The public is hereby informed of the Water Taxi Regulations Statutory Instrument 29 of 2019 that is in effect.  The major provisions of the regulations include:

Effective 1 August 2019:

  1. Issuance of Personal Flotation Devices to passengers over one-year old.
  2. Submission of Passenger Manifests at least 15 minutes prior to scheduled departure time. This requires passengers to provide their names.
  3. Cargo Restrictions: Operators are not allowed to carry Cargo with Passenger; only personal effects of passengers are allowed.
  4. Passengers’ activities onboard: Passengers who are considered to pose a threat to other passengers may be removed from the water taxi and charged.

Effective 1 September 2019:

  1. Water Taxi Permit: An operator is not permitted to operate a water taxi unless in possession of a valid permit and Seaworthiness Certificate issued by the Belize Port Authority.
  2. Passenger Fee: A passenger user fee of $1.00 will be included in the passenger fare on the purchase of a ticket.

For more information on the new requirements, kindly contact:

Belize Port Authority

Tel: (501)-222-5665/5666 or

Email: bzportauth@btl.net     Website: www.portauthority.bz