|
|
| Belize |
| |
 Information
on Belize International Business Companies |
 Restrictions
On Names |
| Acceptable
indications of Limited Liability |
| Main
Corporate Legislation |
| Local
Corporate Requirements |
| Local
facilities and support services |
| Incorporation
Charges |
| Our
Services |
| |
Belize
is located on the Caribbean
seaboard of Central America and is one our our top 3 recommendations
for an offshore company formation. It has an area of approximately
23,000 sq. km, and is bordered by Mexico in the north and Guatemala
to the west and the south. The administrative capital is Belmopan,
but the major commercial centre is Belize City, which is located
on the east coast close to the major international airport.
Many offshore finance centres do all they can to make
it attractive to incorporate within their jurisdiction.
Belize offers many significant advantages because it combines
the best features of most other offshore centres together
with a history of stability and respect for democratic
processes.
Of course the benefits are further enhanced by a legal system closely based on English common law. Belize Banks offer GBP, Euro and USD bank accounts although many clients will choose to bank in another location. Belize also offers high levels of confidentiality which some of our corporate customers consider paramount and this makes Belize a good choice where privacy is a vital ingredient to your business plan.
Bank accounts can be opened with either local or offshore banks, all of which maintain correspondent relationships with well known banks in all important jurisdictions, this ensures ease of operation worldwide. Most of the banks are outside the sphere of influence of foreign tax authorities and regulators; they can therefore offer the highest degree of confidentiality and security to their clients.
The total population of Belize is around 300,000 of which some 71,000 live in Belize City. Belize became a British Crown Colony in 1862 and achieved complete self-rule in 1981. Belize is a member of the British Commonwealth, The United Nations and the Non-aligned Movement. Executive authority is exercised by the cabinet under the leadership of the Prime Minister, subject to approval by a 28 member senate with the majority appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The official and spoken language is English and the currency is the Belize Dollar (BZ$)
|
|
|
back to top
Information on Belize International Business Companies |
|
- Type of Company: International Business Company, Limited
Life Company (LLC);
- Procedure
to Incorporate: Registered Agents delivers the memorandum
of Association and Articles of Association to the registry
together with the appropriate fee;
- Restrictions
on Trading Companies: Cannot trade within Belize or own
real estate there. Cannot undertake the business of banking,
insurance, assurance or reinsurance. Any name that has already
been incorporated, or is so similar as to cause confusion.
Any name which in the opinion of the Registrar is considered
undesirable, obscene or offensive. Names such as royal or
imperial and any name that suggests the patronage of Belize
Government. Names requiring consent or licence bank, building
society, savings, loans, insurance, assurance, reinsurance,
trust, trustees, Chamber of Commerce, university, municipal
or the foreign language equivalents or any name in English
or in a foreign language that may suggest association with
the banking or insurance industries.;
- Powers
of a company: A company incorporated in Belize has the same
powers as a natural person;
- Shelf
companies available;
- Time
to incorporate: One day;
- Registered
office must be maintained in Belize at the address of a
licensed management company;
- An
International Business Company does not pay tax on its world-wide
profits to Belize authorities. Belize is not a party to
any double tax agreements;
- Whilst
there is no requirement to file audited accounts with the
authorities, a company is required to keep financial records
that reflect the financial position of a company;
- The
minimum number of directors is one. Directors may be natural
persons or bodies corporate. They can be of any nationality
and need not be a Belize resident;
- A company secretary is not a requirement under the Act,
but a secretary is normally appointed to facilitate signing
obligations;
- The
minimum number of shareholders is one.
|
Restrictions
On Names
Certain names require special authority or a licence. The main names are Bank, Banco, Casa di Risparmio, building society, loans, savings, assurance, insurance, seguro, Versicherung, reinsurance, trust, stiftung, anstalt trustees, Chamber of Commerce, treuhand, university, universität, municipal, Sparkassa etc, these are a few examples, but any name or title in English or another language that suggests association with the finance and insurance industries is likely to be scrutinised carefully.
|
Acceptable
indications of Limited Liability
Incorporated (Inc), Limited (Ltd), Corporation (Corp), Société Anonyme (SA), Sociedad Anónima (SA) and Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH).
|
Main
Corporate Legislation
International Business Companies Act, 1990.
International Business Companies (Amendment) Act, 1995.
Limited Life Companies Act, 1999.
|
|
Local
Corporate requirements
Each Belize Company must:
|
- Have
registered office and agent in Belize;
- Have
minimum of 1 director, corporate directors are permitted;
- have
minimum of 1 shareholder;
- Bearer
shares are permitted;
- Register
of shareholders/members must be kept at the registered office,
and can only be inspected with the directors consent.
There
are no requirements for:
|
- Registers
of directors and details of beneficial owners do not need
to be submitted to the registrar, however, the company may
elect to do so;
- Registers
of shareholders to be submitted to the registrar, however,
a company may elect to do so;
- Annual
meeting to be held;
- Annual
returns to be lodged.
|
|
Local
facilities and support services
While Belize has an increasingly sophisticated professional and financial community, the number of legal, accounting and financial institutions is still way behind more sophisticated jurisdictions, although in most areas confidentiality is more rigidly enforced which more than compensates. It must of course be considered that whilst a Belize company is an excellent trading vehicle it is possible to arrange banking and other facilities in numerous other locations throughout the world.
|
|
Incorporation
Charges
| Incorporation
Fee |
£595 |
$1190 |
€850 |
| Annual
Fees |
£395 |
$790 |
€565 |
Due
1st January |
| If
you require an internet domain registration to accompany
the formation click here |
Orca Rating For Belize |
| Corporate
registration efficiency |
 |
|
|
|
|
| Cost |
|
|
|
|
|
| Confidentiality |
|
|
|
|
|
| Local
banking facilities |
|
|
|
|
|
| Legal
system |
|
|
|
|
|
| Political
stability |
|
|
|
|
|
| Reputation |
|
|
|
|
|
Back to top
Our
Services
We usually have shelf companies available for immediate purchase,
all companies are provided with a complete kit including:
|
- Statutory
registers;
- Share
certificates;
- 10
copies of the M&A;
- Common
Seal;
- Company
chop.
If
you prefer us to form a company in your choice of name, it
will take between 10 and 15 days for the company kit and the
statutory documents to arrive. We recommend you select two
or three alternative names in case the first choice is unavailable.
|
|
|
