Your move to Honduras is not as complicated as you may think. Honduras makes it very simple to obtain residency and move to Honduras to live.
These are some practical considerations you should take into account when planning your move to Honduras:
Residence
The three main types of residence are for retirees, for people with investment income outside the country, and for people who are interested in investing in their own future through a business of some kind. The process of obtaining residence and moving to Honduras varies depending on your nationality, with Canadians having to begin the process at home with the closest Honduran Embassy; Americans can complete their paperwork while in Honduras. All applicants are required to use a Honduran attorney to process the residence paperwork. Costs for obtaining residence and officially moving to Honduras will be about $2,500 per person, and time to complete varies from about six to nine months depending on the type of application.
Owning Property
Property ownership laws in Honduras are moderate for foreign nationals. You may personally own up to three-quarters of an acre in Honduras as a foreigner without residence. It is also easy to establish a Honduran corporation, which will allow you to own more. As a foreign national who has moved to Honduras, you will enjoy the same rights of ownership as any Honduran citizen.
Moving Your Belongings Here
Honduras has deep-water ports on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, facilitating the transporting of goods into the country when you move to Honduras. You can bring a 20-foot container from Florida to Roatán, for example, for $1,200. Also, the retirement residence category offers you a one-time opportunity to bring household goods in duty-free, and to import a duty-free vehicle every five years.
Communications
Communication systems in Honduras are good and improving daily. Telephones are available as landline, cell phone, satellite phone, or VoIP.
Most people take advantage of local cable and internet companies to set-up wireless internet at home. If you were wondering how to continue to pay your bills back in the U.S. after you move to Honduras, have no fear, because it is all possible via the internet. Just be sure to establish internet access to all of your banking and financial interests in the U.S. before moving to Honduras. Both cable and satellite television can also be enjoyed.
Building and Furnishing Your Home
Building costs in Honduras are reasonable and many excellent builders and architects are available. Average building costs for a house made entirely of wood range from $80 to $100 per square foot, depending on finish, and from about $100 to $120 per square foot for concrete construction. Excellent quality fixtures and furnishings can be obtained easily on the island of Roatan at a variety of stores offering imported and handcrafted items. Additionally, you can visit the mainland to buy furnishings and larger items which will cost less than importing your own from the U.S. San Pedro Sula, in particular, is an excellent place to shop for automobiles, furnishings, and all other items you may need.