PURPOSE OF OVERVIEW
Improving the starting a business process in Belize has been in progress for the past few years. Being able to register and manage a company easily and efficiently is the foundation of this process and is key in a country’s competitiveness. This brief overview is meant to showcase the business transformation journey of the Belize Companies and Corporate Affairs Registry (BCCAR or the Registry) for the period July 2020- March 2021.
PARTNERS
The partners in this transformation journey include the following entities:
- V Ministry of Finance, Government of Belize
- V International Financial Services Commission
- V Belize Companies and Corporate Affairs Registry
- V Belize International Companies Affairs Registry
- V Economic Development Council
- V Central Information Technology Office
- V Elevate Consulting Ltd.
- V Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility
BACKGROUND
The Belize Companies and Corporate Affairs Registry is the Government of Belize’s domestic business registry providing services as authorized under the respective laws of Belize:
- Local company incorporation (with or without liability), Cap 250 Companies Act
- V Overseas company registration, Cap 250 Companies Act
- V Business Name registration, Cap 247 Business Names Act
- V Limited Liability Partnership registration, Cap 258 Limited Liability Partnership Act
BCCAR has eight (8) staff members including the Deputy Registrar and a Registrar overseeing operations, policy, and enforcement. The other job roles include Registry Officers, Data Entry Clerks, and an Office Assistant. Over 50% of the staff members have been employed at the registry for ten (10) years or more. As of November 2020, the registry experienced three distinct reconfigurations in the Ministry providing oversight within the past five (5) years with corresponding changes in Registrar and Deputy Registrar leadership. Up to mid-2020, the Registry was heavily paper-based, most of the processes and procedures were conducted manually and there was no online presence providing information on the requirements for the different services. Under these conditions, the registry processed an average of twenty-five transactions a day with a turnaround time of 7- 10 business days.
See the full overview below:
