Short version: From the US, dial 011 + 502 + the 8-digit number. That is how the US Embassy in Guatemala publishes its own phone: “011 502 2354 0000”. Inside Guatemala the same number is just the 8 digits. From Guatemala to the US, Guatemala’s international prefix is 00, then 1 and the 10-digit US number. Short numbers such as the 1500 tourist line are for Guatemalan phones; from the US you need the full number.
This page explains how a Guatemalan phone number is built, sourced to the numbering plan Guatemala’s telecom regulator, the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (SIT), filed with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and to the numbers the US Embassy in Guatemala publishes. It does not compare calling cards or calling apps.
Step by step: US to Guatemala
| What you dial | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 011 | International exit from the US | The US Embassy in Guatemala starts its “From USA” number with it |
| 502 | Guatemala’s country code | Guatemala’s numbering plan at the ITU |
| 8 digits | The national number: one digit for the type of line, then 7 subscriber digits | Same plan |
Worked example, using the US Embassy’s number:
- From a phone in Guatemala: 2354 0000
- From a phone in the United States: 011 502 2354 0000
The Embassy also writes the same number as +502 2354 0000 elsewhere on its contact page, and publishes ASISTUR’s WhatsApp in that same format, +502 plus the 8 digits: +502-5188-1819.
There is no separate area code. In the 2006 plan, a Guatemalan national number is always one destination digit followed by seven digits (ABC XXXX). If someone gives you a 7-digit number, the first digit is missing.
Guatemala to the US
The numbering plan gives 00 as the international access prefix for users in Guatemala. To call the US from a Guatemalan phone:
00 + 1 + area code + number (the 10 US digits)
The 1 is the US country code; the Embassy writes its line for citizens abroad as +1-202-501-4444.
Mobile or landline?
The plan SIT filed with the ITU (communication of 15 September 2006) assigns the first digit like this:
| First digit | Type of line in the 2006 plan | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Fixed telephony | Metropolitan zone: in the plan’s words, the municipality of Guatemala and, partially, other municipalities of the department of Guatemala |
| 6 | Fixed telephony | Suburban metropolitan zone: the rest of the department of Guatemala |
| 7 | Fixed telephony (and some rural telephony ranges) | Interurban: all other departments |
| 4 and 5 | Mobile telecommunications | No geographic area |
| 3, 8 and 9 | Reserved in 2006 | — |
Two honest limits on this table:
- It is from 2006. It is the only Guatemala document on the ITU’s national numbering plans page (updated 22 November 2006). The plan itself says mobiles use codes 5 and 4 or any other code SIT decides.
- We could not read SIT’s current plan. Its National Numbering Plan and numbering-range pages returned HTTP 403 to our request on 3 October 2026, so this table does not say which ranges were assigned after 2006.
Use the table as a hint, not as proof, that a number is a mobile.
Short numbers: 1500, 110 and the four-digit lines
The 2006 plan files numbers starting with 1 as non-geographic numbers:
| Series | What the plan says it is for |
|---|---|
| 11X | Universal public utility / public assistance services (the plan mentions a planned single emergency number grouping police, fire and ambulance) |
| 12X | Public assistance services (emergencies) |
| 15XX | Information services of government entities and other non-profit organizations |
| 17XX | Advertising, information and assistance services of commercial entities |
| 1800 + 7 digits (11 digits in all) | International freephone service |
| 1801 + 7 digits (11 digits in all) | National freephone service |
The concrete case the US Embassy publishes is ASISTUR, the tourist assistance service: dial 1500 from a Guatemalan phone number, or (502) 2290-2810, or WhatsApp +502-5188-1819. In other words, for 1500 from the US, the Embassy gives an 8-digit number, not the short one.
Neither source we read gives a general rule on which short numbers work from abroad. The practical step: before calling a Guatemalan institution from the US, look for a full 8-digit number on its official page and dial it with 011 502.
If your family gets a call from a US number
Phone scams that use relatives in the US are covered in extortion calls and virtual kidnapping scams. This page only covers how a number is dialed.
Related pages
- Mobile top-up to Guatemala from the US: Tigo and Claro
- SIM cards in Guatemala and phone plans
- How to book a Guatemalan consulate appointment in the US
- US Embassy services in Guatemala
- Guatemalan diaspora services from the US
Sources
Read on 3 October 2026.
| Document | Institution | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Guatemala national numbering plan (country code +502), SIT communication of 15 September 2006, posted 22 November 2006 | ITU (International Telecommunication Union) | https://www.itu.int/oth/T020200005A/en |
| Contact Us (Embassy and ASISTUR numbers) | US Embassy in Guatemala | https://gt.usembassy.gov/contact/ |
SIT’s numbering pages (sit.gob.gt) returned HTTP 403 on 3 October 2026. If SIT publishes a plan newer than the one on file with the ITU, that plan governs. En español: Cómo llamar a Guatemala desde Estados Unidos.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I dial a Guatemalan number from the United States?
Dial 011, then 502, then the 8-digit number. The US Embassy in Guatemala publishes its own number that way: from Guatemala, 2354 0000; from the USA, 011 502 2354 0000. Guatemala has no separate area code: in the numbering plan on file with the ITU (2006), the first of the 8 digits tells you what kind of line it is.
What is Guatemala's country code?
- It is the code the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) assigned to Guatemala, as stated in the numbering plan Guatemala’s telecom regulator (SIT) communicated to the ITU on 15 September 2006.
How do I call the US from Guatemala?
That plan gives 00 as the international access prefix for users in Guatemala. After it comes the US country code, 1, and the 10-digit number. The US Embassy writes its line for citizens abroad as +1-202-501-4444.
Can I dial 1500 or 110 from the US?
For 1500 (ASISTUR, Guatemala’s tourist assistance line), the US Embassy says to call 1500 from a Guatemalan phone number, and gives a full number for everyone else: (502) 2290-2810, plus WhatsApp at +502-5188-1819. Guatemala’s numbering plan files three- and four-digit numbers under public assistance, operator codes and information services. For any short number, look up the institution’s full 8-digit number before calling from the US.
How can I tell if a Guatemalan number is a mobile or a landline?
In the plan on file with the ITU (2006), numbers starting with 4 or 5 are mobile, and numbers starting with 2, 6 or 7 are fixed lines (2 the metropolitan zone, 6 the rest of Guatemala department, 7 the other departments). The same plan lets SIT assign other codes. SIT’s numbering pages did not respond to our request on 3 October 2026, so we cannot confirm which newer ranges exist today.
