Roatan Real Estate FAQ

Roatan is an island in the Caribbean Sea, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) off the northern coast of Honduras.  It is the largest island of the Bay Islands of Honduras and is located between the second and third largest islands of the archipelago Utila and Guanaja.  Roatan is located on the Meso-American Reef, the second largest coral reef system in the world.  Its unique location makes it one of the world’s best dive destinations.

It is approximately 77 kilometers (48 miles) long, and less than 8 kilometers (5.0 miles) across at its widest point. The island consists of two municipalities: José Santos Guardiola in the East and Roatán, including the Cayos Cochinos, in the West.  The West-East orientation of the island is one factor which makes Roatan such a popular diving destination.  Regardless of the direction of the prevailing wind, there is always a leeward side and diving is therefore possible 365 days a year.

Roatan is culturally diverse. The original inhabitants of the island, the Paya Indians, were displaced by Spanish conquistadors in the 1700s. Since then, the island has been used by various foreign entities as a trading post, military stronghold, and even pirate lair. In the 1800s, the island was briefly governed by the British. During this time, the British military relocated the Garifuna, people of African and Arawak Indian descent, from the eastern Caribbean to Roatan. Also, during this time, many English-speaking people of African descent migrated from the British-owned Cayman Islands to form free settlements. Ultimately, in 1859, the island was ceded by the British to the Spanish, and it became part of Spanish Honduras, under whose governance it remains today. In recent decades, thanks to the growing tourism economy, more people have migrated from the mainland to seek opportunity and security on Roatan. These people are Spanish-speaking descendants of indigenous Indians or European Spanish.

The official national language of Honduras is Spanish; however, the “islanders” are originally from the Cayman Islands and consider English to be their mother tongue. The Garifuna people have their own language—a mixture of Arawak, French, and West African—but this is slowly dying out, and the younger generation no longer learns it. The Garifuna community mostly speaks English, Spanish, or Garifuna. Increasingly, Spanish-speaking people from the mainland are migrating to Roatan for the relative prosperity and safety engendered by the tourism economy. There are now large communities on the island where only Spanish is spoken. For the international melting pot of residential expats, English is often the only common language. English is widely spoken in tourist areas on the island. At the Roatan Municipalidad, everyone speaks English. However, if you are dealing with a Federal Government entity and/or a business headquartered on the mainland, you may find it difficult to communicate without some basic Spanish.

The Roatan climate is equatorial.  We have year-round warm temperatures with a winter rainy season.   During the summer months we have an average temperature range of 27 ºC – 30 ºC (80 ºF – 86 ºF) and in the winter months 24 ºC – 27 ºC (75 ºF – 80 ºF). The rainy season can last from mid-October till mid-January but varies each year in terms of length and intensity.  In the winter months we sometimes experience northerly cold fronts in which cool air pushes down from North America and surprises us with high winds and high seas.  We welcome these weather systems for the novelty of putting on socks and cozy sweaters!

Despite being on the edge of the Caribbean hurricane zone, on Roatan we rarely feel the effects of hurricanes thanks to our unique position in the protected “L” shaped corner between the east coast of Belize and the north coast of mainland Honduras.

The currency of Honduras is the Lempira.  On Roatan, USD is also widely accepted by most businesses and it’s possible to have a Honduran bank account in USD.

Lempiras are not available for sale outside of Honduras.  You can easily obtain Lempiras once you are inside the country by using one of the many ATMs and withdrawing against your foreign bank account.   You can also exchange foreign currency such as USD, CAD and Euro at most banks.

Yes, there are several domestic and international Honduran banks which will permit a foreigner (even a non-resident) to open a bank account in either Lempira or USD.  This is entirely legal.

Purchasing property on Roatan is a simple and uncomplicated process. You do not need to be a Honduran citizen or legal resident to buy property.  Property ownership is guaranteed by the Honduran Government and foreigners are allowed to purchase up to .75 of an acre of property under their own name. To purchase more than 0.75 acres, a Honduran corporation needs to be created.  With the help of a qualified attorney, forming a corporation in Honduras is fairly easy. When you are working with ZeUs Roatan Real Estate we will guide you through this process.

A common Roatan real estate FAQ! If you plan to live in Roatan full-time, then you will need to apply for residency. This is a fairly straightforward process for which you must use a Honduran attorney.  There are four main paths to Honduran Residency

• Rentista – you have a guaranteed income from a source outside of Honduras of at least US$ 2,500 per month. You are not seeking employment in Honduras. 
• Pensionado – you are a retiree with guaranteed income of at least US$ 1,500 from a foreign pension fund. You are not seeking employment of any kind in Honduras.
• Inversionista – you are an investor of at least US$ 50,000 in a significant Honduran development project.

Finally, there is an immigration status which allows you to work legally in Honduras.  This is permitted if you have specialized skills and a Honduran company is sponsoring you, or you can form a Honduran Corporation and employ yourself.  In both cases you receive the same status as a legal resident, however your residency is dependent on maintaining the employment status under which you applied. 

It is mandatory that you use a Honduran attorney for the application for residency and if you are working with ZeUs Roatan Real Estate on your property purchase we will also guide you to ensure that your attorney is well qualified to carry out this process for you.