As of 16 October 2026. Most English-language advice about parking in Antigua describes a rule that a court suspended on 20 May 2026. Antigua’s street-parking law changed twice in 2026 and is still inside a constitutional challenge, so this page is a dated register rather than a set of instructions — with the source and the read date on every line.
The state of play, in one paragraph
The Municipalidad created a charge for parking on the public highway in 2024, collected it from January 2025 through the digital MarbEx sticker, and had its charging articles provisionally suspended by the Constitutional Court on 20 May 2026. It published a replacement reglamento on 9 June 2026 that re-frames the payment as a voluntary tariff bundled into a municipal assisted-parking service — and article 11 of that replacement was itself provisionally suspended by the Court, published in the Diario Oficial on 23 July 2026. A week later the Municipalidad rewrote article 11 in full (Diario de Centro América, 30 July; in force 31 July 2026), replacing the flat Q500 fine with fines tied to each vehicle’s tariff. The Court’s case on the substance is unresolved.
The dated register
| Date | Instrument | What it did | Status today |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-02 | Reglamento de la renta por uso privativo temporal de la vía pública para el estacionamiento de vehículos Concejo Municipal de Antigua Guatemala, acta 104-2024, punto tercero | Created the charge for parking on the public highway — the rule MarbEx collected. | articles 1 and 4 provisionally suspended since 2026-05-20 source, read 2026-09-20 |
| 2024-11-20 | Publication of the 2024 reglamento in the Diario de Centro América Diario de Centro América | Published the 2024 reglamento. | see above source, read 2026-09-20 |
| 2025-01-20 | MarbEx daily tariffs take effect Municipalidad de Antigua Guatemala | Q10 car / Q5 motorcycle / Q20 8–15-seat vehicle on ordinary weekdays; Q20 / Q10 / Q30 on Fridays from 14:00, weekends, holidays and Semana Santa. Paper marbetes withdrawn; PMT agents scan number plates instead. | superseded and disputed source, read 2026-09-20 |
| 2026-05-20 | Constitutional Court resolution — provisional suspension of articles 1 and 4 Corte de Constitucionalidad | Suspended the compulsory charge for parking on the public highway and the traffic fines tied to non-payment, while the constitutional challenge proceeds. | in force source, read 2026-09-20 |
| 2026-06-09 | Reglamento del Servicio Municipal de Estacionamiento Seguro en la Vía Pública y Asistencia Vial de Antigua Guatemala Municipalidad de Antigua Guatemala, published in the Diario de Centro América | Replaced the rent with a VOLUNTARY tariff bundled into a municipal service: 24-hour roadside assistance for minor mechanical problems, and preventive patrolling by the PM and PMT. Applies across the whole municipality. Explicitly not a deposit, custody or insurance contract. Creates MarbEx de Vecino Antigüeño, MarbEx de Persona Jurídica Antigüeña and MarbEx de Visitante Frecuente. | in force; its original article 11 was provisionally suspended on 2026-07-23 and replaced in full by the reform published 2026-07-30 source, read 2026-09-20 |
| 2026-07-23 | Constitutional Court resolution, expediente 5643-2026 — provisional suspension of article 11 of the 2026 reglamento (published in the Diario Oficial on this date) Corte de Constitucionalidad, on a partial unconstitutionality action by deputy José Diego Toledo Cruz | Article 11 suspended while the substance is decided. The resolution does not set out the practical effect, and the Municipalidad did not answer Prensa Libre's query about it. The Court gave the Concejo and the Ministerio Público 15 common days to be heard. | in force against the original article 11; substance unresolved; the suspended text was replaced on 2026-07-30 (next row) source, read 2026-09-20 |
| 2026-07-30 | Reforma al Reglamento del Servicio Municipal de Estacionamiento en la Vía Pública y Asistencia Vial — article 11 (fiscalización, infracciones y sanciones) rewritten in full Municipalidad de Antigua Guatemala, published in the Diario de Centro América | Replaced the single Q500 fine with fines tied to the vehicle's tariff: Q150 (ordinary tariff) or Q300 (special tariff) for private or commercial vehicles, Q75 or Q150 for motorcycles, Q300 or Q450 for microbuses and transport vehicles, for parking without paying or misusing a space. 5 working days to pay or be heard; 25% off if paid within 5 working days of notice; appeals to the Juzgado de Asuntos Municipales de Tránsito. Fines of Q500 issued before the court ruling were cut to Q75 (motorcycles), Q150 (private or commercial) and Q300 (microbuses and transport). | in force since 2026-07-31; no CC ruling on the reformed article found as of 2026-10-16 source, read 2026-10-16 |
Register last verified 2026-10-16 — search for any CC resolution or municipal publication later than 2026-07-23 — found the 2026-07-30 reform of article 11 (published in the Diario de Centro América, in force 2026-07-31, reported by La Hora); no later CC ruling on the substance found.
The tension a driver actually meets. The reglamento in force says the tariff is voluntary and applies only to those who choose to park in authorised spaces. The same reglamento, through its article 11 as rewritten in July 2026, fines you for using a regulated space without paying the corresponding tariff: Q150 for a car (Q300 on the special tariff), Q75 for a motorcycle (Q150), Q300 for a microbus (Q450), with 25% off if you pay within 5 working days. Nothing on this page tells you parking is free. It tells you the rule is contested, so that you can decide knowing that.
The tariffs, as published on 9 June 2026
These figures are disputed law, not a settled price list. They come from article 6 of the reglamento published on 9 June 2026; the reglamento it replaced had its charging articles suspended on 20 May 2026, and after the Constitutional Court suspended article 11 the municipality reformed it (published 30 July 2026, per La Hora). Since 31 July the fine for parking in a regulated space without paying is Q150 or Q300 for cars, Q75 or Q150 for motorcycles and Q300 or Q450 for microbuses (the higher figure on the special tariff), with 25% off if paid within 5 working days. The earlier flat Q500 fine no longer applies.
| Vehicle | Ordinary days | Fridays, weekends, holidays, Semana Santa |
|---|---|---|
| Private cars, pickups and vans | Q10 | Q20 |
| Motorcycles | Q5 | Q10 |
| Microbuses, 8 to 15 passengers | Q20 | Q30 |
- How long it lasts: Payment runs to 23:59 on the day of the transaction, whatever time it was made.
- Fine: Since 31 July 2026 (reformed article 11), for parking in a regulated space without paying or against the space's posted conditions: Q150 or Q300 for cars and other private or commercial vehicles, Q75 or Q150 for motorcycles, Q300 or Q450 for microbuses and transport vehicles, the higher figure applying on the special (peak) tariff. 25% off if paid within 5 working days of notice. The earlier flat Q500 no longer applies.
- How they check: PMT verification by plate readers, cameras, mobile devices and systems connected to the municipal control database.
Source, read 2026-09-20.
The payment runs to 23:59 on the day you make it, whatever time you pay — so paying at 10:00 covers you to midnight, and a second day is a second payment. The practical read: if you are in town for a morning, buy it before you park; if you are in town for three days, look at the Visitante Frecuente package, which the reglamento prices at a 50% discount on the current tariffs.
The curb colours — the rule the courts did not touch
| Line colour at the curb | What may park there |
|---|---|
| White | Motorcycles, or vehicles whose registration is motorcycle type. |
| Grey, or no horizontal marking | Cars only. |
| Blue | Vehicles carrying people with disabilities, or people or animals needing medical assistance; sited near health centres. |
| Yellow | Loading and unloading of goods and/or setting down and picking up passengers for urban and intercity transport. Also reserved for municipal use. |
| Green | Stops reserved for vehicles running the municipal collective transport service. |
| Red | No parking and no stopping, for any vehicle. |
The Municipalidad counts about 2272 marked on-street spaces for four-wheeled vehicles and 2221 for two-wheeled ones.
Primary source and corroborating source, both read 2026-09-20. Prensa Libre publishes five of the six colours and omits green.
The colour is the part that actually gets people fined, because it does not depend on the payment dispute at all: park a car on a white line and you are in a motorcycle bay whatever you paid. And the PMT’s own standing reminder is to watch for temporary no-parking notices posted for special events, which override the paint.
How enforcement works, and how late a fine can arrive
- No clamp for an unpaid tariff (Prensa Libre, May 2025). The PMT issues a remisión instead. The clamp and the tow exist for obstruction and for vehicles left on the public highway more than 36 hours.
- Plate-based checking. Agents patrol and scan plates against the municipal database; there is nothing to print or hang in the windscreen.
- The fine can be slow. When no notice is left on the vehicle, up to 15 days to issue it and up to 120 days to notify it, under the Ley de Tránsito reforms in force since December 2024; the Antigua PMT says fines surface in its system about 36 hours after being recorded.
- If you think you were wrongly fined, the route is the Juez de Tránsito, to ask for review or annulment.
Municipal channels — pay, check a fine, register as a resident, look at the parking map:
- https://parqueos.muniantigua.gob.gt/map — Parking availability map (no public API — the served app contains no lot data or parking endpoint, checked 2026-09-20)
- https://pagos.muniantigua.gob.gt/marbex — MarbEx purchase
- https://pagos.muniantigua.gob.gt/multas-transito — Traffic fines
- https://vecino.muniantigua.gob.gt — Vecino Antigüeño registration
- https://muniantigua.gob.gt/ — Municipality
Events close streets, and that is the other half of the question
Antigua’s real driving constraint is not the tariff. It is that the town closes its centre to cars, street by street, several times a year — and on those days the paint, the tariff and the court cases are all irrelevant because the street itself is shut.
Cuaresma and Semana Santa 2026 — 8 perimeter days, 22 February to 3 April 2026
Pedestrian perimeter set street by street around each procession route; continuous through Jueves and Viernes Santo; eight municipal car parks opened with free shuttles. Full record →
source, read 2026-09-20
Festival de la Luz de Antigua 2026 — 17–18 July 2026
Pedestrian perimeter from 3a. to 6a. calle and from 3a. to 6a. avenida, with the PMT admitting only residents' vehicles. Closure points: 1a. Calle Poniente between 6a. and 4a. Avenida Norte; 1a. Calle Poniente and 5a. Avenida Norte; 1a. Calle Oriente between 3a. and 1a. Avenida Norte; Calle de Los Pasos from 7a. Avenida to the Puente Viejo. La Pólvora open 24 hours at Q5 for the first two hours then Q10 an hour to a Q40 daily cap; Santa Inés Q10 an hour, same cap; Finca Retana on MarbEx tariffs; Centro de Servicios 08:00–17:00.
source, read 2026-09-20
The transferable pattern, from the two 2026 events we have on record: the perimeter is defined by calle and avenida numbers, resident vehicles are admitted at PMT discretion, the municipal car parks extend their hours, and at the 2026 Festival de la Luz three of the four listed car parks charged hourly with a Q40 daily cap (Finca Retana kept MarbEx tariffs). Semana Santa is the extreme case and has its own dated record: Antigua Semana Santa street closures.
So where do I put the car?
- A municipal car park, not the street, on any weekend, holiday or event day. It removes the tariff question, the colour question and the tow risk in one move, and during the 2026 Festival de la Luz a free bus ran from the Santa Inés car park to the Fuente de las Delicias.
- On the street on an ordinary weekday, read the paint first and the tariff second.
- Do not drive into the centre at all on a procession or festival day. Park outside the perimeter and walk; that is what the perimeter is for.
- If you live here, register for the Vecino Antigüeño exemption (the registration is annual) and stop thinking about the tariff — but clear any outstanding municipal fines first, because the registration requires it.
Related: Antigua Semana Santa street closures · getting to Antigua · Antigua transport: Uber, shuttles, tuk-tuks · driving Guatemala City to Antigua · Antigua to Guatemala City by bus or shuttle · do you need a car in Guatemala at all
Every instrument, tariff and colour above traces to a named source with the date we read it. Where the law is disputed, this page says so instead of picking the answer that reads better.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I still have to pay MarbEx to park in Antigua?
The honest answer is that no official source we have found gives a clean one, and we will not pretend otherwise. On 20 May 2026 the Constitutional Court provisionally suspended articles 1 and 4 of the 2024 reglamento that created the charge, which stopped the compulsory payment and the fines tied to not paying it. On 9 June 2026 the Municipalidad published a replacement reglamento whose tariff is written as voluntary, but which also set a Q500 fine for using a regulated space without paying. In a resolution published in the Diario Oficial on 23 July 2026, the Court suspended that fines article (article 11), under expediente 5643-2026. The Municipalidad answered by rewriting article 11 in full: the reform, published in the Diario de Centro América on 30 July and in force from 31 July 2026, keeps fines for parking without paying but ties them to the vehicle’s tariff, from Q75 to Q450, La Hora reported. So: pay if you want the certainty, park in a municipal car park if you want none of this, and do not assume a PMT agent shares your reading.
What do the coloured lines on Antigua's streets mean?
Six colours, and they were not touched by the court cases. White is for motorcycles or vehicles registered as motorcycle type. Grey, or no horizontal marking at all, is for cars. Blue is reserved for vehicles carrying people with disabilities or people and animals needing medical assistance, and is sited near health centres. Yellow is loading and unloading of goods and setting down or picking up passengers for urban and intercity transport, and is also reserved for municipal use. Green marks stops for the municipal collective transport service. Red means no parking and no stopping for any vehicle. Prensa Libre publishes five of the six and omits green.
How much is the parking fine in Antigua?
Since 31 July 2026 it depends on the vehicle and the day. The reform of article 11 published in the Diario de Centro América on 30 July 2026, as La Hora reported it, sets Q150 for a car or other private or commercial vehicle (Q300 on the special tariff), Q75 for a motorcycle (Q150) and Q300 for a microbus or transport vehicle (Q450), for parking in a regulated space without paying or against its posted conditions. Paying within 5 working days of the notice takes 25% off. The flat Q500 fine of the 2025 MarbEx system and of the June 2026 reglamento no longer applies; Q500 fines issued before the court ruling were cut to the same Q75, Q150 and Q300 amounts. The PMT verifies with plate readers, cameras, mobile devices and systems connected to the municipal control database. A fine can also reach you long after the fact: under the Ley de Tránsito reforms in force since December 2024, if no notice is left on the vehicle, the authorities have up to 15 days to issue it and may notify it up to 120 days later, and the Antigua PMT says fines appear in its system about 36 hours after being recorded.
Will my car get clamped in Antigua?
Not for an unpaid parking tariff — Prensa Libre reported in May 2025 that in Antigua no cepo is fitted for non-payment or bad parking, and that a remisión is issued instead. The clamp exists for a different offence: guatemala.com reports that the PMT may use clamps and may remove abandoned vehicles that obstruct traffic or that have stood on the public highway for more than 36 hours. Those two statements are reconcilable, and we print both rather than choosing.
What does the payment actually buy under the new reglamento?
A service, not a space and not insurance. The reglamento published on 9 June 2026 bundles 24-hour roadside assistance for things like a battery charge or a minor mechanical fault, available anywhere in the municipality and activated automatically once you have paid, plus preventive patrolling by the Policía Municipal and the PMT in the marked parking areas. The same text is explicit that the payment is not a deposit, custody or insurance contract, that the Municipalidad accepts no responsibility for theft, damage, fire or collision, and that it does not guarantee a space — they go in order of arrival.
Do residents of Antigua pay?
No, if they register. The 9 June 2026 reglamento creates the MarbEx de Vecino Antigüeño, which exempts residents from the daily parking payment in exchange for registering their vehicles annually and proving residency and ownership. You qualify if your DPI states vecindad in the municipality of Antigua Guatemala, if you can show the main seat of your business or permanent patrimonial interests there, or as the spouse or legally declared partner of an antigüeño. The vehicle and the driver must have no unpaid municipal fines. There are two further classes: MarbEx de Persona Jurídica Antigüeña for companies with fiscal domicile in the municipality, and MarbEx de Visitante Frecuente, which sells packages of days at a 50% discount on the current tariffs.
Is there a live map of free parking spaces in Antigua?
The Municipalidad runs a parking map app at parqueos.muniantigua.gob.gt, and the press has described it as a real-time availability platform. It is a web app, not a public data source: when we read the JavaScript it serves on 20 September 2026 it contained no car-park names at all — no Pólvora, no Nimajay, no INVAL, no Retana, no Santa Inés — and no parking endpoint, only the unmodified admin-template mocks its framework ships with. So we link to the app and leave the numbers inside it, rather than restating figures we cannot verify or date.
