In short: A drone is ordinary baggage at Guatemalan customs — the paperwork you need is a flight authorisation from the DGAC, not an import permit. Tourists file FORMA DVSO-OPS-805 as a fillable PDF to dvso@dgac.gob.gt. The rules actually in force are RAC 101, issued 22 July 2013, and Directiva Operacional DO-004-2025, issued 11 December 2025. The widely-discussed RAC 107 was opened for public consultation on 21 August 2025 and does not appear in DGAC’s published RAC catalogue as of 2026-08-11 — so plan against RAC 101, not against the press coverage. This is general information, not legal advice.
Almost everything written in English about flying a drone in Guatemala describes a rulebook that either does not exist yet or is quoted from a proposal. This page separates the two: what DGAC has actually published and signed, and what is still a draft.
The regulation question: what is actually in force
This is the fact that changes what you do, so it is worth being precise about how it was established.
| Instrument | Body | Date on the document | Status when we checked (2026-08-11) |
|---|---|---|---|
| RAC 101 — “Regulación sobre aeronaves no tripuladas, aeronaves de modelismo y fuegos artificiales” | DGAC | Revisión Original, 22 July 2013 | Listed in DGAC’s published RAC catalogue as RAC-101-Revision-Original.pdf |
| Directiva Operacional DO-004-2025 — “Áreas restringidas para la operación de RPAs” | DGAC | Revisión Original, issued 11 December 2025, effective on publication | In force; cited by name on DGAC’s current tourist form |
| DO-002-2025 — special-permit procedure referenced for operations above 400 ft | DGAC | Cited inside DO-004-2025 §10.1(a) | Referenced as the route for exceeding 400 ft AGL |
| RAC 107 — “Operación Nacional con Sistemas de Aeronaves Pilotadas a Distancia (RPAS/Drones)” | DGAC | Opened for public consultation 21 August 2025, 15 calendar days | Not listed in DGAC’s RAC catalogue; DGAC’s “Regulaciones para consulta” page carried no documents; no enactment date found |
Three checks support that last row. First, DGAC’s own regulation index at dgac.gob.gt/page/rac-regulaciones-de-aviacion-civil lists RAC 101 and RAC 103 but no RAC 107 (retrieved 2026-08-11). Second, DGAC’s consultation page at /page/regulaciones-para-consulta-de-aviacion-civil-rac was empty on the same date. Third — and most telling — FORMA DVSO-OPS-805, Revisión 03, dated 28/07/2026, roughly two weeks before this page was written, lists its reference documentation as the Ley de Aviación Civil, RAC 101 and DO-004-2025. A regulator that had just enacted RAC 107 would cite it on the form it revised.
We are reporting a documented absence, not an enactment. If DGAC publishes RAC 107, the numbers below will change.
Which form is yours
DGAC’s drones page publishes three forms, and they are not interchangeable.
| You are | Form | What it is for | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A foreign visitor flying recreationally, drone leaving with you | DVSO-OPS-805 (Rev. 03, 28/07/2026) | “Autorización de vuelo aeronaves pilotadas a distancia (RPAs) / dron para turistas” | dvso@dgac.gob.gt, fillable PDF only |
| A Guatemalan resident bringing a drone into the country | DVSO-OPS-801 (Rev. 01, 15/10/25) | “Solicitud de dictamen técnico” — DGAC rules on whether your aircraft is subject to registration | dvso@dgac.gob.gt |
| A certified company exceeding RAC 101 operating parameters, or a foreign company doing aerial work | DVSO-OPS-804 (edición 01) | “Permiso especial para operaciones con aeronaves pilotadas a distancia” | Per DGAC’s drones page |
The split matters. DGAC’s description of DVSO-801 says it “applies only to Guatemalan residents who bring drones / RPAs into the country” — a tourist who files the resident form has filed the wrong one, and vice versa.
What the tourist authorisation actually does
The text at the foot of DVSO-OPS-805 is the part travellers most need and least often see. It states that the document grants authorisation to the owner to remove the RPA from Guatemalan customs and make use of it, taking into account that the aircraft will not be subject to registration because its stay in Guatemala is temporary — and that if the stay stops being temporary, the owner must notify both the Departamento de Vigilancia de la Seguridad Operacional and the Departamento de Registro Aeronáutico Nacional so the corresponding procedure applies.
Two practical consequences. Your maximum altitude is not a number you choose: section D of the form is reserved for DGAC, which writes in the “altura permitida y comentarios” along with technical observations that must be complied with before the authorised operation is executed. And the form asks for a specific place and its coordinates in degrees, minutes and seconds — it authorises an operation, not a country-wide licence.
The weight threshold that is not published
You will read everywhere that registration starts at 250 grams. We could not source that to any instrument in force.
- RAC 101 §101.3 defines a UAV Micro as “a UAV with a total weight of 100 grams or less” — the only gram figure in the regulation’s definitions.
- RAC 101 §101.65 applies the model-aircraft subpart to aircraft weighing 100 grams or more.
- RAC 101 §101.55 requires DGAC authorisation to fly a UAV and requires every operator to file with DGAC’s Registro Aeronáutico under Article 79 of the Reglamento a la Ley de Aviación Civil, to be assigned an identifier of the form UAV-TG-XXX displayed visibly on the aircraft. It states no gram threshold at all.
- DO-004-2025 sets restricted areas and heights. It contains no weight bands.
No published figure of 250 grams was found in RAC 101 or DO-004-2025 as of 2026-08-11; the instrument that would set a weight-based registration threshold is RAC 107, which is not in DGAC’s published catalogue. For residents, DGAC’s actual answer is procedural: DVSO-OPS-801 asks for the aircraft’s weight and quantity so DGAC can issue a case-by-case technical opinion on whether it must be registered.
Height limits: the rings around every aerodrome
DO-004-2025 §9.3 replaces the vague “stay away from airports” advice with measured rings, taken from the centre of the runway.
| Radius from runway centre | Maximum height |
|---|---|
| 0 – 1.99 km | 20 m (65 ft AGL) — and nothing at all on the runway, taxiways, apron or their safety strips without a special DGAC permit |
| 2 – 3.99 km | 40 m (131 ft AGL) |
| 4 – 5.99 km | 60 m (196 ft AGL) |
| 6 – 7.99 km | 100 m (328 ft AGL) |
| Outside those radii and the approach surface | 400 ft AGL (RAC 101 §101.23; DO-004-2025 §10.1) |
The approach and departure surface is measured separately, in six bands from the runway threshold:
| Approach-surface area | Distance from threshold | Width | Maximum height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area 1 | 60 – 1,080 m | 280 m | No RPAS operation permitted |
| Area 2 | 1,081 – 2,100 m | 586 m | 20 m (65 ft AGL) |
| Area 3 | 2,101 – 3,060 m | 892 m | 40 m (131 ft AGL) |
| Area 4 | 3,061 – 3,860 m | 1,180 m | 60 m (196 ft AGL) |
| Area 5 | 3,861 – 4,660 m | 1,420 m | 80 m (262 ft AGL) |
| Area 6 | 4,661 – 5,460 m | 1,660 m | 100 m (328 ft AGL) |
The trap is in §9.3(e)(i): in the approach surface the permitted height is referenced to the elevation of the runway threshold, not the terrain under the drone. If an obstacle in that zone already reaches the ceiling, you may not fly above it even though your drone looks low relative to the ground beneath it.
Where you may not fly at all
DO-004-2025 §9.2 lists nine categories where operation is not permitted without prior, express, written DGAC authorisation, subject to the conditions of the authority that controls that space: government institutions; embassies; military bases and buildings; public and private hospitals (veterinary hospitals excluded); prisons; DGAC-approved heliports; seaports; customs offices; and areas hosting public or private events with more than 100 people. The same undertaking is printed on the tourist form, so a DVSO-805 applicant signs it.
DGAC has also published site-specific aeronautical information circulars, still listed on its drones page when we retrieved it:
| Circular | Names | Note |
|---|---|---|
| AIC A 10-20, 21 Feb 2020 | Palacio Nacional / Casa Presidencial, military bases and installations, embassies, primary zones inside sea and land ports, approach and departure perimeters | Cancels AIC C 03-18, A 25-19, A 29-19, A 30-19; warns controlled airspace can extend beyond 5 NM (9.26 km) depending on the aerodrome, and states that flying from the rooftops of houses or buildings breaches the 400 ft rule |
| AIC C 01-20, 25 Mar 2020 | Hospital Villa Nueva (14°30'20"N 090°30'09"W), Parque de la Industria (14°36'33"N 090°31'33"W), Hospital Roosevelt (14°36'45"N 090°32'33"W) | Quotes NOTAMs barring overflight within 3 NM of each. The NOTAMs quoted carried validity to 25 June 2020; the circular itself was still published on DGAC’s drones page on 2026-08-11 |
| AIC A 31-20, 28 Jul 2020 | Ministerio de la Defensa Nacional and Estado Mayor (zona 10), Primera Brigada de Policía Militar “Guardia de Honor” (zona 10), Primera Brigada de Infantería “Mariscal Zavala” (zona 17) | Prohibits RPA/drone operation in the airspace of those military dependencies |
| AIC A 43-18, 6 Mar 2018 | Reflective vest | Recommends a reflective vest reading “DRONE PILOT” or “DESIGNATED VISUAL OBSERVER” for pilot, visual observers and crew — and states its use is obligatory in RPAS operations at any public event or festive date in the national territory |
Rules that catch visitors out
- Night flying. RAC 101 §101.63 bars operation between sunset and sunrise unless part of the aircraft is lit or painted to give an obstacle-equivalent visual warning. For model aircraft, §101.69 requires prior DGAC approval for a specific event.
- Visual line of sight. The DVSO-805 undertaking commits you not to fly beyond visual line of sight (VLOS).
- Insurance. RAC 101 §101.57 makes the owner liable for surface and in-flight damage; §101.59 requires a current liability policy, and commercial operators must send DGAC proof within ten business days of issue or renewal.
- Crowds. Events with more than 100 people are a restricted area under DO-004-2025 §9.2(i) — that includes private gatherings, not only official ones.
- Sanctions. DO-004-2025 §12.1 refers to Articles 118, 119 and 124 of the Ley de Aviación Civil (Decreto 93-2000), without prejudice to civil and criminal liability.
Airspace is DGAC. Site access is not.
This is the distinction that most drone guides collapse, and DGAC itself refuses to. The note printed on FORMA DVSO-OPS-805 says the authorisation is issued exclusively for operational-safety purposes and does not exempt the applicant from municipal regulations, cultural-heritage provisions, or legislation on private property — and grants no right of access to private property or to restricted public spaces.
| Place | Who controls access | What we found published |
|---|---|---|
| Tikal and other archaeological parks | IDAEH, a technical department of the Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, which handles filming, recording and photography authorisations inside archaeological parks and sites; CONAP where the park sits inside a protected area | We did not locate a published IDAEH normative instrument online that addresses drones by name. Park-level access rules and fees are covered on our Tikal access guide. Treat a DGAC authorisation as insufficient on its own |
| Protected areas generally | CONAP | No CONAP normative or resolution specific to drone use in protected areas was found published online as of 2026-08-11 |
| Antigua Guatemala historic centre | CNPAG (Consejo Nacional para la Protección de La Antigua Guatemala) | No CNPAG instrument addressing drones by name was found published online as of 2026-08-11 |
| Volcano airspace | DGAC | No DGAC circular or directive naming a specific volcano was found. The general rules apply: 400 ft AGL, VLOS, aerodrome rings, and the prohibited/restricted-area rule in RAC 101 §101.21 |
Where a body has published nothing, that is what we say. It does not mean the site permits drones — it means the permission question has to be asked of that body directly, not inferred from silence.
Bringing the drone through customs
There is no special SAT duty on a personal drone; it moves as part of your baggage, which is covered in detail in our Guatemala customs guide for travellers and, for shipped or higher-value items, in prohibited and restricted imports. What is worth knowing is the sequencing: DVSO-OPS-805 asks for your aduana de ingreso — the customs office you will arrive through — because the approved form is what releases the aircraft from customs. Filing after you land is filing late.
Sources
- RAC 101, “Regulación sobre aeronaves no tripuladas, aeronaves de modelismo y fuegos artificiales”, Revisión Original, 22 July 2013 — Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC). Sections cited: 101.3, 101.13, 101.21, 101.23, 101.25, 101.55, 101.57, 101.59, 101.61, 101.63, 101.65, 101.69.
https://www.dgac.gob.gt/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/RAC-101-Revision-Original.pdf(the file is listed asRAC-101-Revision-Original.pdfon DGAC’s current RAC catalogue page; retrieved 2026-08-11 via the Internet Archive copy of that URL, as DGAC’s site migrated and the direct link now resolves to the new site shell). - Directiva Operacional DO-004-2025, “Áreas restringidas para la operación de aeronaves pilotadas a distancia (RPAs)”, Revisión Original, issued 11 December 2025 — DGAC. Sections cited: 2.1, 3.1, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 10.1, 12.1. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
- FORMA DVSO-OPS-805, “Autorización de vuelo aeronaves pilotadas a distancia (RPAs) / dron para turistas”, Revisión 03, 28/07/2026 — DGAC, Departamento de Vigilancia de la Seguridad Operacional. Retrieved 2026-08-11 from DGAC’s drones page.
- FORMA DVSO-OPS-801, “Solicitud de dictamen técnico para aeronaves pilotadas a distancia (RPA)”, Revisión 01, 15/10/25 — DGAC. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
- DGAC drones page,
https://dgac.gob.gt/page/drones— lists forms DVSO-801, DVSO-805 and DVSO-804 and the aeronautical information circulars. Retrieved 2026-08-11. - DGAC RAC catalogue,
https://dgac.gob.gt/page/rac-regulaciones-de-aviacion-civil, and DGAC consultation page,https://dgac.gob.gt/page/regulaciones-para-consulta-de-aviacion-civil-rac. Both retrieved 2026-08-11; neither listed RAC 107. - AIC A 10-20 (21 Feb 2020), AIC C 01-20 (25 Mar 2020), AIC A 31-20 (28 Jul 2020), AIC A 43-18 (6 Mar 2018) — DGAC, Publicaciones Aeronáuticas / Servicios de Información Aeronáutica. Retrieved 2026-08-11 from DGAC’s drones page.
- RAC 107 public consultation, announced for 15 calendar days from 21 August 2025, comments to
dvso@dgac.gob.gt— reported by Prensa Libre, 23 August 2025,https://www.prensalibre.com/guatemala/comunitario/tiene-un-dron-o-quiere-obtener-su-licencia-dgac-abre-consulta-publica-sobre-nueva-normativa-en-guatemala/. Retrieved 2026-08-11. - IDAEH role in filming and photography authorisations at archaeological parks and sites — Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
General information for travellers and residents, current as of 2026-08-11. Airspace rules are set by the DGAC and can change; site access is set by other bodies entirely. Confirm with DGAC at dvso@dgac.gob.gt before you fly. Not legal advice. En español: Reglas para drones en Guatemala.
