How much does a notary charge in Guatemala? It depends on the type of document, the value of the transaction (for acts with economic value), and whether the notary follows the official tariff in the Código de Notariado (Decreto 314) or charges what they consider reasonable within market range. In practice, almost all charge above the official tariff — which has not been meaningfully updated in decades.
This guide gives you two things: the official notary fees per the Código de Notariado, and the 2026 market fees, estimated from informal quotes from practicing notaries in Guatemala City, Antigua, and the interior (editorial estimate; see Sources).
Quick summary: A simple power of attorney costs Q300-800. A real estate deed costs 1-3% of the property value. Absent an agreement, a testament is charged under the tariff (Art. 109, item 5) plus a Q25 notarial stamp; we have no market range for testaments.
Official Fees vs. Market Fees
The Código de Notariado (Decreto 314) carries a fee tariff in its Título XV, but Art. 106 makes it suppletory: fees are freely agreed between notary and client, with no legal floor, and the tariff applies only absent an agreement. In practice:
- The official tariff is outdated, but not as outdated as commonly claimed — Título XV of the Código de Notariado was reformed by Decreto 131-96 (1996): it sets, for example, Q100–Q1,000 for consultations (Art. 109.15), Q200–Q5,000 for deeds of indeterminate value (Art. 109.1) and Q100–Q2,000 for notarial acts (Art. 109.7). Those are 1996 amounts, below today’s market — but the “Q5-50, from the 1970s” figures circulating online come from the PRE-1996 text, which is no longer in force
- Notaries charge “reasonable fees” within market range, justified by the principle of contract freedom
- The Colegio de Abogados y Notarios (CANG) publishes no notarial tariff or fee schedule on its public site (re-checked September 2026 — cang.org.gt and its Normativa Legal section carry no arancel) — the applicable tariff is the Código de Notariado’s own
- Fees can be negotiable — especially for repeat clients or packages of multiple acts
The statutory tariff in full (Titulo XV, as reformed by Decreto 131-96)
Most articles about “official notary fees” quote only the flat amounts, which is what makes the tariff look obsolete. The part that is not obsolete is the percentage scale for deeds of determined value:
| Act | Statutory fee (Codigo de Notariado, Decreto 131-96 text) |
|---|---|
| Deed of indeterminate value (Art. 109.1) | Q200-Q5,000 according to importance |
| Deed of determined value (Art. 109.2), up to Q5,000 | Q300 base + 10% of contract value |
| …Q5,000.01 - Q25,000 | Q400 base + 8% |
| …Q25,000.01 - Q50,000 | Q450 base + 6% |
| …Q50,000.01 - Q100,000 | Q500 base + 4% |
| …Q100,000.01 - Q1,000,000 | Q500 base + 3% |
| …over Q1,000,000 | Q500 base + 2% |
| Cancelled deed (Art. 109.3) | half of what the authorised deed would have cost |
| Testimonio (Art. 109.6) | Q50 from the current year’s protocol, Q75 from earlier years |
| Notarial act (Art. 109.7) | Q100-Q2,000 |
| Inventory (Art. 109.9) | Q100 base + 10% down to 2%, on the same value brackets |
| Autentica (Art. 109.10) | Q50-Q200 |
| Registry book search (Art. 109.11) | Q50 first book, Q25 each additional |
| Verifying a transfer at a registry or tax office (Art. 109.12) | Q50 per verification |
| Partition project (Art. 109.14) | Q300 base + 6% up to Q20,000, + 3% on the excess |
| Consultation (Art. 109.15) | Q100-Q1,000 |
| Per written sheet (Art. 109.16) | Q5 per sheet or fraction |
| Work outside the office, inside the same town (Art. 108) | + Q50 per hour |
| Work outside the town (Art. 108) | + Q6 per kilometre or fraction, counted round trip |
Why this matters: on a Q1,000,000 property the statutory scale produces Q500 + 3% = Q30,500, and above Q1,000,000 it produces Q500 + 2%. The arancel is far below market shorthand is only true of the flat-amount lines (consultations, actas, autenticas). On a large compraventa the tariff is the notary’s floor argument, not the client’s.
Most Common Notarial Documents and Their Costs
Power of Attorney (Poder)
| Type | 2026 Market Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General broad power | Q800-2,500 | More expensive because it grants wide authority |
| Special power (single act) | Q300-800 | For example, power to sell a specific property |
| Power with complex clauses | Q1,500-4,000 | Includes detailed instructions, limits, revocation |
| Revocation of power | Q300-700 | Simple act |
| Substitution of power | Q500-1,200 | Transferring an existing power |
Additional cost if granted abroad (via Guatemalan consulate): the consular fee ranges from $25-$75 USD and is paid directly to the consulate, separate from the fees of the Guatemalan notary who receives the power for use.
Real Estate Deed of Sale (Escritura de Compraventa)
This is the most expensive notarial operation in absolute terms. The notary fees are separate from the Impuesto Único Sobre Inmuebles (IUSI), the timbre forense, and other transfer costs.
| Property Value | Notary Fees (range) | % of Value |
|---|---|---|
| Up to Q200,000 | Q3,000-6,000 | 1.5-3.0% |
| Q200,000 - Q500,000 | Q5,000-12,000 | 1.0-2.4% |
| Q500,000 - Q1,000,000 | Q10,000-20,000 | 1.0-2.0% |
| Q1,000,000 - Q3,000,000 | Q15,000-45,000 | 1.0-1.5% |
| Over Q3,000,000 | By agreement (Art. 106); no published range |
Compare against the statutory scale before you accept a quote. For a Q600,000 property the tariff (Art. 109.2 e) gives Q500 + 3% = Q18,500, which is inside the Q10,000-20,000 market range above. For a Q3,000,000 property it gives Q500 + 2% = Q60,500. Above roughly Q1,000,000 the arancel stops being the cheap option, which is exactly why fees at that level are settled by agreement under Art. 106 rather than by the tariff.
Additional costs in a real estate sale (NOT notary fees):
- Stamp tax (Impuesto de Timbres Fiscales) — 3% of the value on the second and later sales of a property (Decreto 37-92, Arts. 2(9) and 4). This is not IUSI (IUSI is the annual property tax). The first sale of a property pays IVA instead (SAT lists it among the contracts taxed under the IVA law).
- Protocol stamped paper (papel sellado especial para protocolos) — Q10 per sheet (Decreto 37-92, Art. 6)
- Registration at General Property Registry — Q200-2,000
- Registry certificate — Q50-200
- Registry management fees — optional; we have no published figure
Testament (Testamento)
The tariff has no separate amount for a testament: Art. 109, item 5, says the notary charges for authorising a testament or a gift in contemplation of death under items 1 and 2 of the article (a deed of undetermined value: Q200-Q5,000 depending on its importance; of determined value: the scale in the table above). Like the whole tariff, it applies only absent an agreement (Art. 106). On top: a Q25 notarial stamp per testament (Decreto 82-96, art. 3) and, for a closed testament, a Q200 tax stamp on the cover (Decreto 37-92, art. 5).
We give no market range for testaments: we have no published quote behind one. Among the forms in art. 954, the Civil Code lists the open testament (a public deed) and the closed one as the common forms; it does not include a handwritten (holographic) testament made without a notary. Forms, witnesses and requirements, in Spanish: cómo hacer un testamento en Guatemala.
Correction (25 September 2026): this section gave market ranges for open (Q800-2,500) and closed (Q1,200-3,500) testaments and for the validation of a holographic testament (Q600-1,500). The forms listed in Civil Code art. 954 do not include a holographic testament, and the ranges had no source; they were removed.
Notarial Act (Acta Notarial)
A notarial act documents facts that the notary witnesses or receives sworn statements about.
| Type | Market Range |
|---|---|
| Sworn statement (declaración jurada) | Q300-800 |
| Proof of life act (for pensions) | Q300-600 |
| Notification act | Q400-1,000 |
| Inventory of goods act | Q500-1,500 |
| Corporate meeting act | Q800-2,000 |
Signature Authentication
| Service | Range |
|---|---|
| Simple signature authentication | Q50-200 per signature |
| Authentication with consular legalization | Q150-400 |
| Multiple signature authentication (single document) | Q150-400 total |
Document Legalization
| Service | Range |
|---|---|
| Legalization of notarial signature | Q100-300 |
| Legalization for foreign use (pre-apostille) | Q150-400 |
| Apostille at Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Q75-150 (official fee) |
Other Frequent Acts
| Act | Market Range |
|---|---|
| Sociedad Anónima incorporation deed | Q2,000-5,000 (plus capital and stamps) |
| SRL incorporation deed | Q1,500-3,500 |
| Note: Sociedad de Emprendimiento (Decreto 20-2018) | DOES NOT require a notary — see our guide |
| Corporate deed modification | Q1,500-4,000 |
| Company dissolution | Q2,000-5,000 |
| Matrimonial property separation | Q1,500-4,000 |
| Prenuptial agreements (capitulaciones) | Q1,000-3,000 |
| Adoption (notarial phase) | Q2,500-8,000 |
How to Compare Notaries
- Ask for a written quote. A serious notary will send you a breakdown of fees before you sign anything.
- Quote with 2-3 notaries for significant acts (real estate, incorporations, testaments).
- Ask whether additional costs (stamps, registries, IUSI) are included or separate. Ask for the quote to list them separately.
- Ask for references for large operations. A notary with 15+ years of experience in real estate justifies a premium price.
- Confirm the notary is active in the Colegio de Abogados y Notarios. Any lawyer can technically call themselves a notary, but only those active in the college can practice.
Notary Price Differences by City
We have no source comparing what notaries charge in Guatemala City with the interior, so we give no percentage.
You can hire a notary in the interior for acts that do not require physical presence in the capital. A real estate deed must be registered where the property is located, but the notary can be from any Guatemalan municipality.
When Paying More Is Worth It
For high-value or complex transactions:
- Real estate purchases over Q1,000,000 — worth paying for a notary with specific real estate experience. A 1% fee difference can cost you Q20,000+, but an error in the deed can cost much more.
- Multi-partner company incorporations — a notary with corporate experience prevents future governance problems.
- Adoptions — family matters where errors have severe emotional and legal consequences.
Sources
- Código de Notariado, Decreto 314 — Título XV (Arancel), text as reformed by Decreto 131-96 (in force since 21 December 1996). Statutory text read at two independent hosts on 1 September 2026 and found verbatim-identical: Instituto Guatemalteco de Derecho Notarial (institutonotarial.org.gt) and the annotated consolidated text at
bergerpemueller.com(which records the reform provenance article by article) - Colegio de Abogados y Notarios de Guatemala (CANG) — cang.org.gt (which redirects to cang.gt), full public site checked 1 September 2026: no arancel or tariff of notarial fees is published
- Organismo Judicial (OJ) — Archivo General de Protocolos. The Archivo’s own section refused automated access on 2026-09-01 (bot wall), so only the OJ portal root is linked here
- Editorial estimate — no published source. Quote-gathering from practising notaries in Guatemala City, Antigua, Quetzaltenango, Cobán and Huehuetenango in April 2026. No notary list or sample size was kept. The market ranges on this page are therefore an estimate with no issuer to confirm them; the statutory arancel figures above do have one.
Related Guides
- Service Prices Hub — All services with price ranges
- Business Formation — Incorporation of companies
- Sociedad de Emprendimiento (no notary required) — The alternative without notary fees
- Foreigner’s Guide to Business Formation — Powers of attorney from abroad
- Apostille from USA — For documents from foreigners
- Spanish version: Honorarios Notario — Full Spanish-language page
Statutory arancel figures re-verified against the Código de Notariado on 1 September 2026 and unchanged. Market ranges are from informal April 2026 quotes from practising notaries and are estimates, not tariffs. Notary fees change with inflation and local practice — always confirm with the specific notary before signing.
