In Guatemala you may not use a phone while the car is moving unless you can operate it without your hands, and you may not drive wearing connected headphones; the fine is Q100, and taxi drivers are excepted.
In short: Reglamento de Tránsito Article 40 bans (1) driving with headphones connected to a sound device and (2) using a phone, radio communicator or similar device while the vehicle is moving, unless operating it needs no hands. Taxi drivers are excepted. Article 180 numeral 8 fines the conduct Q100, or Q75 if paid within five business days.
What Article 40 says
Article 40 of the Reglamento de Tránsito (Acuerdo Gubernativo 273-98) is titled Obligaciones de los conductores, the duties of drivers. Its third paragraph is the device rule. In the Departamento de Tránsito’s consolidated text:
“Queda prohibido conducir utilizando auriculares conectados a aparatos receptores o reproductores de sonido. Asimismo, está prohibido el uso de teléfonos, radios comunicadores u otros aparatos similares mientras el vehículo esté en marcha, a no ser que para operarlos no sea necesario utilizar las manos. De la presente prohibición se exceptúa a los conductores de taxis.”
In plain English, the paragraph has three parts:
| Part of Article 40 | What it says | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Headphones | Driving while using headphones connected to sound receivers or players is prohibited | None stated |
| Phones, radio communicators and similar devices | Using them is prohibited while the vehicle is moving | Unless operating them does not require the hands |
| Exception | Taxi drivers are excepted from la presente prohibición (this prohibition) | Taxi drivers only |
Source: Reglamento de Tránsito Art. 40, Departamento de Tránsito PNC consolidated text and the Ministerio de Gobernación’s edition, read 10 November 2026.
The same article opens with the general duties that frame it: drive with the diligence and caution needed to avoid harm to yourself or others, never drive negligently or recklessly, and be able to control the vehicle at all times (en todo momento en condiciones de controlar su vehículo).
Phones: the hands test
The phone sentence turns on one test: whether operating the device requires your hands while the vehicle is moving (mientras el vehículo esté en marcha). Article 40 does not name any accessory, mount or app, and it publishes no list of approved hands-free systems. It also does not say that a phone in a holder is automatically compliant: what counts is whether you have to use your hands to operate it.
Two points the text settles:
- Radios count too. The sentence names radios comunicadores alongside telephones, plus otros aparatos similares (other similar devices).
- The rule is about a moving vehicle. The phone sentence applies mientras el vehículo esté en marcha. Article 40 does not say whether a car stopped at a red light or in a traffic jam is en marcha.
The Departamento de Tránsito’s Manual del Conductor, printed in the same consolidated document, gives talking on a cell phone (hablar por el teléfono celular) as an example of a driver distraction.
Headphones
The headphone sentence comes first and stands on its own: Queda prohibido conducir utilizando auriculares conectados a aparatos receptores o reproductores de sonido. It does not carry the hands-free condition that the phone sentence has, so listening to music or a podcast through earbuds while driving falls inside the ban as written.
The Reglamento does not mention Bluetooth, single earpieces, bone-conduction headsets or speakerphones. It does not say whether a one-ear headset used only for calls is treated as headphones (banned) or as a way to use a phone without your hands (allowed). Article 40 does not mention the car’s own speakers.
The taxi exception
The paragraph ends: De la presente prohibición se exceptúa a los conductores de taxis. Taxi drivers are therefore excepted. Two limits on that sentence:
- It names taxi drivers only. Article 40 does not mention app-based ride services, private transfer drivers or bus drivers.
- It says la presente prohibición (this prohibition) without saying whether that means the headphone sentence, the phone sentence or both.
The exception does not lift the opening duties of Article 40: a taxi driver must still drive with due caution and stay in control of the vehicle.
The fine
The fine is in Article 180, the list of Q100 offences. Numeral 8 reads, in the consolidated text: Por conducir utilizando auriculares conectados y aparatos receptores o reproductores de sonido, o utilizando teléfonos, radios comunicadores u otros aparatos similares. A footnote says the numeral was reformed by Article 3 of Acuerdo Gubernativo 395-2013. The Departamento de Tránsito’s Cartilla de Infracciones y Sanciones prints the same offence under Article 180, Q. 100.00.
| Payment | Amount | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Within five business days of the fine | Q75.00 (25% off) | Reglamento Art. 189; cartilla discount table |
| From the sixth business day | Q100 plus late interest at 20% a year | Reglamento Art. 189 |
Article 189 applies to fines imposed by a policía de tránsito nacional o municipal, so the same amounts apply whether the ticket comes from the PNC’s Departamento de Tránsito or a municipal traffic police. Article 186, as printed in the cartilla, gives five days from the infraction to object in writing with evidence. How to check and pay a ticket is on the Tránsito fines lookup guide.
Related rules
- Are dashcams legal in Guatemala?: how Article 40 and the windscreen rule apply to a camera.
- Can you turn right on red in Guatemala?: Article 134 and the Q200 red-light fine.
- Speed limits in Guatemala: the km/h by road type.
- Driving in Guatemala: licences, checkpoints, tolls and fuel.
Sources
- Departamento de Tránsito, Policía Nacional Civil: Ley de Tránsito y su Reglamento, consolidated text with reforms through Decreto 33-2024 and the Manual del Conductor, linked from transito.gob.gt/legislacion-en-materia-de-transito; Reglamento Articles 40, 180 and 189; read 10 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Gobernación: Ley y Reglamento de Tránsito, Articles 40, 180 (with the AG 395-2013 footnote) and 189; read 10 November 2026.
- Departamento de Tránsito PNC: Cartilla de Infracciones y Sanciones, Article 180 numeral 8, discount table and Article 186; read 10 November 2026.