Press Release, Belmopan, December 23, 2025. The public, in particular members of the business community, is hereby advised that the Trade License Act, No. 19 of 2024, has not yet come into force. Under this Act, a new trade licensing regime is to be established in urban areas and, for the first time, in rural areas.
As the new Act has not come into force for the trade licensing year 2026, ONLY businesses in towns and cities across Belize are eligible for the assessment of a trade license fee.
Businesses in rural areas, including Caye Caulker, are therefore advised that, until the new law comes into force, no trade license fee is payable.
Those businesses in the rural areas, including Caye Caulker, are further advised that application fees paid in anticipation of the roll-out of the new law for 2026 shall remain credited to those applicants.
This deferment of the application of the new Act has become necessary for the Government to satisfy and complete all parliamentary obligations before the new Act can come into force. As such, the Trade License Act, Chapter 66 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2020, remains the applicable legislation for trade licensing in Belize.
Affected business applicants, particularly from the rural sector, may contact the Ministry of Rural Transformation for further information via telephone number 670-2643 or by email at [email protected].
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