Registration of motor vehicles

(1) Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall drive, or being the owner, shall license any other person to drive a motor vehicle on a road unless the vehicle, and any trailer drawn by such vehicle, is registered under this Act, and has affixed thereto in the prescribed manner the prescribed identification mark; but no person shall be liable to a penalty for a breach of this section if he proves that he has taken all reasonable steps to comply with its requirements, and that the vehicle is being driven on a road for the purpose of being registered. (2) Application for the registration of a motor vehicle or trailer shall be made by the owner on the prescribed form, which must be duly completed by the applicant and be accompanied by the prescribed registration fee. (3) The transport officer to whom application is made shall forthwith enter particulars of the vehicle in the records, and shall assign to the vehicle a registered number or letter and number, which shall become the identification mark of such vehicle. (4) A certificate of registration in the prescribed form, shall be given to the owner of the vehicle, and such certificate of Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic [CAP. 230 19 registration shall be regarded as sufficient evidence that the vehicle to which it refers has been registered, unless the contrary is shown. (5) If a motor vehicle does not bear on it an identification mark as provided by this section, this fact shall be regarded as sufficient evidence that the vehicle has not been registered unless the contrary is shown, and any constable or transport officer may detain such a vehicle until inquiries have been made. (6) The onus of proving that a vehicle has been registered rests upon the owner of the vehicle. (7) The owner of a motor vehicle shall notify the Department of all circumstances or events which affect the accuracy of the entries in the records, at the same time forwarding his certificate of registration for amendment. (8) A transport officer may call upon any owner of a motor vehicle at any time to furnish all information for the verification of the entries in the records relating to such vehicle. (9) Whenever the registered owner of a motor vehicle is about to absent himself from Belize leaving his registered vehicle in Belize, he shall notify the Department in writing of the name and address of the person in whose charge or possession the vehicle will be left. (10) No person shall be registered as the owner of a motor vehicle unless he is at least seventeen years of age. (11) Without prejudice to the generality of sub-sections (1) and (2), every person making an application to register a vehicle shall present the following additional information– (a) a copy of customs entry specifying that the customs duty payable in respect of the motor vehicle has been duly paid, or other documents from the Comptroller of Customs specifying 20 that the motor vehicle is, at the time of the application, exempt from the payment of customs duty; and (b) a copy of a certificate of title for the motor vehicle, or a manufacture’s certificate of title, or a bill of sale, or some other notarised document establishing proof of ownership of the motor vehicle.