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Promote:Belize

Export from Belize

A short guide for companies selling from Belize: the export figures, the agreements and their limits, the main steps and who can help, each with its source.

1. What Belize sells, and who buys it

Top goods exports

2025

  1. 1. Cane sugar (HS 1701)US$56.8 million
  2. 2. Bananas (HS 0803)US$45.8 million
  3. 3. Refined petroleum products (HS 2710)US$20 million
  4. 4. Fruit juices (HS 2009)US$19.5 million
  5. 5. Shrimp, lobster and other crustaceans (HS 0306)US$15.8 million
  6. 6. Cigarettes and cigars (HS 2402)US$12.3 million
  7. 7. Live cattle (HS 0102)US$8.15 million
  8. 8. Mollusks (HS 0307)US$7.23 million
Show 12 more products
  1. 9. Dried beans and other pulses (HS 0713)US$5.84 million
  2. 10. Soybean oil (HS 1507)US$5.72 million
  3. 11. Molasses (HS 1703)US$5 million
  4. 12. Bran and other milling residues (HS 2302)US$4.79 million
  5. 13. Sauces and condiments (HS 2103)US$3.63 million
  6. 14. Toilet paper and tissue products (HS 4818)US$2.37 million
  7. 15. Cereal groats and meal (HS 1103)US$1.75 million
  8. 16. Wood joinery and carpentry (HS 4418)US$1.73 million
  9. 17. Surveying and measuring instruments (HS 9015)US$1.59 million
  10. 18. Cocoa beans (HS 1801)US$1.56 million
  11. 19. Essential oils (HS 3301)US$1.5 million
  12. 20. Sawn wood (HS 4407)US$1.41 million
  • Re-exports were 19.6 percent of 2025 flow X exports; refined petroleum products were nearly all re-exports and cigarettes all. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)
  • Sugar, bananas and fruit juices were 50.4 percent of 2025 exports, and sugar fell from US$91.1 million in 2024 to US$56.8 million. Source⁠ (opens in a new tab)

Source: UN Comtrade, Belize exports by product, 2025⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025

Where the goods go

2025, share of goods exports

  • United Kingdom26.3%
  • United States25.9%
  • Trinidad and Tobago6.3%
  • Ireland5.6%
  • Jamaica5.4%
  • Honduras5%
  • Mexico4.2%
  • Guatemala3.9%

Source: UN Comtrade, Belize exports by destination, 2025⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025

2. What to look into next

Our reading

  • The research marks bananas, shrimp, lobster and other crustaceans and live cattle as lines a small or mid-sized company could be in. If yours is one, check which markets buy that line, not only Belize’s top destinations overall.

    Source: UN Comtrade, Belize exports by product, 2025⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

    Based on: Top goods exports

  • Dried beans and other pulses grew 59% from 2024 to 2025; live cattle grew 36% from 2024 to 2025. A growing line can mean buyers are looking for more; confirm it with that line’s buyers before you plan around it.

    Source: UN Comtrade, Belize exports by product, 2025⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

    Based on: Top goods exports, against the year before

  • The United Kingdom takes 26.3% of Belize’s goods exports. If you sell there, its import rules and buyer channels come first; either way, compare at least one other market before you commit.

    Source: UN Comtrade, Belize exports by destination, 2025⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

    Based on: Where the goods go

Promote:Global’s reading of the figures above, not a source’s statement, and not advice.

3. Trade agreements

What each arrangement can mean for a seller, and its limits. A preference is conditional: check the rules of origin before you quote.

Show 6 more agreements

  • Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA) and Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA)

    Gives eligible Belizean goods duty-free entry to the United States under the Caribbean Basin Initiative.

    As of October 30, 2026, CBTPA runs to September 30, 2030 and CBERA has no end date; separate United States tariffs apply, so check the duty for your product.

    Source: USTR, Caribbean Basin Initiative page, October 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  • Caribbean-Canada Trade Agreement (CARIBCAN)

    Gives eligible Belizean goods duty-free entry to Canada.

    Preference for goods meeting Canada's origin rules; the WTO waiver runs to December 31, 2033 and Canada's regulation is current to September 30, 2026.

    Source: WTO Trade Policy Review, Belize Secretariat report, March 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of March 30, 2026

  • Belize-Guatemala Partial Scope Agreement (PSA)

    Gives 72 Belizean products, such as tilapia, black beans and yellow maize within quotas, preferential entry to Guatemala.

    Partial scope: only listed products that meet the origin rules qualify, and yellow maize is capped at 20,000 metric tons.

    Source: Directorate General for Foreign Trade, Guatemala agreement page⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  • Belize-El Salvador Partial Scope Agreement (PSA)

    Once in force, it is meant to give Belizean goods preferential access to El Salvador's market.

    Signed August 13, 2026, with ratification to follow, and no official source opened shows it in force. Confirm its status with the Directorate General for Foreign Trade before you claim it.

    Source: Belize Press Office, El Salvador agreement, August 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of August 14, 2026

  • Belize-Republic of China (Taiwan) Economic Cooperation Agreement (ECA)

    Gives 199 Belizean products, including beef, pork, chicken, lobster and juices, preferential entry to Taiwan, plus a sugar quota.

    Only listed products that meet the agreement's origin rules qualify; the sugar quota is up to 35,000 metric tons.

    Source: WTO Trade Policy Review, Belize Secretariat report, March 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of March 30, 2026

  • Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), schemes of other countries

    Gives eligible Belizean goods reduced duty in several developed and developing countries that run such schemes.

    Country lists differ between the WTO review and the DGFT page, so confirm the importing country's list and rules before you quote.

    Source: WTO Trade Policy Review, Belize Secretariat report, March 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of March 30, 2026

4. Steps to export

The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.

Exporting from Belize

  1. Register the business with the registry, then with the tax service to get a Taxpayer Identification Number, before you export.Belize Companies and Corporate Affairs RegistryOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: WTO Trade Policy Review, Belize Secretariat report, March 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of March 30, 2026

  2. Get the exporter code, which the customs department and the tax service issue automatically.Belize Customs and Excise DepartmentOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: WTO Trade Policy Review, Belize Secretariat report, March 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of March 30, 2026

  3. Check the WTO list of export-licensed products and apply to the agency it names for your product.Fisheries Department; Forest Department; Belize Agricultural Health Authority; Supplies Control UnitSugar license applications are due by November 30 each year.Official page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: WTO Trade Policy Review, Belize Secretariat report, March 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of March 30, 2026

  4. Ask customs for a certificate of origin if your buyer's market or agreement asks for one.Belize Customs and Excise DepartmentOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, trading information page⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

Show 4 more export steps
  1. Check Belize technical regulations and standards with the national standards body, which is also the WTO enquiry point.Belize Bureau of StandardsOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Belize Bureau of Standards, TBT enquiry point page⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

  2. Get the phytosanitary or other export certificate for farm, fish and food goods from the agricultural health authority.Belize Agricultural Health AuthorityOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: WTO Trade Policy Review, Belize Secretariat report, March 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of March 30, 2026

  3. File the customs export declaration, the Single Administrative Document, with your invoice, packing list and freight document; there is no single window yet.Belize Customs and Excise DepartmentOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: WTO Trade Policy Review, Belize Secretariat report, March 2026⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of March 30, 2026

  4. Complete the XCH2 export reporting form, sell or deposit proceeds with an authorized dealer, and return the endorsed form to the Central Bank.Central Bank of BelizePayment due within six months of export; XCH2 endorsement needed above BZD 10,000.Official page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: Central Bank of Belize, export payment direction, July 2015⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 30, 2026

5. Organizations that help exporters

Start with BELTRAIDE, BCED and SIB. Each card links to the organization’s own site.

Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets

Export development and market information

Show 2 more organizations

Customs and tax

Standards and sector requirements

Show 2 more organizations

Chambers and industry associations

6. Worth knowing

7. How Promote:Global helps

  • Compare potential export marketsSee which markets import what you sell, ranked on public trade data, and read each country before you commit.
  • Check duties and document requirementsCheck the duty, the origin conditions for a preferential rate and the documents a shipment needs.
  • Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
  • Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.

Turn this guide into your Belize project.

Use Promote:Global to explore markets, understand requirements and organize your next steps.

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Promote:Belize is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.

Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of October 30, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.