In short: Leaving Guatemala means closing things in the right order. Immigration first: a resident can cancel at IGM (US$20 under IGM’s current tariff) or keep the status, but IGM’s regulation lists more than a year’s unauthorized absence as a ground for losing it. At exit, IGM checks a resident’s passport, updated data, annual fee and a valid Constancia de Estatus Migratorio. Utilities: the electricity deposit must come back within 7 days of ending the contract (RLGE Art. 94), but only after the contract is terminated. Children travelling with one parent need the other parent’s authorization. US Customs lets returning residents bring household items used abroad for at least a year duty-free.
This is the order-of-operations page. Each step links to the page that covers it in depth; the facts below are the exit-specific ones.
1. Decide what happens to your residency
IGM’s residency regulation, Acuerdo IGM-016-2025, Art. 37, lists the ways a foreigner with ordinary status loses residency. The ones that matter when you move away:
- At your own request, stating the reason for the cancellation.
- Unauthorized absence from Guatemala for more than one year, without a justification you can document.
To cancel, Art. 37 asks for: the cancellation form; a memorial (written request) with a legalized signature stating the reason; the fee receipt; your original passport with the visa (if one applies); your DPI or CUI, or RENAP’s certificate that you have none; no pending annual residency fee, with your data updated; and, for the absence ground, the documents that justify it.
What it costs, per IGM’s tariff (Acuerdo IGM-029-2023 as reformed by IGM-039-2025):
| IGM service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Residency cancellation request, or justification of an unauthorized absence | US$20 |
| Request for authorization to be absent from the country | US$25 |
| Annual fee for permanent residents | US$40 |
| Certification of migratory status | US$25 |
| Certification of arraigo (travel ban) | US$10 |
The tariff names the absence authorization but does not describe it; ask IGM’s Subdirección de Extranjería before you rely on it. The exit page in step 2 asks for a Constancia de Estatus Migratorio, while the tariff prices a Certificación de estatus migratorio; we found no IGM text saying whether they are the same document. How residency works in the first place: Guatemala residency. If you were naturalized or recognized as Guatemalan by origin, Art. 38 of the same regulation requires you to request cancellation of the residency.
2. Check the exit requirements before the airport
IGM’s page on requirements for leaving Guatemala (Control Migratorio, read 24 September 2026) lists, for temporary and permanent residents:
- A valid passport
- Updated data
- Payment of the annual fee
- A valid Constancia de Estatus Migratorio, citing Acuerdo IGM-16-2025
For foreigners in general, the same page says a person who overstayed brings the original receipt for the fine or pays it at the migration check, and a person whose residency application is in process must show the corresponding exit permit.
An arraigo is a court-ordered ban on leaving the country; IGM issues a certification of arraigo (US$10, table above). How to check for one: check for an arraigo before you fly.
3. Children: authorizations for the parent who stays
IGM’s exit page lists, for a child or teenager leaving the country, a valid passport and a current RENAP birth certificate, and then:
| Who travels with the child | What IGM asks for |
|---|---|
| Both parents | No authorization |
| One parent | An authorization from the parent who is not travelling: a mandate, an acta de declaración jurada, a carta poder with legalized signature, a document from a Guatemalan consulate abroad, or a court order |
| A third person | The same kinds of document, from both parents (jointly or separately) |
| One parent has died | RENAP’s death certificate; if the surviving parent doesn’t travel, their authorization too |
Details and where to get each document: exit permit for minors.
4. Utilities: end the contract, then claim the deposit
The law. The Reglamento de la Ley General de Electricidad, Art. 94, requires every new user to give the distributor a payment guarantee. A cash deposit earns interest at the banking system’s weighted average monthly lending rate, published by Banguat. When the contract ends, the distributor settles the deposit plus accrued interest, minus any unpaid bills and costs, and the amount “deberá ser devuelto, a más tardar siete (7) días después de rescindido el contrato”.
EEGSA (read 23 September 2026). Its online-services page says the final disconnection (corte final) can be requested only by the account holder, and online. Its deposit-refund sheet says the contract must already be terminated, then asks for:
- A signed letter requesting the deposit refund
- A copy of the holder’s DPI
- For a company account: the legal representative’s appointment and DPI
- If someone else files it: a letter authorizing them, with a copy of their DPI
Energuate (read 23 September 2026). Its baja de contrato page asks for the holder’s DPI, the supply’s NIS number, updated phone, email and NIT, no unpaid bills, and a signed termination request. It also asks you to switch the breaker off and bring the meter reading on the day. Energuate says its technicians then remove the service drop and leave the meter, which is read for 36 months without a bill; afterwards a technician takes a final reading and delivers the last bill, which you pay to complete the termination.
If a new tenant is taking over the meter, the change of name is on getting electricity and water connected, which also covers EMPAGUA’s water account.
5. Tax, phone, staff, car and pets
| Task | Where it is covered |
|---|---|
| Close or suspend your NIT at SAT | Closing your NIT |
| Keep or give up your Guatemalan phone number | Keeping or porting a Guatemalan number |
| Pay a household employee what they are owed | Severance calculator · hiring domestic help |
| Sell your car (the SAT transfer) | Buying or selling a car as a foreigner |
| Take a dog or cat to the US | Taking a pet from Guatemala to the USA |
6. What you take home: US Customs on household goods
US Customs and Border Protection’s Shopping Abroad page (last modified 22 January 2026, read 24 September 2026) says items used in your household abroad are duty-free if:
- You used them for at least one year while abroad.
- They are not intended for anyone else or for sale.
It adds that clothing, jewelry, photography equipment, electronics and vehicles are personal effects and cannot be brought or mailed duty-free as household effects; duty is usually waived on personal effects more than a year old; and duty is paid on all vehicles. For the sell-or-ship arithmetic in the other direction, the same logic applies as on what to sell and what to ship: compare the freight against what the item would cost to replace.
Related pages
- Guatemala residency
- Exit permit for minors
- Getting electricity and water connected
- Closing your NIT
- Check for an arraigo before you fly
- Taking a pet from Guatemala to the USA
- Moving from the USA hub
Sources
- Acuerdo IGM-016-2025, Reglamento (residencies), Arts. 37 and 38.
- IGM tariff, Acuerdo IGM-029-2023 as reformed by IGM-039-2025: items 4.1.3, 4.1.5, 4.1.9, 4.2.2, 4.2.4 (read 24 September 2026).
- IGM Control Migratorio, requirements for leaving Guatemala (read 24 September 2026).
- Reglamento de la Ley General de Electricidad, Art. 94 (read 23 September 2026).
- EEGSA, online services and deposit-refund requirements (read 23 September 2026).
- Energuate, contract termination (read 23 September 2026).
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Shopping Abroad: Duty Free, Gifts, Household Items (read 24 September 2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to cancel my Guatemalan residency when I leave?
IGM’s residency regulation (Acuerdo IGM-016-2025, Art. 37) lets a resident cancel at their own request, stating the reason. If you do nothing, the same article lists unauthorized absence from Guatemala for more than a year, without documented justification, as a ground for losing residency. The cancellation request costs US$20 under IGM’s current tariff, and the requirements include having no pending annual residency fee.
What does IGM check when a resident leaves Guatemala?
IGM’s exit-requirements page lists, for temporary and permanent residents: a valid passport, updated data, payment of the annual fee, and a valid Constancia de Estatus Migratorio, citing Acuerdo IGM-16-2025. Foreigners who overstayed pay the fine at the migration check if they don’t bring the receipt, and anyone with a residency application in process must show the corresponding exit permit.
How do I get my electricity deposit back?
Under the Reglamento de la Ley General de Electricidad (Art. 94), the distributor must return a cash deposit, plus interest and minus any unpaid bills and costs, within 7 days after the contract ends. EEGSA’s refund sheet says the contract must first be terminated, then asks for a signed refund-request letter and a copy of the holder’s DPI. EEGSA’s online-services page says only the account holder can request the final disconnection, and online.
Can I take my child out of Guatemala if the other parent stays?
IGM’s exit page says a child travelling with only one parent needs an authorization from the parent who is not travelling: a mandate, a sworn statement (acta de declaración jurada), a power of attorney with a legalized signature, a document from a Guatemalan consulate, or a court order. With both parents travelling, no authorization is needed.
Do I pay US customs duty on my household goods when I move back?
US Customs and Border Protection says items used in your household abroad are duty-free if you used them for at least one year while abroad and they are not intended for anyone else or for sale. Clothing, jewelry, photography equipment, electronics and vehicles count as personal effects, not household effects; CBP says duty is usually waived on personal effects more than a year old, and duty is paid on all vehicles.
