Belize

There is a unique paradise with no tax on worldwide income, which is surrounded by the second biggest coral reef in the world, idyllic unspoiled beaches, and an ethereal ambiance.

It is a country that protects its environment so jealously that international fishing vessels are not allowed into its waters, which helps it to offer one of the best eco-tourism and diving in the world.

This country has practically no government interference in business for foreigners. It is a blast with numerous organic farms, abundant inland rivers, and jungles full of wildlife; a place where people are still friendly, and you can live freely.

What sort of business opportunities could there be in a low-tax tropical paradise of only 380,000 people bordering Mexico? We suggest you simply take a ferry to San Pedro, in Ambergris Caye (where there’s the largest concentration of foreigners), and take a walk. The opportunities will begin to come to you as the little coral fishes come to you when you go diving. Let us begin to list only some of these.

Belize is a tourist Mecca where budget eco-tourism exists hand in hand with top-level luxury living. Best of all, Belize is still a somewhat undiscovered destination, which makes it perfect for investment. Major international chains and investors now dominate most of the Caribbean and Central American tourist destinations. However, Belize remains relatively uncommercialized and has abundant otherworldly islands, beaches, and rainforests yet to be discovered.

Mundo's country rating is essentially a freedom index whereby our team of specialists rates a combination of freedoms which include freedom from violence and personal attacks, financial freedom from high taxes and other government levies, and business freedom from government interference.

Ease of business: Belize is more about who you know than what you know. You can try to do business by yourself, but things usually move way faster with the right connections and the right information. Due to some ambiguities in the laws and regulations, certain processes can become a nightmare without the help of experienced locals that you can trust. However, we have those contacts as our experts are among the best-established ones in Belize and they will help you do business swiftly. With an adept helping hand, we give Belize 10/10.

Taxation: Belize does not, in general terms, tax foreign-sourced income. So, that is why so many people establish online businesses in Belize. This already gives it an 8/10. However, special attention must be paid to the IBC regime, as it may soon change. Moreover, the Belize Retirement Plan allows you to live in Belize effectively tax-free.

Jenny and John Wu are a typical Taiwanese family. As with most Taiwanese people, life was fairly good for them. They inherited a lovely three-bedroom, 150 sq mt apartment from their parents and owned a small business. Taiwan used to present a great lifestyle for them with fine theatres, shopping, and comfort. They lived for their children and planned for them to go to Taiwan universities, and they wanted them to be a doctor and a lawyer.

Most Taiwanese residents love the island for its mixture of western culture and ancient Chinese Confucian values. But, with time, life became harder for them. The business wasn't doing good and Taiwan life started to change. Many other families saw themselves in similar situations and looked for greener pastures. 

Belize is a terrific offshore banking jurisdiction. Why would you want to hold your offshore bank account in Belize, and preferably in one owned by a trust or Foundation? 

First, creditors find a hard time seizing assets or money.  The Belizean banking laws are very tight, and the bank will not reveal your information to almost anyone if you're a law-abiding citizen. The bank must report to your stated place of residency. If your tax residency is properly established in Belize, Panama or other jurisdictions that do not tax worldwide income, you are fully protected from paying worldwide taxes. 

Belize has an extremely interesting corporate regime. In a nutshell, there is no tax on foreign-sourced income for Belize IBCs (international business company limited by shares) and LLCs (company owned by percentage ownership). There is also no gift tax, inheritance tax, wealth tax, capital gains tax, so basically, no taxes of any kind.

But that's not all, Belize IBCs can be formed with just one foreign director and owner, making it the simplest and the fastest (24 hours) corporate structure available in Latin America.

And that's not it. There is no open register of shareholders or directors, which makes the jurisdiction virtually unique. There is also no mandatory accounting, but Mundo does recommend accounts to be held. If you're a cautious investor, you may think that the regulator is too flexible, but that's not the case. Regulatory authorities are thorough and tough. KYC rules are sufficiently strong to detect fraudsters or criminals.

The Belizean financial services regulator is professional and rigorous, but at the same time fair. The country has legislation and regulations directed towards protecting investors and promoting business.

If you want a well-regulated jurisdiction that offers tax optimization possibilities, such as zero tax on worldwide income plus a wide range of options and services, Belize is the right place.

Belize recognizes and grants many financial licenses, which include:

• Formation or management of IBCs or other offshore structures.
• Trust formation, management, and trustee service provision.
• International asset protection and management.

Foundations are also a fantastic asset protection possibility.

It generally goes somewhat overlooked, and we are amazed that this happens. It combines the best of both worlds being a mixture between the IBC and the trust.

The foundation is similar to a trust in many ways. Usually, both achieve the same objectives and are attractive strategies for anyone interested in investing abroad and preserving their assets for future generations.

One of the key aspects of Belize´s law is that it protects the privacy of the documents involved in the creation and maintenance of the Foundation. Such privacy is one of the most attractive advantages of this type of structure. 

A foundation shares some elements of a company and a trust. In terms of organizational and legal protection, an international foundation is similar to a company. It is established in an analogous manner and receives the same type of privacy and protection.

Not many people know this, but Belize has the most secure asset protection trust jurisdiction on earth today. There are many reasons why.

First, due to a much-hidden loophole in Belize trust regulations, a transfer of assets to a trust, even if later deemed fraudulent by a court of law in Belize, cannot be set aside. You have protection from the beginning. So, if you are married and you have offshore assets and transfer them to your Belize trust and your wife files for divorce and says you defrauded her…

There is nothing she can do about it. Often, courts in other jurisdictions declare transactions fraudulent to help spouses avoid trust laws. This can't happen in Belize, even if the judge is totally sympathetic. Horrible, isn't it? Of course, we would never suggest such a thing, but the law is the law, and facts are facts.

Another of Belize’s well-kept secrets are its amazing residence opportunities. The Belizean residence is one of the most cost-effective residency options in Latin America and the world, yet very few people know about it.

Imagine that for a mere monthly income of $2000, you can relocate to a literal paradise and:

• Pay zero taxes on your worldwide income in Belize

• Import plenty of items such as cars and yachts duty-free

• Only spend 30 days per year in Belize

For many specialists, Belize has the second-best residency program just behind Panama, which is one of the most popular options in the world.

Mundo is dedicated to maintaining the best information on offshore investment and structuring opportunities available in each country we review. That is why we are very careful only to be the information partners of only the very best and reputable developers and Real Estate opportunities. If it doesn't fit our high investment standards, we simply don't write about it.

Because we are locals and registered in Belize, we are particularly careful to offer you only the opportunities we know are the Rolls Royce of quality and value for money.

There is only one place in Belize that you, as a foreigner, should live. That place is an island 30 minutes by ferry from mainland Belize and with an ever-growing community of expats living and working there permanently and with hundreds of thousands of tourists flying in each year. We call it the Ibiza of Central America because it is full of amazing activities and opportunities, including great dining, diving, fishing, coral reef snorkeling, and general water activities.

One of the most frequent questions we receive is how HNW individuals use legal options to deal with prohibitive taxation and protect their assets, as it seems impossible for average people.

But the answer is way simpler; you don't need to be ultra-rich to take advantage of it.

We call this plan forever free, and you can check what it's all about right here.

The best? We can offer you a mini forever free package in Belize. You can establish a baby family office that allows you, in a wholly legal way, to escape from creditors, taxes, and regulations. We've successfully advised dozens of clients with such structures, and you can't imagine the amount of money they've saved.