If you are 45 years or older, you can qualify for Belize’s Retirement Program, and if you qualify, you can also include your dependents in the program. Dependents include spouses, and their children under the age of 18, and persons under the age of 23, who are enrolled at university.
If you qualify for retirement residency, you will be exempt from paying taxes and levies on all income or receipts that accrue to you from sources outside of Belize—whether that income is generated from work or from investment. Belize’s retiree program offers attractive incentives to foreigners looking to relocate here—particularly those who are already planning to declare their permanent residency outside the U.S. However, as a Qualified Retired Person (QRP), you are not allowed to undertake paid employment in Belize.
You must spend an equivalent of one month in Belize annually to maintain your status as a retiree resident. To qualify for the program, you must be in receipt of at least $2,000 a month (or the equivalent of at least $24,000 a year) from pensions or annuities (or other income) generated outside of Belize, and you will be required to submit a number of documents to verify your claims, in your application.
Ben was born again at the age of nine in Southern California and baptized by Immanuel Missionary Baptist Church under the pastorate of Dr. E.A. Sharver. Ben is married to his beautiful and loving wife Terese and has successfully raised their five awesome children, Stephanie, John, Amber, Aaron & Samantha. He answered God’s call to the Gospel Ministry in 2000 under the pastorate of Mike Raines in Norman, Oklahoma. Within the Lord’s churches he has held the positions of music director, teacher, youth minister, treasurer, and interim pastor and has chaired building, missions, finance, bus ministries and pastor search committees. Ben is currently attending Heritage Baptist Institute and Seminary in Missouri City, Texas. He has been involved in missions and church planting for most of his life and is no stranger to the processes and challenges of mission work and community evangelism. He is fairly fluent in Spanish and has lived in Peru (Lima and the Amazon) and Kenya. He enjoys singing conventional church music, southern gospel and contemporary Christian music and loves to play guitar. Ben was most recently employed by BP America (British Petroleum) Corporation as a safety and health professional and Crisis Management Advisor. Ben has worked in the oil and gas industry for more than thirty years holding positions of management in some of the largest energy sector corporations in the U.S. and the world. He has extensive leadership experience in the church, corporations, civic, and professional organizations. Preparing to take early retirement from BP in December 2010, again, Ben has answered God’s call to the foreign mission field and is preparing for service in Belize, Central America.
Terese became a child of the King at 14 years of age as a result of neighbor’s faithfulness, love and willingness to pick her and her brothers up and take them to Sunday School and church. Terese is married to her loving husband, Ben and is so thankful for her five beautiful children, Stephanie, John, Amber, Aaron and Samantha. Children are her blessing and she counts it all joy that she is able to teach them about Jesus Christ the Lord. She is committed to her family, and her husband’s ministry. Terese has extensive experience running several different businesses including electrical contracting and real estate, not to mention a very active household with five children and all their friends. Terese enjoys arts and crafts, baking and serving others. She has a great burden for missionaries everywhere and looks forward to any opportunity to help them and be a part of their work wherever she can. She has served leadership roles in church and local associations as teacher, VBS Director, President and Vice-President of local and associational auxiliaries and has planned and produced successful women’s conferences.
