Belize International Foundations are established under the International Foundations Act Chapter 24:02

The foundations name must end with one of the following words: Foundation or any of its abbreviations, Found. or Fdn.

The name can be in any language which uses Roman script.

The name cannot be geographical in nature, unless it has a second meaning.

Prohibited names:

• Same as or substantially similar to a name of any existing or previously existing foundation
• Can not contain the words: Building Society, Chamber of Commerce, Chartered, Cooperative, Imperial, Municipal, Royal, Assurance, Bank, Brokerage, Credit Union, Education, Fiduciary, Financial, Foreign Exchange, Forex, Fund, Investment Management, Insurance, Lending, Securities, Trust, University, or a word conveying a similar meaning
• The name cannot suggest the patronage of Her Majesty or that of a member of the Royal Family
• Suggesting a connection with the Government of Belize or a department, agency, authority or branch thereof, any political party or any professional association recognized by the laws of Belize
• Indecent, offensive or in the opinion of the Registrar, objectionable

A foundation can be for charitable or non-charitable purposes.

The most common purposes:

Holding – to hold shares and interest in a private and/or public company, hold patents, collect royalties, hold trademarks and business name rights, etc.

Asset Protection – to hold assets of individuals and legal entities providing protection against creditors claims, family members’ claims, over taxation, local political instability, etc.

Financial – invest in different financial instruments such as bonds, mutual funds, etc.

Our company drafts the Foundation Charter and Private Document for each foundation in accordance with the purposes of the foundation specified by the client.

Each Belize foundation has to have a registered office address and agent in Belize, who is licensed and regulated by the Financial Services Commission.

The principal office address of the foundation may be in any country.

Our annual fees include a Belize registered office address and registered agent for the first year.

A resident of any country except Belize, being an individual or legal entity may create a Belize International Foundation. Such person is called the Founder.

A minimum of one founder is required. Founders may be also a member of the Foundation Council or sole beneficiary or both. A founder cannot serve as the protector of the Foundation; however a protector is not required.

A & P Intertrust Corporation is able to provide a nominee founder for privacy protection and speeding up the process of establishing the foundation.

Each Belize International Foundation should have a Foundation Council, which is responsible for carrying out the purposes of the foundation.

At least one appointed member of the council must be a resident of Belize and be appointed at all times. Our registered agent will be appointed this position to comply with the requirement.

In addition to the Belize resident council member you should appoint a minimum of 1 individual or legal entity as an additional member of the council. The additional member may be a resident of any country.

A member of the foundation council cannot be a beneficiary of the foundation.

This position is optional. A protector may be appointed by the founder.

A resident of any country individual or legal entity may be appointed as a protector.

A member of a foundation may not be a protector of the foundation.

A beneficiary is a person who is entitled to benefit under the foundation charter or by-laws.

A beneficiary does not need to be appointed. However if you wish to appoint a beneficiary you should indicate who you would like to be the beneficiaries of your private foundation. We will prepare a private document indicating the names of the beneficiaries of your foundation.

The beneficiary cannot be appointed as a foundation council member.

There is no minimum capital requirement for foundations.

Each Belize International Foundation must pay the annual renewal fee starting from the second year. Our annual fees are listed in the Fee Schedule.

Information about the Founder’s and Foundation Council members’(names and addresses) are listed in the Foundation Charter. The Foundation Charter is filed with the Public Registry Office and is available to the public.

Information about the Protector and beneficiaries is only listed in the foundation Private Document which is not filed with the Public Registry, making this information not available to the public.

Our company assists clients with protection of their privacy by offering nominee founder and Foundation Council Member services.

There are no statutory requirements of audits for Belize International Foundations. However accounting records are to be kept.

Annual meetings are not required.

Establishment of a Belize International Foundation takes 4 to 5 business days. Preparation of all internal documents takes an additional 2 to 3 business days.

Our company does not offer shelf foundations in Belize due to foundations are created for a specific purpose which must be listed in the Foundation Charter.

Our company offers Belize mail forwarding services and other tailored office services.