Great news for those traveling to and from Belize—the country has launched a digital form for your Customs and Immigration documents. Perhaps you are attending the Live And Invest Overseas Belize Conference later this month… if you haven’t visited recently, this will be a new process for you.
While Belize is a developing country, they do focus and prioritize improvements that impact the tourism industry, since it is the top source of revenue for the country.
Previously when flying into the Philip Goldson International Airport (PGIA), your airline would distribute paper forms for both Customs (one per family) and Immigration (one per person) as you approached Belize. More times than not, the flight attendants would run out of forms mid-way through the plane, or in the case of our last inbound trip, had no forms on board at all.
What that meant for folks who didn’t receive paper copies on board to fill out was that they would have to get a form in the terminal, then try to complete it while standing without a writing surface while dozens of other passengers race to do the same.
As a pre-planner, this caused me massive anxiety! It was so much easier to complete the form while comfortably seated on the air-conditioned plane, with a tray table to write on.
For those that forgot to pack a pen for filling out forms, it was considerably easier to borrow a pen on the plane, than to expect a stranger to wait in the terminal for you to finish using theirs!
The new form is available here.
Depending on your airline, they may provide a link to the site when you book your airfare, and you can complete it in advance of your departure, so it is one less thing to be concerned with on your day of travel.
My 71-year-old father arrives to visit later this month, and he had no issues navigating the website or completing the forms, other than questions he would have had with the paper form—namely, “What is the address where I am staying?”, and, “What district am I staying in?” (Districts are the Belize equivalent of states—regions within the country—you may want to search which district your destination is in advance of your trip).
The digital form went into use on December 1st of last year, at the international airport only, and overall, the response has been very positive—it is user-friendly and dependable. Like all new technology, there are occasional glitches, so I still suggest packing an ink pen in case you have to revert to paper forms.
Customs and Immigration will continue to accept both the digital version and paper forms for the first three months while in the testing mode, then phase out paper forms entirely. This also reduces paper consumption, resulting in less trash.
After the preliminary testing period at the PGIA, the process will be implemented at Belize’s other ports of entry.
I wanted to see the new technology first-hand and it certainly simplifies the process. I most enjoy the drop-down menus for questions like, “purpose of your trip” and “accommodation type”—the multiple-choice answers make your reply foolproof.
They also clarify what your “Port of embarkation” means—it’s the last city you visited before entering Belize. I never knew if I should write down Dallas, Texas, where our layover was, or our origination city of Phoenix, AZ. The digital form clears up all confusion. (And with a 5 am departure time, my brain was definitely a little foggy by the time we landed in Belize!)
When you leave Belize… if you leave Belize… you can complete the exit documents via the same web link, as well.
Belize hears visitors’ requests for streamlined, digital experiences, and feels that the change will result in faster and more convenient passage through customs and immigration… meaning you get to your destination sooner and with less stress!
Sincerely,
Sharon Lord
Contributor, In Focus: Caribbean
