大咖福利影院

billdoesbelize wrote:

Agreed jacott unless you actually have to accomplish something. If the simplest task can be accomplished in less than three visits then you are a winner. Not complaining, just saying.

Agreed Bill. A current example is opening a Bank account. I think i posted my experience in another thread, but here is an update on my experience.

Did my due diligence on line, had all required original letters, references, forms etcetera when I walked into Atlantic Bank in Placencia. The nice young lady at the Domestic branch desk looked them over and said all was in order, but needed to send them into headquarters in Belize City. She said it would be about two weeks.I said ok.

Three weeks later I stopped by and was told not yet, they would contact me when they heard. So, weekly I stopped by and was told the same thing. about eight weeks after my first visit, she told me that she had heard back a few days prior and was sorry they had declined my request to open an account.

When I asked why, she said even though I owned property, it was because I was not a resident. ????? I replied, well we both knew I was not a resident when I first applied.聽 聽 I then asked for all my paperwork back. She went to the file cabinet and pulled my paperwork out and gave it to me.

I walked over to the desk of the International Branch of Atlantic Bank a few feet away, I talked to the Manager there, gave him the paperwork I had just recovered. He said it looked fine, and he needed to send it to Belize City, and it would take two to three weeks.

I thanked him. about six weeks later just before I returned to Texas I stopped by again to inquire, I was told not yet.,聽 told him I was close to going back and he said fine It would be OK, and they would email me when he got the OK just come back in on my next trip in country.

About a month after I got back to Texas, I received emails both from Belize City and the Placencia Manager saying I was approved, and welcoming me to Atlantic Bank International.

I will be returning soon, It will be interesting to see if I am still approved when I go to fund the account this trip. 聽 I expect the new Atlantic Bank International building is completed by now.
It is/was being built directly across the street from the Atlantic Bank Domestic branch.

jacott wrote:

Life in Belize is relatively simple and beuracracy-free.

Ahhh, my type of living. Thus, my name...sloputtputt, I聽 take life slow and easy.

jacott wrote:

This has been a grey area for a long time. Many banks in Belize would not open accounts for non-residents for over a year - except Atlantic Bank Ltd.

A few months ago the manager of ABL in San Ignacio, where i live聽 informed me that he would no longer be able to open accounts for my real estate clients.

This is just one more regulation forced onto Belize banks by the American Treasury in an attempt to control money laundering. The ironic thing is, both myself and my assistant opened US dollar accounts in Houston in a few days by email.

The only alternative is to do what "Will the Old" did and open an account in an International bank. These are in effect, off-shore banks and the currency involved is US dollars. Atlantic Bank Ltd. and Atlantic Bank International do work closely together and this would be the bank that i woild recommend.

I am pretty sure that all Belize domestic banks will accept US Dollars for deposits, but all withdrawals is in BZD for anyone. Apparently trying to spend BZD outside of Belize is an exercise in futility, and has been that way for years. So anyone actually laundering money, would have difficulty using a Belize bank.

As far as the American Treasury being the main reason for the difficulties, I have my doubts. I think it is an over reaction by the Belize banks. I say this because early this year (it might have been late 2015) PM Dean Barrow was in the US and had face to face meetings with US banking/Treasury officials to discuss the problems. He was quoted as saying they told him they were pleased with the way Belize and Belize banks were operating. The US officials also publicly stated the same thing. Stories about this were in both US papers as well as Belize media.I am sure one can still Google the stories. The prohibiting of non-residents opening a domestic account happened some months after this meeting.

jacott wrote:

I have no sympathjy for tax cheats but I don't see how forbidding non-Belizeans to open a Belize dollar account in a local bank, and forcing them to put their money in an off-shore account, is going to solve their problem.

I totally agree.聽 The only reason I wanted a domestic account even though I could not withdraw US dollars, was to be able to pay my bills with online banking, write a few checks, and use a local debit card.

I can not do any of those with the Atlantic Bank International account. All I will be able to do, is put US dollars in directly, or by wire transfer. They will charge a fee when I deposit, or withdraw my money in US dollars or BZD.

About the only benefit I get, is not having cash around the house, and they do pay just over 2% interest. I think the fees they charge will be a little less than using my US debit card at one of their ATMs.

Bill's comment "Agreed jacott unless you actually have to accomplish something." Is spot on聽

Please don't get me wrong, I love the life in Belize and the wonderful folks here, but I just want new folks reading here to have realistic expectations.聽