Belize: Aliens (Registration) Ordinance of 1968

1. Short title.

This Ordinance may be cited as the Aliens (Registration) Ordinance.

2. Interpretation.

In this Ordinance-

"alien" means a person who is not a British subject, a British protected person or a citizen of the republic of Ireland;

"keeper" where used in relation to premises where accommodation is provided for reward, includes any person who for reward receives any other person to stay in the premises, whether on his own behalf or as manager or otherwise on behalf of any other person;

"registration officer" includes the chief Registration Officer and the deputy chief registration officer;

"residence" means ordinary dwelling place;

"stay" means lodge or sleep for one night or more in accommodation provided for reward.

3. Registration officers.

(1)The Commissioner of Police shall be the Chief Registration Officer for the purposes of this Ordinance.

(2)The Minister may appoint a deputy chief registration officer and such officer shall, subject to the directions of the Chief Registration Officer, have and may exercise all the powers, functions and duties vested in the Chief Registration Officer under this Ordinance.

(3)The Minister shall for the purposes of this Ordinance appoint a registration officer for each administrative district.

(4)Every appointment under this section shall be published in the Gazette.

(5)Every registration officer shall have in the exercise of his duties all the powers of a police officer.

4. Duty of aliens to register.

(1)Subject to section 5 every person who-

(a)being an alien of or over the age of 16 years enters Belize on any occasion;

(b)being an alien within Belize attains the age of 16 years;

(c)being of or over the age of 16 years becomes an alien while in Belize,

shall within thirty days comply with the provisions of subsection(2).

(2)Every alien as mentioned in sub-section (1) shall attend at the office of a registration officer (in the case of an alien who has a residence in Belize the registration officer of the administrative district in which such residence is situated) and furnish to such registration officer the particulars set out in the first Schedule and shall either-

(a)produce to such officer a passport furnished with a photograph of himself or some other document satisfactorily establishing his identity and nationality; or

(b)give to such officer a satisfactory explanation of the circumstances which prevent him from producing such a passport or document.

5. Exemption, etc.

(1)The provisions of section 4 (1) shall not apply to any person who is resident in Belize immediately before his entry and has previously furnished particulars in accordance with that section.

(2)An alien shall not be required to attend and furnish particulars in accordance with section 4 by reason of entering Belize on any occasion or being within this country until the expiration of six months after his entry.

6. Registration certificate.

(1)Where an alien has complied with the provisions of section 4 to the satisfaction of a registration officer, such officer shall issue to the alien a certification of a registration.

(2)The fingerprints of an alien to whom a certificate of registration is issued under this Ordinance shall be taken and shall be included in the certificate of registration.

(3)A certificate of registration issued under subsection (1) shall be in the form prescribed by the Minister and shall contain a photograph of such alien, the particulars set out in the First Schedule and the alien's fingerprints.

7. Change of residence.

(1)Where any alien registered under this Ordinance proposes to change his place of residence he shall-

(a)inform the registration officer of the district in which he has his residence of his intention to change the place of his residence;

(b)state the date of the proposed change; and

(c)state the address at which he proposes to reside after the change.

(2)Where such an alien changes his place of residence he shall, within seven days after such change, report the change and produce his certificate of registration as an alien, at the office of the registration officer of the district in which he has his place of residence, and if required to do so by the registration officer, he shall report in person to the registration officer.

8. Conditions and restrictions relating to certificates of registration.

(1)Every alien to whom a certificate of registration has been issued under this Ordinance shall within forty-eight hours of any request to do so, produce his certificate to any registration officer or to any member of the Police Force.

(2)No person to whom a certificate of registration has been issued shall lend, transfer, assign or part with the possession of such certificate to any other person.

(3)Where a person has in his possession a certificate of registration he shall answer all questions put to him by a registration officer or a member of the Police Force for the purpose of establishing his identity with the person named in the certificate, and shall, if required by a registration officer or member of the Police Force to do so, submit to his fingerprints being taken for that purpose.

9. Hotel registers, etc.

(1)The keeper of any premises to which this section applies shall-

(a)keep a register in such form as may be prescribed relating to all persons (whether aliens or not) of or over the age of sixteen years staying at the premises and shall required all such persons to comply with their obligations under subsection (2);

(b)furnish every month to the registration officer of the district in which such premises are situate in such form as may be prescribed a return of aliens staying in the premises at the time of such return or who have stayed in such premises since the last return was made.

(2)Every person of or over the age of sixteen years who stays at any premises to which this section applies shall-

(a)in every case, on arriving at the premises, enter or cause to be entered in the register his name, nationality and date of arrival;(b)in the case of an alien furnish to the keeper of the premises a signed statement in the form set out in the Second Schedule and, on departure, complete such statement.

(3)Every register kept or statement furnished under this section shall be preserved by the keeper of the premises until twelve months from the date when the last entry was made or from the date when the statement was made as the case may be and shall at all times be open for inspection by a police officer or registration officer.

(4)This section applies to any premises whether furnished or unfurnished where lodging or sleeping accommodation is provided for reward.

10. Offences.

Any person who-

(a)fails to comply with section 4; or

(b)without lawful authority or excuse, alters any certificate of registration issued under section 6; or

(c)without lawful authority or excuse, has in his possession any certificate of registration issued to a person other than himself or any altered certificate of registration issued under section 6 or any forged certificate of registration purporting to be issued under section 6; or

(d)fails to comply with any of the provisions of section 7; or

(e)fails to comply with any of the provisions of section 8 or 9; or

(f)assaults, resists, obstructs, hinders or gives false information to any registration officer or member of the Police Force in the execution of his duty under this Ordinance,

is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars or to imprisonment for six months or to both.

11. Regulations.

(1)The Minister may make regulations for the better carrying out of the provisions of this Ordinance and in particular for prescribing anything to be prescribed.

(2)The Minister may by regulation add to or amend the Schedules.

(3)Any regulations made under subsection (2) shall be subject to negative resolution.

12. Exemption, etc.

(1)The provisions of this Ordinance relating to registration shall not apply to the classes of persons set out in the Third Schedule.(2)Any alien who is in Belize at the date of coming into force of this Ordinance shall be deemed to have entered Belize on that date.

FIRST SCHEDULE Particulars to be supplied where application is made for registration of an alien.

1.         Name in full and sex.

2.         (a)Present nationality and how and when acquired;

            (b)previous nationality (if such be the case).

3.         Date and country of birth.

4.         Profession or occupation.

5.         Date, place and mode of arrival in this country.

6.         Address of place of residence in this country.

7.         Address of last place of residence out of this country.

8.         Particulars of passport or other document establishing nationality and identity.

9.         The names in full and sec of any children under the age of 16 years resident with him in this country.

SECOND SCHEDULE Form of statement for aliens staying at hotels, etc.

Name of hotel or inn or address of house...............................................................

To be filled in immediately on arrival.

1.         Surname.......................................................

2.         Christian names......................……................

3.         Nationality............................…......................

4.         Date of arrival.................................................

5.         Sex...................................................

6.         Particulars of registration certificate or passport: issued at .....................; No................……..

7.         Arrived here from (give last address in full) ..................................................................... ....................................................................

Signature of person to whom the above particulars relate

...........................................……….................

To be filled in on departure.

8.         Date of departure ...........................................

9.         Destination (give new address in full) ..................................................................... ....................................................................

Signature of person to whom the above particulars relate

.....................................................………......

THIRD SCHEDULE Classes of persons exempt from registration.

(1)Persons in the service of the Government or in the service of the Crown.

(2)Consuls general, consuls, vice-consuls or consular officers of a foreign power duly accredited to this country and the staff of any such persons;

(3)The wife and any child who has not attained the age of 16 years or any person referred to in any of the other paragraphs of this Schedule.

(4)Students over the age of sixteen years attending any school within the country recognised by the Department of Education.