Services · Trusts & private foundations

Belize trust

Updated 7 October 2026

Open pricing. The final quote is fixed in writing before work starts.

Belize is a common law jurisdiction whose trust legislation is geared towards asset protection. A Belize trust is considered by settlors who value the structure's resilience against outside claims. Like any trust, it only works with a genuine transfer of assets to the trustee and properly drafted documents.

We look at your objectives, assess whether Belize is the right fit and say so honestly if another jurisdiction makes more sense. We then draft the trust deed and arrange the establishment of the trust, trustee services and ongoing maintenance. Pricing is individual and agreed after we discuss the structure and the assets involved.

How a Belize trust works under the law

Belize trusts are governed by the Trusts Act (Chapter 202). Registration of international trusts has been compulsory since 2007: the register is kept by the Registrar of International Trusts at the Financial Services Commission, and a fee is paid for entry on the register and for recording changes. If the terms of a registered trust change, the trustee must notify the Registrar.

A Belize trust is chosen for asset protection and succession planning where the flexibility of common law trust rules in a Caribbean jurisdiction matters.

How the setup works

1. Defining the task: which assets, who the beneficiaries are, which powers the settlor and protector keep.
2. Choosing a licensed Belize trustee and passing client checks.
3. The trust deed and the letter of wishes.
4. Registering the trust and transferring the assets.
5. Ongoing administration and notifying the Registrar of changes.

What documents you need

Under anti-money laundering law the trustee identifies the settlor and beneficiaries and checks the source of funds: a passport and proof of address for each person involved, a description of the assets, source of funds documents and tax residence details. Documents not in English are translated and copies certified.

Trust duration, taxes and limits

• Under the Belize Trusts Act a trust can exist for up to 120 years from creation, so it can be planned for several generations.
• A trust with no property or income in Belize, whose settlor and beneficiaries live abroad, usually pays no tax in Belize.
• Taxes on distributions and the duty to report the trust are determined by the country where the settlor and beneficiaries live. In many countries a trust effectively controlled by the settlor is treated as their controlled structure.
• Asset protection works only for lawful money and debts that did not exist at the time of transfer. Moving assets into a trust to avoid known creditors can be challenged.
• The trust's account is opened at a bank that accepts such structures, often not in Belize but in another country where the trustee lives or the assets are.

What goes into the trust

Most often the shares of a holding company that owns accounts, securities and business stakes are transferred into the trust, so assets do not need to be re-registered one by one. Property is transferred under the rules of the country where it is located, taking local taxes into account. Each transfer comes with documents on the origin of the assets so the trustee and the bank accept them without extra questions. We plan the transfer so as not to create taxes in the settlor's country, and record it in the trust's asset register with the trustee.

What we do

Murblz specialists review the task and the assets, choose a licensed Belize trustee, agree the trust deed and the letter of wishes, handle the trust's registration and the asset transfer, and later remind you to notify the Registrar whenever the terms change. The quote is fixed in writing.

What we do

• Trust establishment and maintenance

FAQ