Belize is a small country with a big legal calendar. In February and March 2027, the International Court of Justice in The Hague will hear two separate cases that could finally redraw or confirm the maps that visitors to Belize travel by.

The headline case is Guatemala's long-running claim to parts of Belizean territory and surrounding seas. Oral arguments open on 22 February 2027, with Guatemala presenting first and Belize responding on the 24th, followed by a second round of statements on the 25th and 26th. The roots of the dispute stretch back to colonial-era logging rights, an 1859 boundary treaty between Britain and Guatemala, and a broken promise over a road to the Caribbean coast. Guatemala recognised Belize as an independent state back in 1991, but the claim itself never went away.

Both countries put the question to their voters: Guatemala held a referendum in 2018, Belize followed in 2019 with just over 55% voting yes, and the case formally landed at the court that June. Belize filed its final written pleading in 2023. After the hearings, the judges will deliberate, and while no ruling date has been set, Prime Minister John Briceño says he expects the outcome to be respected and has already been briefing partners — the US, UK, Canada, the EU, Taiwan and Japan — about helping to demarcate the border afterwards.

The second case is shorter and more colourful for travellers. It concerns the Sapodilla Cayes, a string of small islands and reefs off southern Belize that sit inside a marine protected area popular with divers and snorkellers. Belize filed against Honduras in November 2022, arguing the cayes have belonged to it since the early 1800s. Honduras points to its constitution; Guatemala has piled in with its own interest. Hearings run 1 to 5 March 2027, with Belize speaking on 4 March.

So why should a holidaymaker care? In practical terms, nothing changes before a judgment, and even then implementation takes years. Anyone planning to cross the land border between Belize and Guatemala — say, between San Ignacio and Tikal, one of Central America's classic trip combinations — can keep those plans on the table. Tour boats still run to the Sapodilla Cayes from Placencia and the south. What the hearings do offer is the real prospect that a border dispute dating back two centuries could be settled cleanly, which is good news for regional stability, cross-border tourism and the marine parks that make southern Belize special.

For now, the Smart Traveller move is simple: keep an eye on headlines if you're travelling in early 2027, follow standard border advice when crossing into Guatemala, and enjoy the cayes while the lawyers argue over them.