Belize Capital Group

Bank Accounts in Belize


Belize – This is a small country next to Guatemala that is also on the Caribbean. Belize has several banks and is known as an offshore tax and privacy haven. Belize has to date not signed any Tax Treaties with Canada or the USA. The official language of the country is English. The banks provide accounts in several currencies. The customer service and support is excellent. You can get Visa cards issued from the bank as well.



Bank Secrecy – Belize practices bank secrecy. The banks we refer clients to will not enforce civil judgments or comply with subpoenas from other countries. Any requests to share information regarding a criminal case would need to go through the Belize Government. Generally the Government would want to see a criminal case on file in the national courts requesting the information. Belize does not do fishing expeditions for other countries wishing to see who has a bank account there from their country.



Belize Corporations – We can use a Belize Corporation but they have a slight deficiency. They require the registered agent or lawyer in Belize to have a passport and driver license copy of someone who is the beneficiary owner of the Belize Corporation Bearer Shares. You could list a trust or another corporation as the beneficiary owner of the Belize corporation but then the owner of that corporation or trust would need to supply ID to the registered agent in Belize. The Belize Corporation shares can be sent to the client and remain in their possession. On the plus side the name of the owner of the Belize bearer share corporation is not in any public registry or database. This does qualify the structure to be referred to as an anonymous bearer share corporation. Belize corporations are still one of the better structures available in the world today. The cost for an anonymous Belize Corporation and a bank account in belize is $1995. The Nevis LLC is better than Belize or Panama corporations, read below.



Nevis Corporation - When using the Nevis LLC combined with a bank account in Belize we avoid having to provide the Belize registered agent or law firm with the name of the owner of the company. Additionally, the law firm in Nevis does not know who you are. No one on the island of Nevis knows who you are, just our law firm. The bank in Belize knows who you are but that is covered by bank secrecy. Any frivolous efforts to get your banking records would be thwarted by the banks staff attorneys and they would collect legal fees and damages from the one trying such a move. It would take a government on a serious criminal matter to get your records from the bank. Bottom line is we think the Nevis LLC and the Belize bank account is a superior package. Using a Belize bearer share corporation is not as secure but still provides acceptable asset protection.



Nevis LLC and Belize Banking – We form an anonymous Nevis LLC. The LLC has bearer membership certificates in place of bearer share stock certificates. You get physical possession of the membership certificate which can be transferred to others without any reportage. Your name does not appear on any public registry or database as the owner. In fact Nevis has no publicly accessible database for corporate information. Only the government and lawyers can access the information in it and your name will not appear anywhere in this private registry anyway. If anyone wishes to bring an action in Nevis against your corporation they would need to post a $25,000 bond with the court in addition to any legal fees. It is too costly to bring any frivolous or harassing actions in Nevis. We have had excellent experiences with Nevis LLC formation and use. The cost for the Nevis LLC and Belize Bank Account is only $1995. For more information on Nevis LLC click here:



Nevis LLC Information and Laws



Belize Trusts – Belize has excellent asset protection trusts. We can open up the bank account in Belize using the Belize Trust in place of a corporation. The beneficiary of the Belize trust can be a Nevis, LLC for more protection and to confuse any financial enemies. Belize Trusts and their assets held in Belize are basically immune from foreign civil court actions.



To learn more about Belize Trusts click here.



The Bank We Use in Belize – The bank we use in Belize is very stable and supplies excellent customer service. This bank is regulated by the Central Bank of Belize. The bank accounts are not subject to any taxation in Belize. No income tax, no inheritance tax and no capital gains tax. Belize has no currency controls or exchange restrictions. You do not have to convert your funds to Belize dollars. You can bank in Euros, US Dollars, Canadian Dollars and UK Pound Sterling. Everyone at the bank speaks English, which is the official language of Belize. The online banking platform is also in English and does let you send outgoing wires online.



Credit Cards – The bank will issue you a Visa card. The deposit is 150% of the credit line. If you want a $10,000 credit line on the Visa card the deposit is $15,000. There is online access for the MasterCard to show balances and history.



Currencies – You can bank in USD, Canadian Dollars, UK Pound Sterling and Euro. This enables one to protect themselves from currency devaluations by spreading their money into four different currencies.



Belize Offshore Merchant Accounts – It is possible to get a Belize Merchant account to process internet credit card sales. Hi Risk merchant accounts are available. Rates will vary. What one merchant account provider considers to be high risk is different from what another company considers to be high risk. Payout is usually once a week. It is mandatory to have an offshore corporation and bank account to apply. There are no personal merchant accounts. To apply please fill out our online application for a offshore merchant account.



Documents Required – Aside from the Corporate, Trust or Foundation paperwork, which we take care for you, will need the following:



•One non-bank reference letter. This can be from an attorney or accountant. The letter should state that they know you professionally and they think you are a good guy or gal. We do not use a template to prevent having all the reference letters look the same. Letters should be on the professional persons letterhead. NO BANK REFERENCE LETTER NEEDED. Bank reference letters are a dangerous trail from your old bank to your new bank account and should be avoided. In some countries a bank reference letter request is considered to be a suspicious transaction and is referred to the government for possible investigation.

•A notarized only copy of a driving license and passport (picture page only).

•Copy of a utility bill showing address. No notary needed.

•Minimum Deposit - $1000

Document Delivery - You send the notarized ID and the reference letter be sent to the law firm as scans in an email. Best is to send as a color scan, 300dpi, jpg or jpeg. You will print the bank forms, fill them out and sign them. We will hold your hand and assist you in filling out all the forms. We provide the bank with all the information and forms regarding the corporation, trust, foundation etc.



Time Frame for Account Opening – From the time we have your documents and payment the account should be open in about 7-10 working days including the time needed to form the corporation or foundation.



Express Opening Time Frame - If we use a shelf Nevis LLC corporation we can reduce this time down to two days from the time the bank has the documents, forms and the payment has been received. In other words after the bank has everything the account will be open in two working days. The big advantage is you do not have to wait for the corporation to be formed. The disadvantage is that you do not get to pick the name of the corporation and it costs an extra $295. To use this feature just check Express Formation on the order form in the Belize section: Secure Order Form



Personal Accounts – We do not do personal accounts because they seriously violate your privacy. All the wires coming in and out would then have your personal name as the name of the account and then it is an open book with no more privacy.



Cost - $1995 for a Nevis LLC corporation with a Belize corporate bank account. Same price of $1995 for a Belize Bearer Share Corporation with a bank account in Belize but the Nevis LLC is much more private and secure. For the express bank account opening service with a Nevis LLC it is $2395.