Belize to Expand Regional Visitor Card Access for Mexicans

Love News has confirmed with local authorities that Mexicans from five southern states could soon have an easier way to visit Belize. Business leaders in Chetumal say Belize’s Immigration Department is set to formally begin issuing a regional visitor card on November 1, following months of discussions to restore access to local border passes. The arrangement would cover Mexicans from Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche, Chiapas and Tabasco.  According to reports from Mexico, BTIA President Efrén Pérez and Coparmex Chetumal representative Josué Osmany Palomo Hoil outlined the initiative following a business meeting. The reports say the immigration office in the border area has been attending to applicants by appointment on Mondays for the past two months. Beginning in November, that service is expected to expand to Monday through Friday. The proposed rollout follows other measures aimed at encouraging more visits from Mexico. Belize’s official tourism website lists departure-fee exemptions for residents of those same five states whose visits last less than seven days. Residents of Othón P. Blanco, which includes Chetumal, qualify for an exemption regardless of their length of stay.  There is also an established arrangement for travel in the other direction. Mexico offers Belizeans a Regional Visitor Card that allows multiple visits to its five southern states, for up to seven days at a time. Mexico’s immigration authority says that card is free and valid for five years.