Technical article

How Much Pension Do Central America and the Caribbean Ask For?

The ministry's requirement sheets set the pension at US$1,500 a month, paid through a Honduran financial institution.

By Neil Solomon · 6 min read

Picture a couple named Dan and Maria, both 58. They get US$3,200 a month between them, from a pension and rent on a small flat. They have heard that Central America and the Caribbean give "pensioner" residence. They want to know what the numbers are.

Two words come up again and again. A pensionado lives on a pension. A rentista lives on other income, like rent or interest. Countries often set a higher bar for the second. I read the government pages for ten places. Here is what is on them.

The monthly income tests

Dominican Republic

This was the cleanest set of pages. The immigration directorate says the pension must be at least US$1,500 a month, plus US$250 for each direct dependent. Salary does not count. The fees on the page are DOP 28,800 to file, DOP 3,500 for the card and DOP 6,300 for medical exams, a total of DOP 38,600. You need an insurance guarantee from an approved insurer and a letter from a Dominican bank.

Law 171-07 gives more detail. A rentista needs US$2,000 a month, shown for at least five years. The law asks no minimum age of the main applicant. It lists tax breaks, including no transfer tax on the first property you buy, half off the mortgage and property taxes, no tax on dividends and interest, and a duty exemption on household goods and one car.

The pages do not agree on three things. Processing time is 90 working days on the English page, and 45 on the Spanish page and in the law. The English page says one year of residence, while the law says the card is good for two years. The passport rule is six months on one line and one year on another. I do not pick.

Honduras

The ministry's requirement sheets set the pension at US$1,500 a month, paid through a Honduran financial institution. For a rentista it is US$2,500 a month, certified by a Honduran bank. Both sheets list a fee of US$300 and stamps of HNL 100 per applicant. A 2025 ministerial agreement repeats the two figures. A hosted copy of it also seems to allow applicants who are short on the amount to show at least half. I read that copy and a summary of it, not the gazette itself, so treat the half-amount rule as unconfirmed. Age, permit length and work rules were not on either sheet.

Belize

The tourism board runs the Qualified Retirement Programme. The current page says any person 40 or older can apply, with retirement income of US$2,000 a month or US$24,000 a year from outside Belize. The fees, in US dollars and non-refundable, are US$150 to apply, US$1,000 for the applicant, US$750 for each dependent and US$200 for the card. You must be in Belize for at least 30 consecutive days a year. Income earned outside Belize is exempt from tax.

An older 2016 programme document says 45, not 40. It also lists a card renewal fee of BZD 50 a year, where the current page says US$25. The 2016 document says no one in the programme may take gainful employment in Belize, and that time in the programme does not count toward permanent residence. The current page is silent on both. I trust the current page for the age and fee, and treat the old document as a warning to ask.

El Salvador

The rentista test is four monthly minimum wages for commerce and services. The minimum wage in that sector is US$408.80 a month, under a decree in force since 1 June 2025. Four times that is US$1,635.20. That is my arithmetic. No page states the dollar figure, so check that the wage and the four-times rule still stand. The first permit is valid up to a year. The fee is US$140 for people who are not from Central America. The extension is US$125 for one year or US$240 for two. The rentista may not do paid work, apart from state or municipal work and teaching. To get permanent residence you must first hold temporary status, and the fee is US$345. The pensionado page could not be reached, so none is given.

Jamaica

The agency that runs immigration has a retirement category for "retired foreign nationals who wish to retire in Jamaica." It gives no age and no amount. You show your pension and your bank statements. Applications are processed in three to six months. The Jamaican embassy in Brussels says something stricter: a retired person who has lived in Jamaica for over three years, then a one-year route that renews annually for three years. The agency page does not say that. Ask before you plan.

Bahamas

There is no retiree category on the government page I read. The nearest is permanent residence for "financially independent individuals or investors who are legitimate owners of a residence." Buying a home for BSD 1.5 million or more gets "speedy consideration." There is no income figure. The processing fee is BSD 100. The annual permit costs a non-refundable BSD 200 to process and is for people who want to live there for any purpose other than working.

Barbados

The Welcome Stamp is not for retirees. It is a 12-month stay for people who work remotely for employers outside Barbados. It costs US$2,000 for one person and US$3,000 for a family. You do not pay Barbados income tax. The special entry permit that older guides mention is not among the sources.

Where nothing usable was found

• Guatemala. The immigration page lists many kinds of temporary residence but not pensioner or rentista. The investor category shows a figure of US$100,000.
• Nicaragua. Law 694 is administered by the tourism institute. The rules I could read give no pension amount, age or fee. Law-text websites say more, but I do not use them.
• Cayman Islands. The immigration law says permanent residence may be granted to "persons of independent means." The pages with the amounts could not be reached.