Belize

Applicants must live in Belize for one year to be granted permanent residency. During this period, you cannot leave the country for more than 14 consecutive days.  In the past this requirement has been waived for retirees with a regular source of income, skilled people and investors.

The application process costs between US$250 to US$2,250 depending on your country of origin and takes 2-3 months if all requirements are met.  Applicants need to provide evidence of good health, proof of funds and a clean criminal record.

Some of the residency requirement overlap with those required for the Belize retirement program.

Nicaragua

Those wishing for a more permanent stay in Nicaragua can apply for resident status at the Office of Immigration in Managua.  The application process can be cumbersome and requires an original birth certificate authenticated by the Nicaraguan consulate in your homes country, locally authenticated evidence of good health, proof of funds, a certified police report from your home country and an approval note obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Relations.  (Some of the requirements overlap with those required under the Nicaragua retirement program covered below.)

For citizens of most countries, a deposit of US$2,500 is required to cover an airline ticket out of the country and processing fees also apply.  The process can take 6 months or more.

Costa Rica

Residency requirements and features change periodically and there can be significant delays in processing new applications.  At the time or writing, the application process under the Rentista program requires proof of US$1,000 per month for a single individual ($2,000 if applying jointly with a spouse), or, under the Inversionista program, an investment of at least US$50,000 in high- priority projects such as tourism, $100,000 in reforestation or $200,000 in any other business.

Applicants are required to supply a police certificate of good conduct from the country of last residence authenticated by the Costa Rican Consular office, an Interpol background check carried out in Costa Rica by the Minsitry of Public Security and a certified birth certificate.

Panama

A number of permanent residency programs exist in Panama including the Investor Visa (requiring a minimum investment of US$200,000); the Reforestation Visa (requiring a minimum investment of US$80,000 in an approved reforestation program); and the Person of Means Visa/Rentista Visa (requiring a CD in a local bank an/or residential property investments).  These programs are subject to change and investment amounts are revised frequently.  The progressive nature of Panama's retirement and residency programs have done much to underpin the interest in the market for Panama real estate among foreigners.

With the exception of the investment amounts required, the application documents required are similar for the main residency programs. These include a police clearance report from last place of residence, birth certificate and medical clearance from Panama.