Canadians flying to Guatemala for a winter escape don’t need a visa stamped before they leave — Canada is on Guatemala’s visa-exempt list, the same as the USA, EU, UK, Australia and most of Latin America. You step off the plane at La Aurora, hand the immigration officer your passport and arrival card, and you’re given a 90-day CA-4 tourist permit on the spot. Free, no application, no waiting.
Where Canadian snowbirds run into trouble is the next step: extending past 90 days. Most arrive in late October or early November and want to stay through April. That requires a formal extension request at IGM (Instituto Guatemalteco de Migracion) for Q300 cash. The process is straightforward but only if you walk in with the right paperwork; show up missing one document and you’ll be back the next day.
Quick summary: Canadian passport + valid 6+ months = 90 days on arrival, no fee. Extend another 90 days at IGM Zona 4 for Q300 (~CAD 50) and one morning of paperwork. Maximum 180 consecutive days, then 72-hour exit before returning. Lock in private travel insurance before flying — OHIP/RAMQ won’t cover a Guatemalan hospital stay.
Quick cost & timeline
| Item | Cost (CAD) | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free entry stamp on arrival | $0 | 5 minutes at airport |
| 90-day extension (prorroga) at IGM | $50 (Q300) | 1-3 business days |
| Travel insurance for 180 days (50 yo Canadian) | $400 - $800 | Buy before flight |
| Border run to reset 180-day cap (Belize / Cancun trip) | $300 - $600 | 4-7 nights |
| Total snowbird budget for visa side | $50 | One IGM trip |
How the 90-day visa-free entry actually works
When your flight from Toronto, Calgary or Montreal lands at La Aurora (GUA), you’ll fill out the arrival declaration card the flight crew hands out before landing. It asks where you’re staying (a hotel name and city is fine), how long you plan to stay, and the purpose of your visit (tourism is the answer 99% of Canadian snowbirds give).
At immigration, the officer will:
- Scan your passport
- Ask in Spanish or English how long you plan to stay (answer: “90 days” or “tres meses”)
- Stamp your passport with the CA-4 tourist permit showing entry date and 90-day expiration
- Hand back the passport
Total time: 3-10 minutes depending on flight load. La Aurora is a small airport — an Air Canada or Avianca arrival from Toronto rarely takes more than 30 minutes from gate to baggage claim including immigration.
What “CA-4” means: Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua share a tourist permit zone. Your 90 days are valid across all four countries combined. A trip from Antigua to Copan (Honduras) and back doesn’t reset the clock.
Passport requirement: Canadian passport must be valid for at least 6 months past your planned departure date. Officers check this. If your passport expires in December and you arrive in October planning to leave in March, you’re fine. If it expires in February while you’re staying until April, you’ll be turned back at the gate in Toronto.
The IGM extension — step by step
Once you’re approved for the 90-day visa-free entry, the only paperwork required to stretch your stay another 90 days is the prorroga de permanencia application at IGM headquarters in Zona 4, Guatemala City.
Address: Instituto Guatemalteco de Migracion, 6a Avenida 3-11, Zona 4, Guatemala City. Open Mon-Fri 8 AM - 4 PM. Closes for lunch 12-1 PM (don’t bother arriving in that window — security won’t let you in).
Cost: Q300 (~CAD 50) — payable in cash at the IGM cashier inside the building, or pre-deposited at any Banco Industrial branch with the IGM payment slip.
Time on site: 2-4 hours if all your paperwork is in order. Plan to arrive by 8 AM to get a good queue position.
What to bring
| Document | Where to get it |
|---|---|
| Passport (current, with entry stamp) | You |
| Photocopy of passport bio page + entry stamp | Any photocopy shop near IGM (Q1 per page) |
| Form DGM-002 — extension request | Free at IGM reception, or download from migracion.gob.gt |
| Proof of address in Guatemala | Hotel reservation, Airbnb confirmation email, or signed rental contract |
| Proof of onward travel | Return flight booking or estimated departure date |
| Q300 cash | Or Banco Industrial deposit slip showing payment |
| 2 passport-style photos (some clerks request) | Any Foto Estudio near IGM (Q15-25) |
The actual visit
- Arrive at IGM by 8:00 AM. Security at the entrance checks your passport and gives you a visitor sticker.
- Walk to the prorroga de permanencia desk on the ground floor (signs in Spanish, ask for “prorroga”).
- Take a number from the ticket dispenser. Wait for your number to be called.
- Hand the clerk your form, passport, photocopies and proof-of-address. They review and either accept or send you to fix something.
- Pay the Q300 at the cashier window (separate line, 5-10 minutes).
- Return to the prorroga desk with your payment receipt.
- Clerk processes the extension and tells you when to pick up your passport — typically 1-3 business days.
- Return on the pickup date with your receipt to collect your passport with the new 90-day extension stamp.
Pro tip: Many Canadian snowbirds use a Guatemalan visa lawyer (tramitador) for Q500-1,200 (~CAD 80-200). The lawyer handles the IGM line, paperwork and pickup. Worth it if you don’t speak Spanish or want to spend the morning in Antigua instead.
Border-run rules — what actually works
After 180 consecutive days (90 + 90 extension), you must leave Guatemala and the CA-4 region for at least 72 hours before re-entering for a fresh 90-day permit. This is enforced — don’t try a same-day border touch.
Routes that work:
- Belize: Fly GUA-BZE on Tropic Air (~CAD 150 round-trip), 4 nights in Caye Caulker or San Pedro, fly back. Belize is outside CA-4. Most reliable reset.
- Cancun, Mexico: Avianca and Aeromexico fly GUA-CUN direct (~CAD 200-400 round-trip). 4-7 nights in Cancun, Playa del Carmen or Tulum. Mexico is outside CA-4. Very common for Canadians.
- Costa Rica: GUA-SJO direct on Avianca (~CAD 250-450). 4+ nights anywhere in Costa Rica. Some Canadian snowbirds extend the trip into a full Costa Rica vacation before returning.
Routes that don’t reset cleanly:
- Driving to Tapachula, Mexico (border touch and return same day) — IGM officers have rejected re-entries this way since 2023.
- Going to Honduras, El Salvador or Nicaragua — these are inside CA-4, your 90-day clock keeps running.
IGM is paying attention. Since 2023, repeat snowbirds doing 180-day stays back-to-back have received “verbal warnings” at re-entry. Two consecutive 180-day stays usually triggers a question from the immigration officer about why you’re not applying for residency. Three is a real risk of being turned back.
When to upgrade from snowbird to residency
If your Guatemalan time is creeping above 180 days/year, or you’ve done two back-to-back snowbird seasons and want a permanent base, the clean path is temporary residency. Two visa categories fit most Canadians:
| Visa | Income requirement | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Pensionado | Verifiable pension CAD 1,250/month (CPP, OAS, RRIF, employer pension) | Retirees, age 50+ |
| Rentista | Verifiable income CAD 2,500/month from non-pension sources (rentals, dividends, interest) | Pre-retirement, FIRE, early retirees |
Both lead to a Guatemalan DPI (national ID), which unlocks easier banking, real estate purchases, vehicle import, healthcare access and ends any visa anxiety. Application takes 4-8 months and costs CAD 1,500-3,500 in legal fees and apostille work. Read the full walkthrough at retiring in Guatemala as a Canadian and pensionado visa guide.
Canadian-specific tips
- Provincial residency: OHIP, RAMQ and most other provincial plans require physical presence in-province for 153-212 days/year (varies by province) to maintain coverage. A 180-day snowbird stay leaves most snowbirds inside the threshold, but if you push to 200+ days you may lose provincial coverage and have to wait three months after returning to re-qualify.
- CRA tax residency: Snowbirds under 183 days outside Canada per year almost always remain Canadian tax residents (no change to RRSP, TFSA, OAS treatment). Stays beyond 183 days start activating the residency tests. See Canadian taxes when emigrating.
- Travel insurance: Buy before flying. Most Canadian credit-card travel insurance caps at 30-60 days per trip — useless for snowbirds. Look at GMS, Manulife, Allianz, Cigna Global, BCAA or Snowbird Advisor’s recommended providers. Budget CAD 400-1,200 for 180 days at age 50-65.
- CA-4 trips: Your 90-day permit is good across Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Many Canadians do a Copan ruins side trip from Antigua without filing extra paperwork.
Trámites & resources to bookmark
- Moving from Canada hub — full Canadian relocation pipeline
- Canadian Embassy in Guatemala — consular services, passport renewal, emergencies
- Canadian health insurance in Guatemala — provincial gap, private options
- Cost of living in Guatemala — what your snowbird budget will actually cover
- Antigua Guatemala overview — the Canadian winter capital
- Pensionado visa walkthrough — when you’re ready to upgrade
How we verified this page
Last verified: May 2026. CA-4 visa rules cross-checked with IGM (migracion.gob.gt) and Global Affairs Canada (travel.gc.ca/destinations/guatemala). Extension fee Q300 verified at IGM Zona 4 in April 2026. Border-run interpretation based on conversations with three Antigua-based immigration tramitadores and feedback from Canadian snowbirds in our reader email. Provincial health residency rules from each province’s official health authority — verify your own province before relying on the day counts cited above. Tax content references CRA Folio S5-F1-C1 — consult a CRA-licensed advisor before extended stays.
