Quick summary: SAT (Guatemala’s tax agency) takes office appointments through Cita Previa. With an Agencia Virtual account: log in → Servicios → Cita Previa → choose the procedure, office, day and time → paste the security code SAT emails you → download the appointment. To conclude a first NIT, use the Cita Previa link on the Portal SAT with your Número de Gestión and, if you are a foreigner, your passport number and date of birth. At the office: DPI, the confirmation, the procedure’s requirements; be there 10 minutes early; 5 minutes late means booking again.
Checked on 24 September 2026 against SAT’s Cita Controlada page, its page for NIT appointments and its user manual for creating, changing and cancelling a Cita Previa.
Which route is yours
| Your situation | Where you book | What you enter |
|---|---|---|
| You have a NIT and an Agencia Virtual user | Agencia Virtual → Servicios → Cita Previa | Your Agencia Virtual login |
| You just filed an online NIT request and SAT told you to conclude it in person | Portal SAT → Servicios Frecuentes → Cita Previa | The Número de Gestión from the request, then CUI and date of birth (Guatemalans) or passport number and date of birth (foreigners) |
| Your procedure is not in the appointment system | No appointment; go to the office | Bring the procedure’s requirements |
SAT’s NIT-appointment page says that appointment is only for the NIT request, and that any other procedure is booked through your Agencia Virtual. It also calls the service personal and non-transferable. If you do not have an Agencia Virtual user yet, see how to register for the Agencia Virtual.
Step by step: booking through the Agencia Virtual
From SAT’s user manual (19 pages, mostly screenshots):
- Log in to the Agencia Virtual with your user and password. The manual says any browser works except Internet Explorer.
- Open Servicios and click Cita Previa.
- Read the information and click Continuar if you agree.
- Click Crear Cita.
- Choose how many procedures you will do, click Aceptar, then choose the procedure and click Continuar.
- Choose the SAT office (Agencia or Oficina Tributaria) and click Continuar.
- Pick the day in the calendar, then the time, and click Continuar.
- SAT shows a message that you will get an email. Open the email, copy the security code, paste it and click Confirmar.
- A second email brings the appointment; download it from the icon.
- Go to the office on the day and at the time you booked.
Step by step: the first-NIT appointment
- On the Portal SAT, under Servicios Frecuentes, click Cita Previa.
- Enter the Número de Gestión you received when you requested your NIT, and click Siguiente.
- Guatemalans enter their CUI and date of birth; foreigners enter their passport number and date of birth.
- Click Crear Cita; the system shows your procedure and its requirements.
- Choose the office, the day and the time.
- SAT emails you to confirm the appointment (the manual says to check your spam folder).
- Download the appointment and go on the day and at the time you booked.
For the NIT itself (documents, deadlines, what happens at the counter), see getting a NIT in Guatemala.
At the office: SAT’s rules
From SAT’s Cita Controlada page:
- Bring: your DPI, the confirmation on your phone or printed, and all the requirements of the procedure. For a company: the DPI of the legal representative in whose name the appointment was requested.
- Arrive 10 minutes early.
- Five minutes late: you have to make a new appointment.
- One appointment a day: a taxpayer cannot book more than one appointment a day for the same procedure.
- Cannot make it? Change it, or cancel it so someone else can use the slot.
SAT’s pages we read on 24 September 2026 (Cita Controlada, the NIT-appointment page and the user manual) do not mention a fee for booking.
Changing or cancelling
In the Agencia Virtual: Servicios → Cita Previa → Continuar → Cita Programada, then the edit icon (Modificar Cita) or the cancel icon (Cancelar Cita). A change is confirmed with a new emailed security code; a cancellation ends with an email saying the appointment was cancelled.
The two SAT sources differ on what you can change: the user manual says only the day and time, while the Cita Controlada page says date, time and/or office. If you need a different office and the system will not let you change it, cancel and book again.
Offices that take appointments
SAT’s Cita Controlada page (the page is dated 2021) lists these offices (Cita Validada), by region:
| Region | Offices |
|---|---|
| Central | Dubai, Galerías Prima, Plaza San Rafael, Pacific Villa Hermosa, Chimaltenango, El Progreso, Sacatepéquez, Montserrat |
| West | Quetzaltenango, Huehuetenango, San Marcos, Malacatán, El Quiché, Sololá, Delegación Panajachel, Totonicapán, Coatepeque, Delegación Tecún Umán, Delegación El Carmen |
| Northeast | Zacapa, Baja Verapaz, Alta Verapaz, Jalapa, Petén, Izabal, Chiquimula |
| South | Escuintla, Retalhuleu, Jutiapa, Santa Rosa, Suchitepéquez, Mazatenango, Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa |
Help
SAT’s FAQ on NIT requests says you do not need to pay an agent (tramitador) for that procedure: you can do it free on the Portal SAT, with help by calling 1550 or at any SAT office.
Related
- Agencia Virtual SAT: what you can do online without an appointment
- Registering for the Agencia Virtual
- NIT (tax ID) in Guatemala
- Guatemala tax ID for expats
- ISR vs IVA: which tax applies to you
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I book an appointment at SAT in Guatemala?
Online. With an Agencia Virtual account, log in, go to Servicios and click Cita Previa, then choose the procedure, the SAT office, the day and the time; SAT emails a security code that you paste to confirm, and then emails the appointment for you to download. If you only need to conclude a first NIT request, use the Cita Previa link in the Portal SAT’s frequent services with your Número de Gestión instead (SAT user manual for Cita Previa, read on 24 September 2026).
Can a foreigner book a SAT appointment without a NIT?
Yes, for the NIT itself. SAT’s appointment manual has a route for people who have just requested a NIT: enter the Número de Gestión from the NIT request, then your passport number and date of birth if you are a foreigner (CUI and date of birth if you are Guatemalan). SAT’s page for this appointment says it is only for the NIT request; any other procedure is booked through your Agencia Virtual.
What do I need to bring to a SAT appointment?
SAT’s Cita Controlada page lists your DPI, the appointment confirmation on your phone or printed, and all the requirements of the procedure you booked. For a company, bring the DPI of the legal representative in whose name the appointment was requested.
What happens if I arrive late to my SAT appointment?
SAT asks you to be at the office 10 minutes before the appointment, and says that if you arrive 5 minutes after the time you chose, you have to make a new appointment.
Can I change or cancel a SAT appointment?
Yes, from the Cita Previa option in the Agencia Virtual, under Cita Programada. SAT’s user manual says you can modify only the day and the time; SAT’s Cita Controlada web page says you can change the date, time and/or office, or cancel so someone else can take the slot. Either way, you confirm a change with a new email code.
Do I need an appointment for everything at SAT?
No. SAT’s Cita Controlada page says that if the procedure you need is not in the appointment system, you go to the office without an appointment. Many procedures do not need an office visit at all; see the Agencia Virtual guide.
