If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, once you have married your Belize fiance or you have lived together for one year as common-law partners, you can sponsor him or her for permanent residence in Canada.
Requirements To Get Married in Belize
- Proof of citizenship
- Passport or birth certificate
- Original divorce certificate or death certificate if applicable
- A senior justice of the peace to witness the signing of the application
Costs Of A Belize Wedding
The cost of the license is $100 or BZD$200 per couple, plus an administrative fee of $5 or BZD$10. Licenses can be obtained within two days.
Steps to get married
- The first step to getting married is that both the couple must reside in Belize for at least three days prior to their license application being processed.
- The applications must be made with the registrar general’s office in Belize with the supporting documents stated above.
- The application process takes a day to be completed
- After the one-day application processing period, the license to marry will be ready
- The wedding must be performed by either a senior justice of the peace who has authority to marry or a minister of a registered church
- There must be two witnesses at the ceremony.
- The marriage must be registered with the registry department after the marriage ceremony is completed
- The registration process takes about 10 weeks and the marriage certificate will be mailed to the couple.
Commonly observed local marriage customs
- Belize is home to many different ethnic groups, including Chinese, Creole, East Indian, European, Garifuna, Lebanese, Mayan, Mennonite, and Mestizo, each with their own cultural and linguistic traditions.
- Belizean women often have children at quite a young age and not necessarily within marriage. Some of these women do get married and some remain in common law unions and have more children. Others never marry and as a result, extended families, siblings, and friends frequently pitch in and help raise the children.
- In poor families, women often depend on men. They will often stay at home to look after and raise the children and maintain the household while men earn money for the family.
- Belizean marriages are commonly celebrated with church weddings and colorful receptions featuring food, drinks, and dance.
- Among the creoles and Garifuna culture, they tend to be in prolonged common-law unions that are eventually recognized
- Among the maya culture, men and women start their conjugal lives before the age of 18
- Among the mestizos, they start a few years later and tend to remain in long-lasting unions.
Possible Challenges for Getting Married in Belize
- same-sex marriage is still illegal in Belize
Sponsoring Your Spouse From Belize To Canada
Questions commonly asked at sponsorship interviews
- When, where and how did you meet your spouse
- What does your spouse do for a living?
- Where does your spouse work? And their salary
- When and where did you get married
- Do you receive any financial support from your spouse? Any proof?
- Have you ever been on any trips together?
- How many siblings does your spouse have?
- Any of the family member attended the wedding
What kind of documents are frequently requested?
Checklist
- Document Checklist – Spouse (including dependent children of spouse) [IMM 5533] (PDF, 3.7 MB)
- Use your checklist to make sure you include all the forms and documents you need.
- Place the checklist on top, as a cover page for your application package
Sponsorship Application Forms for Belize Applicants
Forms for the sponsor to fill out
- Application to Sponsor, Sponsorship Agreement and Undertaking (IMM 1344) (PDF, 588.96 KB)
- Sponsorship Evaluation and Relationship Questionnaire (IMM 5532) (PDF, 2.21 MB)
- Use of a Representative [IMM 5476] (PDF, 648.31 KB)
For the person being sponsored (principal applicant):
- Generic Application Form for Canada [IMM 0008] (PDF, 652 KB)
- Additional Dependants/Declaration [IMM 0008DEP] (PDF, 433.80 KB)
- Additional Family Information [IMM 5406] (PDF, 570.00 KB)
- Schedule A – Background/Declaration [eIMM 5669] (PDF, 597.99 KB)
Use of a Representative [IMM 5476] (PDF, 648.31 KB)
Longer processing times than the official government listing of 12 months?
The processing time can take up to 17 months for the outland sponsorship application
Do people in Belize engage in arranged marriages/matchmaking? Or are marriages usually love marriages?
Marriages in Belize are usually love marriages. Little to no information was found on arranged marriage in that country.
Are documents issued in Belize issued in any language other than English or French? If so, what language(s)?
NO, there are many languages in Belize because of the different cultures however English is the official language of the country
Unique Sponsorship Application Requirements from Belize
Belize – Additional forms for residents
- There are no extra forms for Belize.
Is a TRV required for a person from Belize to enter Canada for In-Canada sponsorship?
YES, a TRV is required for a person from Belize to enter Canada if they wanted to do in-Canada sponsorship
