Belize Passport Checklist — Documents & Photo Requirements

Belizean passports are issued by the Immigration Department, and a first application is made in person. This checklist sets out the documents, the passport photograph rules and the counter process the Immigration Department publishes. Verified against the Belize Immigration Department (immigration.gov.bz), October 2026.

Documents to provide

• The completed application form. Do not use correction fluid — forms with alterations or scratched-out entries can be refused. Your signature must match the one on your identification.
• All originals, plus copies. Bring the original of each document and a photocopy.
• A certified translation of any document that is not in English, from a recognised translator.
• Proof of Belizean citizenship — one of the documents below.
• Photo identification — one of the documents below.
• One passport photograph — 2 x 2 inches, white background, full face, taken within the last six months (details below).
• Proof of a name change, if your name differs from your supporting documents; otherwise the passport is issued in the name on your birth certificate or previous passport.

Proof of citizenship

• Born in Belize — a birth certificate issued by the Vital Statistics Unit.
• Born abroad — the original certificate of naturalisation. If it does not show your date of birth, also bring a birth certificate from your country of origin.
• Adopted — the adoption certificate.

Photo identification

One of: a Social Security Card, a Voters Registration Card, or any other government-issued photo identification.

The passport photograph

One colour photograph, 2 x 2 inches, taken within the last six months, against a white background. The Immigration Department's photo rules also require:

• Your head takes up 70–80% of the photo (about 1.25 to 1.41 inches), both ears visible, head centred with space around it.
• Eyes open, mouth closed, a neutral expression.
• No glasses — including tinted lenses and sunglasses.
• Keep jewellery minimal (religious, cultural or medical items excepted), and no headwear except on those same grounds.
• No black-and-white photos.
• Even lighting with no shadow or reflection.
• There must be contrast between you and the background — a white shirt against a white background will not do.
• High-quality colour with natural skin tones, printed at high resolution.

Check your photo against the country's full format on the Belize passport photo page before you print. If you are shooting at home, follow the at-home photo guide and upload rules in the digital file requirements.

How the application runs (in person)

1. Submit your document package for review at the Immigration Department.
2. Pay the fee at the government cashier and keep the Revenue Collector's receipt.
3. Have your biometrics captured at the Data Capturing Station — face and all fingerprints; the photograph taken there goes on the biodata page.
4. Collect your Auxiliary Receipt, which carries the pickup date.
5. Collect the passport against that receipt.

If your old document was handwritten, it is treated as a first issue rather than a renewal. Fees and turnaround can change, so confirm the current figures with the Immigration Department when you lodge the application.

Frequently asked questions

What documents do I need for a Belize passport?
The completed application form (no correction fluid), proof of Belizean citizenship, photo identification, one 2 x 2 inch white-background photograph taken within six months, and proof of any name change — all originals plus copies.

How do I prove Belizean citizenship?
With a Vital Statistics Unit birth certificate if you were born in Belize, the original certificate of naturalisation if you were born abroad (plus a birth certificate from your country of origin if it does not show your date of birth), or an adoption certificate if you were adopted.

What does the passport photo need to look like?
A 2 x 2 inch colour photo on a white background, taken within six months, with your head at 70 to 80 per cent of the frame and both ears visible, eyes open and mouth closed, no glasses, no headwear (except on religious, cultural or medical grounds) and no black-and-white prints.

Why was my form or photo refused?
Forms with correction fluid, alterations or scratched-out entries can be refused, as can photos where the subject blends into the background or that are older than six months. Start with a clean form and a contrasting, plain background.

Can I renew a handwritten old passport?
No — a handwritten old document is treated as a first issue, so the full application applies.

What happens at the office?
Your documents are reviewed, you pay at the cashier, your biometrics (face and fingerprints) are captured at the Data Capturing Station, and you leave with an Auxiliary Receipt that gives the collection date.

Check any photo you need against the rejection reasons guide and the passport photo checker, browse every format on the photo size chart, and lay out prints with the photo print sheet. Browse every checklist on the checklists hub.

Belize photo size →  All checklists →

Source note: the document list, proof-of-citizenship categories, photo identification, the 2 x 2 inch six-month photograph with its 70–80% head rule, the name-change requirement and the in-person steps (document review, cashier, biometrics, Auxiliary Receipt, collection) are from the Belize Immigration Department pages immigration.gov.bz/passport/passport-requirements/ and .../passport-photo-requirements/ (checked October 2026). Fees and turnaround are set separately — confirm current figures with the Department.