The TerraMar Project, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting married in Belize
Planning the day from somewhere else? I handle the licence, the documents and the travel, for you and for everyone flying in.
The only English-speaking CARICOM country in Central America, with the world's second-largest barrier reef off one side and rainforest on the other. A wedding here is rarely only a wedding.
Timing
A few days on the island first
Every country asks you to be on the ground for a set time before it will marry you, and Belize sits at this end of the range. What exactly applies to the two of you depends on your circumstances, and sorting that out is where we start.
Best suited to: Couples building a proper trip around the day rather than a long weekend.
What I take off you
I handle the legal side and the travel. The florist, the photographer and the person running the day itself are local, and I will point you to them.
- The marriage licence for Belize, start to finish
- The exact document list for your situation, checked before you fly
- Flights into Belize for the two of you and for guests coming from different countries
- Accommodation, including a block of rooms held together for your guests
- Airport transfers and moving everybody around on the day
- One travel page for your guests, so you stop answering the same question forty times
You don’t have to do this yourself
I can handle the licence, the documents and the travel for a wedding in Belize for you. I work out what your country and your destination actually ask for, get the paperwork in order, and keep it moving, so you are not the one chasing offices and re-reading forms to figure out what happens next.
A few corners of Belize
Somewhere to start if you have not settled on a spot yet.
Belize Barrier Reef
The second-largest barrier reef in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, running the length of the coast and around dozens of cayes.
Great Blue Hole
A giant marine sinkhole on Lighthouse Reef: a signature dive site for the certified, and a dramatic sight from a scenic flight for everyone else.
Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley
A protected reef channel near San Pedro thick with fish, turtles and rays, next to a shallow sandbar where you can swim with nurse sharks and stingrays.
Caye Caulker
A laid-back island built around a "Go Slow" motto: golf carts instead of cars, easy snorkelling and day trips to the reef.
Marrying in Belize
How long do we have to be in Belize before we can marry?
A few days on the island first. The exact requirement depends on which licence applies to you and on your circumstances, and it is one of the first things I pin down, because it decides your flights and everybody's leave.
What do we need to bring to Belize?
That depends on where you were born, where you live now and whether either of you has been married before. The form the documents take matters as much as having them, and getting it wrong is what sends couples back to a registry a second time. I work out the exact list for your situation and check everything before you fly.
We are CARICOM nationals. Is it easier for us in Belize?
Getting in is easier, and staying long enough is simpler. The marriage licence itself is the same process as for anyone else who does not live in Belize, so do not assume free movement covers it.
Does marrying in Belize let us live there?
No. Marrying in Belize, or marrying a citizen, does not by itself give you the right to remain. That is a separate immigration question. If moving there is the real plan, tell me at the start and we sort both together.
Looking at more than one country? Compare the twelve and I will help you pick.
What it costs
$100
A Move Planning Consultation covering your wedding in Belize, the licence, the documents and everybody's travel, is $100, and it comes off the booking if you go ahead. Tell me what you have in mind and I will tell you what it actually takes.