Renting in Belize: no sales tax on a home, but on holiday lets, and your lease as proof of address
Renting a home in Belize works on a freely agreed contract: a tenancy law with rules on deposits and notice is not on the government websites. What does apply: renting a home is exempt from GST, the Belizean sales tax of 12.5%, but hotel and holiday lets are not. Your lease with a utility bill is later your proof of address with the immigration department.
4 min read
Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
Renting a home in Belize works on a contract you agree with the landlord yourself. The government websites of Belize carry no tenancy law with rules on the deposit, rent increases or notice. So put everything in writing. Two things are fixed: renting a home is free of GST, the Belizean sales tax of 12.5%, and your lease later serves as your proof of address.
What is fixed, and what do you agree yourself?
| Subject | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| GST on renting a home | exempt: "a supply of residential accommodation" | GST Act, Fourth Schedule, item 4 |
| GST on hotel or holiday lets | not exempt: 12.5% if the landlord is registered | GST Act, definition since 1 January 2025 |
| Proof of address | lease with a utility bill | immigration department |
| Stay while you look | 30 days, then 30 days at a time for BZ$ 200 | immigration department |
| Hurricane season | tropical storms mainly from June to November | NederlandWereldwijd |
| Deposit, notice, rent increase | not laid down in law on the government websites | agree yourself |
BZ$ is the Belize dollar; two Belize dollars are one US dollar.
Why does it matter whether it is a holiday let?
The GST Act exempts the supply of residential accommodation. Since 1 January 2025 residential premises are "a building or property that is occupied for or whose use is limited to residential purposes", but explicitly not hotel or holiday accommodation. If you rent a holiday home for the first months, 12.5% GST may be added to the price. Ask whether the price includes it.
A landlord only has to register for GST at a turnover of BZ$ 75,000 a year (section 23 of the GST Act). A landlord below that limit therefore does not have to charge GST, not even on holiday lets.
How do you rent as a visitor?
Most people start as visitors. You get 30 days on arrival and then extend by 30 days at a time for BZ$ 200. A one-year lease is therefore longer than your right to stay at that moment. Agree a notice period that fits your route. Check in the residence routes which one that is.
Paying is the second question. Banks in Belize may open a Belize dollar account for non-residents who live and work in Belize, for members of the QRP programme and for people who own a home. Other non-residents have to go through the central bank. A visitor is not on that list. So expect to pay from your Dutch account for the first months. See banking and paying in Belize.
Why do you keep your lease?
For temporary residence the immigration department asks for a lease with a utility bill as proof of address. For NHI care, too, the Social Security Board first has to validate your address. Have the lease put in your own name, with the full address, and keep every utility bill for that address.
On Ambergris Caye the town council asks, among other things, for a letter from your landlord and proof of a parking space before you may have a car. If you want a car there, ask for that letter right when you sign.
Where will you live?
The travel advice from NederlandWereldwijd is yellow. There is a lot of serious crime, with armed gangs, especially in the remote forested areas on the border with Guatemala and in the southern neighbourhoods of Belize City. Villages in the border region have hardly any phone or internet coverage. Visit a neighbourhood during the day first, and talk to neighbours before you sign.
A home on a caye or on the beach is lovely, but in a hurricane you have to leave first. NEMO, Belize's disaster agency, writes that 90% of hurricane casualties drown and that islands and beaches must be evacuated as early as possible. Ask the landlord about shutters, a strong roof and the nearest shelter.
The tropical storm season runs mainly from June to November. If you arrive in those months, it is best to rent first inland or on higher ground.
What do you put in the lease?
Because the law prescribes little, you settle it in the contract:
- the rent, in which currency, and whether GST is included;
- the deposit and when you get it back;
- who pays energy, water and maintenance;
- what happens with hurricane damage;
- the notice period, for you and for the landlord.
If you want to buy later, read buying a house in Belize. The order of the first weeks is in the first weeks in Belize.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.6: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Belize or go straight to step 5.6 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- General Sales Tax Act, Cap. 63 (revised edition 2011), section 23 and Fourth Schedule — the registration limit and the exempt supplies, including residential accommodation — media.bts.gov.bz
- General Sales Tax (Amendment) Act 2024, section 13 — the new definition of residential premises, without hotel and holiday accommodation — media.bts.gov.bz
- Customs and Excise Department — the GST of 12.5% — customs.gov.bz
- Immigration and Nationality Department — temporary residence, with a lease and utility bill as proof of address — immigration.gov.bz
- NHI — becoming a member, with a valid Social Security card and an address validated by the Social Security Board — nhi.bz
- Immigration and Nationality Department — extending a visit by 30 days — immigration.gov.bz
- NederlandWereldwijd — travel advice for Belize, with the areas of serious crime and the tropical storms — nederlandwereldwijd.nl
- NEMO — what to do in a hurricane, and why islands and beaches are evacuated first — site.nemo.org.bz
- Central Bank of Belize — who may open a Belize dollar account as a non-resident — centralbank.org.bz
- San Pedro Town Council — the traffic department, with the landlord letter for a car on Ambergris Caye — sanpedrotowncouncil.org
Read on
- BelizeAankomst in Belize5 min
Buying a house in Belize: the notice to the central bank, two land registers and the stamp duty
As a foreigner you may buy a house or land in Belize. If you buy from a resident of Belize, you notify the Central Bank of Belize of the transfer in writing beforehand. Two land registers exist side by side, and a judgment of April 2026 shows what goes wrong if you only check one. On the deed you pay stamp duty, calculated on the price or the value, whichever is higher.
Updated 19 October 2026
- BelizeAankomst in Belize4 min
Banking and paying in Belize: a fixed rate, exchange control and who may open an account
The Belize dollar has been fixed at two to the US dollar since 1976. Belize has exchange control: banks may open a Belize dollar account for non-residents who live and work in Belize, for QRP members and for property owners, but not a foreign currency account. A resident needs the central bank's permission for an account abroad.
Updated 19 October 2026
- BelizeAankomst in Belize4 min
The first weeks in Belize: extend every 30 days, and do not stay away too long for a year
In your first weeks in Belize two clocks run. As a visitor you get 30 days and then extend by 30 days at a time, for BZ$ 200 each time. And anyone who wants permanent residence may spend at most 14 days in total outside Belize in the first year. On top of that come the deadlines for your household goods, your pet and, in the QRP programme, your deposit and your stay.
Updated 19 October 2026