In short: Moving into a place with a meter means a change of name. Moving into one without a meter means a new service. Either way, Guatemalan law gives the distributor 7 days to decide whether the network needs work and tell you what to pay. After you pay, it has 28 days to connect you, or 3 months if the lines need extending (Reglamento de la Ley General de Electricidad, Art. 68). The deposit equals two average monthly bills of a typical user in your category, earns interest at Banguat’s lending rate, and must be refunded within 7 days of ending the contract (Art. 94). For water in Guatemala City, EMPAGUA charges Q3,886.40 for a new installation’s Derecho de Agua and changes a tenant’s name and NIT on the bill for free.
This page is about getting utilities in your name. What they then cost is on the electricity tariff page. How often the power goes out, and what to do about it, is on power outages and outage reliability by distributor.
Who supplies your power
Guatemala’s grid has two big distributors a newcomer is likely to deal with, and they publish different requirements:
- EEGSA (Empresa Eléctrica de Guatemala), requirements on eegsa.com/gestiones-en-linea
- Energuate, the brand of the DEOCSA and DEORSA distribution companies, requirements on energuate.com
Some towns also have a municipal electric company. Ask the landlord or seller for the property’s last electricity bill before you sign. The general picture of who serves where is on our electricity page.
The decision table
| Your situation | What to ask for | What it costs you | Legal clock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renting, meter exists, bill stays in the owner’s name | Nothing. Pay the bill | Nothing extra | — |
| Renting or bought, meter exists, you want the contract | Change of name (EEGSA: cambio de nombre; Energuate: cambio de titular) | New guarantee deposit (Art. 94 rule) | EEGSA: file at least 7 days before the meter-reading date |
| No meter, pole within 40 m | New service | Deposit; Energuate says the application itself is free | 28 days after paying (RLGE Art. 68 a) |
| No meter, pole 41-200 m | New service with network extension | Energuate: a refundable financial contribution (AFR) | 3 months (RLGE Art. 68 b); Energuate: 90 days after paying the AFR |
| Pole more than 200 m away (Energuate) | Engineering study, then a budget for the line | Energuate notifies the study cost and the budget | — |
| Short stay under 12 months (EEGSA) | Temporary service | Per EEGSA’s form | — |
EEGSA: what the paperwork asks for
EEGSA’s published requirement sheet for a new connection (the section for a service requested in the property owner’s name) lists:
- The Lista verificable para conexiones nuevas, a free form available through every EEGSA channel.
- Proof of your right to the property. EEGSA accepts a deed, a purchase contract, a developer’s letter or a current lease (contrato de arrendamiento vigente). It must show the property’s cadastral address; if it doesn’t, add an original document from the municipality’s cadastre department.
- A copy of the DPI of the person who will become the customer.
- Your NIT, landline, mobile, email, and a billing address if different.
- The deposit (“Pagar el valor del depósito correspondiente”).
EEGSA also suggests three things to avoid a wasted visit: identify the service entrance with metal, ceramic or oil-paint numbers; bring a full photo of it; and give the gate-house access code if you live in a gated development. If the pole is more than 40 metres away, you need a line extension instead.
For a change of name, EEGSA adds: the last bill fully paid, a request letter naming the current and new user, and filing at least seven days before the meter-reading date (or once the month’s bill has been loaded). EEGSA describes the change as ending the old contract and making a new one “sin realizar ninguna desconexión en el proceso”, so the power stays on.
The ID point for foreigners. EEGSA’s sheets ask for a DPI and don’t mention a passport. If you don’t have a DPI yet, ask EEGSA what it accepts before you go, or leave the contract in the landlord’s name for now. You will also need a NIT; see getting a NIT.
Channels: EEGSA’s online portal, WhatsApp 2277-7000, and its puntos de soluciones.
Energuate: what the paperwork asks for
Energuate publishes a step list by distance to the nearest pole.
0-40 metres (no network work):
- Request through an office or a digital channel, then fill in and sign the supply contract
- Show your DPI
- Give the NIS (supply ID number) from your nearest neighbour’s bill, plus the exact address and landmarks
- Update your phone, email and NIT
- Hand over photos of the connection point and the house front, printed or digital
- State the voltage: 120 V or 240 V
Energuate’s page: within 28 days of your application the meter is installed, and “La solicitud no tiene ningún costo”.
41-200 metres: the same documents, then a feasibility study. If it’s feasible, you pay the Aporte Financiero Reembolsable (AFR) for the network work. Energuate says the AFR comes back as a credit on your first bill, and the meter goes in within 90 days of paying it.
Over 200 metres: an engineering study with its own cost, then a budget for building the line. This is the only tier where Energuate’s page says a passport is accepted alongside the DPI.
Two conditions on Energuate’s side: any other Energuate account you hold must be up to date, and if the property had a meter before, it must have no debt. Check the old account before you sign a lease.
Energuate’s change of account holder (cambio de titular) needs the holder’s DPI, the NIS, updated contact data, no unpaid bills on the supply, and a signed request at an Energuate office.
The deposit: what the law says, since nobody publishes a number
Neither distributor’s page gives a deposit in quetzales. EEGSA says the new deposit is set “conforme la carga declarada o en su caso se calculará de acuerdo al consumo en Kwh”, and that if you pay by bond it will tell you the amount in a letter. The binding rule is Article 94 of the Reglamento de la Ley General de Electricidad (as reformed in 2007):
| Question | Article 94’s answer |
|---|---|
| Who pays? | “Todo nuevo usuario deberá entregar al distribuidor una garantía de pago.” |
| How much? | Two average monthly bills of a typical user in your category |
| Cash only? | No. Cash or a bond (fianza) |
| Does it earn anything? | A cash deposit earns interest at Banguat’s monthly weighted average lending rate, capitalised each year |
| Can it change? | Yes. The distributor may ask for an update if your consumption rises or falls |
| When do I get it back? | Refund of deposit plus interest, minus debts and costs, within 7 days after the contract ends |
To reclaim it from EEGSA, the contract must first be ended (de baja). Then send a signed refund-request letter with a copy of your DPI.
The legal deadlines, and the two different clocks
| Step | Reglamento de la LGE, Art. 68 | CNEE technical standard (NTSD), Art. 69 |
|---|---|---|
| Decide if the network needs work; tell you what to pay | 7 days from your application | — |
| Connect, no network work | 28 days after you pay charges + deposit | 30 days maximum |
| Connect, network extension | 3 months after you pay | 4 months maximum |
| If missed | “falta grave”, subject to sanction | Compensation from the distributor to the user (NTSD Art. 67) |
The Reglamento is the obligation, and the NTSD is the service-quality tolerance CNEE measures against. Both point the same way. Keep your application and payment receipts, because the clocks run from those dates. The complaint route is on power outages.
Before the meter goes in, the wiring on your side has to be right. The Reglamento puts the service drop from the pole in the distributor’s hands (“La acometida estará a cargo del Distribuidor”). The inside is yours, and prices for an electrician are on the electrician price guide. Check the voltage before you plug in US equipment: power adapters and voltage.
Water
Water is a municipal service. Article 68 of the Código Municipal lists domestic drinking-water supply among the municipality’s own responsibilities. So the process and price depend on where you live. Guatemala City’s utility, EMPAGUA, is the one that publishes its figures:
| EMPAGUA procedure | What it costs | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| New connection (no existing service) | Q3,886.40 total for the Derecho de Agua on a new installation, plus a 3/4-inch meter of an EMPAGUA-authorised brand | Application form from Orientación e Información al Cliente or any Mini Muni; about 12-15 days once requirements are complete |
| Change of name and NIT on the bill (tenant) | Free (“Esta gestión no tiene costo.”) | Updated RTU, a copy of the water bill, the owner’s authorisation letter, a request saying the change is for accounting purposes, and a copy of your current lease |
| Change of user after buying the property | Q392 | Being paid up with EMPAGUA, the deed or a Registro de la Propiedad certificate, the owner’s DPI, boleto de ornato, municipal solvency and RTU |
Follow up on an EMPAGUA application by phone on 1551 or WhatsApp 2285-8700. The full EMPAGUA process, including billing complaints and reconnection, is on our EMPAGUA guide. Outside Guatemala City, ask the municipality for its own list. How water supply works day to day in Antigua, including storage tanks, is on Antigua water and utilities.
A move-in checklist
- Before you sign: get the last electricity and water bills. Check the distributor, the account holder and that there’s no debt. Energuate won’t connect a new supply at an address with debt.
- Decide whose name. Leaving it in the owner’s name costs you no deposit. Taking it over gives you control of the account and a refundable deposit.
- Collect the papers: DPI, NIT, lease (current), the neighbour’s NIS for Energuate, photos of the service entrance.
- Apply and keep the receipt. The 7-day and 28-day clocks run from your application and your payment.
- When you leave: end the contract (baja), then claim the deposit. The law gives the distributor 7 days to refund it.
Related pages
- Electricity in Guatemala
- Electricity tariffs
- Power outages and how to complain
- Outage reliability by distributor
- UPS and inverter for a home office
- EMPAGUA: water in Guatemala City
- Utilities overview
- Getting a NIT
- Moving from the USA hub
Sources
All read 23 September 2026.
- EEGSA — Gestiones en línea and its PDFs: Requisitos para solicitar conexiones nuevas, Requisitos para cambio de nombre en un contrato de servicio de energía eléctrica, Requisitos para solicitud de devolución de depósito en garantía
- Energuate — Nuevo Servicio, Cambio titular del contrato, Baja de contrato
- CNEE — Reglamento de la Ley General de Electricidad (AG 256-97, reformed by AG 68-2007): Arts. 67, 68, 94
- CNEE — Normas Técnicas del Servicio de Distribución (NTSD): Arts. 67-69
- EMPAGUA — Cómo solicitar un nuevo servicio de agua (February 2024) and the flyers on Requisitos de gestiones: Cambio de nombre y NIT, Cambio de usuario (vecino)
- Código Municipal, Decreto 12-2002, Art. 68 a)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get electricity in my name in Guatemala?
If the house already has a meter, you ask for a change of name, which the distributor treats as ending the old contract and signing a new one, without cutting the power. If there is no meter, you ask for a new service. In EEGSA’s area both need proof of your right to the property (a current lease counts), a copy of your DPI, your NIT, phone and email, and the new guarantee deposit. Energuate asks for your DPI, the NIS number from your nearest neighbour’s bill, photos of the connection point and house front, and the voltage you need.
How much is the electricity deposit?
Neither EEGSA nor Energuate publishes a quetzal figure. The rule is in Article 94 of the Reglamento de la Ley General de Electricidad: every new user gives the distributor a payment guarantee, in cash or as a bond (fianza), equal to two average monthly bills of a typical user in the same category. A cash guarantee earns interest at the Banco de Guatemala’s weighted average lending rate, and the distributor must refund it, minus anything you owe, within seven days after the contract ends.
How long does a new electricity connection take?
The distributor has 7 days to decide whether the lines need extending and tell you what to pay. After you pay the charges and the deposit, it must connect within 28 days if no network work is needed, or within 3 months if it is (Reglamento Art. 68). CNEE’s technical standard sets its own ceilings of 30 days and 4 months, and non-compliance entitles the user to compensation. Energuate publishes the same 28-day and 3-month figures on its own page.
I'm renting. Do I need to put the utilities in my name?
Neither distributor’s pages we read say a tenant must. EEGSA’s own page says a change of name is recommended when a property changes owner or tenant. Changing it means you pay the new deposit and get it back when you end the contract. For water in Guatemala City, EMPAGUA has a free procedure that only changes the name and NIT on the bill, for accounting purposes. It needs the owner’s authorisation and a copy of your current lease.
How much does a new water connection cost in Guatemala City?
EMPAGUA’s own guide (February 2024) puts the total for the Derecho de Agua on a new installation at Q3,886.40, says the connection takes about 12 to 15 days once requirements are met, and says you must buy a 3/4-inch meter from an EMPAGUA-authorised brand. Changing the account holder after a property transfer costs Q392. Outside Guatemala City, water is a municipal service under Código Municipal Article 68, so your own municipality sets the price and process.
What if the distributor misses the deadline?
The Reglamento calls missing the connection deadlines a serious offence subject to sanction. CNEE’s NTSD says non-compliance with its user-service standards gives the user a right to compensation from the distributor. Complain to the distributor first, keeping dates, then take it to CNEE; the escalation route is on our power-outages page.
