Belize Foundation

Preservation of wealth from economic, political or family crisis

Belize Foundation

A Belize Foundation is a hybrid between a company and a trust. The foundation incorporates the management structure and legal persona of a company with the donor and beneficiary features of a trust. The foundation can be formed solely by foreigners who can maintain control. The foundation is a separate and independent legal entity.

The Belize International Foundations Act of 2010 (amended 2013) governs the formation and dissolution of all foundations. The 2013 amendments allowed foreigners to become council members for numerous foundations without having to apply for a professional license. Only a Belize citizen who wishes to sit on more than one foundation council must obtain a license.

Foundations can be created for charitable or non-charitable purposes; or for no purpose other than to benefit a beneficiary or the founder. A foundation may be created with no beneficiaries as long as there is a clear specific purpose as described in the foundation’s charter.

Belize Foundation Advantages

The following are some of the many advantages offered by a Belize Foundation

Preservation of wealth from economic, political or family crisis

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Faster method to transfer assets to one’s heirs

Estate planning to avoid interference with one’s home country’s archaic laws

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Consolidation of global assets ownership

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Eliminate probate, estate and inheritance taxes

Belize Foundation Benefits

A Belize Foundation has the following benefits

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No Taxation: There are no taxes of any kind if all parties and assets are from outside of Belize. Note, U.S. taxpayers and those from countries taxing global income must disclose all income to their tax authorities.

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Total Foreign Ownership: The founder, beneficiaries and assets can all be from outside of Belize.

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Asset Protection: A Belize foundation provides complete worldwide asset protection. The foundation owns all of the assets transferred from the founder. As a separate legal entity, the foundation isolates the assets from the founder and the beneficiaries.

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Estate Planning: The founder and the beneficiaries do not own any of the assets and the foundation maintains total control regarding the distribution of the assets to the beneficiaries. The foundation can own the assets for generations and distribute income to the beneficiaries and their heirs for many generations.

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Privacy: The names of the founder, beneficiaries, and protector are not included in the public records.

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No Minimum Capital: There is no minimum capital requirement for foundations.

Belize Foundation – Legal and Tax Information

+ Asset Protection

The Belize foundation owns all properties and assets transferred to it from the founder as it is a legal entity in itself. This isolates all assets from the founder.

+ Foundation Charter

The foundation charter is the official document creating a foundation in Belize. The Act requires every Charter to include the following information:

  1. The Foundation’s name;
  2. The Founder’s name and address;
  3. The Foundation’s purpose;
  4. The initial property endowment with the registered agent’s certified confirmation;
  5. Designation of the beneficiaries;
  6. Designation of the duration of existence (indefinite or fixed period of time);
  7. The Secretary’s name and address (if one is appointed);
  8. The Registered Agent’s name and address;
  9. The names and addresses of the foundation council members (nominee members are permitted); and
  10. Other important provisions regarding the foundation’s management.
+ Founder

The founder of a foundation is the one who creates it and may consist of more than one person. Founders may be individuals or corporate bodies. A founder may also be its only beneficiary. However, the founder cannot be the protector. The founder and anyone contributing assets to a foundation without full consideration cannot be a Belize resident.

+ Foundation Council

The foundation council manages, represents, and acts on behalf of the foundation with all third parties. Its powers and duties must be in accordance with the foundation’s charter.

+ Protector

The foundation’s charter may provide for the selection of a protector. This is typically someone known and trusted by the founder. The foundation’s charter will specify the protector’s powers, duties, rights, and responsibilities. The foundation’s by-laws may also provide such specifications of the protector. The protector will never be a foundation council member. The protector owes a fiduciary duty to the founder, beneficiaries, and the foundation.

+ Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries are the people named in the foundation’s charter or by-laws either specifically by name or referring to an identifiable class. Beneficiaries are the ones entitled to the benefits described in the foundation’s charter or by-laws.

Foundations may be formed with no beneficiaries as long as there is a specific clear purpose for its existence described in the foundation’s charter.

+ Accounting

There are no requirements for the maintenance of books and accounting records. This is up to the discretion of the foundation council.

No matter what accounting practices are adopted, beneficiaries have the right to full access of all records.

The government does not require any filings of books, account records, or any audits.

+ Taxes

As long as all of the assets, beneficiaries, the founder, and all contributions made to the foundation originate and are located outside of Belize, the following taxes are exempt:

– Corporate taxes, Income taxes, Capital gains tax, Wealth tax, Assets tax, Withholding tax, Gift tax, Inheritance tax, Estate tax, Distributions tax, Profits tax, Stamp duties, Business tax and Estate duty tax.

+ Public Records

The Registrar only provides the public with the following information regarding a foundation:

– Foundation’s name;
– Registered agent’s name and address; and
– Registration date of the foundation.

The founder, protector, and beneficiaries names are not part of any public records. While the foundation council member’s names are included in the foundation charter, the law allows the appointment of nominee council members even though the charter is not made available to the public.

A Belize Foundation has the following benefits: 100% foreign owner and control, no taxes, asset protection, estate planning, privacy, no minimum capital, and English is the official language.

Why not contact Atrium company formation specialists today to speak to one of our advisors on private foundation start-up in Belize?

These experts will guide you towards the correct package for you and your foundation’s needs. We are a highly reputable, reliable company incorporation service provider. Atrium are specialists in guiding clients through the process, from documentation required to submit an application, to post formation considerations.

Which services we do and do not do

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What we do

Under our Services portfolio, we are EXCLUSIVELY engaged in assisting worldwide clients, either individuals or corporate entities, to set up their business overseas. In order to allow every client to properly register their business at an international jurisdiction, ATRIUM & ASSOCIATES provides all related services including company formation, assistance to locate local registered offices for their new business company, helping to open business bank account, and introducing client to local chartered accountants.

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What we don’t do

ATRIUM & ASSOCIATES does not provide investment or financial advice, and any sort of financial business activity.

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