Send Money to Guatemala: Best Rate Q7.62/USD

Last updated: 2026-05-16. Reference cross-rate sourced from Banguat SOAP API for business day 2026-05-15. Live provider rates checked daily — full methodology.

TL;DR — Canada to Guatemala in one paragraph

Canada to Guatemala is a smaller corridor than the USA one (USA dominates Guatemala’s USD 26 billion remittance inflow) but a meaningful slice — estimated USD 500M-1B per year flows from the Canadian Guatemalan diaspora concentrated in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary. The CAD/GTQ rate is a cross-rate via USD (Banguat does not quote CAD directly), so today’s reference is 1 CAD = 5.53915 GTQ (May 15 2026). Wise Canada has the best effective CAD/GTQ rate for most amounts CAD 200-5,000. Remitly Canada is fastest for cash pickup at Banrural. Western Union Canada and MoneyGram Canada cover the cash-to-cash use case. RBC, BMO, TD, Scotiabank international wires cost CAD 25-45 per send and only make sense at CAD 10,000+. Xoom is limited from Canada — PayPal Canada restrictions apply. Interac e-Transfer does NOT cross the border — it is domestic Canada only.

Canada to Guatemala remittance context

Guatemala receives roughly USD 26 billion in remittances per year (~20% of GDP), and the United States accounts for the overwhelming majority (~96-97% of the total). The remaining 3-4% is split across Canada, Spain, Mexico, and other Latin American countries with Guatemalan diaspora populations.

Canada’s share is meaningful in absolute dollars — estimated at USD 500 million to USD 1 billion per year based on Statistics Canada immigrant population data and World Bank bilateral remittance estimates. The exact figure isn’t published as a clean number because Guatemala’s Banguat reports total inflows, not by source country. What we know:

• Guatemalan immigrants in Canada number roughly 20,000-25,000 according to Statistics Canada (2021 census data, including descendants). The Pew-style “diaspora plus descendants” figure is higher.
• Concentration is in Toronto (largest community), Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary — with smaller communities in Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Ottawa.
• The Canadian Guatemalan diaspora skews older and more economically established than the US one (longer immigration history, more retirees and second-generation professionals). This means higher average transfer amounts but lower frequency vs the US corridor.
• Bing CTR data shows Canadian users engage 5.8x more with this site’s pages than rest-of-world (3.82% vs ~0.66%). The Canadian audience is hungry for clear, comparator-style guidance.

What this means for choosing a provider: Canadian senders tend to send larger amounts less frequently (e.g., CAD 500-2,000 monthly or CAD 5,000-15,000 quarterly), which favors low-spread digital services like Wise over cash-pickup networks that charge per-transaction.

Providers active in Canada for the Canada to Guatemala corridor

Not every US-active remittance provider operates from Canada. Here’s the verified Canada-side picture:

Key Canadian regulator: FINTRAC (Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada). All money services businesses operating in Canada must be FINTRAC-registered. Wise, Remitly, WU, MoneyGram all hold FINTRAC MSB licenses.

CAD/GTQ rate today (May 16, 2026)

Guatemala’s central bank (Banguat) publishes daily reference rates for major currencies. CAD is a cross-rate via USD, meaning Banguat takes the USD/CAD international quote and multiplies by USD/GTQ to derive CAD/GTQ.

Today’s reference (business day 2026-05-15):

Worked example — sending CAD 1,000:

• Reference value: 1,000 × 5.53915 = GTQ 5,539.15 (theoretical mid-market)
• Wise effective rate (~1% all-in): you deliver approximately GTQ 5,484
• Remitly Express (~2% spread + fee): approximately GTQ 5,430
• Western Union cash pickup (~3% spread + fee): approximately GTQ 5,370
• Canadian bank wire (~3.5% spread + CAD 35 fee): approximately GTQ 5,283

Difference between best and worst on CAD 1,000: roughly GTQ 200 (~CAD 36). Over twelve months of monthly transfers, that’s CAD 430+ saved by picking the right corridor provider.

For the daily-updated CAD/GTQ Banguat rate with historical chart, see CAD to GTQ exchange rate.

Best provider for the Canada to Guatemala corridor

For CAD 200-5,000 (most senders): Wise Canada.

Wise uses the real mid-market rate (the one shown above as 5.53915) with a transparent percentage fee instead of hiding cost in the exchange-rate spread. On a CAD 1,000 transfer the all-in cost is typically CAD 5-10 (0.5-1.0%). For monthly senders, Wise’s recurring-transfer feature lets you schedule deposits in advance, and FINTRAC reporting is automatic for amounts requiring it.

Where Wise loses: no cash pickup. Recipient needs a Guatemalan bank account (Banrural, BI, BAM, G&T Continental, BAC). If your family doesn’t have one, Wise is not the corridor’s answer.

Compare Wise CAD to GTQ rates{rel=“nofollow sponsored” data-affiliate=“wise”}

For urgent cash pickup: Remitly Canada Express.

Remitly Canada’s Express tier delivers to Banrural cash pickup in minutes for a flat fee (typically CAD 3.99-5.99 depending on amount). The exchange rate carries a 1-2% spread vs mid-market — worse than Wise but acceptable for the speed/cash combination.

Remitly’s first-transfer promotional rate can match or beat Wise for one transaction, so first-time Canadian users often get the best of both worlds on their initial send.

Compare Remitly Canada rates{rel=“nofollow sponsored” data-affiliate=“remitly”}

For CAD 10,000+ one-shot transfers: Knightsbridge FX or Snowbird Currency Exchange.

Canadian-regulated FX brokers consistently beat Wise by 0.2-0.5% at this tier because they batch large transfers and quote tighter spreads. Both are FINTRAC-registered. Funding is by Canadian bank wire or e-Transfer (broker-to-broker, not consumer Interac). Settlement to a Guatemalan bank takes 1-3 business days.

For RBC / BMO / TD / Scotiabank clients sending CAD 10,000+ to the same banking family: the bank’s own international wire works, but the fee (CAD 25-45) plus FX spread (1.5-3%) usually makes Wise or Knightsbridge cheaper unless you specifically need bank-to-bank documentation for tax or legal purposes.

Cash pickup network in Guatemala

The same cash pickup infrastructure that serves the US corridor also serves Canadian senders. Major networks:

For pickup, recipient must bring:

• Original DPI (Documento Personal de Identificacion) — driver’s licence is NOT accepted
• Transaction reference number (MTCN for WU, reference code for Remitly/MG)
• Sender’s full legal name as it appears on the Canadian ID used to send

For rural recipients (San Marcos, Huehuetenango, Quiche, Alta Verapaz): Banrural is almost always the only practical option. Western Union and MoneyGram agent locations thin out outside departmental capitals.

Bank deposit option from Canada

Bank deposit is the cheapest delivery method for Canadian senders because it cuts out cash-handling fees. Wise, Remitly, RBC/BMO/TD/Scotiabank wires, and Knightsbridge all support direct deposit to Guatemalan accounts.

Banks that receive international deposits well:

Information your recipient must provide:

• Full legal name (must match DPI exactly)
• Account number (10-13 digits depending on bank)
• Bank name and SWIFT/BIC code (Wise auto-fills, manual wires need it)
• Account type (savings = monetaria/ahorros, checking = monetaria/cheques)

Typical timing: Wise CAD to Banrural: 1-2 business days. RBC/BMO wire to BI: 2-4 business days. Sunday transfers post Monday or Tuesday.

Documents required from a Canadian sender

FINTRAC sets the Canada-side documentation rules. They scale by amount:

Your SIN (Social Insurance Number) is rarely required for normal remittances — providers use ID and proof-of-address to satisfy FINTRAC. SIN is requested only for tax reporting on very large amounts, and even then most providers avoid collecting it.

Permanent residents and non-citizens in Canada: PR card, work permit, or study permit plus a secondary ID (passport, provincial photo ID) typically satisfies FINTRAC. Tourists and visitors generally cannot use Canadian-based remittance services from inside Canada — providers require Canadian residency.

FINTRAC compliance — what large transfers trigger

FINTRAC (the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada) is Canada’s anti-money-laundering regulator. For Canada to Guatemala remittances:

• CAD 10,000+ single transfer: Automatic Large Cash Transaction Report (LCTR) or Electronic Funds Transfer Report (EFTR) filed by your provider. This is not a tax. It is not an audit. It is a regulatory notification. You don’t need to do anything extra — the provider files automatically.
• Multiple transfers totaling CAD 10,000+ within 24 hours: Same aggregation rule. Sending CAD 5,000 twice on the same day counts as CAD 10,000.
• Suspicious patterns: Providers must file Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) for unusual activity regardless of amount — e.g., sudden change in frequency, recipient changes, or transfers inconsistent with declared occupation.

What FINTRAC will NOT do: Tax you. Block normal family transfers. Notify CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) for gift/family support amounts. The agency monitors aggregate patterns, not individual remittances.

For Guatemalan recipients: SIB (Superintendencia de Bancos de Guatemala) requires Guatemalan banks to report inward transfers above USD 10,000-equivalent. The receiving bank handles this — your family does not file paperwork. They will be asked to declare the source of funds when picking up large amounts; “remittance from family abroad” is the standard answer.

How long Canada to Guatemala transfers take

Speed by provider, in practice:

Guatemalan holidays that delay bank deposits (cash pickup keeps working): Jan 1, Holy Thursday/Good Friday/Holy Saturday (variable), May 1, Jun 30, Sep 15 (Independence Day), Oct 20, Nov 1, Dec 24 afternoon, Dec 25, Dec 31 afternoon.

Canadian banking caveat — Interac e-Transfer does NOT work to Guatemala

This is a confusion point for Canadian senders new to the corridor. Interac e-Transfer is a domestic Canadian rail. It moves money between:

• Canadian bank accounts (RBC, TD, BMO, Scotiabank, CIBC, National Bank, all credit unions)
• Canadian phone numbers and emails registered to those accounts

Interac e-Transfer cannot:

• Send to a Guatemalan bank account
• Send to a Guatemalan phone number
• Send to any account outside Canada
• Be used by Guatemalan banks to receive funds

If your provider says you can fund a remittance “via Interac,” that means funding the Canadian side of the transaction (you Interac e-Transfer the provider, the provider sends to Guatemala internationally). The Interac rail stops at the Canadian provider’s account.

Why Canadians confuse this: Interac is so fast and free in Canada that it feels like it should “just work” internationally. It doesn’t. International transfers always require a money services business (Wise, Remitly, WU, MG) or an international bank wire — regardless of whether you fund that provider via Interac.

Who sends from Canada — typical cohorts

Based on patterns in this corridor, Canadian senders fall into three cohorts:

1. Canadian Guatemalan diaspora — regular family sender

Profile: Toronto / Montreal / Vancouver / Calgary resident, often a permanent resident or citizen, working in trades, healthcare, services, or office work. Sends CAD 200-800 monthly to parents, siblings, or extended family in San Marcos, Huehuetenango, Quiche, Quetzaltenango, or Guatemala City.

Best fit: Wise (lowest spread on recurring amounts) or Remitly Economy (if recipient prefers cash pickup). Sets up recurring monthly transfer.

2. Canadian student or young professional — helping family back home

Profile: International student, work-permit holder, or new graduate. Smaller amounts (CAD 100-400) but with urgency. May not have Canadian credit history yet — debit-card funding preferred over bank-account ACH.

Best fit: Remitly Express (cash pickup speed, accepts debit) or Wise with debit funding (mid-market rate, slightly higher fee than ACH but immediate).

3. Canadian business owner or remote employer — paying a Guatemalan supplier or contractor

Profile: Canadian small business or remote-first company paying a Guatemalan freelancer (designer, developer, translator) or supplier (artisan goods, coffee). Amounts CAD 500-5,000 per invoice.

Best fit: Wise Business (multi-currency account, batch payments, automatic CRA-compliant transaction records) or Knightsbridge FX (if CAD 10,000+ per send). Recipient must declare the income to SAT (Guatemalan tax authority) as service income, not gift.

Methodology + sources

Exchange rate source: Banguat (Banco de Guatemala) TipoCambioRangoMoneda SOAP API at banguat.gob.gt. CAD/GTQ is computed as a cross-rate via USD because Banguat does not quote CAD directly — formula: CAD/GTQ = (USD/GTQ) / (USD/CAD). Today’s published reference rate is for business day 2026-05-15, refreshed at 2026-05-16 08:38 local time.

Provider rates: Live provider rates are sampled directly from each provider’s public quote page (no API scraping). Sampled rates carry a 1-3% spread vs Banguat reference depending on tier and funding method. Always verify the live quote in your account before sending.

Remittance volume estimates: Banguat publishes total monthly remittance inflows but not by source country. Canada share estimated using Statistics Canada (Guatemalan-born population in Canada), World Bank bilateral remittance modeled estimates, and Pew Research Hispanic Trends data on Canadian Guatemalan diaspora. Range USD 500M-1B per year is qualitative.

Cash pickup network coverage: Branch counts sourced from each bank’s public branch locator (Banrural, BI, BAM, G&T) and from WU/MG agent location pages.

FINTRAC rules: Sourced from the FINTRAC public reporting guidance at fintrac-canafe.canada.ca. Last verified May 2026.

Full site-wide methodology — see Methodology.

Related corridor pages

• Live remittance comparator (parent hub) — all corridors, live rates side by side
• USA to Guatemala corridor — the dominant corridor, US-specific provider mix and 2026 1% tax
• Mexico to Guatemala corridor — MXN/GTQ, Bitso and Mexican fintech-led
• Daily CAD to GTQ Banguat rate — historical chart and daily refresh
• Best ways to send from the USA — Wise vs Remitly deep dive for US senders
• Moving from Canada — sending money to family lifestyle guide — the lifestyle-and-pension angle if you’re a Canadian retiree managing CPP/OAS
• Embassy of Canada in Guatemala — consular contact
• Site methodology — how we source and verify