Do you want or need Residency in Honduras?
Foreigners can enter Honduras as either a tourist or resident. As a tourist you need only to have a passport with a minimum of 6 months validity. The visa is issued on arrival to Honduras at airport immigration **. The tourist visa allows you to enter the country for up to 90 days with the possibility of a 30 day extension for which you must apply in person at the Immigration Office. The tourist visa does not allow you to legally work.
**Passports issued from some countries do not allow the carrier to participate in Visa on Arrival programs. As always when traveling internationally it is the responsibility of the traveler to educate themselves on any restrictions which may be specific to the country which issues their passport.
If you plan to establish Roatan as your primary residence, open a business or gain employment you may want to consider applying for residency if you want to legally stay longer than 90 days. Establishing legal residency in Honduras is not as complicated or restrictive as in other countries but neither is it something the applicant can do in person. The residency application must be prepared and submitted by a Honduran lawyer who is registered with the National Bar Association. Care must be taken when applying for residency as not all attorneys are equal. Roatan Real Estate has an experienced in-house immigration team, including an immigration attorney, who can take care of your residency application smoothly, quickly and with total integrity.
There are five commonly used paths to achieving Honduran Residency. Depending on the type of residency you apply for, there are potentially two different Federal Government Agencies involved: Instituto Nacional de Migración and the Secretaría de Gobernación, Justica y Descentralizacion.
Paths to Residency:
1. Rentista – individuals who have a permanent guaranteed monthly income of at least $2,500 from an external/foreign source. This income can be from rental properties, investment dividends, interests, or other sources that are not related to employment.
2. Pensionado (Retiree) – available for individuals who have a pension-type income (permanent, from a government or financial institution, or business pension fund) of at least $1,500 a month.
3. Inversionista (Investor) – individuals who invest $US50,000 or more in a business enterprise in Honduras.
4. Kinship/Relative – individuals who are directly related to a Honduran national (parent or child) or to a person married to a Honduran national.
5. Permiso de Permanencia de País como de Empresario de Extranjero – a type of residency via the work permit law which requires the foreigner first to create a Honduran corporation or legal business entity and then apply for residency as the owner of that entity.
Once you have been a resident in Honduras for five years, and assuming you are in good legal standing with the Instituto Nacional de Migración, you can apply for immigrant status.
For all types of residency you can arrive in Honduras on a tourist visa and begin the process from inside the country. However there are certain key documents required from your home country that are mandatory for the application process and which may vary depending on which type of residency you apply for. Please consult with us and our Immigration Attorney before you begin your relocation process.
Residency Attorney Recommendation
Residency Attorney, Nancy Rodas, is strongly recommended by Krys Enger. She and her clients have had many success stories over the years. Krys Enger has personally used her for the first residency status and the second 5 year status as well with no complaints. Nancy speaks perfect English and is easy to communicate with on What’s App or email with quick responses. Please let me know if you would like her phone or email contact. Nancy lives and works in Tegucigalpa with strong ties to the Immigration department of Honduras.
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