Your Belize trust cost depends on the structure, not a fixed tariff: companies and accounts under the trust, the drafting and the work of the trustee and trust agent. We publish the set-up fee for a standard trust in Belize on this page; annual administration, event-based work and third-party charges are quoted after we review your case.
The set-up fee for a Belize trust is shown under the key facts. The other groups of cost depend on the structure and are quoted after we review your case.
Register of International Trusts, not public (ss.65A, 65C)[1]
Trustee requirement
International trust needs a trust agent in Belize (s.65E(1))[1]
Numbers in brackets point to the Sources list at the end of this page.
Set-up fee
Standard trust
USD 9,000
Trust set-up in Belize: the fee is fixed for the standard scope listed below.
Includes
Client onboarding, KYC and due diligence
Structure design
Trust deed drafted through a partner law firm
Acceptance of trusteeship by a local partner trustee, coordinated by One Pacific Trust
Filing of any registration the law requires
Excludes
Government fees, initial and annual (passed through at cost)
Stamp duty
Holding or underlying companies
Bank account opening
Tax advice in other countries
Annual trustee, administration and event fees (quoted separately)
VAT or GST where applicable
Resident trust agent annual fee
This fee includes the local partner trustee's acceptance fee as agreed with One Pacific Trust.
Set-up fees shown are One Pacific Trust fees in US dollars for the standard scope described, before government, registry, bank and other third-party charges, which are passed through at cost or billed to you directly.
Annual administration, event-based work and anything outside the standard scope are quoted after we review your case.
A published fee is not an offer and is not tax or legal advice; the terms that apply are those set out in writing when you engage us.
Set-up costs: what they cover
Illustration, not a real client.
In Belize the one-off bill includes a resident trust agent for an international trust from day one. Beyond that, set-up cost tracks the shape of the structure.
The set-up fee shown on this page covers the standard scope. Ongoing administration, work tied to events and outside charges are quoted once we review your case.
A figure in a quote comes from the written terms of the trustee and the Belize law firm, and the government sets its own charges.
A set-up quote for Belize usually lists these lines:
Client acceptance, identity checks and source-of-funds review.
Design of the structure with your lawyer.
Drafting of the deed and your letter of wishes by a law firm in Belize.
Trustee acceptance of office, and the appointment of the trust agent.
Entry in the register, for an international trust.
Any holding company placed beneath the trust.
Ask for every line separately. One bundled total conceals the items that move with your facts.
When each charge falls due is easiest to see in the steps in order.
Ongoing trustee and administration costs
Once the trust is signed and funded, the trustee keeps working for it each year, mainly on meetings, resolutions, accounts and records.
An international trust must have a trust agent resident in Belize at all times (s.65E(1)). The agent’s yearly work is a cost line of its own.
Over a long-lived trust, the yearly bills can outweigh the set-up. Request them as a separate line and compare year against year.
Common yearly items include:
The trustee’s fee for acting and for each decision it records.
The trust agent’s fee for keeping the connection to Belize.
Preparation of accounts for the trust and any company it owns.
Reporting that the trustee or a bank must make, which your adviser confirms for your case.
Reviews with you when your family or assets change.
Our coordination fee is shown on its own line, separate from the trustee’s fee, so you can see who charges for what.
Third-party costs
A further group of costs goes to outside parties, and your choices set their size.
Your own lawyer and tax adviser. Their work at home is separate from the work in Belize.
Government charges. The authorities set them, not us, and the written terms list those that apply.
The trust agent. Its fee for the register entry is billed apart from the trustee’s.
Bank charges. Opening and running accounts for the trust or a company beneath it.
Certified copies and translations. Needed for papers from abroad that are not in English.
These items are modest next to the legal and trustee work, yet an unbudgeted one can hold up the start.
Have your lawyer draw up the list early. Tax reporting adds a yearly line; see tax and reporting.
What changes the total
Two trusts in Belize can come out at very different totals. The main levers are these:
Whether the trust is international, since that brings a trust agent and a register entry.
The number of parties, holding companies and bank accounts under the trust.
The kinds of assets, since shares in private companies take more work than cash.
The legal drafting, which grows with every special clause or role.
Whether the deed creates a protector, or a purpose trust that needs one.
How often the trustee must meet and report.
Cash and listed securities in a single trust make the light case. Several companies, a protector and assets across many countries make the heavy one.
Which assets will you transfer, and will a holding company be involved? Those two answers shift the quote more than anything else.
How to get a quote
What we send is a quote, not an offer. It sets out each cost line with its assumptions, and it is revised if your facts change.
Write briefly with your country of residence, the assets you expect to transfer and who should benefit. You receive the questions that matter and a list of papers to gather.
What do I pay for when I set up a trust in Belize?
Set-up covers client acceptance and design, drafting of the deed and letter of wishes, trustee acceptance, the trust agent and any holding company. After that come yearly administration, government charges and bank fees. The written terms list every item before you commit.
Are there ongoing costs for a trust in Belize?
Yes. Both the trustee and the trust agent work each year on meetings, resolutions, accounts, records and reporting. Across the life of a trust, those yearly charges can exceed the set-up. Government renewal charges and bank fees come on top, and each shows as its own line.
How do I get a quote for a trust in Belize?
Send the assets you expect to transfer, whether a holding company is involved, and how many beneficiaries and advisers there are. A written quote comes back listing each cost line and its assumptions. It is revised if your facts change.
Pick a question for a short answer from our FAQ. Nothing you choose here is sent anywhere. This is a scripted guide from our FAQ, not live chat and not advice.
Setting up, the law and tax
What happens, step by step, when you set up an offshore trust?
First agree the purpose and who should benefit. Your lawyer drafts the deed under the chosen law while the trustee checks identity and the source of the assets. After signing, the assets move into the trustee’s name and are recorded. The guide shows each stage in more detail.
Usually the owner transfers the shares or membership interest to the trustee under the deed, after checking the company’s own documents and any consent a lender or partner must give. The trustee then holds the interest and the company carries on. Company, tax and local law checks come first, so involve your lawyer.
Yes, in the places whose law provides for them. A trust needs a lawful purpose, a valid deed under its governing law, and taxes and reporting dealt with where the people involved live. It cannot be used to hide assets, defeat existing creditors or evade tax. A trustee will refuse a trust whose purpose or funding it cannot confirm.
It depends on where the settlor, the beneficiaries, the trustee and the assets are, and on the law that governs the trust. Many countries tax trust income or distributions in the hands of the people they treat as owners or recipients, and exchange account data under international reporting rules. We do not give tax advice, so ask your own adviser before you sign.
How long does it take to appoint a Hong Kong trustee?
Time depends mostly on how quickly documents arrive and on checks by banks and registries outside our control, so we do not promise a date. Once you apply, the client portal shows each step and what is outstanding, and a 30-minute call sets out what to prepare first.
The cost depends on the structure, the places and assets involved, how many parties the trustee must check, and how much work the trust needs each year. We publish the set-up fee for each place; annual administration and event-based work are quoted after we review your case. Banking, legal and registry charges outside our control can add to it.
A trustee can borrow only if the deed and the governing law allow it. A lender will usually ask to see the deed, the trustee’s authority and the purpose of the loan. Some deeds limit borrowing or need a protector’s consent. Ask a lawyer before approaching a lender.
What is asset management, and is it what a trustee does?
Asset management means running investments for a client, usually under a licence. A trustee does something different: it holds the assets, checks instructions against the deed, approves distributions and keeps the record. A bank or licensed manager that the deed allows for can run the investments.
Hong Kong
Singapore
BVI
Jersey
