Every way into Honduras.

Nationals of roughly 112 countries that are not visa-exempt must obtain a consular visa from a Honduran embassy or consulate before travelling for tourism or to visit family. The visa is generally issued for stays of up to 90 days and the fee is about USD 30 for single entry or USD 60 for multiple entry. Honduras does not operate an official eVisa system, so applications are lodged in person or by mail at a consulate. A valid CA-4 visa generally also permits travel within Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. The visa does not authorise work or lead to residence.

Government fee

$30

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

Nationals of around 117 visa-exempt countries (including the EU, US, Canada, UK and most of Latin America) may enter Honduras for tourism or visiting family without a visa. The stay granted is up to 90 days, but that 90-day clock is shared across the Central America-4 (CA-4) free-movement zone of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, counting from first entry into any CA-4 country. Travellers need a passport valid at least six months with two blank pages and evidence of onward travel; the stay can be extended once for a further period inside the country. Entry does not authorise work or study and does not lead to residence on its own.

Government fee

$0

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

Nationals from visa-required countries travelling to Honduras for business activity such as meetings, conferences or negotiations apply for a consular business visa at a Honduran embassy or consulate. It is issued for short stays of up to 90 days, with the same approximate fee as the tourist visa (USD 30 single / USD 60 multiple entry). Visa-exempt nationals may instead attend business meetings under visa-free CA-4 entry. The visa permits business activity but not local employment, and a single CA-4 visa generally allows travel within the four-country zone. It does not lead to residence.

Government fee

$30

Max stay

90 days

Validity

90 days

Foreign students enrolled at any level of the Honduran education system obtain a special permanence permit, one of the thirteen special-permanence categories granted for a maximum of five years (extendable until studies are completed). The student permit must be processed within 30 days of entry and the application made within the first 90 days. Applicants present an admission or enrolment certificate (constancia de matricula), proof of having passed the previous year's courses where applicable, a sponsor's statement covering subsistence and departure, plus Honduran/origin criminal records and a Honduran medical certificate. The fee is USD 100 per person per year. Permits are handled through a lawyer at the INM.

• Study: Authorises enrolled study at the admitting institution.
• Residency: Lawful study time can support a later change of status to residence.

Government fee

$100

Validity

365 days

Ministerial Agreement 374-2025 (effective 30 July 2025) created a flexible special residence under Article 21(8) of the Migration Law for foreigners who do not fit the standard rentista, pensionado, investor or worker categories. Rentier, pensioner and investor applicants qualify by showing at least 50% of the usual threshold (so about USD 750/month pension, USD 1,250/month income, or USD 25,000 investment); foreign workers qualify with at least two years of continuous residence and a valid work permit; humanitarian or family cases need at least 120 days of residence with supporting evidence. Applicants must show economic sustenance and a genuine reason to reside. The government fee is USD 150 plus a Lps 100 stamp.

• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency: Time accrued counts toward permanent immigrant status and naturalisation.
• Family: Family members may be added via dependent or family-link categories.

Government fee

$150

Validity

365 days

Min. income / month

$750

Foreigners hired by a Honduran employer obtain temporary residence with work authorisation tied to that employer. The application must be filed within 90 days of entry (extendable by 30 days) and requires an original job offer or work certificate from the employer plus the standard documentation: migratory-movement certificate, origin-country and Honduran criminal/police clearances, a Honduran medical certificate and notarised passport copy. Foreign-language documents must be officially translated and foreign documents apostilled/legalised. The residence card is renewed annually. Time spent legally employed counts toward permanent immigrant status and the naturalisation residence requirement.

• Work: Authorises employment with the sponsoring employer.
• Study: Lawful residence permits study alongside work.
• Residency: Counts toward permanent immigrant status and the naturalisation residence requirement.
• Family: Spouse and children may be included as economic dependents or family-link residents.

Validity

365 days

The rentier residence is for foreigners living on permanent, lawful and stable passive income from their own assets, generated abroad or in Honduras, of at least USD 2,500 per month (or local-currency equivalent), received through a Honduran financial institution. The applicant must also document assets, securities or other income-generating means with authenticated supporting evidence. Applications are filed through a legal representative with criminal/police clearances, a Honduran medical certificate and migratory-movement certificate; the government fee is USD 300 plus a Lps 100 stamp. The card renews annually and leads to permanent immigrant status. Under Agreement 374-2025, applicants meeting only 50% of the threshold may qualify for the special residence category.

• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency: Leads to permanent immigrant status (inmigrado) and then naturalisation after the qualifying period.
• Family: Dependent spouse and children included as economic dependents or family-link residents.

Government fee

$300

Validity

365 days

Min. income / month

$2,500

Investor residence is granted to foreigners who document a minimum investment of USD 50,000 (or local-currency equivalent) in any lawful economic activity in Honduras. Applicants must submit a feasibility study and investment timetable, a certificate of deposit of at least USD 5,000 issued by the Central Bank of Honduras to guarantee the investment, and proof of registration in the Investors Registry of the Secretariat of Industry and Commerce. The government fee is USD 300 plus a Lps 100 stamp, alongside the standard criminal, police, medical and migratory-movement documents. Investor residence is treated as permanent and leads toward immigrant status and naturalisation. Honduras has no citizenship-by-investment programme.

• Work: Authorises the declared investment/business activity in Honduras.
• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency: Permanent-character residence leading to immigrant status and naturalisation; no citizenship-by-investment route exists.
• Family: Spouse and children may be included as economic dependents or family-link residents.

Government fee

$300

Validity

365 days

Min. investment

$50,000

The pensioner residence is Honduras's main retirement route, granted to foreigners who prove a permanent, lawful and stable pension generated abroad of at least USD 1,500 per month (or local-currency equivalent), to be received through a Honduran financial institution. Applicants submit through a legal representative an application to the Secretaria de Gobernacion, with criminal and police clearances, a Honduran medical certificate and migratory-movement certificate. The government fee is USD 300 plus a Lps 100 stamp per applicant. The residence card is renewed annually; after the qualifying residence period the holder may apply for permanent immigrant status (inmigrado). Since Agreement 374-2025 (30 July 2025), applicants who can show only 50% of the threshold may instead qualify for the special residence category.

• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency: Leads to permanent immigrant status (inmigrado) and, after the qualifying period, naturalisation (2 years for Ibero-Americans, 3 for others).
• Family: Dependent spouse and children can be included as economic dependents or family-link residents.

Government fee

$300

Validity

365 days

Min. income / month

$1,500

Residence by family ties is for foreigners with a qualifying family relationship to a Honduran national or a foreign resident, proved by an original birth certificate or equivalent family document. The application requires the family-link document plus migratory-movement certificate, origin and Honduran criminal/police clearances, a Honduran medical certificate and a notarised passport copy. The government fee is USD 200 plus a Lps 100 stamp. Family-link is one of the two categories whose residence card may be issued and renewed for up to five years rather than annually, and it counts toward permanent immigrant status.

• Work: Family-link residence is not employer-tied and permits work.
• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency: Card may be valid up to 5 years and counts toward permanent immigrant status and naturalisation.
• Family: Granted on the family relationship to the sponsor; minor relatives included.

Government fee

$200

Validity

1,825 days

Foreigners married to, or in a recognised common-law union with, a Honduran citizen may obtain residence on that basis. The marriage or recognised union must have existed for at least three years before applying. The file requires the marriage/union certificate from the National Registry of Persons, the Honduran spouse's birth certificate and ID, plus the standard migratory-movement certificate, criminal/police clearances and Honduran medical certificate. The government fee is USD 200 plus a Lps 100 stamp. Spouses of Honduran citizens by birth also have a direct naturalisation route without a fixed prior-residence period.

• Work: Spouse of a Honduran may work; residence is not employer-tied.
• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency: Leads to permanent immigrant status; spouses of Honduran-born citizens have a direct naturalisation route.
• Family: Granted on the marital bond; children may be added as family-link residents.

Government fee

$200

Validity

365 days

This residence is for foreigners who are economically dependent on a person who already holds Honduran residence. The applicant must prove the resident's financial solvency and provide a notarised sworn declaration of economic dependence. The file otherwise follows the standard set: migratory-movement certificate, origin and Honduran criminal/police clearances, a Honduran medical certificate and a notarised passport copy. The government fee is USD 150 plus a Lps 100 stamp. The card is renewed annually and tracks the sponsoring resident's status.

• Study: Lawful residence permits study.
• Residency: Counts toward permanent immigrant status while the sponsoring resident remains qualified.

Government fee

$150

Validity

365 days

Foreigners may acquire Honduran nationality by naturalisation after a qualifying period of residence: one year for Central Americans by birth, two consecutive years for Spaniards and Ibero-Americans, and more than three consecutive years for other nationalities. A foreigner married to a Honduran by birth has a dedicated route without a fixed minimum residence. Applicants must hold lawful residence, renounce their prior nationality (except where treaties allow dual nationality), and show lawful means of support. Documents include birth and marriage certificates, migratory-movement and clearance certificates, tax/solvency certificates and a sworn declaration. The fee for Central Americans is about USD 200, with higher fees for other origins.

• Work: Naturalised citizens have full work rights.
• Study: Full access to education as a citizen.
• Residency after 1 year
• Family: Each adult naturalises individually; minor children may derive nationality.

Government fee

$200

Religious workers (missionaries, clergy and members of recognised religious organisations) are one of the thirteen special-permanence categories, granted for up to five years. The permit requires a letter or certificate from the sponsoring religious organisation confirming the role, alongside the standard documentation: criminal and police clearances from Honduras and the country of origin, a Honduran medical certificate and a valid passport. The fee is USD 100 per person per year and permits are handled through a lawyer at the INM. The permit must be processed within 30 days of entry, with the application made within the first 90 days.

• Work: Authorises the religious activity declared by the sponsoring organisation.
• Study: Lawful permanence permits study.
• Residency: Lawful stay can support a later change of status to residence.

Government fee

$100

Validity

365 days

Immigrant (inmigrado) status is Honduras's permanent residence, granted to foreigners who previously held a residence or special-permanence permit and kept their card valid for the period set by law (Arts. 39-40). The applicant submits the prior residence resolution, proof of registration in the National Registry of Foreigners, evidence the card stayed valid, and confirmation of no migration-law violations, plus the standard criminal/police clearances and passport copy. The fee is tiered by origin: USD 300 for Central Americans, USD 400 for Ibero-Americans and USD 500 for other nationalities. The immigrant card is one of the two categories issued and renewed for up to five years.

• Work: Permanent residents may work without an employer-tied permit.
• Study: Education on equal terms with residents.
• Residency: This is permanent residence; naturalisation follows (1 year for Central Americans, 2 for Ibero-Americans, 3 for others).

Government fee

$300

Validity

1,825 days