AirBnB Resource

If you’re interested in renting your home or a room* through the marketing platform known as Airbnb, thereby known as a Host, you:

Must:

  • Register your accommodation with the BTB before creating your listing on Airbnb.com. According to law, you shall not advertise your premises, inclusive of rooms, dwellings and others without first being registered as this constitutes an offence. See Section 5(1) of the Hotels and Tourist Accommodation Act, Chapter 285 of the Laws of Belize which reads

Section 5 (1): “No person shall,

(a)  advertise in any form any premises;

(b)  use any premises;

 (c) hold out any premises, for the purposes of the business of a hotel or tourist accommodation unless such premises and the proprietor of such business are registered annually under this Act and a license is obtained by the proprietor from the Registrar in that behalf.”

AND

Section 27(1) (a) of the said Act which states that “any person who without lawful excuse uses or advertises any premises as a hotel or tourist accommodation when such   premises are not registered or when there is not in force a license granted to him by the Registrar authorizing him to use such premises for the business of a hotel or tourist accommodation  commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or to both such fine and term of imprisonment.”

*ALL Category/Type of Accommodations including but not limited to, rooms, houses, vacation rental, apartments, villas, hotels, guest house, lodges, bed and breakfast, condominiums, cabin, cabanas must register with the Belize Tourism Board before advertising with any marketing and/or booking agents such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Hotels.com, Homeaway, Trip Advisor etc. 

Use these resources to become a licensed proprietor of an AirBnB property:

BTB's Accommodation Application Form

Click here to download

Hotel & Tourist Accommodation ACT

Click here to download

If you require assistance or guidance in the application of a license for an AirBnB property, contact the Licensing Department at BTB [email protected] or at 227-2420 Ext. 1