Visa and Residency Information for Honduras

Visas

If you are traveling to Honduras as a tourist, you will need a valid passport, but no visa if you are a citizen of the United States, Argentina, Chile, Guatemala, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Great Britain, Ireland, Holland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, El Salvador, and several other countries. (Inquire at the nearest Honduran consulate.) If you are a citizen of a country not on the list, you will need to ask for a visa through a consulate.

If you're traveling to Honduras by car, you will need to show documents for the car as well as a valid driver's license. You will receive a 30-day circulation permit that you can extend for up to six months.

Honduras does not require any immunizations. However, U.S. public health departments normally recommend a tetanus booster (good for 10 years), Hepatitis A and B shot, and typhoid shot. Also, you are advised to take an antimalarial drug, which you would normally begin taking before you depart and continue taking for several weeks after you return home. Call your local public health department for details.

Residency

Getting Your Retirement Residency Card

Before heading off to seek your retirement paradise in Honduras, you must gather the proper paperwork and head to your nearest Honduran consulate.

Residency permits are processed by the secretary of justice ( secretaria de gobernacion y justicia) in Tegucigalpa, so it is necessary to make the application through an attorney.

To apply for residency, you will need the following:

• Your passport, valid for at least one year from the date of your application
• Your police record, showing you are in good standing with the law
• A health certificate (you may also obtain this certificate in Honduras)
• One photograph of the applicant, size 6 cm by 6 cm
• Documents related to the type of residency considered in the application
• Other documents that are to be obtained in Honduras, e.g., migratory records.

Honduras has signed the convention that requires the use of an apostille to give legal value to documents issued in foreign countries. If the applicant’s country of origin is not part of that treaty, then the document will be authenticated through a Honduran consulate.

The types of residency permits that can be obtained in Honduras are:

• RENTIST: The applicant must have an income of at least US$2,500 per month from a source outside of Honduran soil (e.g., rents, deposits, bonds)
• RETIRED: The applicant must have a lifetime benefit of at least $1,500 per month coming from a private or government institution
• INVESTOR: The applicant must prove that his business or project is or will be represented by an investment of at least $50,000
• RELATIVE: The applicant must be a relative of a Honduran citizen.

These types of residency allow for the applicant to include dependants (spouse or children).

The cost of residency for each applicant is about $400 to $500 with taxes and expenses, and the attorney’s fees run between $1,500 to 2,500.