| Staying in Honduras -
Visas and Residency
Foreigners may visit Honduras for up to 30 days
without a visa renewal. You must have your visa renewed every
30 days by the Honduran Immigration Service if you do not have
Honduran residency. The
renewal requires a fee. You must leave the country every
6 months for a minimum of three days if you do not have your residency.
If you want to avoid the paper work involved with acquiring residency,
you can make a quick three-day trip to a neighboring county.
A six-month visa may be obtained from your nearest
Honduran consulate or embassy and should also be done when processing
documents for residency.
Before you begin
the application process for a residence visa, get your paper
work in order among other things, you will need a passport valid
for at least one year from the date of your application, a birth
certificate, a certificate of health, a letter of reference from
your local police department, a letter of reference concerning
your financial situation (this can be from your bank or an employer),
and three passport photos.
The Consulate of Honduras will tell
you what documents are currently needed. All of this paper work
should be submitted to the nearest Honduran consulate or embassy.
Charges for document processing differ by consulate or embassy
location but should run between $300 to $500. To obtain residency
status, a foreigner must show that he has permanent income from
abroad in the amount of not less than $600 per month if the status
applied for is a resident pensioned, $1,000 per month if the
status applied for is a resident rentista. You should engage a
Honduran lawyer to assist you with the residency application process.
After you have resided in the country for three consecutive years,
you are eligible to apply for Honduran citizenship.
Advantages of Honduran Residency
If you have residency status, you can bring in
all your household items at one time with a duty free exemption
under some residencies. You may bring in a new car and boat every
5 years if you have a retired residency status. Several attorneys
specialize in helping you with a residency for Honduras.
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