In short: There are three ways to get money from the US into a Banrural account. 1. Banrural’s own channels: the Remesas Digitales web portal (pay with a US debit card) or the Amigo Paisano app (US bank account, debit or credit card). 2. A company on Banrural’s payout list: 30 are listed, including Remitly, Xoom, Ria, MoneyGram, Intermex and Viamericas. 3. A service that deposits to Guatemalan banks without being on that list: Western Union says it deposits to Banrural; Wise pays quetzales into local bank accounts. Your family needs to be 18 or older and show their DPI. Banrural says money usually arrives in about 20 minutes and waits about 30 days to be collected. banruralusa.com is not Banrural.
If a family member already has a Banrural account and you want to know which app will put dollars into it without a trip to an agent, the answer is shorter than the comparison sites make it look. Banrural publishes a list of the remittance companies it pays, it runs two sending channels of its own for people in the US, and each company says on its own page whether it deposits to Banrural. We read all of those pages on 24 September 2026. This page reports what each one says and skips anything none of them publishes.
We do not print fees or exchange rates here, because they change daily. For a same-day comparison of what your family actually receives, use our live remittance comparator.
Route 1: Banrural’s own channels for senders in the US
Banrural’s website links two sending channels for people in the United States:
| Remesas Digitales (web portal) | Amigo Paisano (app) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Linked from Banrural’s page for sending from the United States (the button opens remesas.banrural.com.gt) | An app; Banrural’s Amigo Paisano page describes it |
| How you pay | A debit card issued by a US bank | A bank account, debit card or credit card from any US bank |
| What you need | An active phone number, a valid email, the debit card, and your relative’s bank account details | Live in the US, an email, a US phone number, registration in the app, and the US account or card |
| Delivery | Deposit to an account, Banrural’s 5B ATMs, the call center, or Banrural agencies and Cajas | Deposit to a Banrural account, Cajas Rurales, Banrural agencies, and Teleremesas (2429-4444) |
| Extras Banrural lists | Send to a third party by direct deposit, send to an account in your own name (me2me), send-history, see the rate, fee and total before sending, unlimited recipients, Spanish-language support | A special fee on amounts from US$1 to US$2,999, a special exchange rate, and a loyalty program: after 7 successful sends, the 8th has no fee |
Two details stand out for diaspora senders:
- Me2me. The web portal lets you send to an account in your own name. That is useful if you keep a Banrural account at home for your own savings or to pay things while you are away. If you do not have one yet, see how to open a Banrural account from the US.
- Your relative does not need an account. Banrural’s FAQ says a relative without a Banrural account can collect the cash at its agencies or authorised Cajas.
Banrural says it shows the fee, exchange rate and total before you confirm, but it does not publish the fee schedule on the page itself. It says the cost depends on the amount.
Route 2: a remittance company on Banrural’s payout list
Banrural publishes a list of the remittance companies (remesadores) it pays. On 24 September 2026 it named 30:
| Companies on Banrural’s list |
|---|
| Delgado Travel · DinEx Envios de Dinero · Dolex · Enramex · FICOHSA Express · Giros Barri · Girosol · Golden Money Transfer · GroupEx · IDT Payment Services |
| Intercambio Express · Intermex · La Nacional · MaxiTransfers · Monty Global Payments · Nobel · Omnex Group · Order Express · PayPal Inc (Xoom) · Remitly, Inc. |
| RIA Telecom · Sigue Corp · Small World Spain · South Exchange · Uniteller · Valutrans · Viamericas · VIGO · Trans-Fast · MoneyGram |
What several of these say on their own Guatemala pages:
- Xoom (PayPal): you can choose almost any bank in Guatemala, “including Banrural and Banco Industrial”, for a deposit, and pick up cash at locations that also include Banrural. From the US, Xoom offers delivery in quetzales or in dollars (“USD to GTQ or USD”). It says bank deposits are typically available within minutes during the recipient bank’s processing hours. Xoom can also deposit to a recipient’s Visa or Mastercard debit card; that option is only for US senders.
- Remitly: its Guatemala page offers cash pickup, bank deposit and mobile wallet delivery, and lists Banrural among its Guatemalan providers.
- Ria Money Transfer (affiliate link): appears on Banrural’s list as RIA Telecom. Ria’s own Guatemala page (read 24 September 2026) says: “Send money straight to bank accounts across Guatemala, including Banco Industrial, Banrural, Banco G&T Continental, and more.”
Route 3: services that deposit to Guatemalan banks but are not on Banrural’s list
- Western Union is not on Banrural’s published list. Western Union’s own Guatemala page says the opposite: that you can send to bank accounts “including Banrural, Banco Industrial, and Banco GYT”, and names “Banrural bank” among its featured payout partners. We cannot reconcile the two pages from the outside. If you use Western Union, check that Banrural appears as a delivery option in its app for your recipient before you pay.
- Wise pays quetzales into local Guatemalan bank accounts from its own local account, and says the recipient does not need a Wise account. Its Guatemala page does not name any bank, so it neither confirms nor excludes Banrural. You need the recipient’s account details.
What your family needs to collect the money
From Banrural’s remittance page for recipients:
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Age | 18 or older. Banrural says remittances are paid only to people over 18 |
| ID | Their DPI |
| Details | Up to date with the bank |
| The transfer | The remittance code, the sender’s and beneficiary’s names, and the relationship |
| For a deposit | The account number |
| Time to collect | About 30 days |
| Where | Cajas Banrural, Banrural agencies, direct deposit, the Banrural app, online banking (Banca Virtual) and 5B ATMs |
Banrural’s Amigo Paisano page counts more than 3,500 service points for collecting money. That figure covers agencies, Cajas Rurales and other channels together; it is not a count of branches.
If the remittance does not appear: Banrural’s remittance call center is 2429-4444. Its recipients’ page also lists PBX 1720, option 5.
Sending to a child: you cannot. Banrural says that for security only people over 18 can receive remittances, so send to a parent or guardian.
Dollars or quetzales?
Of the pages we read, Xoom’s is the only one that states dollar delivery (“USD to GTQ or USD”). None of the Banrural pages we read say whether a remittance can be credited to a Banrural US-dollar account, so ask Banrural before counting on it. If receiving dollars matters to you, see opening a US-dollar account in Guatemala from the US.
The 1% US remittance tax
Since 1 January 2026, the US taxes some outbound transfers at 1%. The tax applies only when you fund the transfer with cash, a money order, a cashier’s check or a similar physical instrument. Transfers funded from a US bank account or a US-issued debit or credit card are excluded. Banrural’s portal takes a US debit card, and Amigo Paisano takes a US account or card, so neither is funded in cash. The statute and each provider’s funding rules are on our remittance tax page.
“Banrural USA”: what it is and what it is not
There is no Banrural USA branch site; what exists, per Banrural’s own website, is the two sending channels above. The domain banruralusa.com is not one of them. When we loaded it on 24 September 2026, it only redirected to a parked lander page. Start from banrural.com.gt and follow its links, and do not enter card details on a site you reached any other way.
Which route to use
| Your situation | Route |
|---|---|
| Your relative has a Banrural account and you want Banrural to handle everything | Banrural’s portal or the Amigo Paisano app |
| You want to fund with a US bank account or credit card | Amigo Paisano (the portal takes debit cards only) |
| You already use Remitly, Xoom, Ria or MoneyGram | Stay with it: all four are on Banrural’s list |
| You want dollars delivered | Xoom (USD delivery offered), and confirm the account can take dollars |
| You use Western Union | Check that Banrural shows as a delivery option before paying |
| Large amounts or a business payment | A bank wire. See international wires to Guatemala |
For the wider choice between depositing and cash pickup, see bank deposit vs cash pickup.
Sources, all read on 24 September 2026: Banrural’s pages for sending from the US, Amigo Paisano, receiving remittances, and its remitter list; the Guatemala pages of Xoom, Remitly, Western Union, Wise and Ria. Fees and rates are not printed here because they change daily. Companies change their partners, so confirm in the app before you send. Not financial advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I send money directly to a Banrural account from the United States?
Yes. Banrural runs two channels of its own for senders in the US: a web portal (Remesas Digitales, reached from Banrural’s page for sending from the United States), where you pay with a debit card issued by a US bank, and an app called Amigo Paisano, which accepts a US bank account, debit card or credit card. Both can deposit straight into a Banrural account. You can also use one of the remittance companies on Banrural’s published payout list, which includes Remitly, Xoom (PayPal), Ria, MoneyGram, Intermex, Viamericas and others.
Is Western Union on Banrural's list of remittance companies?
Not on the list Banrural published when we checked on 24 September 2026. Its payout list has 30 companies and Western Union is not one of them. Western Union’s own Guatemala page, however, says you can send to bank accounts including Banrural and names Banrural among its featured payout partners. The two companies’ pages do not match, so confirm the delivery option in the Western Union app before you send.
What does my family need to collect a remittance at Banrural?
Banrural’s remittance page lists: be of legal age, have up-to-date details with the bank, show their DPI, the remittance code, the sender’s and beneficiary’s names, the relationship, and the account number if they want it deposited. Banrural says only people over 18 can receive remittances, and that the money stays available to collect for about 30 days.
How long does a remittance to Banrural take?
Banrural says a remittance sent through its web portal is usually available in about 20 minutes, depending on some factors. Xoom says bank deposits to major Guatemalan banks are typically available within minutes during the recipient bank’s processing hours.
Is banruralusa.com Banrural's website?
When we loaded it on 24 September 2026, banruralusa.com only redirected to a parked ’lander’ page. It is not a Banrural service. Banrural’s own US-sending channels are linked from banrural.com.gt: the Remesas Digitales portal and the Amigo Paisano app.
Do I pay the 1% US remittance tax when I send to Banrural?
Not if you pay with a US bank account or a US-issued debit or credit card. The 1% tax in Internal Revenue Code section 4475 applies only to transfers the sender funds with cash, a money order, a cashier’s check or a similar physical instrument. Banrural’s web portal takes only a US debit card, and the Amigo Paisano app takes a US bank account, debit or credit card.
