What is AI regulation in Belize?
AI regulation: countries and regions
Belize has no dedicated artificial intelligence law, no national AI strategy and no AI regulator. AI is governed indirectly, mainly through the Data Protection Act, 2021, which includes a right against solely automated decision-making, plus sector rules from bodies such as the Public Utilities Commission and the Central Bank. The judiciary issued Practice Direction No. 18 of 2025 on generative AI in court. Belize draws on CARICOM and UNESCO regional AI policy guidance rather than binding domestic AI statutes.
Reviewed by Jackie, Head of Learning & Development, Levellers · Last reviewed 8 June 2026
What this means
Belize does not regulate artificial intelligence as a distinct subject. There is no Belizean AI Act, no published national AI strategy, and no agency charged with supervising AI systems. Anyone deploying AI in Belize is therefore governed by general laws that happen to touch how data is used and how decisions affecting people are made.
The most important of these is the Data Protection Act, 2021. It sets out familiar data protection principles, data subject rights, breach notification duties and, at section 19, a right not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing, including profiling. The Act creates a Data Protection Commissioner and a Data Protection Tribunal on paper, although there is no confirmed evidence that these institutions are operational.
Beyond data protection, AI is shaped by sector regulators and by Belize's place in regional bodies. The Public Utilities Commission regulates telecommunications, the Central Bank oversees payment systems, and the Senior Courts have issued ethical rules for generative AI in litigation. Regionally, Belize participates in CARICOM digital initiatives and the UNESCO Caribbean AI Policy Roadmap, both of which are guidance rather than binding law.
Why it matters
For any organisation building or deploying AI in Belize, the practical message is that compliance risk sits inside data protection law, sector licensing and general legal duties, not inside a bespoke AI rulebook. That has two consequences. First, the absence of an AI-specific statute does not mean a free pass: if your AI processes personal data of people in Belize, the Data Protection Act, 2021 applies, including its automated decision-making provision and its data protection impact assessment duty for high-risk processing. Second, because the data protection regulator may not yet be fully operational, enforcement is uncertain and reputational, contractual and cross-border obligations often do more practical work than local penalties. The stakes are concentrated in Belize's business process outsourcing sector, which the Government of Belize Press Office reports employs around 20,000 people, and which the IDB-funded Global Digital Services Investment Policy explicitly aims to move "up the value chain" beyond call centres into AI-enabled services. Firms in that sector face client and partner expectations that frequently exceed the local legal baseline.
How it works
No dedicated AI law or regulator
Belize has not enacted AI legislation and has not published a national AI strategy or policy. There is no statutory definition of an AI system in Belizean law of general application, and no office tasked with licensing, auditing or certifying AI. This is the single most important fact about AI governance in Belize and it should frame any compliance assessment.
The Data Protection Act, 2021
The Data Protection Act, 2021 (Act No. 45 of 2021) was assented to by the Governor-General on 29 November 2021 and gazetted on 30 November 2021. It is closely modelled on the GDPR-influenced Caribbean template, particularly the Barbados Data Protection Act. It applies to data controllers and processors established in Belize, and to processing of personal data of people in Belize where goods or services are offered to them, giving it extraterritorial reach. Small businesses, defined by an annual turnover of 3,000,000 Belize dollars or less, are largely exempt unless they fall into listed categories such as health services, credit reporting, money-laundering reporting entities or trading in personal information.
The Act sets out data protection principles (lawfulness, fairness, transparency, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation and security) and data subject rights including access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability and objection to direct marketing. Section 19, titled "Automated individual decision-making, including profiling," is the provision most directly relevant to AI. Controllers must apply data protection by design and by default, keep records of processing, notify the Commissioner of breaches, and conduct a data protection impact assessment for high-risk processing.
Oversight institutions on paper
The Act provides for a Data Protection Commissioner, defined as a public officer in the Ministry responsible for digital transformation, e-governance or information technology, with functions of monitoring, enforcement and audit. Part X establishes a Data Protection Tribunal to hear appeals. However, the Act commences on a day to be fixed, and there is no confirmed evidence that a Commissioner has been appointed, that the Tribunal has been constituted, or that regulations have been made. By contrast, neighbouring states documented named appointees early (Barbados appointed Lisa Greaves effective 15 July 2021 and Jamaica appointed Celia Barclay effective 1 December 2021), but no equivalent confirmation exists for Belize. The practical status of enforcement is therefore uncertain, and the Act is best treated as enacted but not demonstrably operational.
Digital government machinery
Belize's digital agenda is led by the E-Governance and Digitalization Unit, formed in 2020, which by 2025 had been elevated to a Ministry of E-Governance. The National Digital Agenda 2022 to 2025, approved by Cabinet in October 2021, is the governing strategy. The Digital Government Act (No. 24 of 2022) provides a legal framework for electronic government services and establishes the E-Governance and Digitalization Department. None of these instruments is an AI law, but they are the institutional home where any future AI policy would most plausibly sit.
Sector rules that touch AI
The Public Utilities Commission, established in 2001, regulates telecommunications, electricity and water and administers spectrum and licensing under the Telecommunications Act. The Central Bank of Belize operates and regulates the national payment system, including the Automated Payments and Securities Settlement System introduced in October 2016 and a planned Instant Payment System. Financial sector anti-money-laundering and counter-financing-of-terrorism checks already apply to automated transaction processing. None of these regimes regulates AI as such, but they govern systems into which AI may be embedded.
The judiciary's generative AI rules
The Senior Courts issued Practice Direction No. 18 of 2025 on the Ethical Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Court Proceedings, issued under section 101 of the Senior Courts Act (Act No. 27 of 2022), made by the Rules Committee on 11 August 2025 and effective 12 August 2025. It governs lawyers, judges, court staff and litigants, prohibits the use of AI in generating the content of affidavits and witness evidence, requires disclosure and independent verification of AI-assisted material against authoritative sources, and addresses bias, confidentiality and data protection. UNODC describes Belize as among the pioneering jurisdictions on this issue, and local reporting places it among the first in the Commonwealth Caribbean to formally integrate AI into its legal system. It is the most concrete AI-specific instrument in force in Belize, but it binds only court proceedings.
Examples
A business process outsourcing firm in Belize City deploying AI-driven customer relationship tools for overseas clients processes personal data of individuals abroad and locally. It has no AI statute to comply with in Belize, but if it processes personal data of people in Belize it falls within the Data Protection Act, 2021, and its client contracts will typically import stricter foreign standards.
An attorney preparing a court filing uses a large language model for legal research. Under Practice Direction No. 18 of 2025, the attorney must independently verify any AI-generated citations against authoritative sources, must not use AI to generate witness evidence, and must disclose AI-assisted content. The attorney remains fully accountable for accuracy.
A lender or fintech using an automated model to approve or decline applications engages section 19 of the Data Protection Act, 2021 on automated individual decision-making and profiling, and separately must satisfy the Central Bank's payment-system rules and anti-money-laundering checks that apply to the underlying financial activity.
Common misunderstandings
"Belize has an AI law." It does not. There is no dedicated AI statute, no national AI strategy and no AI regulator. AI is governed indirectly through data protection, sector rules and general law.
"There are no rules at all, so anything goes." Incorrect. The Data Protection Act, 2021 applies to AI that processes personal data, the courts regulate generative AI in litigation, and sector regulators govern systems where AI is used.
"The Data Protection Act is fully enforced." This is uncertain. The Act was passed and gazetted in 2021, but there is no confirmed evidence that a Data Protection Commissioner has been appointed, that the Tribunal operates, or that commencement has been completed.
"CARICOM or UNESCO AI documents are binding law in Belize." They are not. The Caribbean AI Policy Roadmap and CARICOM digital initiatives are guidance and coordination frameworks, not enforceable domestic statutes.
"The court Practice Direction governs all AI use in Belize." It does not. Practice Direction No. 18 of 2025 applies only to court proceedings and the people involved in them.
Risks and boundaries
This article describes a landscape with no dedicated AI law. The biggest uncertainty is the operational status of the Data Protection Act, 2021: it is enacted and gazetted, but the evidence does not confirm that the Commissioner, Tribunal or regulations are in force, so day-to-day enforcement should not be assumed. The Digital Government Act, 2022 and the National Digital Agenda are about e-government and digital transformation, not AI safety or AI risk classification. Sector regimes (telecoms, payments) touch AI only where it is embedded in regulated activity. Regional instruments are non-binding. Anyone relying on this should verify current status against primary sources, because Belize could appoint a Commissioner, issue commencement orders or adopt an AI policy at any time, and there has been domestic debate about possible AI-related legislation.
What to do next
Treat data protection, not AI law, as your primary compliance anchor: map whether your AI processes personal data of people in Belize, and if so apply the Data Protection Act, 2021 principles, the section 19 automated decision-making safeguards and the impact assessment duty for high-risk processing. Do not assume weak enforcement equals low risk: contractual, cross-border and reputational exposure often exceeds local penalties, especially for outsourcing firms serving foreign clients. If you litigate in Belize, build Practice Direction No. 18 of 2025 into your legal workflows now. Monitor the Ministry of E-Governance, the National Assembly and the Central Bank for any move toward AI policy, a commencement order or a Commissioner appointment. Use the UNESCO Caribbean AI Policy Roadmap and recognised international standards as a voluntary governance baseline while binding domestic rules remain absent.
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FAQs
Does Belize have an AI law?
No. Belize has no dedicated AI statute, no national AI strategy and no AI regulator. AI is governed indirectly through data protection law, sector rules and the courts.
What law most affects AI in Belize?
The Data Protection Act, 2021, which regulates personal data, includes a right against solely automated decision-making and profiling at section 19, and requires impact assessments for high-risk processing.
Is the Data Protection Act, 2021 actually being enforced?
It was passed and gazetted in 2021, but there is no confirmed evidence that the Data Protection Commissioner, the Tribunal or commencement and regulations are operational, so enforcement is uncertain.
Who regulates AI in Belize?
No single body. The data protection regime, the Public Utilities Commission, the Central Bank and the judiciary each touch AI within their own areas; none is a dedicated AI regulator.
Are there AI rules for courts in Belize?
Yes. Practice Direction No. 18 of 2025 governs the ethical use of generative AI in court proceedings, requiring disclosure, verification and human accountability, and prohibiting AI-generated evidence.
How does CARICOM affect AI regulation in Belize?
Belize participates in CARICOM digital initiatives and the UNESCO Caribbean AI Policy Roadmap, which provide regional guidance and coordination but are not binding Belizean law.
Does Belize's Central American membership shape its AI policy?
Belize is a full member of the Central American Integration System (SICA), but its digital and data policy is driven mainly by domestic instruments and CARICOM frameworks rather than SICA AI rules.
What should companies deploying AI in Belize do now?
Anchor compliance in data protection, honour cross-border and contractual obligations, adopt voluntary international standards, and watch for any future AI law or commencement of the data protection regime.