Overview
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Region | Latin America |
| ISO 3166-1 | BZ / BLZ |
| Registry | BCCAR (via OBRS) |
| Last updated | 2026-05-06 |
Identifiers
Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Belize and submit them as strings on the application body.| API field | Local name | Issuer |
|---|---|---|
businessInfo.taxId | TIN | Belize Tax Service (BTS) |
businessInfo.businessEntityId | Business Entity Number | BCCAR (via OBRS) |
Sector regulators
Central Bank of Belize · FSC
Legal structures
| Local name | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Business Company | BC | Closely-held private company limited by shares; the standard SME incorporation vehicle under the Companies Act 2022, with one director and one shareholder minimum and no minimum capital. Equivalent to a US LLC. |
| Public Limited Company | PLC | Share-capital company authorised to offer shares to the public; subject to enhanced disclosure and governance requirements under the Companies Act 2022. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. |
| Limited Liability Company | LLC | Member-managed pass-through entity governed by the LLC Act No. 13 of 2011; members are shielded from personal liability and the entity is tax-transparent for foreign income. Equivalent to a US LLC. |
| Limited Liability Partnership | LLP | Partnership of two or more persons governed by the Limited Liability Partnerships Act (Cap. 258); each partner’s personal liability for the debts of the firm is limited. Closest US equivalent: LLP. |
| Business Name (Sole Proprietor) | — | A trading name registered by an individual under the Business Names Act (Cap. 247); not a separate legal entity — the owner bears unlimited personal liability. Equivalent to a US Sole Proprietorship. |
| Business Name (Partnership) | — | A registered trading name held by an unincorporated partnership (up to four partners) under the Business Names Act (Cap. 247); partners bear unlimited joint and several liability. Closest US equivalent: General Partnership. |
| Company Limited by Guarantee | — | Non-profit-oriented entity with no share capital; members guarantee a nominal amount on winding up; used for NGOs, associations, and professional bodies under the Companies Act 2022. Closest US equivalent: Nonprofit Corporation. |
| Segregated Portfolio Company | SPC | Statutory ring-fenced share-capital vehicle under the Companies Act 2022 whose assets and liabilities are legally segregated into separate portfolios; commonly used for captive insurance and investment funds. Closest US equivalent: Series LLC. |
| Private Trust Company | PTC | Company incorporated solely to act as trustee for one or more related trusts; governed by SI No. 154 of 2022 under the Companies Act 2022; exempt from FSC licensing. Closest US equivalent: Statutory Trust. |
| International Foundation | — | Asset-holding and estate-planning vehicle without share capital, governed by the Foundations Act (Cap. 24.02); used for wealth management and privacy structuring. Closest US equivalent: Foundation. |
| Branch of Foreign Company | — | Extension of a foreign-incorporated entity registered with BCCAR via OBRS; must appoint a local representative and file annual returns. Closest US equivalent: Branch/Representative Office. |
How documents combine
For each evidence area, this table shows whether the listed documents are alternatives (any one of) or a bundle (all required). The artifact-by-artifact lookup follows below.| Evidence area | Documents needed |
|---|---|
| Legal Registration | Any one of: Certificate of Incorporation · Certificate of Registration |
| Constitutive Documents | All required: Articles of Incorporation + By-laws |
| Tax Registration | Any one of: Business Tax Certificate · GST Certificate |
| Operating Permit | Trade License |
| Governance Records | Register of Directors |
| Signing Authority | Any one of: Board Resolution · Power of Attorney |
| Address | Any one of: Lease Agreement · Utility Bill · Bank Statement |
| Good Standing | Certificate of Good Standing |
Documents to collect
The physical documents you’ll collect from your customer, with the evidence area each one proves. One document can prove multiple areas — for example, Brazil’s Cartão CNPJ covers both tax and business-registration proof, so it appears once with both areas listed.| Document | Proves |
|---|---|
| Certificate of Incorporation | Legal Registration |
| Certificate of Registration (BCCAR e-Certificate) | Legal Registration |
| Articles of Incorporation | Constitutive Documents |
| By-laws | Constitutive Documents |
| Business Tax Certificate | Tax Registration |
| GST Certificate | Tax Registration |
| Trade License | Operating Permit |
| Register of Directors (BCCAR/OBRS) | Governance Records |
| Board Resolution | Signing Authority |
| Power of Attorney | Signing Authority |
| Lease Agreement | Address |
| Utility Bill (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Bank Statement (≤90 days old) | Address |
| Certificate of Good Standing (BCCAR e-Certificate) | Good Standing |
| Sector-Specific License | FSC License, Central Bank Authorization |
Collection notes
- Legal Registration: 9-digit Business Entity Number; issued via OBRS on incorporation or re-registration.
- Constitutive Documents: “Articles” replaces the former Memorandum and Articles of Association; By-laws govern day-to-day operations.
- Tax Registration: Issued by Belize Tax Service; bears the 7-digit TIN.
- Operating Permit: Issued by the relevant city or town council; required for businesses operating in municipalities.
- Sector-Specific License: FSC (non-bank financial services, securities, trust, fund administration); Central Bank (banks, credit unions, payment services, remittance).
- Governance Records: Maintained by Registered Agent and filed via OBRS; nominee directors must declare nominee status within 30 days of appointment.
- Signing Authority: Directors’ resolution is standard authorization instrument; notarized POA for external signatories.
- Address: Lease (no time bound) or utility bill or bank statement dated within 90 days. Same evidence satisfies both registered-address and operating-address checks.
- Good Standing: Issued by the Belize Companies and Corporate Affairs Registry (BCCAR) via the Online Business Registry System (OBRS) under the Belize Companies Act 2022. Only available for entities in Active status. Banks routinely require issuance within 30 days.
Person roles
When you submit a person on the application body, set theirrole to one of Conduit’s canonical BusinessPersonRole values. Use this table to map a local corporate-governance title onto the right canonical role.
| Local role | Canonical API role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Director | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Individual appointed to the board with day-to-day authority; minimum one required. |
| Nominee Director | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Director acting on behalf of a nominator; must file declaration of nominee status under Act No. 27 of 2023. |
| Attorney / Holder of Power of Attorney | LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE | Authorized to legally bind the company via notarized POA. |
Notes
- The IBC (International Business Company) structure was abolished by Companies Act No. 11 of 2022; former IBCs must re-register as BCs and receive new 9-digit entity numbers — verify that any pre-2022 entity has been re-registered in OBRS before relying on old certificates.
- Nominee directors and shareholders must each file a declaration within 30 days of appointment (Act No. 27 of 2023); failure is a compliance breach that can affect KYB status.
- Trade License Act No. 19 of 2024 was passed but had not come into force as of May 2026 (parliamentary procedure pending; government confirmed Cap. 66 remains operative for the 2026 licensing year); rural businesses including Caye Caulker remain exempt under Cap. 66 until the new Act commences.