Firms and persons to be registered

Subject to this Act– (a) every firm having a place of business in Belize and carrying on business under a business name which does not consist of the true surnames of all partners who are individuals 7 and the corporate names of all partners who are corporations without any addition other than the true christian names of individual partners or initials of such christian names; (b) every individual having a place of business in Belize and carrying on business under a business name which does not consist of his true surname without any addition other than his true christian names or the initials thereof; (c) every individual or firm having a place of business in Belize, who, or a member of which, has either before or after the commencement of this Act changed his name, except in the case of a woman in consequence of marriage, shall be registered in the manner directed by this Act, provided that– (i) where the addition merely indicates that the business is carried on in succession to a former owner of the business, that addition shall not of itself render registration necessary; and (ii) where two or more individual partners have the same surnames, the addition of an “s” at the end of that surname shall not of itself render registration necessary; and (iii) where the business is carried on by a trustee in bankruptcy or the Official Receiver or a receiver or manager appointed by the court, registration shall not be necessary; and 8 (iv) a purchase or acquisition of property by two or more persons as joint tenants or tenants in common is not of itself to be deemed carrying on a business whether or not the owners share any profits arising from the sale thereof.