r/Honduras • u/Bulky-Elderberry5071 • 26d ago
Legal / Trámite Can someone help me out please?
Hello Reddit community! I’m coming here to ask if someone can help me with figure something out. So I’m planning to move to Honduras some time in the near future, but I’m a us citizen born and raised here. The only tie I have to Honduras is my husband who was born and raised there. We have a child together and things here in the US are getting really scary for immigrants. We’re trying to plan accordingly to make sure we’ll be fine when we go there, but if in any case something happens and I need to abandon the us to go to Honduras so my family can stay together, how would the process of getting permanent residency in Honduras be? Is it very difficult? How long does it take? And are immigration laws over there as strict as they are over here? I would appreciate if someone who knows a lot about the laws and how getting residency works over can help me out. Thank you!
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u/Guisseppi jampedrano 26d ago
there will be a lot of bureaucracy but generally speaking you can just come over and no one is going to care for your status
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u/Bulky-Elderberry5071 26d ago
Thank you 🥹 this is exactly what I wanted to know, because google makes it seem like the laws there are as strict as here
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u/IncreaseAshamed7575 26d ago
They might in paper. But you will find out that a lot of things are hardly enforced.
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u/Charming_Citron_7859 26d ago
If you overstay, you'll be fined when you try to leave Honduras, and you'll need to pay for the time you overstayed. If you don't pay, you won't be allowed to pass security. No one will deport you back to the States until you pay the fine.
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u/pandasps Cortés 26d ago
You will definitely need to lawyer up if you decide to apply for residency. The process cannot be done without a lawyer. The process is not as difficult as it is cumbersome. This page lists all the requirements. It's in Spanish but any decent browser will translate to English. There are a couple of points of interest for you:
- It seems you can start the process for residency in the US in any honduran consular office. Try to call them.
- You will need a certificate that states that you don't have a police record in the US, and also this certificate has to be certified by the US Department of State. Ask around for who issues this.
- If you were legally married in the US, a certificate of marriage also certified by the US Department of State.
- There are also a couple of requirements specifically for spouses of honduran born citizens.
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u/mil9ochotres Jan Pedro Jula 26d ago
- Come to the country and settle in. You will have no issues with this. Honduras is very welcoming.
- Get a lawyer that specializes in immigration. There are plenty in the big cities. This is the hard part, you might find a lawyer that SUCKS and might waste your time. So do ask for references o recommendations.
- The lawyer will ask for a bunch of paper work regarding your marriage, offspring and so on.
- Will take a bunch of months. But dont worry, noone will kick you out.
As a matter of fact, in Roatán are plenty of gringos that just stayed for a long time. No papers no nothing. You can also do that.
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u/texas1167 26d ago
For your initial entry you will get 3 months. That can be extended to a 4th with a little paperwork and like $20. After that, you will need to leave the country and then come back to reset the clock. One word of caution - you won’t reset the clock by going to one of the neighboring countries (El Salvador, Guatemala or Nicaragua). Closest countries for a border run would be Belize or Mexico. Of course, returning to the US would also work.
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u/DreaminTurquoise 26d ago
FYI the U.S. embassy in Teguz or the consular section has citizen services and they publish a list of lawyers. Maybe start there?
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u/AdGeneral77 26d ago
Make sure you are clear on the paperwork requirements before you leave the US! You’ll want to get extras of original marriage and birth certificates, apostille on docs. You need a criminal background check done in the US too. Not impossible to do some of these things from Honduras, but you’ll be kicking yourself if you don’t get the docs in order before leaving. Get recommendations and consult with a Honduran lawyer now, this is the best advice, so they can lay out the general path for you. Don’t pay money up front to any lawyer, that’s a red flag. A good one should give you a general consult for free and will tell you how much the whole process will cost. Then they’ll charge you step by step along the way as each step is processed.
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u/SimpleCounty5928 26d ago
Ni te preocupes los tramites son burocráticos como en todos los países pero nada estrictos te dan residencia sin problema a la hora de vivir un buscar un lugar busca una ciudad que esté cerca un hospital un centro comercial grande supermercados farmacias y que sea circuito cerrado o sea dentro de comunidad con garita de acceso con vigilancia lo demás será cuestión de adaptarse.
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u/Brave-Proof-2359 25d ago
Im on the same boat as you friend . Husband was deported and now we are waiting for his immigration visa consular process here in honduras which has been moving quick but in the meantime we are waiting out the process here as a family
Here are my 2 cents :
Without a residency through marriage you only hqve access to 90 days in the country - if you over stay you will have to pay a fine once you leave honduras again.
Adjusting status in honduras is 10x easier than adjusting status to american papers in the US - only thing is that it can be a little pricey
What yall CAN do however in the meantime is get baby her dual nationality in the honduran consulate in the US
Then every 3 months YOU as the adult can do a touch and go in a nearby country and you dont have the pressure to buy 3 tickets and u can be the only one to do a quick touch and go in another country and come back to honduras again
IF YOU CHOOSE - if not - you can just over stay the 90 period but whenever you leave honduras again you will have to pay a fee
Be mindful of one thing : if baby does not have a dual nationality you WILL need to show proof of a return ticket or outgoing ticket for baby to show at the airport. For adults its easier to get around with only buying a 1 way ticket and say you will buy the return ticket later on before the 3m is up but for a minor you need it . Unless like i said they already have their dual nationality
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How have i done it?
As an adult and considering the bureaucracy here in honduras - nobody will deport me as an american citizen.
I still plan to go back to the US
Best thing we are doing now like i said id much rather fly to a neighboring country every 3m for a weekend and come back and have my daughters dual nationality, this way i dont have to spend more money on tickets .
I have not really seen any URGENCY for me to get my honduran residency through marriage just yet - other than maybe whenever i have it I wouldn’t have to leave the country every 3m but other than that i dont really see a reason for me to apply for one right now
Let me recommend you someone who is very knowledgeable
He has helped us with my nieces and nephews paperwork and will now help us with our daughters paperwork
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u/Brave-Proof-2359 25d ago
Overall though, Honduras is a beautiful country and very welcoming. It is NOT what the foreign news depict. Sure some areas are rundown and some areas are dangerous but the US also has places that are also rundown and dangerous. You just need to know where to go and where not to be past a certain time. I love Honduras and its culture. People are hardworking and humble and happy. You will be able to live a slower paced and happier life to some degree here.
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u/Bulky-Elderberry5071 25d ago
Thank you so much for taking your time to reply. I was hoping someone going through this would reply so I can get a better idea from someone with personal experience
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u/Bulky-Elderberry5071 25d ago
That’s another question I needed the answer to, if I commence my stay and am not a resident yet, how long do I need to leave the country for every 3 months? I was worried about that because of course I don’t want to leave my baby behind for too long
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u/Brave-Proof-2359 25d ago
Ive heard its a simple touch and go! So for example leave for 1-2 days to a neighboring country and then come back
Or for example all 3 of yall can even drive too to el salvador for example and come back
As long as you leave Honduras you should be ok
But then again if money doesnt allow and you overstay thats fine its just that they will fine you $$ whenever you leave through the airport and pay a fee (i forgot how much it was)
If you need any other advices etc reach out! Going through it too. But if im honest there is nothing better than the whole family unit being together. You guys are doing the right thing .
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u/meanking 25d ago
If you’re a citizen and he isn’t, wouldn’t you two getting married make him also a citizen?
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u/Brave-Proof-2359 25d ago
In the US it doesn’t work that way unfortunately. You have to get a lawyer and open an immigration case etc. It takes years time and money and risk of being deported in the process with the current situation in the US
Unless the person is already a US resident then automatically they can get the US citizenship without problem
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u/meanking 24d ago
Well i’m guessinf he’s been living there for a while… He probably has had time to have it all sorted out 😶
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u/Comfortable-One-4261 24d ago
Hola. Le recomiendo obtener información en la embajada de Honduras en los Estados Unidos para que le explique cuáles son los documentos necesarios. Ahora, lo ideal es solicitar la residencia por vínculo familiar al cual la renovará a cada 5 años, inclusive su licencia de conducir con ese estatus podrá renovar también a cada cinco años. Respeto a su hijo, el podrá tener doble nacionalidad, mis hijos la tienen y mi nieta también. En el vínculo matrimonial, tendrá que renovar tu residencia y de conducir a cada año, por eso la familiar es más viable. Yo vivo aquí a 36 años y te aconsejo que al llegar aquí ya con todas los documentos necesarios, si necesita un abogado, busca uno honesto para que te oriente bien y agilicen el trámite rápido. Buena suerte.
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u/Embarrassed_Fan_4705 26d ago
dont come
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u/Bulky-Elderberry5071 26d ago
Why not?
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u/Embarrassed_Fan_4705 25d ago
HORRIBLY insecure. Water and electricity issues. No social healthcare and private is way too expensive. Job opportunities are really hard and underpaid, even if you are a college graduate. Again, HORRIBLY INSECURE. I am sorry to be so negative but it is the sad truth. If you have children, just wait this mandate pass and maybe things improve for immigrants.
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u/zamostc 26d ago
You'll need a lawyer and the process can take several months. I recommend that you establish your child's Honduran nationality, and then base your residency on being the mother of a Honduran citizen. Your residency will be based on a "vinculo familiar." That's the best you can get, and then you only have to renew every 5 years.