Quick summary: Start by comparing a suspicious quetzal note with a genuine one, as Banco de Guatemala (Banguat) recommends. Check the paper, printing and security features rather than relying on appearance alone. For the commemorative Q100, use touch, look and tilt. Do not knowingly spend counterfeit money, even if you originally received it innocently. Banguat’s replacement rule covers authentic damaged notes retaining at least 60% of their size; it is not a counterfeit reimbursement rule.
If you are visiting Guatemala, settling here or returning from abroad, the useful distinction is between a note that looks unfamiliar and one whose security features do not match. Banguat confirms that the commemorative Q100 circulates legally alongside other notes of the same denomination. Use its official guidance below to examine the note in front of you.
Check a suspicious quetzal note
Banguat’s banknote-security guidance begins by recommending comparison with a genuine note. It lists these nine characteristics of counterfeit notes:
| Feature | What Banguat says to watch for |
|---|---|
| Paper | Ordinary or commercial paper |
| Visible fibers | Imitations painted or glued onto the note |
| Watermark and security thread | Missing genuine features; some counterfeits imitate them |
| Raised printing | Flat printing without raised relief that can be felt |
| Latent image | No latent image |
| Microtext | Small text that is not clearly legible |
| Holographic strip | No holographic strip; in some cases a reflective strip is attached to the Q100.00 note |
| Serial number | No letterpress printing in the serial number |
| Printing and ink | Fine inkjet dots and ink with a distinctive photocopy-like sheen |
For a note you do not recognize, open Banguat’s directory of security features for notes in circulation and select its entry. The directory distinguishes commemorative and other designs, including separate Q100 entries. Use the entry for the note you are examining rather than treating the commemorative design below as a description of every quetzal note.
The commemorative Q100: touch, look and tilt
Banguat’s commemorative-note guide says this Q100 is legal tender and circulates without restriction alongside other notes of the same denomination. It commemorates the 100 years of central banking and the 80th anniversary of Banco de Guatemala.
The Spanish instruction is toca, mira y gira: touch, look and tilt.
| Check | What the commemorative Q100 should show or feel like |
|---|---|
| Touch | Raised printing in different areas, Braille numbering and inclined tactile lines. The tactile features help people with visual disabilities identify the note. |
| Hold against the light | A watermark depicting the artwork Indio de Nahualá. Complementary images on the front and back align to form a single figure. |
| Tilt | A movement effect in the security thread, revealing the microtext “EL QUETZAL ES ORGULLO; CONFIANZA Y FUTURO PARA GUATEMALA”. On the reverse, the commemorative element “80 años” changes from gold to green. |
| Other features | Security backgrounds, microtext and a latent image bearing “BG 100”. |
| Material | 100% cotton fibers. |
The lettering above is in Spanish so you can compare it directly with the note. The thread’s message refers to the quetzal as pride, confidence and a future for Guatemala; the reverse element marks the anniversary.
If you received a suspected counterfeit
Do not try to recover your money by knowingly spending a counterfeit note. The legal distinction below depends on whether someone knew about the counterfeit when receiving it or learned about it after receiving it in good faith.
Start with Banguat’s comparison and security checks. Its banknote-security page and commemorative Q100 guide, checked October 23, 2026, do not describe a hand-in or reimbursement procedure for counterfeit notes.
Do not confuse that question with exchanging a torn genuine note: Banguat’s damaged-note rule explicitly requires authenticity.
What the Penal Code says
The following table describes the text printed in the Organismo Judicial’s CENADOJ 2024 Penal Code edition. Later amendments have not been verified, so these are the provisions in that edition, not a certification of current consolidated law.
| Article | Conduct described in the edition | Printed penalty |
|---|---|---|
| 313 | Making counterfeit currency that imitates legitimate national or foreign currency, legal tender in Guatemala or abroad | Imprisonment of two to ten years |
| 314 | Altering, in any manner, legitimate national or foreign currency, legal tender in Guatemala or abroad | Imprisonment of two to ten years |
| 315 | Knowingly bringing counterfeit or altered currency into the country | The penalties in the preceding articles, as applicable |
| 316 | Knowingly acquiring or receiving counterfeit or altered currency and putting it into circulation in any manner | The same applicable penalty as for counterfeiting or altering currency |
| 317 | Clipping legitimate currency, or knowingly bringing clipped currency into the country or putting it into circulation | Imprisonment of six months to two years |
| 318 | Receiving counterfeit, altered or clipped currency in good faith, then spending or circulating it while knowing of its counterfeit, altered or clipped condition | A fine of fifty to two thousand quetzales |
Receiving money innocently and knowingly passing it on are different acts. Article 318 specifically addresses good-faith receipt followed by knowing circulation. Article 316 addresses acquiring or receiving the counterfeit or altered currency knowingly and then circulating it. Neither description should be shortened to a claim that merely receiving a fake note innocently triggers the listed penalty.
For an English-speaking traveler, another relevant detail is that these provisions are not confined to quetzales: Articles 313 and 314 expressly refer to national or foreign currency, and Article 320 includes national or foreign legal-tender banknotes within the meaning of currency for criminal-law purposes.
Torn or damaged genuine notes
Banguat’s replacement rule has both of these conditions:
- The note must be authentic.
- It must retain at least 60% of the note’s size.
Meeting the size condition alone does not establish eligibility: the authenticity condition still applies.
To preserve notes, Banguat recommends storing them in places intended for their protection and avoiding improper folding; writing, marks, stamps or signs; water and fire; wet or greasy hands; tearing, mutilating or perforating; staples; and hot or humid storage.
Related banking guidance
Security features and damaged-note conditions: Banco de Guatemala pages checked October 23, 2026. Legal provisions: CENADOJ 2024 Penal Code edition, with later amendments unverified. This guide does not certify the authenticity of an individual note.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I check whether a quetzal note is counterfeit?
Banco de Guatemala recommends comparing the suspicious note with a genuine one. Its warning signs include ordinary paper, painted or glued imitation fibers, missing or imitated watermarks and security threads, flat printing without raised relief, no latent image, unclear microtext, no holographic strip, no letterpress serial-number printing, and fine inkjet dots with a photocopy-like sheen. Use Banguat’s security sheet for the particular note you are checking.
Is the commemorative Q100 note legal tender?
Yes. Banguat says it circulates without restriction alongside other notes of the same denomination. Its checks include raised printing, Braille numbering, tactile inclined lines, a watermark, matching front-and-back images, a moving security-thread effect and a reverse element that changes from gold to green.
Can I spend a counterfeit note if I received it innocently?
Do not knowingly pass it on. Article 318 in the CENADOJ 2024 Penal Code edition addresses counterfeit, altered or clipped currency received in good faith and subsequently spent or circulated with knowledge of its condition; the printed penalty is a fine of fifty to two thousand quetzales. Later amendments have not been verified.
Will Banguat replace a counterfeit note?
Banguat’s damaged-note replacement rule requires the note to be authentic and retain at least 60% of its size. That rule does not establish reimbursement for counterfeit money.
What does the Penal Code say about making counterfeit money?
Article 313 in the CENADOJ 2024 edition provides imprisonment of two to ten years for manufacturing counterfeit currency imitating legitimate national or foreign currency that is legal tender in Guatemala or abroad. This is the wording of that edition; later amendments have not been verified.
