Belize immigration & customs declaration
Belize Immigration Form
Belize requires an online immigration and customs declaration from every traveller, on arrival and on departure. One form now covers both, and it produces the QR code officers scan at the border.
The essentials
- 72 hours
- The window to file before you arrive
- One form
- Immigration and customs together
- QR code
- Scanned at immigration and customs
- 30 days
- Visa-free stay for many nationalities
How the service works
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Send your details
Passport, travel dates, where you are staying and what you are bringing in. One form, filled in once.
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We check and file
Names and passport numbers against the document, dates inside the window, customs answers reviewed before anything is submitted.
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You receive the QR code
It arrives by email. Save it offline and present it at immigration and customs when you land.
What makes the Belize form different
- Customs is inside the same form
- Belize merged the immigration and customs declarations. There is no separate customs slip to fill in on the plane any more, which means the questions about what you are carrying are part of the same submission.
- It applies at every port of entry
- The system started at Philip Goldson International Airport in December 2024 and extended to all ports of entry from January 2025 — including the land crossings with Mexico and Guatemala.
- Arrival and departure are separate
- A return trip needs two declarations. The departure one is filed later, once you are inside its own window.
- It is not a visa
- Many nationalities enter without a visa for up to 30 days. The declaration records information; the officer at the border still decides on entry.
Belize's online immigration and customs declaration
Belize's Department of Border Management and Immigration Services moved the old paper embarkation and disembarkation card online. Every traveller now files an immigration and customs declaration through the official portal before crossing the border, and receives a QR code to present on arrival.
Who has to file it
Everyone crossing a Belizean border, arriving and departing, by air, land or sea. Each traveller needs a declaration in their own name, so a family files one per person rather than one between them.
When the window opens
The declaration is accepted within the 72 hours before arrival. Filed too early it will not be accepted; left to the airport it depends on connectivity and time you may not have. The window is counted against the moment you reach Belize, not the moment you leave home — which catches out travellers connecting through Miami, Houston or Cancún.
What it asks for
- Passport details exactly as printed, including the expiry date.
- Flight or crossing details for the leg that actually enters Belize.
- Where you are staying, and how long you intend to remain.
- Purpose of travel, and the customs questions about what you are bringing in.
- An email address you can reach while travelling, because the QR code goes there.
At the border
You present the QR code to the immigration officer and again at customs. Most nationalities receive a visa-free stay of up to 30 days, subject to a valid passport, onward travel within that period and evidence of funds for the trip. Leaving overland through Mexico or Guatemala involves an exit fee paid at the border; by air it is normally already included in the ticket.
Where we come in
The declaration has no cost on the official portal. We are an independent agency, and our fee covers the work around it: checking your details against your passport, filing inside the window, and being reachable if something needs correcting. If you would rather do it yourself, the official portal is linked from the bottom of every page here.
Help
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Name mismatches, passport typos, missed 72-hour windows and skipped customs sections: the errors that slow down Belize arrivals, and how to avoid them.
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Belize Entry Requirements and Visa-Free Travel
A practical walkthrough of Belize entry requirements: visa-free nationalities, passport rules, onward tickets, funds, accommodation and stay extensions.
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Belize Land Borders and Exit Fees
A guide to Santa Elena and Benque Viejo del Carmen: the departure tax and PACT conservation fee, currencies accepted, opening hours, buses, shuttles and water taxis.
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Belize Customs: What You Can Bring
A practical guide to the customs half of the Belize travel declaration: cash, goods, gifts, food, medication, dive gear, drones and pets, and what declaring means.
Common questions
Is the declaration compulsory?
Yes, for every traveller arriving in and departing from Belize, at every port of entry, whether you travel by air, land or sea.
When can I file it?
Within the 72 hours before you arrive. The window is measured against your arrival in Belize, not your departure from home.
Do I still fill in a customs card on the plane?
No. Belize merged the customs declaration into the same online form, which is the main change from the old paper process.
Do I need one declaration or two?
Two for a return trip: one for arrival and a separate one for departure, filed later during your stay.
Does each traveller need their own?
Yes, including children. A family files one declaration per person.
What does it cost?
Nothing on the official portal. Our fee is for optional assistance, and we say so on every page.
Is it a visa?
No. Many nationalities enter visa-free for up to 30 days, and the officer at the border grants entry separately.
What if my details are wrong?
Correct them before you travel. A name that does not match the passport is the problem most likely to hold you up at the counter.
Belize requires an online immigration and customs declaration from every traveller, on arrival and on departure. One form now covers both, and it produces the QR code officers scan at the border.
Begin declaration