Belize
Belize International Business Companies are a long-running mid-tier offshore vehicle. The original IBC Act dates to 1990, and the framework was consolidated into the Belize Companies Act in 2022 to keep the jurisdiction in line with international tax-transparency standards. Belize sits on EU Annex II as of 2026, the grey list of cooperative jurisdictions with pending tax-governance commitments, not the Annex I blacklist, so EU counterparties may apply enhanced due diligence by default. We disclose that up front and let you self-select. For a Bitcoin operator who wants a recognizable Caribbean holding company, a clean privacy posture, and an optional banking introduction in the same corridor, Belize is a practical and inexpensive choice.
- Tier
- GRAY
- Formation
- 5 business days
- Apostille
- Supported
- UBO register
- Private
- EU list
- EU Annex II
- FATF list
- Off the FATF lists
Figures verified February 2026 · Sources: EU Annex I/II and FATF list status, detailed in Plain talk below.
Can a non-resident form a Belize company?
Yes. A non-resident can form a Belize entity. Belize is a GRAY jurisdiction. Banking is more selective and a compliance desk reads it as mid-tier, so confirm your rail accepts it before you file. Formation is $1,099 all-in / ₿0.01380653 / 1,380,653 sats, paid in Bitcoin or USDT, and takes 5 business days.
- Tier
- GRAY
- From price
- $1,099 all-in
- Formation time
- 5 business days
- EU / FATF status
- EU Annex II, off the FATF lists
- Public UBO register
- No
- Apostille
- Supported
What makes Belize different
- On EU Annex II, the grey list of cooperative jurisdictions, not the Annex I blacklist: disclosed honestly so you can self-select.
- No public register of beneficial owners; UBO records are held by the licensed agent, not published.
- Mature statute: IBC framework since 1990, consolidated into the Belize Companies Act in 2022.
- Bitcoiner-familiar corridor with an optional Caribbean banking introduction available as an add-on.
What you are actually buying with Belize
GRAY means banking is more selective and the entity reads as mid-tier to a compliance desk. It is not blacklisted, but expect a closer look and a narrower set of rails that will onboard it.
Major US business-banking rails do not onboard Belize IBCs. If you need US banking, the Belize IBC alone will not get you there; pair it with a US-domiciled WY or NM LLC. The Caribbean introduction is an add-on, not bundled into the base formation price. See the Banking page for named rails.
Belize sits in the gray tier on EU Annex II, and its reputation is mid-tier at best. Some institutional counter-parties, particularly US securities lawyers and certain EU corporates and banks, will treat a Belize entity with more scepticism and heavier due diligence than a BVI or Cayman structure. If you need an offshore vehicle that sophisticated counter-parties wave through, BVI is the better spend.
If you are a US person, a Belize IBC does not reduce your US tax. CFC and Subpart F rules apply, and you carry FBAR, Form 8938, and Form 5471 obligations where relevant. Forming offshore as a US person without a competent cross-border tax advisor is a mistake. The structure is not a tax-avoidance tool.
What we collect, and what Belize filing requires
- Email, country of residence, intended use statement
- OFAC + EU + UN sanctions screen (every order)
- Tier 1 KYC (ID + proof of address + source-of-funds attestation): required at this price tier
- Beneficial owner identification per Belize AML obligations and the Belize Companies Act
- Notarized copy of passport and proof of address
- Director consent and the first subscriber resolution naming the initial shareholder
The honest note: The licensed Belize agent is a regulated International Financial Services Provider and runs substantive KYC on every formation regardless of our platform tier. Belize does not publish UBO data, but the agent must keep beneficial-ownership and accounting records and produce them to the Belize regulator and to certain law-enforcement requests under treaty. Anonymous formation is not available on this SKU.
Where Belize entities bank
Major US business-banking rails do not onboard Belize IBCs. If you need US banking, the Belize IBC alone will not get you there; pair it with a US-domiciled WY or NM LLC. The Caribbean introduction is an add-on, not bundled into the base formation price. See the Banking page for named rails.
Full banking rankingWhen this jurisdiction is right (and wrong)
If you want a recognizable Caribbean IBC at a low all-in cost and you are paying in Bitcoin, Belize is one of the most efficient paths on the platform. The $1,099 Year-1 price is in line with Seychelles, and the statute is mature.
If you are a Bitcoin operator running a foreign-source-income business from outside the US, the Belize IBC pairs naturally with Caribbean or Asia-corridor banking and is a familiar structure for crypto-related activity. Keeping your effective rate low on foreign income is subject to your own country-of-residence rules, not Belize's.
If you would rather not stitch together formation and banking from two unrelated providers, Belize is one of the few corridors where the same regional network can extend a banking introduction as an add-on, which can compress the usual 30 to 60 day onboarding lag when it goes smoothly.
Belize sits in the gray tier on EU Annex II, and its reputation is mid-tier at best. Some institutional counter-parties, particularly US securities lawyers and certain EU corporates and banks, will treat a Belize entity with more scepticism and heavier due diligence than a BVI or Cayman structure. If you need an offshore vehicle that sophisticated counter-parties wave through, BVI is the better spend.
If you are a US person, a Belize IBC does not reduce your US tax. CFC and Subpart F rules apply, and you carry FBAR, Form 8938, and Form 5471 obligations where relevant. Forming offshore as a US person without a competent cross-border tax advisor is a mistake. The structure is not a tax-avoidance tool.
Banking is the weak point. Acceptance is concentrated in a small set of crypto-tolerant Caribbean and Asia-corridor rails, so if the in-corridor introduction declines you, your fallback options narrow quickly. Plan 30 to 60 days for a bank account with apostilled documents, and treat the banking step as the real gate, not the formation.
Common Belize questions
Is Belize on the EU blacklist?
Belize is on EU Annex II, the grey list of cooperative jurisdictions with pending tax-governance commitments, not Annex I (the actual blacklist). As of the February 2026 EU update it remains on Annex II. We disclose this honestly: the reputation is mid-tier, banking is more selective than for a US LLC, and some EU counter-parties may apply enhanced due diligence. General information, not legal advice.
How long does Belize formation take?
About 5 business days for the company-formation step. Apostille is supported and adds roughly 5 to 10 business days where your bank or counter-party requires legalized documents. Bank-account opening is a separate process and typically adds 30 to 60 days on top.
Is my ownership public in Belize?
No. Belize does not operate a public register of beneficial owners, so your name is not published on a searchable database. Your licensed agent still identifies you and keeps beneficial-ownership and accounting records under Belize AML law, and those records are accessible to the regulator and to certain law-enforcement requests under treaty. Privacy from public search is real; opacity to the regulator is not.
Can a Belize IBC bank with a major US rail?
No. The major US business-banking rails serve US-domiciled entities only. For Belize, plan on the in-corridor Caribbean introduction (an add-on), our Bitcoin-native option, or an Asia-corridor rail. If US banking is essential, pair the Belize IBC with a US-domiciled WY or NM LLC.
What's the total cost?
$1,099 is the all-in Year-1 price for the Belize IBC, filed through the licensed agent. Year-2 onward is $599/yr for the registered agent and government renewal. The Caribbean banking introduction is a separate add-on and is not included in the base price. You settle the whole order in BTC (on-chain and Lightning) or USDT via BitSettle.