[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

I am not certain, but most likely wine, beyond a couple of bottles, is not considered “household goods” for the QRP duty exception. Typically household goods categories include furniture, clothes, electronics, TVs, computers and those things that are necessary for day to day living. Duty on wine, liquor and cigars is a big money maker for the country of Belize. These are the items we are always asked about when we return to Belize.

I did a Google search and could not find any info on this topic, in terms of the QRP and wine allowances. For this specific of a question it would be best to directly contact the QRP program representative, especially since their approaches do change from year to year. Contact Roshel Godfrey, at the Belize Tourism Board/QRP Program – rgodfrey@travelbelize.org. Then ask her how they are currently approaching wine in terms of QRP duty exemptions. If you prefer to call her directly at her office, the number from the USA is 011-501-226-2420. Roshel is very helpful.

Please share with the group whatever you learn on this topic after you communicate with Roshel. It is a good idea to contact her and get to know her anyway, in case you run into any problems down the road.

Like you, we enjoy wine, having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 30 years before moving to Belize. We started to drink our best wines a year before we moved here (in 2008), knowing it would be difficult to maintain an acceptable temperature during transport, and while in storage in Belize. Then we left some of our longterm wines at a friends home and we share them when we go back to the USA…

Now we bite the bullet and buy good wines when they are on sale at Wine de Vine. They offer an excellent selection. Premium Wines is pretty good, as well. Or we buy as many as allowed when we come through Duty Free at the Belize International Airport. But in Belize you will definitely need a wine chiller if you plan to keep wines here for more than a month before drinking them, since the temperature and humidity are high. Wines sour quickly here unless they are maintained at a consistent temperature that is much lower than the air temperature.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Most of the murders in Belize occur in Belize City, where there are territorial gang wars, similar to large cities in the USA. That is why I steer expats away from Belize City. And, also, it is just not an attractive part of Belize when compared to other areas.

Crime is also higher along the borders with Guatemala and Mexico. The border with Guatemala is worse. But there are few murders or there as compared to Belize City.

From a safety standpoint, Corozal in general is considered a safe place to live. But if you lived by yourself, in a house near the border with Mexico, you would have a higher risk of a home intrusion than if you decided to live in a development with others who look out for one another, or if you were living near or in Corozal itself.

In general, expats are not violent crime targets in Belize. Most crimes are Belizeans against Belizeans. But before you buy in a particular area it would be good to talk to expats in the area and to check on line Forums and local papers to check on recent crime trends.

In the towns, most crimes are petty theft crimes where a computer, phone, IPad or camera is stolen from a person, or their home. Typically no one is hurt in this type of crime.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Small and boutique is definitely what you get in Belize. We actually do need a few big hotels in the country, mainly for conference centers. But other than that, most expats who live here would flee if Belizean favorite spots started to look even remotely like Cancun.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Thanks for sharing your experience using an inexpensive Walmart phone in Belize. Yes, it is a pain the first time you need to have it locally “unlocked”. But once you have that done and get a Belize SIM card, you are good to go. You just add minutes when you return to Belize, at Digicell or Smart, depending on which technology your phone has.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

I just found a link to a forum that has quite a bit of info about the requirements for what type of vehicle you can bring into Belize, and what the duty will be. Here it is: http://www.expat-blog.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=228783.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Tami,

Duty is one of those things in Belize that is hard to predict. There is a duty table on the internet, see below. But what you are charged at the border crossing won’t necessarily match what’s in the table. And you may be hit up for a “donation”… It depends on who is the duty officer that day and what mood they are in… It really is inconsistent. But there is a duty page for Belize, with a list that you can download and review. Here is the link: http://www.belize.org/tiz/customs-and-duties.

I live on Ambergris Caye and own a golf cart, so car repairs are not my forte. But when on the mainland I see Toyotas, Fords, and Hyundas. There is another odd brand I am not familiar with. Check out the Belize car rental companies to get a better idea of what brand of vehicles they rent in Belize. Many car companies, like Toyota, produce a less complex version of models for the Central American and Mexican markets. There are now some repairmen who can work on computerized cars, but there are many more who can’t. The more simple you keep your vehicle, the easier it will be to maintain. But you will want to have AC, for sure. So stick with a simple, sturdy 4-wheel drive with AC.

If you have become a QRP before moving here you can bring a vehicle into the country duty free. So if you plan to become a QRP, it’s best to bring your car once you have the approval to do so from the QRP program. If you are coming as a tourist I assume you will pay full duty. But there are a lot of threads on this topic on the Ambergris Caye Forum. And you can try the Belize Forum. Since you are moving here it would be good to sign up for both of those forums. There are very detailed lifestyle questions on the forums. You will have to sift through some of the negative e-mails that are posted by the forum trolls who don’t live in Belize anymore. But you can ask very detailed questions that are regional in nature and will get a variety of responses.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Tami,

No, there are no shots you can take to avoid Dengue at this time, unfortunately. But if you read up on it you will feel more comfortable. I don’t think there have been any cases of Dengue on the Placencia Peninsula. We have had some on Ambergris Caye. The Dengue carrying mosquitoes actually are out during the day. But when there are dengue cases the government does their best to do major spraying to kill off the carrier mosquitoes so that they won’t multiply and spread. But your best defense is to wear mosquito repellant during the wet periods, when we have more mosquitoes.

The reason we have Dengue in Belize now is that many immigrants come and go from other Central American countries to Belize. The Dengue is coming from those people who traveled to countries where Dengue is more prevalent and less controlled than in Belize.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Ken,

I just did a Google and did not see anything about the Four Seasons and Placencia, so am curious where you heard that.

There are more rumors than reality about the airport in Placencia. If you do a search on http://www.BelizeForum.com website and look up this topic you’ll see a long thread of history and on going issues since the original airport developer is an individual who did not obtain the necessary permits to build an airport in Belize. There is also a great post on the San Pedro Scoop blogsite. Rebecca Coutant interviewed key managers at the current international airport and several of the large airlines on this topic. They all say that from an economic standpoint it doesn’t make sense economically to open a second international airport in Belize. But realtors on the peninsula love to talk about the international airport and how easy it will be to get to Placencia if and when it opens. But even if there was one, that wouldn’t make Placencia the center of tourism for Belize. It would increase tourism there, though. There are only 3000 residents on the peninsula. Most of the resorts on the peninsula are boutique resorts. Realtors on the peninsula have told me that there aren’t many large tracts of open land available on the peninsula to allow for large developments or hotels.

I don’t know whether a Four Seasons deal is in the future for Placencia. I don’t think a Four Seasons resort in Placencia would alter tourism preferences in Belize that much. Most people who come to Belize and return repeatedly do so because they prefer going somewhere where there aren’t large chain hotels. Belize will never be like Cancun since the country is just too small, with only 330,000 people in the country. Most resorts here are privately held boutique resorts. We could use a few name brand resorts so that there would be better conference capabilities in the country. The Four Seasons was supposed to work with Leonardo di Caprio to build a resort on his island near Ambergris Caye a few years ago. That fell through. Then they were supposed to build a resort on the golf resort island of Caye Chapel. That also fell through. So I won’t hold my breath on the Four Seasons resort in Placencia, although it would be possible near the entrance to the peninsula. I was there last November and none of the realtors mentioned the Four Seasons to me at that time. They love to brag about that kind of resort.

Not everyone likes Placencia. Some visitors adore the cayes. Some love Placencia’s beaches. And others love the Maya Mountains. Each of these areas are unique and draw different types of tourists.

What is going to change in Placencia soon, though, is that Norwegian Cruiselines will complete their facilities at Hatch Caye, off the shore of the Placencia Peninsula. That will have a major impact and will increase tourism markedly. But the ship tourists will only be spending money for day activities, not overnight stays. It will be interesting to see how it changes the feel of Placencia Village. The expats who live there are not at all happy about this, since the villages will be over-run with tourists during the days ships bring tourists. But the locals are hoping it will result in more jobs for them.a

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

If you have the energy to make it to Wine de Vine on Friday the 1st, we should be there. I hope to meet you! We will have friends visiting, who may be with us. But be sure to introduce yourself. I can introduce you to some expats who are there.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

It sounds like you may be confusing the up front “financial” criteria needed to qualify to become a QRP resident with what is required to renew your QRP residency at the end of each year. They are two different requirements:

1. To obtain the QRP status, you will need to first of all prove that you have a pension that pays you at least $24,000/year, so you can transfer it to Belize to live on. IF you don’t have a pension, such as Social Security or a work related pension, the alternative is to show that you have adequate savings to fund your long term for many years of living in Belize. For instance, if you have $300,000 in IRAs, you can show them those savings to prove that you have enough to fund more than 10 years of retirement in Belize. Then, as long as you continue to transfer the required of money into the country each year, no one will ask for more info about your finances.

2. Once you actually become a QRP, each year you must show the Belize Tourism Board QRP representative that you transferred $24,000 during the year, which can be transferred as $2000/month, each month, for a given year. You could become a QRP and live in Belize for a year. But if you don’t prove, at the end of that year, that you made the transfers into Belize, then they will not renew your QRP card. The $2000/month is not as important as the $24,000 total per year. If you want to transfer $4000 every 2 months, that’s ok, as long as you meet the $24,000/year minimal transfer requirement.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Laura & Mike,

You can find me at Wine de Vine on Friday nights, from 6-8 PM, in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. The Friday night wine tastings are a social event that we hardly ever miss. It’s a great time to connect with our local friends, but we also get together with people for business there. Send me an e-mail the week before you are coming, to be sure I am on the island. I expect to be here until early June, when I head to Cancun for the IL International Conference. Otherwise, you will meet interesting expats at Wine de Vine on Fridays. There are also tourists there. Try to arrive 6 PM and pend the next two hours there so you have a chance to talk to a variety of expats. Most people mingle, as the local expats know one another. So don’t be shy. Go out of your way to introduce yourself to people. Many visitors do this when they are interested in moving to the island.

Another good place on Ambergris Caye to meet expats are the Sundays BBQs on the beach. Popular places expats hang out include Estels (next to the town square), and Caribbean Villas, south of town. There is a sailing club there where expats hang out and watch the kids sail while they enjoy a Sunday BBQ lunch. They often have live music on Sundays, as well.

I am the only correspondent working for International Living in Belize. So in the other towns no one is “obliged” to go out of their way to assist IL visitors. That being said, if other expats who wrote articles see this post they can respond on this forum. In Corozal a great place to meet expats is at the Jam Rock, which is a major expat hangout. Go for lunch and spend the afternoon there and you should meet a variety of people.

In Placencia I’d recommend that you go to the coffee house, Above Grounds, in the Placencia Village. Keith, the owner, is a very pleasant, friendly fellow. And you will see plenty of expats hanging out, enjoying their coffee. Another place to check out is Mangos, at Maya Beach. This is a bar scene, so go in the evening. But it is mainly populated by expats and when I’ve visited it was clear that everyone was friendly and having a good time. Personally, I prefer to meet expats who are fairly sober if I’m going to ask them a lot of questions.

Also, Laura Diffendal has written an article for International Living about her life in Placencia. She and her husband Dave own charming, small guest houses on the beach in the village – the Caribbean Beach Cabanas of Placencia. You could look her up, or consider staying there. Laura writes a blog about her transition to Placencia. She and Dave have only owned their business for a year or two.

Another approach is to join the open Expat Forum and start asking questions on the Belize page. Ask if any of the expats living in each of these regions are willing to meet with you. Typically there are a few people in each expat town who enjoy being ambassadors, even though they receive no compensation for their time. You can’t assume these types of contacts are experts, but they will give you their personal opinion.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Mike & Laura,

The Belize Insider is the most comprehensive Belize resource International living provides. The Freedom Kit is a collection of short reports that we offer about Belize. The Belize Insider goes more in-depth and also provide members with access to the Insider Forum where you can access the detailed knowledge of the Correspondent who lives here (I am currently the Belize Correspondent).

Since you have asked this question within the Belize Insider Forum, I can only assume that you are a Belize Insider Member. My best understanding, from the editor of the Belize Insider, is that all of the information in the Belize Manual has been posted on the Belize Insider website. That makes it much easier to access than the hardcopy manual. It also makes it easier for us to update the info on line. So do take advantage of the Belize Insider website. Be sure to delve into the various sections on the Belize Insider website. If you look for a specific topic and can’t find it, then this Forum is a good place to ask the detailed questions that aren’t addressed in the broad topical sections of the website.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Jim,

You are absolutely right in your conclusions. E-Bay and Craig’s List have really changed the world when it comes to selling furniture and personal items as you downsize or make a move.

We moved to Belize over six years ago. At that time we held a series of garage sales on our lawn, where we had lived in a large home for nearly 20 years. My husband did ok selling his tools, although he did not get anything close to their true value, since they were in very good shape. We kept about 25% of our furniture and “things” and put them into storage for five years. This was a security blanket, in case we decided to have a second place in the USA, in a smaller condo. But after 5 years we decided we would not do that so last year cleared out the storage unit, to downsize further… The cost of storage just kept going up, so we knew it was time to downsize again.

Last year we held an Estate Sale, which was a challenging process, to move our things from storage to a warehouse. So we did it in stages. We moved some of the furniture to a warehouse and then held several estate sales. But first I pulled out those smaller, specialty items that I assumed would do well on E-Bay. A friend who is an E-Bay sales specialist has been selling my hand picked jewelry, specialty plates and vases during the last year, as well as my better suits and jackets, all on E-Bay. I did ok on some of those things. But many sold at a pittance. Some just did not sell, so I either kept them or gave them away. She had to put them up several times, since certain items are more in demand at certain times of year. And I paid her a 33% commission on them. But it was worth it to not have to deal with the hassle myself, since we already live overseas.

After the estate sale we rented a U-Haul and moved our best dining room table and chairs, bedroom furniture and favorite art to Colorado, and gave it to our daughter, to use in the new addition she and her husband built on their home. We gave them the furniture and now we enjoy sleeping in our old bed when visiting her family. And we can still enjoy the art we had collected which would not make sense to move to Belize. And I gave many of my favorite personal items, like handmade art vases and plates, to my good friends. And we gave some away to Goodwill, as well, especially clothes that we no longer need in a warm environment.

Giving up a life’s belongings is not an easy process. But it is very freeing, as the “stuff” definitely complicates one’s life. So you will need to decide what is most comfortable for you, in terms of how much you get rid of up front. But on our recent downsizing, I really enjoyed giving my favorite things to my friends and family. I no longer need so much stuff now… And in the long run, I felt much better giving things to friends, rather than having strangers get my most valued items at a pittance. That way I was able to share the story of where each item came from in our travels and why it was so special to us.

IN reality, once you put things into storage, after a year you usually forget what is in that storage unit! That does make it easier to let go to emotional attachments.

On he positive side, we know that if we decide to move back to the USA in the future, it will be pretty inexpensive to buy nice furniture and basics on E-Bay and Craig’s List.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Usually, the risk in this approach to a sale is on the buyers side, assuming you have a qualified real estate attorney develop the personal mortgage loan agreement. If the buyer defaults on several payments, as required in the personal contract, you can take the property back and then put it back up for sale. That means you keep the payments made to date. As long as you hold the title and have not transferred it, you still own the house. Some property owners actually prefer to take back the loan and use a restrictive contract. Once a buyer misses two payments the owner takes the property back.

I am not a lawyer, so the above summary is strictly based upon what I know has occurred in my experience. So please advise a Belizean attorney to confirm this info and to advise you. You can use a real estate lawyer, such as Ryan Wrobel, to develop the personal loan contract. Ryan Wrobel is listed in the Rolodex on the main page of the Belize Insider. But his e-mail address is: ryan@lawbelize.bz. Ryan is both a US attorney and a Belizean attorney. His specialty is real estate law in Belize.

[COUNTRY EXPERT ANN KUFFNER]

Angel,

Sorry for the delay in responding. I have been traveling for over two weeks and have not had decent internet coverage.

It is very easy to get cash in Belize. ATM cards work in all of the bank ATMs, at least from our experience. We have Schwab debit cards and we prefer using them because Schwab reimburses its clients for any international bank fees charged when you take out cash. The Belize banks do charge a fee for giving you money internationally. I am not sure if other bank debit cards also reimburse you.

Personally, we have set up a bank account in Belize. So we prefer to transfer money from the USA once a year and then take money out from there usually, since we live here full time. But if you are only here part-time and want to use your bank card or credit card, that will work.

It is more difficult for Americans to open a bank account anywhere overseas than in the past, including Belize, due to the FATCA restrictions and regulations. It’s best to open an account in person. You will need two recommendation letters from a banker and/or financial advisor, who are willing to vouch for you. They need to be willing to be contacted by the Belize Bank. Bank personnel will actually contact them. And you will need to provide your US Social Security number. That is now a standard requirement. As long as you are willing and ready to do these two things, and do not have a criminal history, it should not be difficult to open a bank account in Belize.

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