Driving down with my dog and cat.

Can't help with your questions about Canada, but make absolutely sure you do your due diligence in researching driving through Mexico.  I have never done it but have heard many negative things, especially lately.  You have to pick your routes very carefully, be prepared to pay bribes, drive only during the day (and know where is safe to stay overnight).  The only way I'd consider doing it would be with a caravan of people who had made the drive before and knew the ropes. 

Good luck and safety first!

Hi Tena...I am in Alberta and have some similar questions as you....I am heading down for about 6 months or so to figure things out in person instead of all this online info...which is great, however, remember the saying about the horse's mouth?...I too want my SUV down there!...this is what I do know so far...and this comes from Canadians who are land developers there where I bought my land...there is a great retirement program there that allows you to import your goods for free and also offers other incentives...the importing part is mucho $$ so that program helps out...the containers are 4 or 5 thousand...so if you share perhaps...I don't really have much else that I want to bring so a container for me is tough...this is where I started... http://internationalliving.com/countries/belize/live/ 

please feel free to chat anytime...

I haven't driven in Mexico since the '80s and it was not good then so I can relate to being in a caravan. Thank you for the good advice. CaribeGal.
Octobergirl, I looked it that retirement thing and you have to have a income of $2000 a month US. I have a bit less, so that lets me out of that.
Guess I will just have to be a plain resident, and pay all the taxes. I will probably be renting there as I want something rural as I like being out of the hussel and bussel of city life. I really did not spell that right but you get the idea...lol. I will look at the link thank you for sending it.

Hi Tena...you know I did read somewhere that you only had to prove $1000...however remember the horse's mouth!...what I do know, is that this is one of the only countries left that is so free and untouched that I decided sight unseen to buy my property, and I don't regret a second of that decision...I have done a ton of research online and it is still a bit wishy-washy...I have been adn have some great local friends who have shown me their side of life there and there are far greater "deals" to be had than the internet can supply...on average, a 2 bdrm house or apartment can be found for $350BZ...which is $175 US...I should say this, this i in San Ignacio up in the rainforest area...about 2.5 hrs west on Belize City...there are quite a few ex-pats there...lots of rivers and beautiful areas...and just a couple of hours to the beach if you want to hang out for a few days in a little fishing village in a cabana right on the beach...I have a friend from Florida who spent 3 months there, and she loves Punta Gorda area...very laid back...beautiful land as well...on the ocean, but very untouched...where in BC are you?...there is a great environmentalist fella that also bought property where I did, he is in Kelowna...he is very well "schooled" on BZ and everything else on earth!...he may be your best help...his name is Ron Dewhurst...  [email protected]  One of the things he does is set up sustainable communites in central and south america as well as stopping the de-forestation of the rainforests...he has a couple of websites too...www.carbonremove.com and kabwayinc.com....keep me posted on your journey...maybe we'll meet up someday for coffee....if you have a regular email you could send me....mine is [email protected] good care..

octobergirl wrote:

Hi Tena...you know I did read somewhere that you only had to prove $1000...however remember the horse's mouth!

The Belize QRP (Qualified Retirement Program) requires $2000 in documented income per month. 

Belize QRP Requirements

Permanent residency is more flexible and has no income documentation requirements but does require staying in the country for a year (only 14 days away are allowed) before applying.

Hi girls, we are a family of 5 driving down with 2 dogs and i was thinking my cat but he would probably get eaten down there lol, so i have some similar interests as you ladies as well but i am not retired, i have an online job that allows me to work anywhere , but i do have questions about how to homeschool my kids , get my dogs in across the border and renting a house on ambergris caye, we are going to do the drive downa nd then look ourselves in person as we think it would be easier and better selection in person than tryiong to find listings online.

If you are going to drive through Mexico, please be sure to have all the proper documents for your animals to get them out of Mexico...just sayin'.

Barefootgirl wrote:

If you are going to drive through Mexico, please be sure to have all the proper documents for your animals to get them out of Mexico...just sayin'.

That's a good point -- every country has different requirements for bringing pets in and exiting.  I don't know what Mexico's requirements are, only Belize's.

I have traveled into Mexico from the US with animals and there wasn't a restriction to take them in, but US docs were required to get them out.  Mexico is a horrible place to have to leave your pets.

If you really want to do the drive, consider getting a friend or 2 to make the road trip with you.

As far as I know you can still get dual Citizenship for Canada Belize. As far as I know you can apply 5 years after getting residency.

First, I wish you Ladies all the best , and I hope , maybe I would be able to meet you somehow in Belize, this coming winter season .

I am (two of us) in Oaxaca now, and shortly we going to start to drive south.
Yes we want to get to Belize , and we are contemplating to retire over there .

I hope , someone will be able , especially caribegirl, please if you can . (am I right ?)
end up my confusion about bringing my 2 dogs to Belize , same our small RV and tow car .

1. Dogs
Two of them , one small poodle, brought from US almost four years ago , and bigger one , the girl adopted in Mexico, slightly over a year now .

I am confused about this , faxing, getting back something from agriculture dept . My dogs are going to be with us in RV on the border , none of them can have current papers from US, to long
time in Mexico , or born here .
They are current on all vaccines , over here , locally .
What do I really need , we want to cross in Chetumal, should I see the vet just before hitting the border ?
I am very afraid to fall in some expensive scams in Belize , with vet involved and special documentation , very expensive, I read something like of this sort, yes on Internet .

Another thing which confuses me deeply .

Rabbi , vaccine can not be younger than 1 month , and no older than half of the year , what is this !!!!
My dogs had ones in July , and we plan on crossing in January, what  should I do .
It is once a year shot, literally .

Please, please explain to me, like to the child , if you can .

2.

How about bringing RV and tow car , how complex it is going to be ? If we will say we would like to stay for 1 month ( what we really want to do on the beginning , but planning to come back,
if we like it, and is doable for us) , will we have to go
through some import procedure ?
How costly it is, we are vagabonds on the budget,low budget .

Please help .

3. Can I take dogs on the ferry to the Islands ?

4. Can I find accommodation with them for few days over there ?
Sure, yes , I read, it is some organization helping animals
on the island, would they help me to find place to stay with dogs ? I would donate, and besides I already adopted Mexican dog .
Would tent help ?

5.
Is it doable to rent from local people a piece of land for RV ? for let say 1 month and explore Belize on the car ?

If yes, where is the best place to look for this kind of deal .

( again I read about couple who did it with class A RV , and stayed for 1 year,
to obtain residency .)

Gossip, fantasy, or can be done , any tips ?


thank you so much and again good luck to all
greetings
eva

oops, sorry , CaribeGal.. eva

Hello evafla,

I will try to answer your questions as simply as possible.  Keep in mind that I came from the US, not Mexico, so your requirements may be a bit different.  Someone mentioned needing some special paperwork to take your animals out of Mexico.  I don't know anything about that.  But I can help with the info on bringing them INTO Belize. 

I also can't help with the vehicle/RV questions as we don't have a vehicle here and flew in.  I am sure you are aware that you will have to leave your vehicles on the mainland, though.  You will not be allowed to bring them to the island. 

evafla wrote:

Two of them , one small poodle, brought from US almost four years ago , and bigger one , the girl adopted in Mexico, slightly over a year now .

I am confused about this , faxing, getting back something from agriculture dept . My dogs are going to be with us in RV on the border , none of them can have current papers from US, to long
time in Mexico , or born here .

They are current on all vaccines , over here , locally .
What do I really need , we want to cross in Chetumal, should I see the vet just before hitting the border ?
I am very afraid to fall in some expensive scams in Belize , with vet involved and special documentation , very expensive, I read something like of this sort, yes on Internet .

Another thing which confuses me deeply .
Rabbi , vaccine can not be younger than 1 month , and no older than half of the year , what is this !!!!
My dogs had ones in July , and we plan on crossing in January, what  should I do . It is once a year shot, literally .

You will be fine with that rabies shot, but you will need rabies certificates from Mexico for both dogs.  The vaccine only has to be done within one year, not six months, for entry into Belize.

In addition to the rabies certificates, you will need a vet certificate of health for both animals within 14 days of leaving Mexico. 

You will also need to apply for BAHA approval to get them into Belize.  This approval is good for 90 days, so I would apply for it immediately if you are planning to cross into Belize in January.  If you don't take care of this ahead of time, this is where you might have to pay a lot of extra fees.  We paid $75 BZ to bring our dog in because we had followed all the rules. 

All instructions are included on the BAHA web page here. If you follow these instructions, you will be fine.

On this page is a link to the application form you need to fill out for each pet.  This needs to be faxed to BAHA, or you can scan or take a digital photo of it and attach it to an email to BAHA if you don't have access to a fax that can call internationally. 

You do not need any paperwork from the US.  You are importing the animals from Mexico, not the US.

evafla wrote:

3. Can I take dogs on the ferry to the Islands ?

Yes.  The smaller one is probably no charge.  The larger one, they may charge you and make you take it in a crate.  If you don't have a crate, I believe they have crates to rent, at least they do in San Pedro, so I am assuming they have them other places as well.

evafla wrote:

4. Can I find accommodation with them for few days over there ?
Sure, yes , I read, it is some organization helping animals
on the island, would they help me to find place to stay with dogs ? I would donate, and besides I already adopted Mexican dog .
Would tent help ?

It would not be safe to stay in a tent, I don't think.  If you are determined to come to Ambergris Caye/San Pedro, you can probably stay at Pedro's Inn with your dogs for a reasonable rate.  You should call and make reservations as January is high season, and many places will not take pets.  You don't want to get here and not have a place to stay. 

Also, keep in mind that if you are on a shoestring budget as you say, Ambergris Caye is by far the most expensive place in Belize to live.  I would strongly suggest you consider staying and exploring your options on the mainland instead since you have vehicles and a limited budget. But that is your decision, of course.  Hopkins Village is on the coast, has a humane society, and is less expensive, so that might appeal to you, but only you know what you are looking for.

I wish you the best of luck!

Dear CaribeGal, thank you so very much for your respond .
Great, great help, which I appreciate a lot .
However, I am still confused about this BAHA procedure .
Please correct me if I am missing something here .

I understood, I need to print , fill out application and
from outside of Belize, fax it to one of the location of BAHA in Belize .
They should fax the permit to me back, and later on , on the border
Mexico/Belize I present it and pay the fees, is it correct  ?

Does it mean , in order to obtain this permit I need to stay
in one place, where I have an access to the fax , which number
I supplied to them , for time they process it  ?
How long does it take ?

In our case it is quite complicated task , now we renting the house , but in very remote location,
and in few almost days we will be on the road , at least we plan so.

Please let me know , did I understand all this process correctly,
so I can try to adjust our conditions accordingly .

Best regard and greetings , and thank you very much one more time

eva

evafla wrote:

They should fax the permit to me back, and later on , on the border Mexico/Belize I present it and pay the fees, is it correct?

Does it mean , in order to obtain this permit I need to stay
in one place, where I have an access to the fax , which number
I supplied to them , for time they process it  ?
How long does it take ?

Yes eva, your understanding is correct.  However, if you will not be in the same place, you can ask them to fax it back to a different number. I would put that request on the fax cover sheet and also in an email to them. 

It should only take a week for BAHA to process your request.  However, sometimes something happens (it did in my case) and you will need to email or call them back and ask.  In my case, I waited 10 days and then emailed.  I got a fax back within an hour.

The person I had good luck with emailing was:

Ms Melody Robateau
Administrative Assistant/Permit Officer
Secretary (Belize Veterinary Surgeons Board)
Animal Health Department
Belize Agricultural Health Authority
Central Farm, Cayo District
Tel:(501)824-4899/4872
Fax:(501)824-4889/3773
Email:  [email protected]

A little note about the pet permit, we never got a fax back with the actual permit.  When my husband called asking for it, they just gave him a permit # over the phone.  I brought all the documents with me (including my e-mails to Ms Melody) and made a 2nd copy of the vaccines and Internation health cert. which was good b/c they asked to keep them.  An actual permit would be better, but if you can't get that, give them a call to get a permit #.

I'm interested in what advice you got and whether you have made the trip yet. My fiance and i want to drive down thru MX with our truck and 4 companion birds. Any insight from you or others that responded to your post?

dianne118 wrote:

I'm interested in what advice you got and whether you have made the trip yet. My fiance and i want to drive down thru MX with our truck and 4 companion birds. Any insight from you or others that responded to your post?

Us too! We are curious if the RV trip was a success and how it was driving it through Mexico? We are also interested in whether you were well received in getting a permit to take the RV to the island. Thanks.

doglady wrote:

We are also interested in whether you were well received in getting a permit to take the RV to the island. Thanks.

I would be extremely surprised if anyone ever gets a permit to take an RV to any of the islands of Belize.  Never saw one on Ambergris Caye, which is of course the most developed island with most vehicles.  It's hard enough just to get a permit for a private car.  Most expats drive golf carts, and to get a permit for those, you have to be QRP or Permanent Resident.  Otherwise, you rent them.  There are already far too many motorized vehicles, taxis (mostly old US mini-vans in horrible condition), trucks, etc. on the island given its infrastructure and size, IMO.

Our intention was not to drive the vehicle once it was there. Our intention was to find a place to park it and live in it until we finished our build. I haven't ever seen one there either but maybe its because the streets are not wide enough and the clearance of the shop banners are not high enough to accommodate one on a daily basis. Our hope was to get it to the lot in the evening, where ever that might be and never move it until it was time to get rid of it.

I wish you well, of course, but still don't think an RV will be approved to go onto Ambergris Caye.  In our time there, we never saw a lot where vehicles like that could be parked.  Not to say we knew everything about the island, but more likely, you'll just want to park it in a lot in Belize City and take the ferry to the island. 

Emily

I have kept Am Staff terriers as companions for over 30 years.  For the last 15 yrs I have done pit bull rescue.  It has been suggested to me that Belize does not allow Pit Bulls.  Does anyone know if there is a breed prohibition in Belize or where to find out?  I know they breed and fight this breed in Mexico.  I strongly oppose dog fighting.   When we visited Corozal town the only dogs I saw were very small and appeared thin and unhealthy.  I am a retired veterinarian.  thank you

yes there are pitbulls and pitbull crosses in Belize.  Most people keep them as guard dogs.  A lot of people sell pitbull puppies.  The Belmopan Humane Society rescues abandoned dogs, many of them pitbull or pitbull crosses.

Cayo resident.

I am a Canadian who recently moved from Alberta to Belize.  You will not loose your CPP if you leave Canada.  But your CPP cheques will be deposited in a CANADIAN bank, not directly deposited in a Belizean bank.  Also, if you spend more than 1/2 the year outside of Canada, there will be a deduction from your CPP.  I don't rember what the percentage is.  Also, if you spend more than 1/2 year outside Canada, you will likely loose your Health Care Insurance, depending on the Province you are from.  You do not have to give up your Canadian citizenship to live in Belize, but can obtain dual citizenship.

I live in Ontario & we are only allowed to be out of the country for 7 months...any longer and you lose your health insurance.
Yes there is a deduction from your CPP...It is 25% per month.  Equals approx what you would be paying in yearly income tax.

We will be leaving for Belize next month.  I am having trouble getting a Health Certificate to leave the US and drive through Mexico to Belize.  I am trying to 2 originals (one for Mexico and one for Belize - they use the same form) and the vet is telling me that they can give me one to get into Mexico but need to find a vet in Mexico to get into Belize.  Everyone I know in Belize used the same certificate for both.  Any help would be appreciated.

Our US vet gave us two originals (signed in blue ink) to get into Mexico.  I would think yours would be willing to do that so you could use one of them for Belize.  Mexico only requires one original and a copy, which you can make at home or Kinkos, whatever.  The only possible "glitch" is how long it takes you to drive through Mexico to Belize as the certificate has to be dated within x number of dates of arriving in a country, and I can't recall what Belize's rule is about that.  So long as you are within that number of days, you should be fine. 

For Belize you also need to ensure you have an approved import form for BAHA...but hopefully you know about that.  There's plenty of info over on the Belize forum, or send me a PM if you need any help.  We've brought our dog into both countries without any problems!   

So the Health Certificate is just to get you into Mexico and you use the same one to get into Belize.  You won't have a Health Certificate showing Belize.  Is that correct?

Ksuemar wrote:

So the Health Certificate is just to get you into Mexico and you use the same one to get into Belize.  You won't have a Health Certificate showing Belize.  Is that correct?

If you're asking me, I don't know that for sure.  You said that other people you know have used the same form for both Mexico and Belize.  I have only gone from the US to Belize OR from the US to Mexico, never from the US through Mexico to Belize, and in all cases, I have gone via air.  I have heard that at least Mexico is much less strict about the forms when you drive in, but it all depends on which officer you get that day, I think, so it's best to be prepared and have the forms ready.

I would not count on any leniency in Belize, especially since there is a charge to bring your pet(s) in.  If you don't have the BAHA approval, they will charge you a lot more, so make sure you have that along with the health certificate.