The short version: the US does not limit how much cash you take home to Guatemala, but it makes you report it when the total is more than US$10,000. Guatemala asks the same question on its arrival form, starting at US$10,000 or more. This page covers the US side in detail and links our Guatemalan traveler declaration (DVE) guide for the Guatemalan side. It is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Quick summary: Carrying more than $10,000 in cash or monetary instruments out of the US (or into it) at one time means filing FinCEN Form 105 with CBP, electronically or on paper, when you travel (31 U.S.C. 5316). A family or group adds its cash together, per CBP. Bank wires are not reported on this form. Not filing can cost you the money: CBP says the currency can be seized and forfeited. On arrival in Guatemala the traveler declaration asks about US$10,000 or more, so exactly $10,000 is a no in the US and a yes in Guatemala. Checked 25 September 2026.
The two thresholds side by side
| Amount you carry (whole travelling group, for the US side) | US: file FinCEN Form 105 with CBP? | Guatemala: “yes” on the cash question of the traveler declaration? |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $9,999 | No | No |
| Exactly $10,000 | No (the rule starts above $10,000) | Yes (the form asks about US$10,000 or more) |
| $10,001 or more | Yes | Yes |
The US line comes from 31 U.S.C. 5316, which covers “monetary instruments of more than $10,000 at one time”, and from the Treasury regulation, 31 CFR 1010.340, which speaks of an aggregate amount “exceeding $10,000 at one time”. The Guatemalan line comes from SAT’s Resolution SAT-DSI-1049-2023, Article 5, which covers cash and monetary instruments «por un valor igual o superior a US$10,000.00 o su equivalente». The US State Department’s Guatemala page uses the same line for Guatemala: for 10,000 USD or more, on entry or exit, you must declare the source of the money and its purpose.
The US side: FinCEN Form 105
Who files
CBP’s page (last modified 24 November 2025, read 25 September 2026) says:
“Anyone who brings, sends, or receives currency or monetary instruments totaling more than $10,000 at one time, either into or out of the United States, must report it.”
It adds that this includes people who “transport, mail, or ship these items for themselves or on behalf of another person or business”. So carrying a relative’s savings to Guatemala is covered the same way as carrying your own. The form has a Part II for the person on whose behalf you carry the money.
A family counts as one
The detail that catches families flying home together:
“When families or groups are involved, the $10,000 threshold applies to the total amount they are carrying or sending collectively, not per individual.”
Two parents with $6,000 each are carrying $12,000 as far as CBP is concerned. Splitting the money among relatives does not change the count, and dividing a shipment or trip in order to evade the report is itself prohibited: 31 U.S.C. 5324(c) bars anyone from structuring an importation or exportation of monetary instruments “for the purpose of evading the reporting requirements of section 5316”.
What counts as “monetary instruments”
CBP’s list:
- US or foreign coins and currency (quetzales count, not only dollars)
- Traveler’s checks in any form
- Negotiable instruments (checks, promissory notes, money orders) in bearer form, endorsed without restriction, made out to a fictitious payee, or otherwise in a form that lets the funds pass to another person
- Incomplete instruments signed but with the payee’s name left out, and securities or stock in bearer form
CBP adds that checks or money orders made payable to a named person and not endorsed, or carrying restrictive endorsements, are generally not considered monetary instruments for reporting purposes.
How and when to file
CBP gives these options and recommends the first:
- Electronically on CBP’s FinCEN Form 105 website, which CBP calls the recommended and quickest approach.
- On paper, before you leave: print and fill in FinCEN Form 105 before you travel and present it to a CBP officer before departing the United States.
- Before departure or on arrival: in CBP’s words, you can “obtain and complete the form prior to departing the United States or upon arrival in the United States”.
Mobile Passport Control is covered in a different part of CBP’s page (“Who Must File?”): CBP says travelers using it for their entry in the United States “will have the opportunity to submit their declaration along with access to electronically file their report”.
The form’s own instructions put the timing for travelers this way: file “at the time of entry into the United States or at the time of departure from the United States” with the Customs officer in charge at the port. The PDF that FinCEN publishes is the July 2017 edition (OMB No. 1506-0014). It asks for your identification, the route (US port of departure and the foreign city of arrival), and the type and amount of currency and instruments, and you sign it under penalty of perjury.
It is a report, not a tax. Neither CBP’s page nor the form mentions a filing fee (both read 25 September 2026).
What does not need the form
- Bank transfers. The form’s instructions say that a transfer of funds through normal banking procedures, with no physical transportation of currency or monetary instruments, is not required to be reported. For moving money without carrying it, see sending money from the USA to Guatemala.
- Amounts of $10,000 or less for the whole group.
If you do not report
CBP:
“An Individual who fails to file a report or submit false or fraudulent information, risk having their currency or monetary instruments forfeited and seized.”
CBP adds that in some instances people may face civil or criminal penalties, such as fines or imprisonment. The penalty paragraph on the form itself says that civil and criminal penalties, “including under certain circumstances a fine of not more than $500,000 and Imprisonment of not more than ten years”, apply to failing to file, to a report with a material omission or misstatement, and to a false report, and that the currency may be seized and forfeited.
Two statutes sit behind that:
| Statute | What it provides |
|---|---|
| 31 U.S.C. 5317 | Property involved in a violation of section 5316 may be seized and forfeited (civil forfeiture), and a court sentencing a violation orders the defendant to forfeit it (criminal forfeiture) |
| 31 U.S.C. 5332 (bulk cash smuggling) | Knowingly concealing more than $10,000, on your person or in luggage or any container, with intent to evade the report, while taking it into or out of the US, is a currency smuggling offense: imprisonment of not more than 5 years, and the court orders forfeiture |
Section 5332 says concealment on the person includes clothing worn and “any luggage, backpack, or other container worn or carried”.
Coming back to the US with cash
The rule is the same in the other direction. 31 U.S.C. 5316 covers monetary instruments of more than $10,000 transported “to a place in the United States from or through a place outside the United States”, and CBP says the requirement applies “whether you are” sending money abroad or bringing savings back home. If family in Guatemala mails or ships you more than $10,000, the form’s instructions say the person who receives it in the US files FinCEN Form 105 within 15 days of receipt, unless a report was already filed.
The Guatemalan side: the traveler declaration
On arrival at La Aurora, and again when you leave Guatemala, you fill in SAT’s electronic traveler declaration. Its cash question covers US$10,000 or more in cash, monetary instruments, securities, precious metals or a combination. We cover that form question by question, including who in the family can share one form, in the DVE guide. What Guatemalan law provides if you leave the cash off the form, and what goods you can bring alongside it, are in Guatemala customs: what you can bring.
Two things to take from the US State Department’s Guatemala page (read 24 September 2026):
- It says there are no restrictions on currency when entering or leaving Guatemala.
- For 10,000 USD or more, it says you must declare the source of the money and its purpose.
So a family flying home with $15,000 files FinCEN Form 105 before leaving the US and answers yes on the Guatemalan declaration.
A checklist before the flight
- Add up the cash of everyone travelling together, including children, in dollars, quetzales and any other currency.
- More than $10,000? File FinCEN Form 105 online or print it and hand it to CBP before you depart.
- $10,000 or more? Answer yes on the Guatemalan traveler declaration and be ready to state where the money comes from and what it is for.
- Keep the paperwork: your FinCEN 105 confirmation and the Guatemalan declaration number.
- Large amount for a house or land? A bank transfer avoids carrying it; see buying property in Guatemala from the USA.
Related guides
- Guatemalan traveler declaration (DVE), question by question
- Guatemala customs: what you can bring
- Sending money from the USA to Guatemala
- Tax obligations when you move back to Guatemala
- Diaspora services hub
Last checked 25 September 2026. Sources: US Customs and Border Protection, “Money and Other Monetary Instruments” (last modified 24 November 2025, read 25 September 2026); FinCEN Form 105 and its instructions (July 2017 edition, downloaded 25 September 2026); 31 U.S.C. 5316, 5317, 5324 and 5332 and 31 CFR 1010.340 (Cornell LII text, read 25 September 2026); SAT Resolution SAT-DSI-1049-2023, Article 5 (read 24 September 2026); US State Department, Guatemala country information, currency on entry and exit (read 24 September 2026). This page is general information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much cash can I take from the US to Guatemala?
Neither 31 U.S.C. 5316 nor CBP’s currency page sets a maximum (both read 25 September 2026). What the US law sets is a report: if you carry more than $10,000 in currency or monetary instruments out of the US at one time, you file FinCEN Form 105 with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). On arrival, Guatemala’s electronic traveler declaration asks whether you carry US$10,000 or more; the US State Department’s Guatemala page says that for 10,000 USD or more you must declare the source of the money and its purpose.
My wife and I each carry $6,000. Do we file FinCEN 105?
Yes, according to CBP. Its page says: «When families or groups are involved, the $10,000 threshold applies to the total amount they are carrying or sending collectively, not per individual.» Together you carry $12,000, which is more than $10,000.
What if I carry exactly $10,000?
The two countries draw the line one dollar apart. The US rule covers amounts of more than $10,000 (31 U.S.C. 5316; 31 CFR 1010.340 says an aggregate amount exceeding $10,000), so exactly $10,000 does not require FinCEN Form 105. Guatemala’s traveler declaration asks about amounts equal to or greater than US$10,000 (SAT Resolution SAT-DSI-1049-2023, Art. 5), so exactly $10,000 is a yes on the Guatemalan form.
How do I file FinCEN Form 105?
CBP lists three options: electronically on CBP’s FinCEN Form 105 website, which CBP recommends; printing and filling in the form before you travel and presenting it to a CBP officer before departing the United States; or obtaining and completing the form before departing the United States or upon arrival in the United States. Separately, CBP says travelers entering the US with Mobile Passport Control can submit their declaration along with access to electronically file their report. The form’s own instructions say travelers file at the time of departure from or entry into the United States.
What happens if I do not report the cash?
CBP says a person who fails to file, or files false information, risks having the currency seized and forfeited, and in some cases civil or criminal penalties such as fines or imprisonment. The FinCEN 105 form states penalties that, under certain circumstances, reach a fine of not more than $500,000 and imprisonment of not more than ten years. Hiding more than $10,000 to evade the report is a separate crime (31 U.S.C. 5332) with up to 5 years in prison.
Does a bank wire to Guatemala need FinCEN 105?
No. The form’s instructions say a transfer of funds through normal banking procedures, which does not involve the physical transportation of currency or monetary instruments, is not required to be reported. The form is for cash and monetary instruments you carry, mail or ship.
Do I have to report cash I bring back into the US from Guatemala?
Yes, the same rule runs both ways. 31 U.S.C. 5316 covers monetary instruments of more than $10,000 transported into the United States as well as out of it, and CBP says you must report amounts exceeding $10,000 when entering or leaving the United States.
