Everything you need to know about incorporating a company in Guatemala: types of entities, step-by-step process, real costs, timelines, and the mistakes that cost entrepreneurs thousands. Updated for 2026.
Incorporating in Guatemala has a reputation for taking forever. Some of that reputation is deserved and some of it is out of date. The Mercantile Registry digitised, and a company that used to take months can now be registered in days.
What still catches foreign clients out is the order of operations. Do a step out of sequence and you wait weeks to redo it. This is the same walkthrough I give a client who arrives with an idea and no paperwork.
The most common structure for medium and large businesses. Requires a minimum of 2 shareholders (individuals or legal entities), a minimum paid-in capital of Q200 following the reform to Article 90 of the Commercial Code by Decreto 18-2017 (note that unreformed copies of the Code still circulating online say Q5,000), and provides limited liability, so your personal assets sit apart from the company's.
This is the structure I recommend for most businesses, especially if you plan to have investors, multiple partners, or want to build long-term value.
Similar to the S.A. but capped at 20 partners. Ownership shares, called cuotas, cannot be transferred freely; the other partners have to agree. It suits family businesses and small professional firms, and it becomes awkward the moment you want to bring in an investor.
A one-person entity with limited liability. Capital requirement: Q2,000 (~$256 USD). Sounds ideal for solopreneurs, but in practice, many banks and government institutions don't treat it with the same credibility as an S.A.
The simplest form. You register as an individual business at the Registro Mercantil and there is no limited liability, so your personal assets are fully exposed. Worth using only for small, low-risk operations.
Time: 1–3 days | Cost: ~Q200 ($26 USD)
Submit three name options to the Mercantile Registry. Anything close to an existing registration gets rejected, so bring more options than you think you need and make them distinctive.
Time: 3 to 7 days
This has to be done by a Guatemalan attorney and notary. The deed sets the company purpose, the capital structure, the governance rules and the shareholder rights, and it is the document you live with afterwards. Fees depend on the structure: two local shareholders is not the same file as foreign investors with contributions in kind. Current fees are on the services page.
Do not use a template off the internet. The clause that seems harmless at signing is the one that blocks you two years later.
Time: 2–4 weeks (officially 3 days) | Cost: ~Q900 ($115 USD) in fees + stamps
Submit the notarized deed, pay the registration fees, and wait. The official timeline is 3 business days, but the real timeline is 2 to 4 weeks. Sometimes longer if the registrar has observations.
Time: 1–3 days | Cost: Free
Register for a Número de Identificación Tributaria (NIT) at the Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria. Without this, your company doesn't exist for tax purposes. Choose the tax regime carefully. Changing it afterwards is possible, but only within the windows SAT allows.
Time: 1–2 weeks | Cost: ~Q500 ($64 USD)
Even though everything is digital, Guatemalan law still requires physical, authorized accounting books. You need the general ledger, journal, inventory, and balance sheet books.
Time: 1–5 days | Cost: Varies by provider
All invoicing in Guatemala runs through FEL (Factura Electrónica en Línea). You enrol in the regime with SAT, appoint a certifier, and issue from SAT's Agencia Virtual. Nothing is authorised in advance any more: there are no invoice ranges to request and no printed books, and the format is identical for every taxpayer. Until you are enrolled, you cannot invoice a client.
Time: Varies wildly | Cost: Q200–Q2,000+ depending on the municipality
Every municipality has its own requirements, forms, and timelines. Guatemala City is relatively efficient; smaller municipalities can be unpredictable.
Time: 1–2 weeks | Cost: Free to register
Registration is compulsory from the first employee, with no headcount threshold, under Acuerdo 1529 of the IGSS Board approved by Acuerdo Gubernativo 9-2023, in force since January 2023. That regulation repealed the earlier rule requiring three or more workers, so most of the guidance still circulating online is out of date.
You have 30 working days to register once the obligation arises. Miss it and there is a fine; ignore it entirely and the IGSS can register you on its own initiative and charge contributions retroactively to the date it determines the obligation began. The employer burden is 12.67% of salary: 10.67% to IGSS itself, plus 1% to INTECAP and 1% to IRTRA.
Time: 1–4 weeks | Cost: Varies by bank
If total cash contributions exceed Q2,000, the corporate account has to be opened before incorporation and the capital deposited there. Below that threshold you can incorporate first and open the account afterwards. Guatemalan banks ask for a great deal of documentation: articles of incorporation, NIT, the representative's identification, proof of address, reference letters. Allow more time here than anywhere else in the process.
Time: 6 to 10 months
Protect the brand at the Registro de la Propiedad Intelectual. Guatemala gives priority to whoever files, so if somebody else registers your name first, the branding investment goes with it. Registry fees run around Q600; professional fees are on the services page.
Two categories, and they get confused constantly.
The first is what the institutions charge. These are published and identical for everyone:
The second is professional representation, and that follows the work. A two-shareholder company with local partners is a straightforward file. Foreign shareholders, contributions in kind, or a structure that has to sit under a holding company elsewhere are not. Current fees are on the services page.
Officially the process should take about two weeks. In practice, expect two to four months before you are fully operational: bank account open, FEL enrolment done, employees registered.
Yes. There are no restrictions on foreign ownership of a Sociedad Anónima. However, the legal representative should ideally be a Guatemalan resident for practical purposes.
Not necessarily. You can grant a power of attorney (mandato) to a local attorney who handles the process on your behalf.
Following the reform to Article 90 of the Commercial Code, the minimum paid-in capital is now Q200 (~$26 USD). Each shareholder must pay at least 25% of the nominal value of their subscribed shares. If total cash contributions exceed Q2,000, a bank account must be opened before incorporation; if they are lower, you can open it afterwards, which speeds things up considerably for a small startup.
It depends on the structure, which is why I quote after understanding what you are building rather than before. A company with two local shareholders and a simple purpose is quick. Foreign investors, contributions in kind, or tax planning across jurisdictions take longer and cost accordingly. Fees are on the services page.
It depends on your structure. Guatemala offers competitive labor costs and a strategic Central American location, but the bureaucracy and banking system can be challenging for international operations. Many businesses use Guatemala as an operational base with a holding company elsewhere.
I am a Guatemalan attorney and notary. I draft the deed, register the company, and if the structure later ends up in dispute, I litigate it rather than handing the file to somebody else.