Belize company formation

The Belize company, under the law that replaced the IBC

One director, one shareholder, living anywhere, and the lowest yearly cost of the island companies we form. Ours is US$740 a year with the government fee inside it, run from anywhere.

Formed through a registered agent licensed in Belize. No visit.

Start my Belize company Is it tax free for you?

US$740 a year, fees at cost
Tax claim filed for you
Nothing charged until you sign

US$740A full year, government fee included

1Director and 1 shareholder, from any country

HiddenDirectors and owners kept off the public search

2022The Companies Act every new Belize company is formed under

01Old name, new law

The Belize IBC is gone. Here's what replaced it

Many pages still sell a "Belize IBC". That law was repealed in 2022, and old IBCs that didn't move across were removed from the register.

Jan 2019The IBC loses its tax shield
Belize starts dismantling the special treatment international companies had.
Jan 2020Business tax reaches worldwide receipts
A Belize company is taxed on what it earns anywhere, unless it qualifies for the exemption below.
Nov 2022The Belize Companies Act 2022
One company law for everyone. The IBC Act is repealed.
Nov 2023Last day to re-register
IBCs that didn't move to the new Act were struck off.
TodayWhat we form
A private company under the 2022 Act: one director, one shareholder, a licensed agent in Belize.

02Tax, honestly

Is a Belize company tax free? Only if three things are true

Belize charges a business tax on a company's receipts, worldwide. Your company can be exempt when the three conditions below hold, backed by the paperwork the regulator asks for, and we file the yearly claim for you.

It is tax resident in another country

Usually the country it is run from, confirmed by a letter from that country's tax office. That country must not be on the EU list of uncooperative tax jurisdictions.

It has no business base in Belize

No office, staff or fixed place of business on the ground there. A registered agent's address doesn't count.

The claim is filed every year

With the tax return, listing every owner of 5% or more. We file it for you.

If the claim failed, yearly receipts of

US$

Belize sends the claim, with the owners it lists, to their home tax authorities. A company run from abroad and tax resident there is also outside Belize's economic substance rules, though it still files a short yearly substance report.

03Who can see what

Who can see the owners of a Belize company

Directors, shareholders and owners are filed with the registry. The public search shows none of them.

Company nameYour company Ltd

Entity number and statusActive

DirectorsYour name

ShareholdersYour name, 100%

Owners of 10% or moreYour name, address, nationality

Accounting recordsKept, not filed

04The Belize year

Belize company annual filings: three dates

With a December year end, everything lands on the same three dates each year. Here are your next ones.

05Crypto

A Belize company for crypto: yours, or other people's?

Belize licenses crypto businesses that act on behalf of other people, and the licence isn't cheap. A company using crypto for itself needs none of it. Compare other places for crypto.

Its own crypto

Getting paid in crypto, holding coins as company assets, trading on its own account.

No licence

Other people's crypto

Exchange, transfer, custody or wallets for clients, from Belize or anywhere else.

FSC licence: US$5,000 to apply, US$15,000 a year

06The whole bill

Belize company formation cost, every line

Government fees at cost. The yearly tax claim and substance report are inside our share, where most quotes add them later.

To start

Belize incorporation feeAt cost, share capital up to 50,000US$150

Heirson, first yearLicensed registered agent and office, filing, documents, tax number, bank account set up with youUS$490

You payUS$640

Every year

Annual return feeAt cost, due 30 JuneUS$250

HeirsonAgent and office, annual return, tax exemption claim, substance report, remindersUS$490

You payUS$740

Share capital over 50,000+US$850Belize charges US$1,000 to form and a year

Certificate of good standingUS$15The registry's fee, for banks that ask

ApostilleUS$25For documents used abroad

Exemption certificateUS$110Belize's US$60 and BZD 100, at cost, each year the claim is made

Add a nominee to your Belize company if you want one, never to hide an owner from banks or authorities. How nominees work.

Nominee directorUS$480 a yearA licensed professional on the public record; you stay the owner

Nominee shareholderUS$480 a yearHolds the shares on trust for you, with a declaration of trust you keep

Belize Companies and Corporate Affairs Registry fees, November 2026. We invoice Belize's US$250 before each 30 June, and our US$490 on your anniversary.

Questions

Belize company questions, answered

Weighing Belize against other places? The cost study totals three years in each, and the tax haven guide compares the rates.

How much does it cost to form a company in Belize?

With Heirson, US$640 to start: Belize's US$150 incorporation fee plus our US$490. Then US$740 a year: the US$250 annual return fee plus our US$490, with the tax claim and substance report included. The exemption certificate that comes with the claim costs US$110 more in Belize fees, passed on at cost.

Does the Belize IBC still exist?

No. The Belize Companies Act 2022 replaced the IBC Act from 28 November 2022. Old IBCs had until 28 November 2023 to re-register. New companies are ordinary private companies under the 2022 Act.

Is a Belize company tax free?

Not automatically. Belize taxes a company's receipts worldwide, at 1.75% for trading up to 15% for commissions, unless the company is tax resident in another country that isn't on the EU blacklist, shown by a letter from that tax office, has no business base or management in Belize, and files a yearly claim. More in our Belize tax guide.

Can a non-resident own a Belize company?

Yes. One director and one shareholder, who can be the same person, living in any country. A registered agent licensed in Belize files everything and keeps the registered office.

Who can see the owners of a Belize company?

Not the public. Directors, shareholders and owners are filed with the registry, but the public search only shows the company's name, number and status. The agent and the authorities can see the rest. Our Belize company search guide shows exactly what an outsider can order.

When is the Belize annual return due?

By 30 June each year, made up to 31 December before. The fee is US$250 for share capital up to 50,000. Filing it is part of the US$740. All three yearly dates are in Belize annual fees and filings.

Is Belize on the EU blacklist?

No. Belize is on neither EU list of uncooperative tax jurisdictions, and it isn't on the FATF list of countries under increased monitoring.

What is the difference between a Belize company and a Belize LLC?

The company is taxed as a company, with the exemption route above. The LLC is cheaper to keep but is tax transparent by default, so its profit is treated as its members'. We form the company; ask us about the LLC.

Can a Belize company hold or trade crypto?

Yes, for itself. Exchange, transfer or custody for other people needs a licence from Belize's Financial Services Commission, which costs US$5,000 to apply and US$15,000 a year.

Can I open a bank account for a Belize company?

Yes. A Belize company doesn't need a Belize bank, so it can bank where its business is. Opening it is part of what we do with you, and it almost always goes through. What is open in Belize and abroad: Belize company bank account.

Start here

The current Belize company, at the lowest yearly cost of any island we form on.

US$740 a year with the government fee, tax claim and substance report inside. Paid in crypto, once you've signed.

Start my Belize company Check the tax conditions