Belize is an independent democratic republic located on the East Coast of Central America, south of Mexico. Formerly British Honduras, Belize attained independence from Great Britain in 1981 and has enjoyed relative peace and stability since that time (unlike many countries in the region). With English as its official language and entrenched British based systems of law and Parliament, Belize has steadily risen in popularity as an Offshore Financial Centre over the course of the past ten or so years.

Key features and benefitsinclude:

1. Low Cost: Belize has one of the lowest annual government licence fees of any Offshore Financial Centre.

2 Political Independence: Whilst it has the advantages of being a former British colony (in that it has an English system of law and Parliament), Belize does not have any information sharing treaties with either the UK, the EU or the US and is immune from the challenges posed by the EU savings tax directive.

3. Zero Tax: IBCs registered in Belize are not liable to pay tax on business profits locally and dividends can be remitted into and out of Belize tax free.

4. Assured Privacy: There is no public register of Directors, Shareholders or Beneficial Owners in Belize.

5. Nominees Permissible: Nominee Shareholders and Professional Directors are permissible in Belize and another Company can act as Nominee.

6. Name Availability: There is a relatively wide choice of company names available in Belize compared with some competing jurisdictions.

Other features include:

	Minimal Paperwork – There is no requirement to file annual returns for Belize IBCs and no financial or business records need be kept at the Company’s registered office.
	Migratable – Belize recognizes that the modern market expects an IBC to be able to shift location quickly and easily and have enshrined this right in legislation.
	Good Communications - Belize is serviced by providers offering state-of-the-art technology in terms of telecom and internet communications.
	Bearer Shares are available although they must be retained by an approved intermediary.
	Flexibility - Only one Director and Shareholder is required and board meetings can be held anywhere in the world

Every effort has been made to ensure that the details contained herein are correct and up-to-date, but this does not constitute legal or other professional advice. We do not accept any responsibility, legal or otherwise, for any error or omission.