On the official 2025 figures, Belize had the higher murder rate (21.8 per 100,000) and Guatemala the higher US advisory level (Level 3 against Belize’s Level 2), so neither country wins on safety by every measure. What separates them more cleanly is the paperwork: a Canadian or British tourist gets up to 90 visa-free days in Guatemala but 30 in Belize, and leaving Belize by land costs BZ$40. Every figure below comes from the governments’ own advisories, the Belize Crime Observatory, Belize’s Border Management Agency and Guatemala’s PNC homicide records as compiled by Diálogos (read 1 September 2026); everything else was read on 4 November 2026.

TL;DR: Safety numbers are close and contradictory: Belize 21.8 and Guatemala 17.2 homicides per 100,000 in 2025, but the US rates Guatemala one level higher. Guatemala gives Canadians and Britons 90 days; Belize gives 30 and charges BZ$40 (US$20) to leave by land. Canada advises avoiding non-essential travel at the Melchor de Mencos crossing, the CA-13 border post between Guatemala and Belize.

Quick summary

GuatemalaBelize
Homicide rate, 202517.2 per 100,000 (3,138 homicides; PNC records via Diálogos)21.8 per 100,000 (91 murders recorded by police; Belize Crime Observatory)
Change on 2024Rate up 8.2%Murders down 1%
US State DepartmentLevel 3: Reconsider Travel (12 March 2026)Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (12 March 2026)
US Do Not Travel / Reconsider areasDo Not Travel: San Marcos and Huehuetenango departments, Zone 18 of Guatemala City, Villa NuevaReconsider Travel: Southside Belize City
CanadaHigh degree of caution, with regional advisories (updated 13 October 2026)High degree of caution, with a regional advisory (updated 3 November 2026)
UK FCDOAdvises against all but essential travel to two areas near the Mexican border (updated 13 August 2026)No areas advised against (updated 12 June 2026)
Visa-free stay, Canada / UKUp to 90 daysUp to 30 days
Departure chargeAir: US$30 departure tax, normally in your ticket (UK FCDO)Land or water: BZ$40 (BMA); air: usually in the fare (UK FCDO)

BZ$40 is US$20 per the UK FCDO, about C$28 or £16 at Banguat’s cross rates for 3 November 2026; US$30 is about C$42 or £23. Our exchange rates page has the quetzal rate.

Safety: the numbers and the advisories disagree

Homicide rates (calendar year 2025, each country’s own series):

  • Guatemala: Diálogos’ observatory, working from Policía Nacional Civil records, gives an interannual national rate of 17.2 homicides per 100,000 for the twelve months to December 2025, 8.2% higher than a year earlier, with 3,138 homicides in the year. The twelve-month rate had eased to 16.2 by June 2026; for the latest monthly figure and the rate by department (Sacatepéquez, Sololá, Petén), see our Guatemala safety page.
  • Belize: the Belize Crime Observatory’s 2025 Statistical Report gives a murder rate of 21.8 victims per 100,000, from 91 murders recorded by the Belize Police Department, 1% fewer than in 2024. Belize District accounted for 53% of them.

The two series use different terms (homicides in Guatemala’s, murders in Belize’s) and different agencies, so read them as each government’s own count, not as a single standardised table.

Advisories, government by government:

  • United States. Guatemala is Level 3, Reconsider Travel, for crime and terrorism, with Do Not Travel for San Marcos and Huehuetenango departments, Zone 18 in Guatemala City and Villa Nueva. Belize is Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, for crime. The Belize advisory says US citizens should follow the guidance given to US government staff, who are strongly discouraged from visiting the south side of Belize City and from driving between cities after dark; it also says serious injuries or illnesses there normally need medical evacuation abroad. Guatemala’s advisory points travellers to ASISTUR, the tourist assistance line (1500 from a Guatemalan phone).
  • Canada. Both countries sit at the same level, exercise a high degree of caution. In Guatemala, Canada advises avoiding non-essential travel to several Guatemala City zones and municipalities and to a list of border crossings that includes CA-13 Melchor de Mencos, the crossing with Belize. In Belize, it advises avoiding non-essential travel to Southside Belize City, and reports a state of emergency for 30 days from 31 October 2026 in parts of Belize City, Ladyville, Cotton Tree and Unitedville in Cayo, and along the Coastal Highway between La Democracia and Hope Creek, giving security forces powers to restrict movement, search and detain.
  • United Kingdom. The FCDO advises against all but essential travel within 5 km of Guatemala’s border with Mexico (from the Pacific up to and including the Gracias a Dios crossing) and to three towns in Huehuetenango. Its Belize page lists no such areas. The FCDO describes Guatemala’s violent crime rate as among the highest in Latin America, and Belize’s murder rate per capita as among the highest in the world, adding that Belize’s gang violence is not normally aimed at tourists.

Entry rules and what it costs to cross

RuleGuatemalaBelize
Visa, Canadian touristsNot required up to 90 days (Canada)Not required up to 30 days; longer stays need a visa from Belize immigration (Canada)
Visa, British touristsUp to 90 days without a visa (FCDO)30 days without a visa; BZ$200 for each extra 30 days (FCDO)
Shared regional limitCanada says its tourists can move between Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua for up to 90 days under the CA-4 agreement; the FCDO says Britons need a visa for Honduras (see our CA-4 border run guide)Belize is outside CA-4
Leaving by landOur border run costs page covers what Guatemala chargesBZ$40: departure fee BZ$30.00 + border development fee BZ$2.50 + PACT fee BZ$7.50 (BMA)
Leaving by airUS$30 departure tax, normally included in the ticket (FCDO)Usually included in the airfare (FCDO)

One warning from the FCDO’s Guatemala page applies to the land crossing: Guatemalan officials sometimes ask travellers at land borders for an entry fee, which is illegal, and asking for an official receipt can make the request go away. For US passports, check the State Department’s Guatemala and Belize pages for entry details.

Getting between them

Overland, the road from Flores crosses at Melchor de Mencos; our route pages carry the operators’ own fares and times:

Choose Guatemala if

  • You want more than 30 days. Guatemala’s 90 visa-free days for Canadian and British tourists are three times Belize’s 30.
  • You plan to stay away from the advisory zones. The US Do Not Travel list for Guatemala names two western departments, Zone 18 and Villa Nueva; the UK’s restricted areas are along the Mexican border.
  • You are also visiting El Salvador or Nicaragua. One CA-4 allowance of up to 90 days covers the group (Britons need a visa for Honduras).

Choose Belize if

  • The US advisory level drives your decision. Belize is Level 2 and Guatemala Level 3. For UK travellers the FCDO’s warning is about insurance: your policy may stop being valid if you go against its advice, which in Guatemala applies only to the areas near the Mexican border and in Huehuetenango listed above.
  • Your trip is under 30 days. The visa-free limit is then not a constraint.
  • You avoid Southside Belize City and the state-of-emergency areas that Canada lists for November 2026.

Do both if

You want Tikal and the Belize cayes on one trip: our Flores to Belize City page covers the overland link through Melchor de Mencos. Budget the BZ$40 exit fee for the way back and read Canada’s warning on that crossing first. For comparisons with other countries, see Guatemala vs Costa Rica vs Mexico.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Belize safer than Guatemala?

On the official 2025 numbers, Belize’s murder rate was higher: 21.8 victims per 100,000 people (91 murders recorded by the Belize Police Department, per the Belize Crime Observatory), against Guatemala’s 17.2 homicides per 100,000 (3,138 homicides in PNC records, per Diálogos). The US State Department nonetheless rates Belize lower risk: Level 2 for Belize and Level 3 for Guatemala, both issued 12 March 2026. Canada puts both at its exercise-a-high-degree-of-caution level, with regional advisories in each.

What travel advisory level do the US, UK and Canada give Belize and Guatemala?

As read on 4 November 2026: the US rates Guatemala Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) with four Do Not Travel areas, and Belize Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution), with Reconsider Travel for Southside Belize City. Canada says exercise a high degree of caution in both, with avoid-non-essential-travel zones in each. The UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to two areas of Guatemala near the Mexican border and lists no such areas for Belize.

How much is the Belize exit fee when crossing to Guatemala?

BZ$40 in total. Belize’s Border Management Agency lists a BZ$30.00 departure fee, a BZ$2.50 border development fee and a BZ$7.50 PACT fee for travellers leaving through any border point. The UK FCDO puts the departure tax by land or water at BZ$40 (US$20), paid at the border, and says it is usually included in the fare if you fly out.

Do I need a visa for Belize or Guatemala?

Not as a Canadian or British tourist. Canada says no tourist visa is needed for Guatemala for up to 90 days and for Belize for up to 30 days. The UK FCDO gives Britons 90 visa-free days in Guatemala and 30 in Belize, and that each extra 30 days in Belize costs 200 Belize dollars at an immigration office.

Is the Melchor de Mencos border crossing safe?

Canada lists the CA-13 Melchor de Mencos crossing with Belize among the Guatemalan border crossings where it advises avoiding non-essential travel, and says the area near the Belize border is especially affected by drug-related armed attacks. The UK FCDO reports armed criminal activity in remote forest on Belize’s side of the border, an area the Belize Defence Force patrols. Read both before planning an overland crossing.