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Belize Travel restrictions

All Remaining Belize Travel Restrictions Now Eliminated

All remaining Belize travel restrictions are now eliminated. Travelers no longer need to show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test to enter or leave Belize.

Earlier this week, Health and Wellness Minister Kevin Bernard signed a statute removing all remaining travel restrictions for anyone entering or departing Belize.

The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) published the ruling in a press release last night. It means Belize now joins Costa Rica and El Salvador as the only countries in Central America with no Covid restrictions of any kind.

There weren’t many restrictions left to begin with. Before now, Belize required travelers entering the country to either show proof of full (two shots) vaccination against Covid, or a negative test result taken within 72 or 48 of arrival (PCR and rapid antigen, respectively).

The new ruling eliminates these restrictions, both at the international airport and land borders.

Also eliminated is the travel health insurance that Belize required anyone entering the country to buy. This $18 insurance is now voluntary rather than mandatory. The BTB still recommends people buy the insurance to protect themselves against any “incurred medical and non-medical emergency expenses“. The responsibility is now on the tourist to do this or not.

Belizean citizens leaving Belize also no longer need to show proof of vaccination or have any testing requirements upon them.

There’s one small bit of confusion with the press release, though. This concerns some wording over the Gold Standard accommodations for travelers.

When Belize reopened its borders to tourism in October 2020, it required all travelers to stay only in Gold Standard hotels (since expanded to rental homes as well). These are accommodations conforming to the health and hygiene standards set out by the government.

The BTB website, on its Covid FAQ for tourists, has now dropped the “Gold Standard” moniker and says “BTB-approved” instead. It also says tourists “should” stay in BTB-approved accommodations, not “must”.

Last nights press release, however, says “international tourists are also reminded that they must book their stay at a BTB approved hotel.

It’s unclear whether that’s a wording error or something more deliberate. It shouldn’t make a big difference anyway. Most hotels and rental homes in Belize are BTB-approved at this stage, meaning, we presume, they count as “Gold Standard” accommodations.

The Government of Belize has been considering dropping the remaining travel restrictions for a while.

Kevin Bernard said last month his ministry believed the time was right to do so.

All I can tell you is that by principle, we at the Ministry believe it is now time to remove all restrictions. It’s now about personal responsibility,” he told a radio station.

He went on to stress the importance of vaccination, and said the government would be focusing on that going forward.

Belize eliminated all internal restrictions – social distancing, mask mandates, business closures, etc.) – in April. As stated above, it’s now the third country in Central America to drop all Covid restrictions.

Travelers should know that even though Belize has no Covid travel restrictions, other countries still do. If you’re leaving Belize, you may still have to show vaccination status or a negative test to enter your destination country.

CA Staff

CA Staff