The government specified 25 categories of items, which require import licenses for protecting national industries. It includes the majority of consumer products: flour, beans, rice, eggs, sugar, citrus, meat, jelly, dry pasta products, beer and carbonated beverages. Prices for main items (rice, sugar beans, flour and bread, butane gas, and fuel) are controlled by the government (1987 Supplies Control Regulations).
Some goods are restricted for import to Belize and can enter the country only on the ground of license or permit. The tariff applied to products from CARICOM member states can differ from the tariff applied to goods from the rest of the countries. There are also quantity restrictions on certain items, such as peanut butter, jam, pasta, jellies, pepper sauce and wheat flour. If there are surplus of nationally manufactured products on the domestic market, they can’t be imported from other countries.
Documentation
Import permits are necessary for some foodstuffs, plant and plant materials, live animals and veterinary vaccines from the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) and the Ministry of Agriculture (http://www.baha.bz/).
BAHA also demands phyto-sanitary and zoo-sanitary certificates, documentation on health risk analysis, and certificates of origin. Importers must submit all original commercial invoices to the Customs Department.
Certification of items: The Belize Bureau of Standards together with BAHA requires product certification for specified imported goods, chiefly food products.
Import Tariffs
The Customs rates range from 0 to 45 %. They are based on the customs value (insurance, cost, freight CIF). The majority of goods are rated at 20 %. Machinery and parts, raw materials, textiles, chemicals, office equipment (excluding computers and accessories) rate 0 %; hand tools rate either 0 % or 5 % based on the customs value; fertilizers – 2 %; bottled water, ice cream – 50 %. The tariff rate on motor vehicles is based on engine capacity for automobiles; weight for pickup trucks, and seating capacity for vans and buses for public transport.
Labeling/Marking
Standard requirements for labeling and marking of locally manufactured and imported products sold in Belize were introduced by The Belize Bureau of Standards. Due to the standard, product labels have to give detailed information on the good, such as the components used and nutritional facts. | 
