In short: The return leg has two borders, and different institutions guard each. On the US side, USDA APHIS and CBP decide: roasted coffee is unlimited (declare it), fresh fruit is almost entirely prohibited, solid cheeses are enterable from any country, and poultry and eggs from Guatemala are under an APHIS import alert effective 12 Dec 2024. Your duty-free allowance is US$800 plus TWO liters of alcohol, because CBP lists Guatemala as a Caribbean Basin country. On the Guatemalan side, Decreto 26-97 Art. 11 prohibits the definitive export of cultural goods — with 6 to 15 years under Art. 45 — and CONAP permits are required for wild flora and fauna, including native species that are not on CITES. This is general information, not legal advice.
Almost nobody writes the return leg — which is odd, because it is the one where two legal systems stack on top of each other. Keep the halves separate: US rules bind at the US border, Guatemalan rules bind when you leave Guatemala. A thing can be perfectly legal to buy in Antigua and still stop you at the airport in Guatemala City, or clear Guatemala and be refused in Houston.
The one-screen answer
| What you are carrying | US border (APHIS / CBP) | Guatemalan exit (MCD / CONAP / ANACAFÉ) |
|---|---|---|
| Roasted coffee | Unlimited, declare it | ANACAFÉ holds the export-permit monopoly; no traveler exception published |
| Green (unroasted) coffee beans | Unlimited into continental US; prohibited into/through Hawaii and Puerto Rico | Same as above |
| Fresh fruit (mango, jocote, rambutan) | Almost all prohibited | Not addressed by the instruments cited here |
| Commercially canned fruit/veg | Allowed if declared; home-canned not allowed | Not addressed by the instruments cited here |
| Solid hard/soft cheese, queso | Enterable from any country — unless it contains meat or pours | Not addressed by the instruments cited here |
| Tamales / food containing chicken | Under the Guatemala avian import alert — see below | Not addressed by the instruments cited here |
| Tamales / food containing pork | Guatemala not on the APHIS classical-swine-fever-free list — see below | Not addressed by the instruments cited here |
| Eggs, egg products | Under the avian import alert; decorated empty shells max 12/person | Not addressed by the instruments cited here |
| Seeds from trees or shrubs | Prohibited in passenger baggage | CONAP if wild-collected |
| Wooden mask, carved souvenir | Declare; palm-frond crafts restricted | CONAP export permit regime for flora |
| Textiles, huipiles, modern crafts | No APHIS bar found for textiles | Decreto 26-97 applies if the piece qualifies as a cultural good |
| Maya artifact or antiquity | Declare | Definitive export prohibited — Art. 11; 6–15 years under Art. 45 |
| “Replica” of an archaeological piece | Declare | Art. 56: 3–5 months + Q20,000 without MCD authorisation |
| Jade jewellery | Declare | Mining law regulates exporters; no traveler rule published |
| Rum, aguardiente | Two liters inside the US$800 exemption | Not addressed by the instruments cited here |
Read the Guatemalan-exit column narrowly. It reports only the instruments cited on this page — Decreto 26-97 (MCD / IDAEH), CONAP’s permit catalogue, the coffee law and the mining law. MAGA/VISAR’s sanitary and phytosanitary export regime was not examined for this page, so “not addressed by the instruments cited here” means exactly that — not “allowed”.
Half one: the US border
The rule that sits above every other rule
APHIS repeats it on every commodity page: travelers must declare all agricultural or wildlife products to CBP, and “U.S. inspectors have the authority to make a final determination about whether your products can enter the country.” Then the sentence worth memorising:
“As long as you declare all of the agricultural products you are bringing with you, you will not face any penalties—even if an inspector determines that they cannot enter the country.”
(USDA APHIS, Traveling With Food or Agricultural Products; retrieved 2026-08-11.) APHIS also recommends keeping receipts and original packaging as proof of country of origin — several rules below turn on being able to prove where a product came from.
Coffee — the single most-searched item, and the clearest answer
- Roasted coffee: “Travelers are permitted to bring unlimited quantities of roasted coffee in their luggage without restriction through any U.S. port of entry.” Declare it.
- Green (unroasted) beans: unlimited through any port in the continental United States; prohibited from entering or transiting Hawaii or Puerto Rico. If quarantine pests are found, the product is seized and destroyed.
- Whole coffee berries (coffee cherries): “prohibited entry at all U.S. ports of entry because the pulp presents an exotic fruit-fly risk.”
- Coffee seeds or plant parts for planting: prohibited into Hawaii or Puerto Rico; some varieties carry threatened/endangered restrictions.
(APHIS, International Traveler: Coffee, Teas, Honey, Nuts, and Spices, last modified 13 January 2026; retrieved 2026-08-11.) Tea gets the same treatment: any quantity of products composed solely of tea leaves (Camellia sinensis). Herbal infusions are fiddlier — “commercially packaged and ready to steep” is the recurring condition.
Fruits and vegetables
APHIS is blunt: “Almost all fresh fruits and vegetables (whole or cut) are prohibited from entering the United States” — including fruit handed to you on the plane. Frozen is treated the same, because “some pests and diseases can survive very cold temperatures.” Listed as generally allowed: commercially canned fruit and vegetables, declared (home-canned is not allowed, because canning practices vary), and dried items from one short named list — beans, dates, figs, nuts (but not chestnuts or acorns), okra, peas, raisins, Szechwan peppercorns — all declared and presented for inspection (APHIS, International Traveler: Fruits and Vegetables, last modified 13 January 2026).
Meat, poultry and eggs — where Guatemala’s specific status decides it
APHIS’s meat rule is not a list of foods; it is a country-status test. Travelers may not bring back most cattle, swine, sheep or goat meat from regions affected with foot-and-mouth disease, BSE, swine vesicular disease, classical swine fever or African swine fever, and may bring back meat from regions without those diseases if they hold official documentation of country of origin — package label, written documentation, proof of travel, origin of flight, receipt of sale, a CBP document, a meat inspection certificate or a certificate of origin. Ceiling: 50 pounds per item; beyond that it is a commercial shipment.
So: where does Guatemala sit on each APHIS list? Exactly what the published table shows (APHIS, Animal Health Status of Regions, last modified 10 July 2026; retrieved 2026-08-11):
| APHIS list | Regulation | Guatemala’s position as published |
|---|---|---|
| Foot-and-mouth disease | 9 CFR 94.1(a)(1) | On the “Free” list |
| Swine vesicular disease | 9 CFR 94.12(a) | On the “Free” list |
| African swine fever | 9 CFR 94.8(a)(2) | Not on the “Affected” list |
| Classical swine fever | 9 CFR 94.9(a) | Not on the “Free” list |
| Bovine spongiform encephalopathy | 9 CFR 92.5 | Not on the negligible-risk or controlled-risk lists |
| Avian commodities | Temporary restriction | Under an active import alert — see below |
Note what that table does not say. Being absent from a “free” list is not the same as being on an “affected” list, and we are not going to translate one into the other for you. What is established is the published position on each list; the consequence for your suitcase is decided by CBP and APHIS at the port — which is why the declare-everything rule matters. APHIS points animal-product questions to its Veterinary Services (VS) Permitting Assistant, and notes that “commodities intended for ‘personal use’ mean those in passenger baggage or passenger vehicles. Commodities sent by mail are regulated as ‘commercial’ use.” Carrying and mailing are not the same legal act.
The Guatemala avian import alert (this one is live and specific)
APHIS issued an Import Alert: Restrictions on Avian Commodities Originating from or Transiting Guatemala on 31 January 2025, with an effective date of 12 December 2024, restricting importation of all poultry (as defined by WOAH) and hatching eggs, unprocessed avian products and by-products, and certain fresh poultry products from Guatemala — stated to be “based on the uncertainty surrounding Guatemala’s vaccination plans for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in domestic birds.” For a traveler, the operative paragraphs are:
- Unprocessed avian products and by-products (including eggs and egg products; meat): “If arriving in passenger baggage, importation is prohibited,” except trophies that are fully taxidermy finished or consigned to an eligible USDA-approved establishment.
- Processed avian products and by-products, in passenger baggage: must appear “thoroughly cooked” throughout, OR be shelf stable as a result of APHIS-approved packaging and cooking, OR be accompanied by a VS import permit or government certification.
(APHIS, Import Alert: Guatemala — Avian Commodities, issued 31 January 2025; retrieved 2026-08-11. “Until further notice” — confirm it is still in force before you fly.)
Dairy and cheese
Most milk and dairy from FMD-affected regions is not allowed; Guatemala is on the FMD-free list, and travelers may bring dairy from FMD-free regions with official documentation of country of origin. On top of that, APHIS lists items enterable from any country: butter, butter oil, and “solid hard or soft cheeses (as long as the cheese does not contain meat or pour like a liquid such as ricotta or cottage cheese).” Two carve-outs sit inside that sentence — meat-containing and pourable — and a fresh cheese sold swimming in its own whey is exactly the edge case the second describes. Declare it. Egg shells with white and yolk removed may enter passenger baggage if decorated, etched or painted, clean and dry, maximum 12 per person (APHIS, International Traveler: Milk, Dairy, and Egg Products; retrieved 2026-08-11).
Plants, seeds, wood and souvenirs
- Plants in soil: prohibited. Up to 12 bare-rooted plants may be hand-carried with a phytosanitary certificate from the origin country’s National Plant Protection Organization plus CBP inspection. 13 or more may not be hand-carried at all — APHIS import permit, shipped to a USDA Plant Inspection Station.
- Seeds from trees and shrubs: prohibited in passenger baggage. Herbaceous-plant seeds need the same phytosanitary certificate.
- Palm-frond crafts — baskets, fans, hats, bracelets — prohibited unless processed (bleached, dyed, painted or shellacked) beyond crafting or weaving, because of red palm mite. Single fully dried fronds are enterable subject to inspection.
- Driftwood: enterable if naturally weathered and free of soil or organic material, declared. Rocks, stones, beach sand: declare and present; the inspector decides.
- Seashells: many are enterable, but certain species — APHIS names queen conch and nautilus — are restricted under international agreements, and APHIS routes shell, coral and wildlife items to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
(APHIS, International Traveler: Plants, Plant Parts, Cut Flowers, and Seeds and International Traveler: Souvenirs; retrieved 2026-08-11.)
The money side: US$800, and two liters — not one
CBP’s exemption page lists Guatemala among the Caribbean Basin countries, and for those: “you may include two liters of alcoholic beverages with this $800 exemption, as long as one of the liters was produced in one of the countries listed above.” The generic “one liter” advice you will read elsewhere is the rule for other destinations, not this one. If you were outside the US less than 48 hours, or already used the exemption once in the preceding 30 days, you drop to the US$200 exemption with 150 ml (5 fl oz) of alcohol, and family members may not combine US$200 exemptions (CBP, Types of Exemptions, last modified 6 March 2024; retrieved 2026-08-11).
Half two: the Guatemalan exit
This is the half nobody writes, and it carries the heaviest penalties on this page.
Cultural goods: Decreto 26-97
The controlling instrument is Decreto 26-97, Ley para la Protección del Patrimonio Cultural de la Nación, as reformed by Decreto 81-98 (Congreso de la República de Guatemala; text published by the Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes; retrieved 2026-08-11).
Art. 11 — Exportaciones: “Se prohibe la exportación definitiva de los bienes culturales.” Temporary export may be authorised for a maximum of three years, in two cases only: (a) when the goods are to be exhibited outside national territory, or (b) when they are the object of scientific research or of conservation and restoration duly supervised by the Dirección General del Patrimonio Cultural y Natural.
Art. 3 — what counts. Bienes culturales muebles connected to Guatemalan palaeontology, archaeology, anthropology, history, literature, art, science or technology: the product of excavations authorised or not, elements detached from historic monuments and archaeological sites, original paintings, drawings and sculptures, photographs, engravings, sacred art in noble materials, incunabula and old books, maps, documents, periodicals, archives, musical instruments and antique furniture. The law attaches a 50-year threshold to everything in its numeral uno romano — the whole tangible-heritage category, movable goods included — while allowing younger items in where they are of relevant interest to art, history, science, architecture or culture.
Art. 35 — commerce. Dealers must register with the Registro de Bienes Culturales and inventory what they sell; “En ningún caso esta compraventa autoriza la exportación de tales bienes” — a sale never authorises export. And the commercialisation of pre-Hispanic archaeological goods is prohibited outright.
Art. 45 — the penalty. Whoever illicitly exports a good forming part of the Nation’s Cultural Heritage faces six to fifteen years’ imprisonment, plus a fine equal to double the value of the good, which is seized; the value is determined by the Dirección General del Patrimonio Cultural y Natural. Art. 50 adds a Q10,000 fine for breaching the return conditions of an authorised temporary export.
Art. 56 — replicas and casts. This is the trap. Exporting a replica, or making casts, without authorisation from the Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes carries three to five months’ imprisonment plus a Q20,000 fine for an isolated act, and six to nine years if it forms part of a repeated or successive activity. “It’s just a replica” is not, by itself, an answer under this law.
The paperwork route exists: the MCD issues a constancia de bienes muebles for export requests, certifying that an object is not part of the cultural heritage (step-by-step page linked below). If you are buying something old, carved or archaeological-looking, ask the seller what documentation comes with it before paying.
The bodies are different and worth naming: MCD is the ministry; the Dirección General del Patrimonio Cultural y Natural authorises and values; IDAEH (Instituto de Antropología e Historia) issues the technical opinion on archaeological and palaeontological matters; the Registro de Bienes Culturales keeps the inventory.
Wild flora and fauna: CONAP
CONAP (Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas) is Guatemala’s CITES Authority. Its published trámite catalogue separates four cases (CONAP, Trámite No. 19; retrieved 2026-08-11):
| Trámite | Covers |
|---|---|
| 19A | CITES permits/certificates — fauna and non-timber flora |
| 19B | CITES permits/certificates — timber flora |
| 19C / 19D | NON-CITES certificates — species not native to Guatemala and not in the CITES appendices |
| 19E / 19F | Export permits for wild flora and fauna NATIVE to Guatemala but NOT in the CITES appendices |
| 19G | Research-linked permits and certificates (exempt from payment) |
Row 19E/19F is the one that catches people: a native Guatemalan species does not have to be CITES-listed for CONAP to require an export permit. CONAP separately requires individuals and legal entities engaged in commercialisation, export, import or re-export of wild flora and fauna to be registered with it, and exporters to hold a VUPE exporter code (CONAP, Trámite No. 07A; retrieved 2026-08-11).
Coffee: ANACAFÉ holds the permit, and the law is silent on suitcases
Ley del Café, Decreto 19-69, Art. 6: “La Asociación será la única autorizada para extender los permisos de exportación y embarque cuando se hayan satisfecho todos los requisitos y disposiciones vigentes” — ANACAFÉ is the only body authorised to issue coffee export and shipment permits (compilation published by ANACAFÉ; retrieved 2026-08-11). We read the 52-page compilation and counted: the words equipaje, viajero, pasajero, turista and “uso personal” appear zero times. The permit regime is written for commercial shipments, and no traveler or personal-quantity exception is published in the coffee law — not “therefore your two bags of Antigua beans are fine,” and not “therefore they are illegal.”
Jade: the instrument regulates exporters, not travelers
Ley de Minería, Decreto 48-97, Art. 85 — Exportación de Producto Minero: mineral products destined for export must come from exploitation licences; exporters who are not licence holders must request an export credential, granted without further procedure for one year, renewable annually, with a supplier’s letter from a licence holder and estimated volumes attached (text via SICE/OAS; retrieved 2026-08-11). Counted across the full text: equipaje, viajero, pasajero, turista, “uso personal”, joyería, artesanía and jade each appear zero times. The law addresses an exporter of mineral product, not a traveler carrying a finished piece bought in a shop, and it does not say whether a worked jade pendant counts as “producto minero” at all. No published traveler-level rule for jade souvenirs was found as of 2026-08-11. Where jade does clearly bite is Decreto 26-97: a pre-Hispanic carved jade piece is an archaeological good — Art. 35 prohibits its commercialisation, Art. 11 its export.
The gaps, stated plainly
- No published traveler-baggage exception in Guatemala’s coffee law (Decreto 19-69) — the instrument that would grant one does not mention travelers.
- No published traveler rule for jade souvenirs — Decreto 48-97 Art. 85 governs exporters of mineral product and is silent on passengers.
- Guatemala’s classical swine fever status is an absence, not a designation — it is not on the APHIS “free” list under 9 CFR 94.9(a), and we did not find it named on an affected list either. That ambiguity is exactly why APHIS routes the decision to the port and the VS Permitting Assistant.
- The avian import alert is open-ended. APHIS wrote “until further notice” on 31 January 2025. Re-check it before you pack.
Related on this site
- Can you bring food into Guatemala? — the same border, other direction
- Guatemala customs for travelers — inbound rules and the DVE
- MCD movable-goods certificate for export requests — the export paperwork
- MCD movable-goods certificate · Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes
- CONAP Guatemala — protected areas, CITES, wildlife permits
- Coffee tours · Maya archaeological sites
- Sending a package home — mail is regulated as commercial, not personal
Sources
All retrieved 2026-08-11.
| Instrument | Publishing body | URL |
|---|---|---|
| Traveling With Food or Agricultural Products (declaration rule) | USDA APHIS | https://www.aphis.usda.gov/traveling-with-ag-products |
| International Traveler: Coffee, Teas, Honey, Nuts, and Spices (mod. 13 Jan 2026) | USDA APHIS | https://www.aphis.usda.gov/traveling-with-ag-products/coffee-tea-honey-nuts-spices |
| International Traveler: Fruits and Vegetables (mod. 13 Jan 2026) | USDA APHIS | https://www.aphis.usda.gov/traveling-with-ag-products/fruits-vegetables |
| International Traveler: Meats, Poultry, and Seafood | USDA APHIS | https://www.aphis.usda.gov/traveling-with-ag-products/meats-poultry-seafood |
| International Traveler: Milk, Dairy, and Egg Products | USDA APHIS | https://www.aphis.usda.gov/traveling-with-ag-products/milk-dairy-eggs |
| International Traveler: Plants, Plant Parts, Cut Flowers, and Seeds | USDA APHIS | https://www.aphis.usda.gov/traveling-with-ag-products/plants-plant-parts |
| International Traveler: Souvenirs | USDA APHIS | https://www.aphis.usda.gov/traveling-with-ag-products/souvenirs |
| Animal Health Status of Regions (mod. 10 Jul 2026) | USDA APHIS | https://www.aphis.usda.gov/regionalization-evaluation-services/region-health-status |
| Import Alert: Restrictions on Avian Commodities Originating from or Transiting Guatemala (issued 31 Jan 2025, effective 12 Dec 2024) | USDA APHIS Veterinary Services | https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/import-alert-hpai-guatemala.pdf |
| Types of Exemptions (mod. 6 Mar 2024) | U.S. Customs and Border Protection | https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/kbyg/types-exemptions |
| Decreto 26-97, Ley para la Protección del Patrimonio Cultural de la Nación (reformado por Decreto 81-98), Arts. 3, 11, 35, 45, 50, 56 | Congreso de la República de Guatemala / Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes | https://mcd.gob.gt/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/LEY_PARA_LA_PROTECCION_DEL_PATRIMONIO_CULTURAL_y_NATURAL1.pdf |
| Trámite No. 19 — CITES, NO-CITES and wild flora/fauna export permits | CONAP | https://tramites.conap.gob.gt/tramite19/ |
| Trámite No. 07A — registration of wild flora/fauna traders | CONAP | https://tramites.conap.gob.gt/tramite07a/ |
| Decreto 19-69, Ley del Café, Art. 6 | Congreso de la República / ANACAFÉ | https://www.anacafe.org/uploads/file/a750889e55144d9c8cf95df69096d67f/Ley_Reglamento_Decretos.pdf |
| Decreto 48-97, Ley de Minería, Art. 85 | Congreso de la República (text via SICE/OAS) | http://www.sice.oas.org/investment/natleg/gtm/mineria_s.pdf |
This is general information, current as of 2026-08-11, and not legal advice. Import restrictions, disease statuses and import alerts change without notice; verify with APHIS, CBP and the Guatemalan authority named for your item before you travel. En español: ¿Qué puedo llevar de Guatemala a Estados Unidos?.
