The official name of the currency of Belize, a country of around 380.000 inhabitants, is Belizean dollar. In this article, we give you useful information and interesting curiosities about it, and we tell you what the exchange rate is compared to other major currencies in the world, such as the US dollar, the euro and the Mexican peso.

Below you have an index with all the points that we are going to deal with in this article.

Article Index

The Belizean dollar: characteristics, value and exchange rate

Belizean dollar

Belize is a small country in Central America that was previously known as Honduras British. Its official currency is called Belize dollar o Belizean dollar. Its ISO code is BZD and its sign is $ or BZ $.



This currency is divided into one hundred cents. We found coins of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 cents and 1 dollar. Likewise, the banknotes that are currently in circulation are those of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Belizean dollars. The body in charge of issuing them is the Central Bank of Belize.

Belizean two dollar bill

The history of the Belizean dollar dates back to 1885, the year in which it replaced the pound sterling used until then, since this country was a British colony until its total independence in 1981, the year in which the design of the coin changed. At that time, 1 Belizean dollar was equivalent to 4 shillings and 2 pennies, or what is the same, 4,80 US dollars.

As we can see in this image of a 50 cent coin, as in most of the bills and coins, the Queen isabel II, monarch of Belize, a country that is part of the Commonwealth of Nations or Commonwealth.

The Belize fifty cent coin

Exchange rate

This is the value of the Belize dollar against other major currencies in America and Europe:



  • 1,00 BZD = 0,50 US dollars (USD)
  • 1,00 BZD = 9,44 Mexican pesos (MXN)
  • 1,00 BZD = 3,67 Guatemalan quetzals (GTQ)
  • 1,00 BZD = 0,46 euros (EUR)
  • 1,00 BZD = 5,06 Venezuelan bolivars (VEF)
  • 1,00 BZD = 324,25 Chilean pesos (CLP)
  • 1,00 BZD = 7,70 Argentine pesos (ARS)
  • 1,00 BZD = 23,63 Dominican pesos (DOP)
  • 1,00 BZD = 1.435,91 Colombian pesos (COP)
  • 1,00 BZD = 11,74 Honduran lempira (HNL)

The Belizean dollar has, since 1978, a type of fixed change with respect to the US dollar, so it never varies: two Belize dollars are always equal to one United States.

Belizean Twenty Dollar Bill - by Lara Danielle

Thanks to this, US dollars are usually accepted in most establishments in Belize, so the inhabitants of the United States do not have to exchange money. Sometimes it is also possible to pay with Mexican pesos.

However, if you come from another country, you should get Belizean dollars at one of the exchange houses in the area. You can also withdraw money directly from an ATM or request this currency exchange at a bank in your country.

You should bear in mind that it is possible that banks or exchange houses charge a commission for the service, so it is important to inform yourself before carrying out any transaction.

Hotels, restaurants and shops are increasingly accepting cards credit or debit, which makes it easier for tourists to pay for the services and products they want to purchase.

By: Eva Gómez
Updated on 20/04/2017

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