Glide along the dancing waves as you sail into the vacation of your dreams in Belize! Immerse yourself in the mystical Caribbean Sea, diving with luminescent fishes and hued corals. With Belize having the second largest barrier reef and a bountiful marine ecosystem, there is so much you can do in the vibrant blues!
Belize City & Approaches
Isla De Guanaja to Isla Cozumel
Colson Point to Belize City
Gulf of Hunduras
Monkey River to Colson Point
PHOTO CREDIT:
Belize Port Authority and the UK Hydrographic Office
Protocols for small non-commercial seas vessel entry to Belize:
Ships’ documents may be submitted at the Authority’s Headquarters during normal working hours from Monday – Friday for ships that are scheduled to enter on weekends and holidays at our Main Headquarters. Arrangements must be made by 4:00 pm of the preceding work days for services.
Effective 1 April, 2019:
A portal has been created [email protected] for electronic submission of shipping documents which shall include cruise and cargo ship information such as;
- Notice of Arrival within 48 hours
- Departure Notice
- Certificate of Clearance
- Pilotage and Boarding Report
- Import and Export Cargo Manifests
- Ship’s Registry
- International Ship Security Certificate (on initial visit or annually)
- Protection and Indemnity Certificate (on initial visit or annually)
- Continuous Synopsis Record (on initial visit or annually)
- Tender manifests
Numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 listed above are to be submitted in paper form in duplicates or triplicates as requires for proper authentication.
Upon boarding, only documents listed below are to be provided to Boarding Officers of the Belize Port Authority:
- Arrival Declaration
- Nil List
- Clearance from Last Port of Call
- Pilot card
- Discrepancy Report (if any)
Tariffs to be charged for private pleasure yachts visiting the seaports in Belize are to include a fee for the waiver of pilotage the fees to be charged are stated below:
| Pilot Waiver Fees | Standard Rate |
| Vessels less than 50 GT | Not Applicable |
| Vessels more than 50 GT But less than or equal to 100 GT |
$ 150.00 |
| Vessels more than 100 GT But less than or equal to 500 GT |
$ 250.00 |
| Vessels more than 500 GT But less than or equal to 2000 GT |
$ 500.00 |
| Vessels more than 2000 GT | $ 750.00 |
| Charges | Particulars | Cost |
| Administrative Charges | For Boarding and clearance | 100.00 |
| Boarding for entry | For ships not more than 100 GT | 30.00 |
| for ships more than 100 GT | 75.00 | |
| Clearance | For ships more more than 100 GT | 30.00 |
| For ships not more than 100 GT | 50.00 | |
| Navigational Aids | Per call per vessel | $1.50 per GT (with a maximum of 875.00) |
| Port Dues: | First 48 hours | Each 24 hrs thereafter |
| On ships not more than 100 GT | $ 30.00 | $ 10.00 |
| On ships more than 100 GT but no more than 500 GT |
$ 40.00 | $ 15.00 |
| On ships more than 500 GT but not more than 2,000 GT |
$ 80.00 | $ 20.00 |
| On ships more than 2,000 GT But not more than 5,000 GT |
$ 140.00 | $ 45.00 |
| On ships more than 5,000 GT but not more than 10,000 GT |
$ 200.00 | $ 50.00 |
| On ships more than 10,000 GT but not more than 15,000 GT |
$ 240.00 | $ 60.00 |
| On ships more than 15,000 GT but not more than 20,000 GT |
$ 320.00 | $ 100.00 |
| On ships more than 20,000 GT | $ 400.00 | $ 120.00 |
| Port Security (ISPS) Fees: | Standard Rate | |
| For cruise ships | 0.60 per pax | |
| For Cargo ships on ships between 0-500 GT |
$ 300.00 | |
| On ships more than 501 GT but not more than 5,000 GT |
$ 700.00 | |
| On ships more than 5,001 GT But not more than 15,000 GT |
$ 1,400.00 | |
| on ships more than 15,001 GT | $ 2,000.00 | |
Note: All prices are in Belize dollars (BZD)
SailClear- Making your arrival to Belize a seamless one
What is SailClear?
Sailclear is an online pre-arrival notification system which is available for use by yachts and other pleasure craft operators. The system allows Captains to submit their Customs declarations in the form of electronic notifications prior to arrival in certain participating countries in the Caribbean. Registered users can access the system to enter and update notifications about their yachts, crew and passengers while transiting the Caribbean region.
“It is an innovative but simple facility which is intended to simplify the clearance process, reduce the time spent with the Customs officials and generally improve the experience of the visiting yacht crew and passengers.”
The adoption of the SailClear software will create a seamless, fast-tracked experience for vessel operators arriving in Belize for recreational/vacation purposes. Nautical Tourism is an emerging niche market in Belize and the system includes a list of all fees and processes associated with arriving and departing Belize.
SailClear will become mandatory effective 1 August 2022 as part of the arrival process for all pleasure craft and yacht operators seeking to enter Belize’s territorial waters. This includes international and Belizeans operators (who depart the country’s territorial waters and return).
The following maritime port of entries are equipped with the SailClear software and/or a kiosk:
- Belize City: Radisson Fort George Marina & Old Belize (Kukumba Beach) Marina
- San Pedro, Ambergris Caye: Amigos de Mar
- Placencia: Roberts Grove Marina
The application will enhance the efforts and increase the efficiency of Belize’s Customs and Excise Department, the focal point for SailClear in Belize.
Official Ports of Entry
Belize Port Authority Act (Chapter233s)
Belize has nine (09) port facilities namely:
| 1. Port of Belize Limited – Containerized and Break Bulk Cargo | Commercial Vessels Only |
| 2. Pot of Big Creek – Banana, Citrus, Petroleum | All Vessels |
| 3. Fort Street Tourism Village – Cruise Tourism | Private – Cruise Ships Only |
| 4. PUMA Energy Bahamas S. A. – importation of fuel only | Private Fuel Only |
| 5. Witconcrete – exportation of sugar | Private – Exports Only |
| 6. Commerce Bight Port – un-operational | closed |
| 7. San Pedro Terminal | All Vessels |
| 8. Harvest Caye Port | Private Norwegian Cruise Line |
| 9. Punta Gorda Port | All Vessels |
Please note that arrival at all other ports of entry that are not official ports of entry may attract additional service charges.
Recommended Marinas
| Name | Region | Maximum Capacity | Max vessel size | Daily parking rate | Maximum Draft | Amenities | Ph. number | Website |
| The Moorings | Placencia | 25 | 50ft | 4.50 per ft | 5.5ft | Fuel,water,security | 523-3351 | https://www.moorings.com/ |
| The Placencia | Placencia | 25 | 200ft | 5bz per ft | 16ft | Charging port, security,fuel, water,ice, clearance with immigration | 822-1272 | https://theplacencia.com/placencia-marina |
| Thunder Birds marina | Placencia | 20 | 60ft | 2.25 per ft | 6ft | Fuel, ice, water, charging security, marine store, mechanic, launch pad | 624-1411 | https://www.belizeboatyard.com/ |
| 633-2478 | ||||||||
| 670-3737 | ||||||||
| Roberts Grove | Placencia | 15 | 60ft | 3.50 per ft | 5ft | Fuel, water, charging port, security | 523-3565 | https://www.robertsgrove.com/marina/ |
| Kukumba Beach | Belize City | 75-water | 100ft | 1.98 bz per ft | Low Tide – 4ft High Tide – 5 ft |
Fuel,water,charging port, launch pad, security, ice | 222-4153 | https://www.oldbelize.com/services/marina/ |
| Dry-200 | ||||||||
| 615-2268 | ||||||||
| The Placencia Yacht Club | Placencia | 5 | 75 ft | 3.00 bz | 8 ft | Electricity, Water, Laundry, Mechanic on site | 639-8555 | https://www.placencia-yacht-club.com/ |
| Electricty and water metered | ||||||||
| Radisson Fort George Marina | Belize City | 5 | 100ft | 5.00 bz per ft | 5 – 6ft | Snacks and local beers, sodas and juices , marine engine oil, gasoline and diesel fuel, Restaurant & Bar, Overnight accomodations, gift shop | 613-4478 | https://www.fortgeorgebelize.com/ |
| Sitee River Marina | Hopkins | 30 | 50ft | 1.65 per ft | 5ft | Fuel, ice, water, charging port, security | 670-8525 | https://www.sitteerivermarina.com/ |