{
  "destination": "belize",
  "name": "Belize",
  "question": "Do I need a licence to rent a boat in Belize?",
  "answer": "We could not confirm what visitors need: the Belize Port Authority says every master operating a vessel in Belizean waters must hold a Certificate of Competency, but its page does not say how that applies to bareboat guests. The Moorings lists Belize among destinations where the skipper must show proof of qualifications, so ask your operator what to bring.",
  "regime": "unclear",
  "regime_summary": "Not confirmed for visitors",
  "rests_on": "mixed",
  "rests_on_text": "official and secondary sources",
  "canonical_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/licence-by-country/belize/",
  "markdown_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/licence-by-country/belize.md",
  "destination_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/belize/",
  "best_time_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/best-time/belize/",
  "fishing_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/fishing/belize/",
  "api_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/api/licences/belize.json",
  "book_url": "https://catamaranindex.com/go/samboat?dest=belize&pos=api",
  "checked": "2026-10-28",
  "summary": {
    "licence_needed": "Master's certificate rule; visitors not verified",
    "vhf": "Not verified",
    "second_crew": "Not verified",
    "licence_free": "Not verified"
  },
  "law": [
    {
      "text": "The Belize Port Authority says all masters must hold a valid Certificate of Competency (master's licence) when operating in Belize's territorial waters, and that operating a vessel without one is an offence. It sets classes by vessel size and type; catamarans and trimarans of any length are class E (EA up to 34 ft, EB 35–44 ft, EC 45–65 ft). The page does not mention foreign nationals, temporary certificates or bareboat charters.",
      "status": "official",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "lic_bz_bpa",
          "name": "Belize Port Authority",
          "title": "Certificate of Competency (Master's License)",
          "url": "https://portauthority.bz/certificate-of-competency-masters-license-requirements/",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "Official page. States that all masters must hold a valid Certificate of Competency in Belize's territorial waters and lists vessel classes (catamarans and trimarans have their own class E). It does not mention foreign nationals, temporary certificates or bareboat charters.",
          "tier": "official"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "certificates": [
    {
      "certificate": "ICC / RYA / ASA",
      "verdict": "unclear",
      "status": "official",
      "detail": "The Port Authority page does not say which foreign certificates it recognises. The RYA's ICC table has no Belize entry.",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "lic_bz_bpa",
          "name": "Belize Port Authority",
          "title": "Certificate of Competency (Master's License)",
          "url": "https://portauthority.bz/certificate-of-competency-masters-license-requirements/",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "Official page. States that all masters must hold a valid Certificate of Competency in Belize's territorial waters and lists vessel classes (catamarans and trimarans have their own class E). It does not mention foreign nationals, temporary certificates or bareboat charters.",
          "tier": "official"
        },
        {
          "id": "rya_icc",
          "name": "RYA",
          "title": "Evidence of competence abroad (ICC)",
          "url": "https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge/abroad/icc/evidence-of-competence-abroad",
          "checked": "2026-10-28",
          "note": "No page date shown. The RYA is the UK body that issues the ICC; it is a reference for acceptance by country, not a destination authority.",
          "tier": "reference"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "icc_note": {
    "text": "The ICC (International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft, UNECE Resolution 40) is described by the RYA as \"a certificate which is intended to provide evidence of competence when requested by officials in foreign countries\"; whether it is needed and in what form is set by the boat's flag state and, if different, the coastal state, and the onus is on the holder to check.",
    "status": "secondary",
    "sources": [
      {
        "id": "rya_icc",
        "name": "RYA",
        "title": "Evidence of competence abroad (ICC)",
        "url": "https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge/abroad/icc/evidence-of-competence-abroad",
        "checked": "2026-10-28",
        "note": "No page date shown. The RYA is the UK body that issues the ICC; it is a reference for acceptance by country, not a destination authority.",
        "tier": "reference"
      }
    ]
  },
  "vhf": [
    {
      "text": "We could not confirm a VHF certificate rule for Belize.",
      "status": "not_verified",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "second_crew": [
    {
      "text": "We found no official source on a second crew member in Belize.",
      "status": "not_verified",
      "sources": []
    },
    {
      "text": "Anchor, a charter-industry guide, says you \"might need to have at least one other able adult crew member, preferably with a competent crew certificate\". This is general advice, not a rule it ties to any country.",
      "status": "secondary",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "anchor_licences",
          "name": "Anchor (formerly Helm)",
          "title": "What qualifications do I need to charter a yacht?",
          "url": "https://www.anchor.yt/article/bareboat-licences",
          "checked": "2026-10-27",
          "note": "Updated 22 July 2026. Charter-industry article, not an official source.",
          "tier": "secondary"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "licence_free_boats": [
    {
      "text": "We could not confirm a Belizean rule for licence-free boats.",
      "status": "not_verified",
      "sources": []
    }
  ],
  "what_operators_ask": [
    {
      "text": "The Moorings lists Belize among destinations where the skipper must show proof of qualifications.",
      "status": "secondary",
      "sources": [
        {
          "id": "moorings_levels",
          "name": "The Moorings",
          "title": "Experience guide: Level 3 sail",
          "url": "https://www.moorings.com/experience-guide/level-3-sail",
          "checked": "2026-10-27",
          "note": "Charter operator guide, not an official source.",
          "tier": "secondary"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "skippered_charter": {
    "text": "Island Sailing, a charter operator, says on its Greece qualifications page that skippered or crewed yacht charters \"are ideal for those with little or no sailing experience\". With a professional skipper in command, the licence question is the skipper's, not yours (our reading; confirm the booking is skippered, not bareboat).",
    "status": "secondary",
    "sources": [
      {
        "id": "lic_island_sailing",
        "name": "Island Sailing",
        "title": "Yacht charter Greece: qualifications",
        "url": "https://www.island-sailing.com/yacht-charter-greece/yacht-charter-qualifications/",
        "checked": "2026-10-28",
        "note": "Charter operator page (footer © 2020, mentions 2026 & 2027 seasons). Not an official source.",
        "tier": "secondary"
      }
    ]
  },
  "skipper_cost_note": "A skipper costs EUR 150-300 per day (The Globe Sailor, Sept 2026); seven days is EUR 1,050-2,100 (our arithmetic: 7 x the listed daily rate).",
  "not_verified": [
    "How the Port Authority's Certificate of Competency applies to visiting bareboat skippers (charter operators describe a temporary certificate; we could not open an operator form or an official page for it).",
    "A VHF or second-crew rule.",
    "Licence-free boats."
  ],
  "status_legend": {
    "official": "Read in an official text (government, ministry, maritime authority or official gazette).",
    "secondary": "From a charter company, marketplace or sailing body; not official and not the law.",
    "not_verified": "We could not confirm it. We leave it open rather than guess.",
    "note": "verdict values: accepted, conditional (accepted within limits in the source), conflict (sources disagree), not_listed, unclear (the text does not name certificates). Our summaries (answer, summary) are written from the labelled facts."
  },
  "caveat": "Rules change and charter companies can be stricter than the law. Check with the operator before you travel.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "lic_bz_bpa",
      "name": "Belize Port Authority",
      "title": "Certificate of Competency (Master's License)",
      "url": "https://portauthority.bz/certificate-of-competency-masters-license-requirements/",
      "checked": "2026-10-28",
      "note": "Official page. States that all masters must hold a valid Certificate of Competency in Belize's territorial waters and lists vessel classes (catamarans and trimarans have their own class E). It does not mention foreign nationals, temporary certificates or bareboat charters.",
      "tier": "official"
    },
    {
      "id": "moorings_levels",
      "name": "The Moorings",
      "title": "Experience guide: Level 3 sail",
      "url": "https://www.moorings.com/experience-guide/level-3-sail",
      "checked": "2026-10-27",
      "note": "Charter operator guide, not an official source.",
      "tier": "secondary"
    },
    {
      "id": "rya_icc",
      "name": "RYA",
      "title": "Evidence of competence abroad (ICC)",
      "url": "https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge/abroad/icc/evidence-of-competence-abroad",
      "checked": "2026-10-28",
      "note": "No page date shown. The RYA is the UK body that issues the ICC; it is a reference for acceptance by country, not a destination authority.",
      "tier": "reference"
    }
  ],
  "attribution": "Cite \"Catamaran Index\" with a link to the canonical_url of the page the figure comes from, and name the original source listed with it.",
  "affiliate_note": "book_url links go through /go/samboat, an affiliate link: Catamaran Index may earn a commission on bookings, at no extra cost to the traveller. It never changes the data."
}