Promote:
Invest in Guam
A short guide for companies expanding into Guam: the economy at a glance, the rules and steps to set up, and who can help, each with its source.
1. Guam at a glance
PopulationEstimate
168,999
Population was 168,999 in 2025, by the World Bank.
Source: World Bank WDI, Guam population, updated 2026-10-08 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Inflation
4.8%
Consumer prices were 4.8 percent higher in the first quarter of 2026 than a year earlier, by the Bureau of Statistics and Plans.
Source: Bureau of Statistics and Plans, Guam consumer prices, Q1 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of 1st quarter 2026
The currency is the United States dollar.
Source: Guam Bureau of Statistics and Plans, export data, December 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
2. Before you set up
The investment agency, any one-stop route, the sectors reserved for nationals and the zones, as the guide found them.
The Guam Economic Development Authority is the public corporation created in 1965 to direct economic development in Guam.
Source: Guam Economic Development Authority, history and mission (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
The Business License and Permit Center in Tamuning houses six government agencies that handle business licensing.
Source: Guam Economic Development Authority, establishing a business in Guam (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
No list of sectors reserved for Guam nationals appears on the Guam Economic Development Authority's pages on setting up a business.
Source: Guam Economic Development Authority, establishing a business in Guam (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
The Guam Economic Development Authority's incentive programs page names no economic or free zone, so no zones are counted.
Source: Guam Economic Development Authority, industry incentive programs (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
3. Steps to set up
The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.
Setting up in Guam
- A foreign corporation applies to the Department of Revenue and Taxation for a Certificate of Authority.Department of Revenue and TaxationOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Guam Economic Development Authority, establishing a foreign business (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Register the business entity with the Business License Branch of the Department of Revenue and Taxation before any license is issued.Department of Revenue and TaxationOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Guam Economic Development Authority, establishing a business in Guam (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Get the licenses and clearances your activity needs at the Business License and Permit Center in Tamuning.Business License and Permit CenterOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Guam Economic Development Authority, establishing a business in Guam (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Apply to the Guam Economic Development Authority for a Qualifying Certificate if the project seeks tax incentives.Guam Economic Development AuthorityOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Guam Economic Development Authority, Business Resource Guide, January 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Show 2 more set-up steps
- Apply to the Department of Labor for temporary labor certification before hiring H-2B workers.Guam Department of Labor, Alien Labor Processing and Certification DivisionOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Guam Department of Labor, Alien Labor Processing and Certification Division (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Record deeds and other land documents with the Land Records Division of the Department of Land Management.Department of Land ManagementOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Guam Department of Land Management, document recording requirements (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
4. Organizations that help investors
Start with GEDA and CQA. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets
Investment and business setup
- Get advice
Economic development authority
GEDA
Guam Economic Development Authority
Runs Guam tax incentive certificates, small business loans, the Guam STEP export program and the Guam Product Seal.
Visit GEDA (opens in a new tab)Source: Guam Economic Development Authority, Business Resource Guide, January 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Meet requirements
Labor department
GDOL
Guam Department of Labor
Processes temporary labor certification applications and registers H-2B workers through its Alien Labor Processing and Certification Division.
Visit GDOL (opens in a new tab)Source: Guam Department of Labor, Alien Labor Processing and Certification Division (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Show 1 more organization
- Get advice
Small business advisory network
Pacific SBDC
Pacific Islands Small Business Development Center Network
Regional body
Offers business counseling, training events and a Micronesia business directory through its Guam center.
Visit Pacific SBDC (opens in a new tab)Source: Pacific Islands Small Business Development Center Network, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Customs and tax
- Meet requirements
Customs and quarantine agency
CQA
Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency
Enforces Guam customs and quarantine laws at the ports of entry.
Visit CQA (opens in a new tab)Source: Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, about page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Meet requirements
Tax and licensing authority
DRT
Department of Revenue and Taxation
Registers businesses, issues business licenses and Certificates of Authority, and collects Guam taxes.
Visit DRT (opens in a new tab)Source: Guam Economic Development Authority, establishing a business in Guam (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Show 2 more organizations
- Meet requirements
Federal customs agency
CBP
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Publishes the Insular Possession Certificate of Origin that goods shipped from Guam to the United States use to claim duty-free entry.
Visit CBP (opens in a new tab)Source: CBP Form 3229, Insular Possession Certificate of Origin (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Meet requirements
Commercial seaport authority
PAG
Port Authority of Guam
Runs Guam's commercial seaport in Apra Harbor, which serves ships of all registries.
Visit PAG (opens in a new tab)Source: Port Authority of Guam, fiscal year 2026 budget (opens in a new tab) · as of August 28, 2025
Chambers and industry associations
- Get advice
Chamber of commerce
Guam Chamber
Guam Chamber of Commerce
Represents Guam businesses through member services, committees and government relations work.
Visit Guam Chamber (opens in a new tab)Source: Guam Chamber of Commerce, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Get advice
Women’s business association
Women’s Chamber
Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce
Offers mentorship, events and a women’s business center for women in business.
Visit Women’s Chamber (opens in a new tab)Source: Guam Women’s Chamber of Commerce, home page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
5. Worth knowing
Outside the customs territory
Guam lies outside the customs territory of the United States, and its customs administration is under the Government of Guam.
What to do: Check which customs rules apply before you ship to or from Guam.
Sources: Code of Federal Regulations, 19 CFR 7.2, 2025 edition (opens in a new tab); Code of Federal Regulations, 19 CFR 101.1, 2025 edition (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Reserved sectors
No list of sectors reserved for Guam nationals appears on the Authority's pages for setting up a business.
What to do: Ask the Authority whether your sector has a restriction before you apply.
Source: Guam Economic Development Authority, establishing a business in Guam (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Foreign worker approvals
The Department of Labor handles temporary labor certification and H-2B registration with its own forms and prevailing wage rates effective August 24, 2026.
What to do: Read the Division’s current program guide before you start hiring.
Source: Guam Department of Labor, Alien Labor Processing and Certification Division (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Economic data gaps
BEA’s Guam GDP release of April 15, 2024 is the latest, and BEA says it paused the series.
What to do: Ask the Bureau of Statistics and Plans for newer figures before you size a project.
Sources: BEA, Gross Domestic Product for Guam, 2022, April 15, 2024 (opens in a new tab); BEA, GDP for Guam page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
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Tourism and military demand
The Authority's April 2026 update says tourism and military spending drive growth, with 23,937 military personnel, dependents and civilians on Guam in September 2025.
What to do: Check how a project depends on visitor numbers or base contracts before you commit.
Source: Guam Economic Development Authority, Guam Economic Update, April 29, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
6. How Promote:Global helps
- Compare Guam with other countriesSet Guam beside other countries on investment momentum, fundamentals and trade access, before site, tax and legal work.
- Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
- Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.
Turn this guide into your Guam project.
Use Promote:Global to explore markets, understand requirements and organize your next steps.
Promote:Guam is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.
Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of November 1, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.