Quick summary: FAPRIVI is the Q500,000,000.00 fund created under Decreto 17-2024, administered by CHN through its Mi Primera Casa loan. Rates including FHA insurance: 5.00% for homes priced up to 91 minimum wages, and 5.50% from 91 to 170 minimum wages. The regulation requires no real-estate ownership, income of up to 6 minimum wages and FHA approval. CHN’s FAQ, dated August 2025, adds a term of up to 40 years, a minimum 5% down payment, new homes only from developers allied with FHA, and an age limit of 70 years.
For other banks’ mortgages and FHA insurance generally, see mortgage rates by bank. This page covers the state first-home fund and its rules.
What FAPRIVI is
- Origin: Art. 8 of Congress’s Decreto 17-2024 (the expansion of the State’s general revenue and expenditure budget for 2024), and an agreement between the Ministry of Public Finance and CHN (Arts. 1 and 3 of the regulation).
- Initial funding: Q500,000,000.00 provided by the Ministry of Public Finance; the fund may be expanded (Art. 5).
- Type of fund: a revolving fund administered by CHN as a special fund (Art. 2).
- Exclusive purpose: loans for Guatemalan families’ first homes (Art. 6).
- Regulation: Acuerdo 16-2024 of CHN’s Board of Directors, approved on September 30, 2024, and amended on October 29, 2024, and February 11, 2025. CHN links the integrated version from its Mi Primera Casa page.
Interest rates (Art. 12)
| Home price | CHN rate | FHA insurance | Total rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 91 minimum wages | 3.74% | 1.26% | 5.00% |
| From 91 up to 170 minimum wages | 4.24% | 1.26% | 5.50% |
The regulation adds the FHA insurance amount in force at disbursement to the authorized interest rate. Other rules in the same article:
- Installments: level, monthly, consecutive payments starting the month after the escritura (formal loan deed). Principal, interest and additional charges must be paid monthly directly to CHN without a prior payment demand.
- Late interest: up to 3 percentage points above the loan’s prevailing rate, applied to overdue principal.
- Rate changes: CHN may change the rate if you breach any loan-contract condition or if financial-market changes justify it in CHN’s judgment. CHN will notify you through the communication channels it considers appropriate.
- Insurance: you must obtain seguro de incendio y líneas aliadas (fire and allied-perils insurance) from CHN or another insurer, along with any other required insurance. It must remain valid and endorsed in CHN’s favor throughout the loan term.
- Early payments: no penalty for partial prepayments of principal and/or interest; full settlement carries a charge of 1% of the outstanding principal for CHN, plus whatever FHA requires under its rules. CHN’s FAQ says there is no early-payment penalty, but the regulation expressly charges for full settlement. Its wording is: “por pago total se cobrará el 1% del saldo del” [full settlement is charged at 1% of the balance of], followed by “capital para El Crédito y lo que corresponde a FHA según su normativa vigente.” [principal for CHN, plus the amount due to FHA under its current rules]. Confirm the full-settlement charges before signing.
- Extras in the first band: the 5.00% rate remains available when the home includes parking, storage, integrated uncovered spaces, patios and/or gardens, provided their combined price does not exceed 9 current non-agricultural minimum wages for the department of Guatemala, plus the bonificación incentivo.
Limits in quetzales
The regulation expresses its limits in non-agricultural minimum wages for the department of Guatemala, plus the bonificación incentivo. CHN’s FAQ is headed Actualización agosto - 2025 (August 2025 update), although its URL sits in a 2026 directory. Its rate table uses Q4,252.28. The regulation refers to current minimum wages; the FAQ’s dated quetzal examples should not be treated as current salary caps.
| Limit | Minimum wages | Quetzal figure in CHN’s August 2025 FAQ | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applicant’s maximum income | 6 | — | Art. 7(b) sets the limit in current minimum-wage units, plus the incentive bonus |
| Maximum home price for the 5.00% rate | 91 | Q386,957.48; Q361,000.00 | The FAQ’s question uses Q386,957.48 as a loan amount; its answer refers to a property price below Q361,000.00. These are different figures |
| Additional property without losing the 5.00% rate | 9 | — | Art. 12(h) sets the limit in current minimum-wage units, plus the incentive bonus |
| Maximum home price | 170 | Q722,887.6 | The FAQ lists eligible FHA projects with sale prices below this figure |
The FAQ says the rate depends on the property’s sale price, rather than the amount borrowed. Ask CHN which quetzal limits apply to your application. See Guatemala’s minimum wage.
Who can apply (Arts. 4, 7 and 10)
- Familia guatemalteca (Guatemalan family): a marriage, unión de hecho (de facto union), cohabiting partners with children or people entitled to maintenance, heads of household and their dependents, of Guatemalan origin or naturalized, seeking their first home (Art. 4(b)).
- No real-estate ownership: each applicant must provide a certificación de carencia de bienes inmuebles, issued no more than three months before the resguardo application date (Art. 7(a)). This applies to each family applicant or to the individual when applying alone.
- Income: up to 6 current non-agricultural minimum wages for the department of Guatemala, plus the bonificación incentivo (Art. 7(b)).
- FHA approval: CHN processes only FHA-approved applications, documented through a Resguardo de Asegurabilidad (insurability approval) (Arts. 10 and 11).
- One loan only: the same borrower cannot obtain more than one fund loan, directly or indirectly. A breach is grounds for CHN to accelerate the loan and pursue collection under the law (Art. 10).
- Excluded: Personas Expuestas Políticamente (PEP, politically exposed persons) (Art. 10).
Resident foreigners: CHN’s FAQ says they cannot apply because the loan is intended for Guatemalans. The regulation separately includes people of Guatemalan origin or naturalized Guatemalans in its family definition; residence alone does not establish eligibility.
What CHN’s FAQ adds
The following answers come from CHN’s FAQ dated August 2025.
| Question | CHN’s answer |
|---|---|
| Maximum term | 40 years |
| Down payment | At least 5% of the sale price |
| Age | Up to 70 years |
| Home type | Purchase of new homes only, from developers allied with FHA |
| Location | Areas currently covered by FHA |
| Appraisal | Not applicable: FHA performs 3 inspections because the property is new |
| Other debts | You may apply provided your payment capacity does not exceed 50% of your income |
| Family income | Can be combined to assess payment capacity, subtracting debts and the proposed loan payment |
| Credit history | Not required; CHN recommends starting to use banking services to demonstrate payment behavior and speed evaluation. A bad credit record is analyzed to establish when it arose and whether financing is possible |
| CHN account | Not initially required |
| Notarial expenses | The loan covers only the home price; notarial expenses and legal procedures are excluded |
| Unemployment | FHA insurance includes unemployment coverage for 6 months; you can request it through FHA if you lose your job and struggle to pay |
| Application | In person |
Documents CHN lists: DPI (Guatemalan identity document), utility bill, RTU (tax-registration record), proof of no property ownership, bank statements for the last 3 months, proof of income under FHA’s social-housing manual, and the forms specified in that manual. For the RTU, see SAT RTU registration.
How to apply
- Choose an eligible FHA project. CHN directs you to allied projects through its Mi Primera Casa page using the Proyectos Disponibles button. Contact your chosen project for sale information; the project can also carry out prequalification.
- Request a quote. With your chosen project’s sale-price information, CHN assigns a business adviser.
- FHA assessment. Your payment capacity and financial circumstances undergo FHA assessment. Approval is documented through the Resguardo de Asegurabilidad.
- Deed and disbursement. Payments begin the month after the deed. You pay notarial expenses separately: see closing costs.
CHN contact (from the Mi Primera Casa page footer): customer service 1507; from outside Guatemala, +502 2290 7000; Banco CHN Central, 7a Avenida 22-77 Zona 1.
If you fall behind (Art. 13)
| Stage | Delay | What CHN does |
|---|---|---|
| Cobranza preventiva (preventive collection) | Before the due date | At least one notice at least 10 days beforehand; no notice is needed if you have already paid |
| Mora temprana (early arrears) | Up to 90 days | At least two notices and two telephone calls or two other written or electronic communications, explaining overdue dates, the balance, arrears, deadlines and payment methods |
| Mora tardía (late arrears) | More than 91 days | The preceding measures plus at least two visits; communication and negotiation should seek to avoid court proceedings |
| Cobranza judicial (judicial collection) | More than 180 days, after prior collection procedures are exhausted | Court proceedings under FHA’s applicable time requirements |
On default, the borrower is responsible for collection and recovery expenses, professional and/or deed fees, court costs and other related amounts. Proceedings can be suspended only if you pay the full amount owed (principal, interest, taxes, insurance and court costs), another financial institution pays the full debt to release the lien, or there is a novación de pago (novation of the payment obligation) under FHA’s current rules.
Related pages
- Mortgage rates by bank
- Mortgage-rate comparison
- Real-estate closing costs
- Checking your SIB credit history
Sources: CHN’s integrated FAPRIVI credit regulation, Acuerdo 16-2024, and Mi Primera Casa FAQ, dated August 2025. The regulation allows rate changes under the conditions explained above.
