G/SPS/GEN/1635  
 
26 July 2018  
(18-4751) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
INFORMATION FROM MEM BERS ON RELEVANT ACT IVITIES  
FORMAL MEETING OF THE WTO SPS COMMI TTEE – 12 JULY 2018  
Communication from Belize  
The following communication, received on 24 July 2018, is being circu lated at the request of the 
Delegation of Belize . 
 
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THE BELIZE ELECTRONIC LICENSE AND PERMIT SYSTEM (BELAPS)  
1. In an effort to transform and transition from a physical paper -based process to a fully 
electronic system over virtual space for imports and exports, the Government of Belize solici ted 
assistance from Chinese Taipei through its International Cooperation and Development Fund 
(ICDF). The initiative was to introduce an online system for the issuance of licenses and permits – 
"the Belize Electronic License and Permit System (BELAPS) ".   
2. Between November 2010 and November 2014, the project completed the electronic process 
for the issuance of import and export licenses for the Belize Bureau of Standards and the Fisheries 
Department. The component for the Forestry Department was completed in  October 2017 and was 
pilot tested from October to December 2017. June 2018 marked the full completion of the project, 
with the components specifically for Ministry of Agriculture and the Belize Agricultural Health 
Authority incorporated into the system , and all aspects interfacing with ASYCUDA World (Customs 
& Excise Department).  
3. The developing company is HYWEB from Chinese Taipei and the coordinating agency is the 
Central Information Technology Office (CITO) within the Ministry of Finance, Belize.  
4. Agencie s with enabling legislation for complete electronic transactions will be able to affix 
their electronic signatures and issue their documents paperless. Other agencies such as the 
Forestry Department and the Belize Agricultural Health Authority will need to  print the processed 
documents and upload them to the system.  
5. All commodities in the system have the product description as described in the Harmonized 
System of Tariffs (HS Code 2017).  
6. Although it will be possible to issue electronic export licenses, give n that there are specific 
requirements for the issuance of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of 
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) certificates, these will need to be printed and then uploaded to the 
system. It will not be possible to g enerate electronic export certificates, such as phytosanitary, 
veterinary, or sanitary certificates. However, stakeholders will be able to submit their requests for 
export certificates for fish and fishery products online.  
7. The entire month of July 2018 has  been dedicated to public awareness and training. A user 
friendly manual and demo is also available to guide stakeholders on how to register and access the 
different sections, depending on their particular trade interest.  G/SPS/GEN/1635  
 
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  8. 1 August 2018 to 31 December 2018 has been designated as the pilot phase, with the 
official launch on 1 January 2019.  
9. This project has an estimated cost of USD 1.8 million. The online system is envisioned to 
make the application process user friendly, convenient and timely. More importantl y, it is 
envisioned to greatly reduce business transactions costs normally associated with a physical 
application process and to contribute positively to the government’s current thrust towards 
e-governance.  
10. The Government of Belize thanks Chinese Taipei for funding this phase of the project and 
looks forward to additional assistance for phase two that will cover the remaining commodities.   
 
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