How Long Can You Stay in Honduras?
This is a question that I often get. The answer is up to a total of 120 days or 4 months. This is how long you can stay in Honduras!
The CA4 Treaty.
But there is a catch to this. You see, Honduras is part of regional treaty known as the CA4 Treaty. The CA4 treaty includes four Central American Countries: Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. The CA4 treaty allows citizens of these four countries free transit within the region.
The above means that if you are a citizen of the before mentioned countries, the only travel document you need is your voter ID card. This is convenient for citizens and legal residents. But does it affect you as a tourist traveling through the region? The answer is yes, it does and you should know all about it when making your travel plans to Central America!
You see the CA4 Treaty limits the total time tourists can stay in the CA4 region. This means that you have 120 days in total between your stay in all four countries. If you plan on staying more than the total 120 days in the CA4 Treaty region, you will need to exit the region after 120 days. After that, you can get another 120 days. But first you must be out of the CA4 Treaty countries for at least 72 hours. If you are in Nicaragua or Guatemala, this is simple. All you need to do is to visit Costa Rica to the South if you are Nicaragua. If in Guatemala, go to North to Mexico or East to Belize.
Your Alternatives if You Are in Honduras
If you are in Honduras, most tourists end up visiting Belize. This because Belize is closer and more affordable than travel to than Costa Rica. There are two alternative ways to do the above. You can fly with Tropic Air from San Pedro Sula or Roatan to Belize. The second, more affordable alternative is to take the D Express Ferry between Puerto Cortes and Belize. The ferry operates twice a week, and will allow you to be away from the CA4 Treaty region for the required 72 hours. Under good weather, the trip will take about 2 hours from Puerto Cortes to Dangriga, and another hour to Placencia.
The D Express Ferry is not a fancy boat, but it is fast and seaworthy. I hope this short note answers the question: How long can you stay in Honduras! I also hope that you understood how the CA4 Treaty affects you as a traveler in Central America.
July 9, 2018 @ 11:45 pm
My wife lives in Honduras. Can I drive a car from the USA and leave it there for her to use?
July 10, 2018 @ 3:49 pm
Good morning Peter.
You can certainly drive a car to Honduras from the US. However you should legally import it if you plan on leaving it here permanently. Keep in mind that officially, you can only import cars that are 7 years old or newer. When you drive a car into Honduras that has non Central American Plates the entry will be stamped on your passport. This is to insure that you cannot leave the country without the car. Thus, you need to legalize it. As a general rule, you will be given three months to have the car on your passport. You can get an extension of up to 3 more months, to make a total of 6 months. After that you either need to import it legally or leave the country with it. You could in principle have your wife waiting for you at the border and have the car stamped into her passport instead of yours. This would make it easy for you to leave without taking the car with you. But then it will be she you will have problems leaving the country.
July 10, 2018 @ 4:35 pm
Thank you for your speedy reply.
July 26, 2018 @ 11:45 am
Is it possible to do 90 days in/72 hrs out more than twice in a year? I’m a U.S. citizen wanting to spend 12 months total in Roatan.
July 27, 2018 @ 1:06 am
Hi Colleen! Yes it is possible, but you will need to go outside the CA4 treaty countries. This means that you have to go beyond Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. If you go to Costa Rica, Belize, Mexico or any country beyond you should have no troubles.
September 5, 2018 @ 2:50 pm
I want to stay working on my project in Northern Honduras for another 2 weeks beyond the 90 days that I will start in late October. I have to buy round-trip tickets now and here in US, of course. How can I be sure, if I buy tickets that include those extra days in my itinerary for my return trip, that I will actually get approved for that extension when I go to San Pedro Sula to buy the permit? Is there a risk that they would find some reason to refuse me the extended stay?
September 6, 2018 @ 2:19 pm
Hello Joan!
I do not think that the immigration authorities would refuse you an extension. However, it is they who have the final word and can determine to give it to you. IF you are doing a social project or investing in Honduras, I am quite sure you will be able to convince them for that two week extension.
September 15, 2018 @ 3:50 am
John, THANK you for being so helpful to foreign travelers regarding foreign stays. I initially planned to go to Belize and return to Roatan the same day in order to get an additional 90days stamped in my passport but your report on 72hrs really helped me to avoid an expensive mistake. I will revamp my plans to include the 72hrs and then return to Roatan with hopes of securing an additional 90days.
January 4, 2020 @ 12:25 am
My daughter and I have been in Honduras for 7 months. How much do I have to pay for the fine for over staying. I honestly didn’t know about the time limit being in Honduras
January 7, 2020 @ 11:58 pm
Good day Jocelyn! Thank you for reaching out to us! You will need to stop by the immigration offices nearest to you to find out what your fine will be. I recommend doing so before you depart to avoid unpleasant surprises that might make you miss your departure flight!