Belize Removes Entry COVID Test Requirement for Vaccinated Travelers

by Carolee Chanona

In February 2021, Belize became one of the first countries in the world to let vaccinated travelers skip testing. Now, after reinstating that entry test requirement for fully vaccinated travelers once more amidst concerns over rising COVID-19 Delta cases in August 2021, Belize allows entry via the airport, any land port, or seaport if fully vaccinated. If a traveler is not immunized or cannot present proof of being fully vaccinated, they’ll need to take a COVID-19 test inside Belize’s airport instead. With Statutory Instrument No. 36 of 2022, Belize drops its entry COVID-19 test requirement for fully vaccinated travelers entering through the international airport, land borders, or marine borders, effective March 1, 2022.

A Gradual Return To Normalcy

 

The Caribbean and Central American nation’s removal of the entry pre-test requirement is but one of a handful of eased restrictions within its latest mandate. Events can be hosted once again if participants are fully vaccinated—like the La Ruta Maya River Challenge—and facemasks have been dropped for outdoor activities. Plus, Belize no longer has a national curfew. Fully vaccinated means a person has received their primary series of COVID-19 vaccines (their single-dose or two doses of a double-dose vaccine) at least 2 weeks prior to arrival in Belize.

Non-immunized travelers will need to test inside Belize’s airport/at borders for US$50 per person; no pre-travel test will be accepted for non-immunized travelers. Children between the ages of 5 and 11 will not be subjected to take a COVID-19 test for entry into Belize.

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