Jurisdictions / Belize

Where the statute settles it.

Since 1992, the Belize Trusts Act has barred the Belize court from recognizing foreign claims and foreign court orders against the property of a Belize trust in matters of divorce, succession and insolvency. Thirty-four years later, that statute remains the firm’s preferred home for asset protection trusts.

The Trusts Act, in plain terms.

Belize's statutory architecture treats foreign creditor claims against Belize-domiciled trust assets as categorically outside the court's jurisdiction. There is no balancing test and no fraudulent-conveyance window for the court to peer through; the door is closed. In the 2019 U.S. Bankruptcy Court decision in In re Rensin, the debtor prevailed because the court held that the Belize trustee was a necessary party, and that it was unlikely to have jurisdiction over a trustee in Belize.

The LLC Act, alongside.

Beyond the trusts statute, the Belize International Limited Liability Companies Act provides protections that rival the trust framework: onerous creditor-bond requirements before any claim may be filed, and an outright prohibition on certain types of fraudulent-transfer claims that would survive elsewhere. Used in conjunction with a Belize trust, the LLC forms what the planning literature describes as a double-walled structure.

Why we work here.

The firm has maintained continuous presence in Belize since 2011. Our familiarity with the local trustee community, the registry, and the relevant chambers means a Belize structure can be established and administered without the friction common to first-time engagement with the jurisdiction.

The legislation we work under.

Belize Trusts Act

Cap. 202 · 1992; revised 2020

The statute under which we register Belize trusts. Section 7 closes the door on foreign creditor claims against trust assets, regardless of how the claim was established or where it was rendered.

§ 7(6): A Belize court shall not vary or set aside a Belize trust, or recognize the validity of any claim against trust property under the law or court order of a foreign jurisdiction, in respect of marriage and divorce, succession rights (including forced heirship), or the claims of creditors in an insolvency.
§ 7(7): Section 7(6) applies notwithstanding Belize's own fraudulent-conveyance provision (Law of Property Act, s. 149), bankruptcy law, and the Reciprocal Enforcement of Judgments Act.

Belize International Limited Liability Companies Act

BILLC · 2011

The most protective LLC framework in the Caribbean. Capital contributions are excluded from fraudulent-transfer law, the charging order is the exclusive creditor remedy, and a creditor must post substantial bond before any claim may proceed.

§ 36(3): Charging order is the exclusive remedy against a debtor-member's interest in a Belize LLC.
§ 37(7): A creditor must post a bond of US $50,000 or one-half of the claim, whichever is greater.
§ 37(8): Capital contributions are excluded from the definition of 'transfer' for fraudulent-transfer purposes.
§ 38(1): Only judgments issued by a Belize court are enforceable against a Belize LLC.

Services from this office

Asset Protection Trusts
Asset Protection LLCs
Foundations

Office

Lighthouse Trust Limited

3½ Miles Phillip Goldson HighwayBelize City, Belize C.A.

+1 307 357 3679

Our people

The Belize office

Harald Linhart

Managing Director

Harald is a Managing Director of the firm, responsible for its operations in Belize and Hong Kong. He has spent his career in international fiduciary and corporate management for private and institutional clients.

Anne Huelgas

Trust Manager

Anne is a Director of the firm's Hong Kong office and Managing Director of its Manila office, and supports the administration of the firm's Belize structures. She has spent her career in fiduciary and corporate administration for international clients.

Rowan Trapp

Trust Manager

Rowan administers trusts and companies for the firm's Belize clients from the firm's registered seat, handling entity administration, statutory filings, and good standing. He has spent his career in fiduciary and corporate administration.

Denise Flowers

Office Coordinator

Denise is the first point of contact at the Belize office, managing reception, scheduling, and client correspondence, and coordinating document handling and records.

Lighthouse Trust · Belize

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