Guatemala Remote Worker Temporary Residence

Guatemala has no standalone digital nomad visa. Remote workers apply for the temporary residence for migrant workers in its "por empleador extranjero" (foreign employer) category, set out in the residence regulation Acuerdo IGM-016-2025 of the Guatemalan Institute of Migration (IGM). The IGM put the new rules into force on Oct. 8, 2025, according to the state news agency AGN, and the route is active.

Key terms

• Income: $2,000 a month or more paid from abroad, or $3,000 a month in total when dependents come along.
• Fees: a $25 filing fee, then a status fee of $200 to $500 depending on the term granted.
• Stay: from one year up to 5 years per grant, renewable.
• Where: in person at the IGM in Guatemala City, after arriving in the country.
• Permanent residence: Yes. After 5 or more years as a temporary resident, a holder can apply for permanent residence.

The same residence has two other categories on the IGM portal: one for people hired by a Guatemalan employer and one for the self-employed ("por cuenta propia"), which asks for tax registration and commercial licenses instead of a fixed income. This page covers only the foreign employer category.

The category is for foreigners whose pay comes from abroad. The regulation (Art. 11.2) sets these conditions:

• Income from abroad: at least $2,000 a month received during the last year, shown with bank statements or a certificate from a certified public accountant.
• Family: with dependents the threshold is $3,000 a month for the whole household, not an amount per person.
• International organizations: staff of an international organization or international NGO are exempt from the income test but must show an employment certificate or contract and health insurance.
• Clean record: a criminal and police record certificate is part of every file.
• Legal entry: the applicant files from inside Guatemala, with the passport entry stamp to prove a lawful arrival.

Health insurance is not a general requirement for this category. It applies only to staff of international organizations.

The foreign employer category rests on pay from abroad. A job with a Guatemalan employer falls under a different category of the same residence, which also needs a work permit from the Ministry of Labor (MINTRAB).

Every temporary residence file includes a set of general documents, listed on the IGM portal and in Art. 8 of the regulation:

• The application form "Trabajadores migrantes - titular", downloadable from the IGM portal
• A valid passport and a complete notarized copy that shows the last entry stamp
• A certificate of migratory movement showing the last entry into Guatemala
• An original certificate of no criminal or police record from the country of origin or recent countries of residence, issued within the previous 6 months
• A birth certificate, only when the applicant's country has no diplomatic mission in Guatemala
• The receipt for the filing fee

For this category the file adds proof of the income from abroad over the last year: bank statements or a certified public accountant's certificate.

Documents issued abroad must be apostilled or legalized and come with a sworn translation into Spanish when they are in another language.

Each dependent files the "Trabajadores migrantes - dependiente" form with proof of the family relationship. A spouse, partner or relative gets the same term and status as the main applicant and can apply together with the worker or later.

The IGM tariff charges two government fees:

• Filing fee: $25, paid when the file is submitted.
• Status fee for a 1-year residence: $200.
• Status fee for a 2-year residence: $300.
• Status fee for a 3- to 5-year residence: $500.

The status fee is charged only once the residence is granted. An extension pays the filing fee and a status fee again.

Third-party costs come on top: apostilles or legalization, sworn translations, the notarized passport copy and records from abroad. Their prices depend on the country and provider, and no official figures exist.

1. Arrive in Guatemala. Visa-free nationals enter as tourists for up to 90 days; others first need a consular visa. The passport must carry the entry stamp.
2. Book an appointment. The IGM portal takes bookings for filing a residence application ("Cita para ingreso de solicitud").
3. File in person. In person in Guatemala at the IGM Subdirección de Extranjería, 6a avenida 3-11 zona 4, Guatemala City, with an appointment. The applicant must already be in Guatemala: the file needs the passport entry stamp and a certificate of the last entry.
4. Pay the filing fee. The $25 filing fee is paid when the file is submitted.
5. Wait for the decision. A filed application lets the applicant stay in Guatemala while it is processed. Leaving and coming back during that time requires a special visa for a pending residence file (Art. 4 and Art. 42 of the regulation).
6. Collect the residence. After approval the applicant books a notification appointment, pays the status fee and gives biometric and biographic data for the residence record.

The IGM publishes no processing time for this category, so travel plans should leave room for delays.

The IGM grants this residence for terms from one year up to 5 years, as requested by the applicant and as the IGM decides (Art. 7 of the regulation).

Renewal

Renewable. File the extension at least 30 days before the residence expires, again showing US$2,000 (US$3,000 with dependents) a month in foreign income over the last year. Missing the deadline means applying for a new residence.

Permanent residence

Staying as a resident for longer than 5 years requires permanent residence (Art. 27 of the regulation and Art. 78 of the Migration Code).

• Eligibility: Yes. After 5 or more years as a temporary resident, a holder can apply for permanent residence.
• Extra document: an updated certificate from a Guatemalan guarantor.

Guatemala taxes income obtained within its territory (a territorial system); there is no special tax regime for remote-worker residents. The rule comes from the Tax Update Law (Decreto 10-2012).

A person becomes tax resident after staying more than 183 days in a calendar year, counted even when the days are not continuous, or when the center of economic interests is in Guatemala, unless residence elsewhere is proven with a foreign tax certificate.

No official statement says whether a foreign employer's pay for work physically done in Guatemala counts as Guatemalan-source income. This page therefore claims no exemption. Holders should take advice from a Guatemalan tax adviser before relying on any treatment.

Temporary residents must also present a tax solvency certificate (solvencia tributaria) to the IGM every year (Art. 46 of the regulation).