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Guatemala Retirement Visa | A Complete Guide
What is retirement visa?
Retirement visas are a type of passive income visa that has been popular worldwide since the 1980s. Typically, they are issued to retirees who have sufficient retirement funds or stable income.
In general, global retirement visas have the following characteristics:
1. Applicant Qualifications: Typically, retirement visas require applicants to be retirees, reach a certain age, or have retirement funds.
2. Restrictions on Employment: Visa holders are usually not allowed to work locally.
3. Path to Permanent Residency: After residing in the destination country for a certain period, retirement visa holders can often apply for permanent residency or even citizenship.
If you’re interested in retirement visas or passive income visas, you might want to read our informative article: ‘Global Passive Income Visa | An Incomplete Guide‘.
Guatemala Retirement Visa:
The Guatemala Retirement (Pensionado) Visa is a passive income visa issued by the local government to financially independent individuals from overseas who have a sufficient and stable passive income. Although this program is named a “retirement visa,” there isn’t a specific age limit: individuals who haven’t reached retirement age but have enough income can also apply.
Currently, to apply for the Guatemala Pensionado Visa, you need to meet the following basic conditions:
1. Good health, no criminal record, and no threat to local security.
2. Minimum monthly passive income of $1,250 USD. If you have dependents accompanying you, the main applicant’s monthly income requirement will increase by $300 USD for each additional dependent.
3. You can own and operate a business or engage in commercial activities, but you cannot be employed in Guatemala.
4. Purchase valid health insurance to avoid using local public healthcare resources.
For holders of the Pensionado Visa, the Guatemalan government provides certain tax incentives and senior benefits.
Application Process:
To apply for the Guatemala Pensionado Visa, applicants need to submit their application in person at the Guatemalan Immigration Department or an overseas embassy/consulate. The general application process is as follows:
1. Appointment and Document Preparation:
First, you’ll need to gather all the required documents and schedule an appointment with the nearest Guatemalan embassy or consulate. You’ll also need to pay a visa application fee of $400 USD in advance.
Required documents for this program include:
- Applicant Identification Documents: This includes passports with at least six months of validity remaining for all main and dependent applicants, passport-sized photos, and relationship proof documents such as birth certificates and marriage certificates.
- Completed Application Form: You’ll need to fill out a retirement visa application form.
- Proof of Income.
- Proof of Health Insurance Purchase: You must purchase health insurance valid in Guatemala for each main and dependent applicant, covering them for one year.
- Police Clearance Certificate: All adult main and dependent applicants must provide a police clearance certificate issued by any region where they’ve resided for more than one year within the last five years.
- Proof of Visa Fee Payment.
All documents originating outside of Guatemala must be notarized, and all non-Spanish documents must be translated into Spanish.
2. Interview:
On your appointment day, you’ll bring all your paper documents to the embassy or consulate, fill out the application form, and complete the interview. The embassy will then forward your application to the Guatemalan Ministry of Interior.
3. Visa Issuance Decision:
The Guatemalan Ministry of Interior will be responsible for reviewing your application and will decide on visa issuance within 15 days.
4. Entry and Registration:
Once your application is approved, you can make your travel arrangements to Guatemala. It’s important to note that Pensionado visa holders must register their information and obtain a foreign resident card at the local immigration office within 15 business days of entry.
Dependents:
With the Guatemala Pensionado Visa, the main applicant’s spouse and financially dependent children under 25 can also obtain the visa as dependents.
Visa Validity:
The Guatemala Pensionado Visa is valid for a maximum of five years and can be continuously renewed under the original conditions upon expiration. However, if a Pensionado visa holder leaves Guatemala for a single period exceeding one year, their visa may be revoked.
After legally residing in Guatemala for two years and having no criminal record, foreigners are eligible to apply for permanent residency.
Foreigners who have held a legal Guatemalan visa for at least five years, have had a total absence from the country not exceeding 6 to 12 months within those five years, possess a command of Spanish, understand Guatemalan history and social customs, and have no local criminal record, are eligible to apply for Guatemalan citizenship.
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