July 2021
I get a lot of questions about what is legal in Belize and what laws are the same, or different, between the U.S. and Belize. This can be a tricky answer because in some ways, Belize is a lot like the Wild West—you can beg for forgiveness instead of asking for permission. What some people get away with is not what others get away with and the vast majority of questions have so many possible outcomes that it is a complicated matrix. I always recommend that you know the laws and follow them in any foreign country. It is easy to lose yourself in a vacation atmosphere and forget that you cannot assume your individual rights, protections, expectations of consistency in law enforcement and courts, let alone jail, are the world norm.