Honduras Facts Sheet

Government

Honduras is a democracy headed by a popularly elected president. The current president is Carlos Flores Facusse (Liberal Party) elected to office in November 1998. President Flores has very close ties to the U. S., specifically New Orleans where he and his wife lived while they attended LSU. His son is a LSU grad., While his daughter is a graduate of Loyola University, New Orleans. President Flores and his cabinet strongly support foreign investment and have implemented special bills and laws to attract and promote foreign residency and investment.

The 1982 constitution has 3 governing branches, Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. The legislative branch is represented by a national congress of 82 elected deputies. The Executive branch consist of a president and his 13 member cabinet of ministers. The Judicial branch makes up the country's supreme court, in which the nine judges are appointed by the congress and the president. All of these officials are elected to 4 year terms. The president and his cabinet appoint the governors of Honduras's eighteen departments of states.

Honduras has a large United States business presence in Standard Fruits, Dole Industries, fishing, and huge lumber concerns, as well as substantial U. S. aid and military presence. Because of the good relationship with the United States government Honduras has proven good stability with a governing system much like the United States.

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Taxes and Banking

Roatan, Honduras has a sales tax of 12% to be applied to merchandise and services. There is an alcohol beverage and cigarette tax of 15%. There is a 4% tourism tax for tour related services. Property tax in Roatan is .25% of the recorded value of said property. Based on a $100,000 recorded value villa, the annual property tax will be approximately $250.00.

The U. S. dollar is widely accepted in Roatan and for the most part the currency of choice. It is recommended that you exchange dollars for Lemps for ease of purchases. Please see exchange rate to be posted with frequency. Travelers checks are not accepted in most establishments in Roatan and can be a burden. Most major credit cards are accepted for most purchases with the addition of a small processing fee that is standard in Roatan. Most of the banks in Roatan including Credomatice, Roatan, will give cash advances on major credit cards. Money wire transfers from the states to Roatan can be very timely and also a burden. Wires are not recommended unless absolutely necessary for the island of Roatan.

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Bay Islands Climate

The Bay Islands are approximately 1,100 miles due south and a bit to the east of New Orleans. The islands support a warm tropical climate that averages in the mid 80s during the day and mid 70s at night. The humidity is much milder than New Orleans, and Miami creating a dryer atmosphere. The trade winds are mostly constant providing comfort throughout the year. The Caribbean rainy season that is usually very slight in the Bay Islands runs approximately from mid November to February. Like all tropical paradises there are mosquitos and sand gnats also called (noseeums). The use of standard repellents will ward off these varmints. Clothing should be comfortable and cool, shorts and light weight cotton pants are recommended. Even for the evening the dress is casual for the better restaurants.

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Honduran Residency

This information is only a guide and not binding for application for Honduran residency. There are 4 types of applications at this writing, investment, retiree, technical employee, and marriage. The first step for application will be for you to call or go to your nearest Honduran consulate in the U. S. The consulate will inform you on the type of residency you should apply for depending on your personal information, wants and needs. The required documents that will be needed for all applications are your passport valid for at least one year from the date of your application, birth certificate, a recent medical exam attesting to your good health, and a letter from your local police department or courts testifying that you have no warrants or felony crimes. Depending on the type of application you may have to show U. S. income status. You will have to fill out a solicitude. This is a questionnaire that is only available at the consulate in the U.S. The cost for the consulate application varies from city to city and ranges between $400.00 and $650.00. After your paper work has been processed you will need a Honduran attorney to finalize your application. The fee for the attorney will vary depending on his or her expertise. It is important to get a good attorney. As of this writing the legislature is working on new laws to make residency an easier process. Because of the operations underway this information may change at any time. Sea Star Beach and it's friendly staff will assist all villa owners in the the process of obtaining residency if they desire. Residency is not a requirement to own propery in Honduras.

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Medical Facilities

There are several clinics and two hospitals on the island. Woods Medical facility is the newest and most modern on Roatan. Only five minutes from Sea Star beach Resort is a small clinic and decompression chamber. Larger medical centers and large hospitals are available in San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba on the mainland. Due to the influx of American medical personnel after Hurricane Mitch many of the professional people giving aid are now practicing in Honduras. Trauma case emergencies can be handled by 24 hour air ambulance service to the mainland, or States. Optometrist, and specially doctors are located on the mainland. A visit to the doctor will cost approximately $15.00 and pharmaceutical drugs cost approximately 40% less than in the United States.

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Roatan Utilities

Electricity is provide by Roatan Electric (RECO) and is distributed to the majority of the island. Electricity on Roatan is more expensive than U. S rates based on New Orleans standards by about 25%. The service has proven quite dependable for Caribbean standards. Community water on the island is good quality but not available to all developments. Sea Star Beach Resort has it's own sweet water well and 20,000 gallon cisterns per villa in the case of a water emergency. The resort also has community water as a back up. Telephone service is still not up to U. S. Specs. because of limited good access. With time a phone can be installed in villa's if the owner desires.The resort has been pre-wired for phones. The Resort will have a telecommunication center located in the office for villa owners and guest. It will include Internet service and telephone service.