jeopardy here in Belize. You could work, you could permanently reside, you could take a Belizean nationality eventually and still not put your US citizenship in jeopardy. We have quite a few dual citizens in this country who are Canadian-Belizean citizens or US-Belizean citizens and have two...
You would be in no danger of losing your US citizenship if you choose to permanently retire in Belize and there is nothing that would put your US citizenship in jeopardy here in Belize. You could work, you could permanently reside, you could take a Belizean nationality eventually and still not put your US citizenship in jeopardy. We have quite a few dual citizens in this country who are Canadian-Belizean citizens or US-Belizean citizens and have two passports. It should be noted that the US turns a blind eye to a second citizenship. So if an American expat lives here over the years and acquired Belizean citizenship and a passport and then traveled back to the US, you would need to enter the US with you American passport. Belize does the same thing. There’s no law that prohibits dual nationality, but when you enter Belize and you’re a Belizean you must show your Belizean passport regardless if you have a second passport.
You can’t automatically lose your US citizenship. You actually have to make an act of effort like a formal renunciation of your citizenship. So it’s not something that automatically occurs based on moving, working, residing, or travelling to other countries.
(Citizenship advise at Wrobel & Company, Attorneys at Law at their satellite office in Ambergris Caye, Belize, pictured.)
Posted December 7, 2015
Wayne Robbins - The Placencia
One of the great things about living in Belize is that residency is attainable. It is easy to get and the best thing about it is that you can have dual residency, which means you don’t have to renounce your US, Canadian, or any other citizenship that you may have. It is always great, at this time, to be a dual resident, and why not have your second residency in a stable, democratic, and beautiful country like Belize? I am a resident of Belize while waiting on my...
One of the great things about living in Belize is that residency is attainable. It is easy to get and the best thing about it is that you can have dual residency, which means you don’t have to renounce your US, Canadian, or any other citizenship that you may have. It is always great, at this time, to be a dual resident, and why not have your second residency in a stable, democratic, and beautiful country like Belize? I am a resident of Belize while waiting on my citizenship. You can be a resident of Belize without being a citizen of Belize, all the while maintaining your US citizenship if you choose to.
(Hatchet Caye, Belize, pictured.)
Posted February 3, 2016
Virginia Krohn - Villa Cayo Belize
No, you don’t have to renounce your US citizenship if you live in Belize. You can remain here as a resident for as long as you care to. At this time you do not even have to renounce your US citizenship if you want to become a Belize Citizen. However, I am not saying that that will always be true because the United States might decide to close that loop-hole. At this time you can have Dual Citizenship for US and Belize. Not true with Canadians as Canada...No, you don’t have to renounce your US citizenship if you live in Belize. You can remain here as a resident for as long as you care to. At this time you do not even have to renounce your US citizenship if you want to become a Belize Citizen. However, I am not saying that that will always be true because the United States might decide to close that loop-hole. At this time you can have Dual Citizenship for US and Belize. Not true with Canadians as Canada does not allow dual citizenship. There is no visa in Belize. You just come in to the country as a tourist and have your passport stamped every month for a maximum of six months. You cannot work or donate your time during that time. At the end of six months you have to leave unless you have applied for a residency or a work permit.
(Belize City, Belize, pictured.)
Posted July 31, 2016