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Promote:Guatemala

Invest in Guatemala

A short guide for companies expanding into Guatemala: the economy at a glance, the rules and steps to set up, and who can help, each with its source.

1. Guatemala at a glance

The currency is the quetzal, which the Bank of Guatemala quotes against the United States dollar.

Source: Banguat, home page (in Spanish)⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 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.

3. Steps to set up

The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.

Setting up in Guatemala

  1. Contact ProGuatemala for free investor advice and help with the procedures below.ProGuatemalaFree of chargeOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: MINECO, ProGuatemala information sheet, 2026 (in Spanish)⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of 2026

  2. Register a sociedad anónima, a branch of the parent company or a share purchase through the Registro Mercantil's website.Registro Mercantil General de la RepúblicaUS$77 and 5 to 7 days for a sociedad anónima; US$413 and 12 to 19 days for a foreign companyOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: MINECO, ProGuatemala investor brochure, 2026 (in Spanish)⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of 2026

  3. Complete tax registration with SAT, which the Registro Mercantil's website handles as part of the company entry.Superintendencia de Administración TributariaOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: WTO, Trade Policy Review of Guatemala, Secretariat report, October 2025⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 8, 2025

  4. To use ZOLIC or a ZDEEP, send ZOLIC a lease request with audited financial statements and a feasibility study.Zona Libre de Industria y Comercio Santo Tomás de CastillaMinimum lease 1 yearOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: ZOLIC, requirements to become a user (in Spanish)⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

Show 1 more set-up step
  1. Apply to IGM for temporary residence for foreign staff, with a Guatemalan guarantor.Instituto Guatemalteco de MigraciónUS$25 to file; US$200, US$300 or US$500 by termOfficial page⁠ (opens in a new tab)

    Source: IGM, temporary residence page with fees (in Spanish)⁠ (opens in a new tab) · as of October 31, 2026

4. Organizations that help investors

Start with ProGuatemala and SAT. 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

Show 2 more organizations

Customs and tax

Chambers and industry associations

Show 2 more organizations

5. Worth knowing

Show 2 more

6. How Promote:Global helps

  • Compare Guatemala with other countriesSet Guatemala 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.

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Promote:Guatemala 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 October 31, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.