How much does a notary charge in Guatemala? The only published figures with legal force are the tariff in the Código de Notariado (Título XV, as reformed by Decreto 131-96). That tariff is supletorio: Article 106 says notary and client are free to agree on fees, and the tariff applies absent an agreement. We found no published market price list: none of the 47 addresses in the bar association’s (CANG) sitemap refers to a fee schedule, and we found none elsewhere. This guide gives you the tariff article by article, re-read at its source on 8 October 2026, plus the stamps and taxes charged on top.

Quick summary: Absent an agreement, the tariff sets: notarial act Q100-Q2,000, deed of undetermined value Q200-Q5,000, signature authentication Q50-Q200, consultation Q100-Q1,000, certified copy (testimonio) Q50-Q75, and for sale deeds a base plus a percentage (for example Q500 + 3% between Q100,000.01 and Q1,000,000). Plus Q5 per written page. With an agreement, the agreed fee applies. Stamps and taxes are extra.

Correction (8 October 2026): this page gave market ranges for powers of attorney (Q300-4,000), sale deeds by value band, notarial acts, authentications, legalizations, apostilles, company formation and other acts, plus a consular fee (US$25-75) and Registry filing and certificate costs. None of those figures had a published source and they have been withdrawn. See our corrections policy.

The statutory tariff (Título XV, as reformed by Decreto 131-96)

ActTariff fee
Deed of undetermined value (Art. 109.1)Q200-Q5,000 depending on its importance
Deed of determined value (Art. 109.2), up to Q5,000Q300 base + 10% of the contract value
…Q5,000.01 - Q25,000Q400 base + 8%
…Q25,000.01 - Q50,000Q450 base + 6%
…Q50,000.01 - Q100,000Q500 base + 4%
…Q100,000.01 - Q1,000,000Q500 base + 3%
…over Q1,000,000Q500 base + 2%
Cancelled deed (Art. 109.3)half of what would have applied
Testament or gift in contemplation of death (Art. 109.5)under items 1 and 2 (undetermined or determined value)
Certified copy, testimonio (Art. 109.6)Q50 from the same year’s protocol, Q75 from earlier years
Notarial act, acta notarial (Art. 109.7)Q100-Q2,000 depending on its importance
Inventories (Art. 109.9)Q100 base + 10% down to 2% of the assets, on the same value bands
Signature authentication, auténtica (Art. 109.10)Q50-Q200 depending on its importance
Examining books in a public registry (Art. 109.11)Q50 for the first, Q25 for each one after
Verifying transfer operations (Art. 109.12)Q50 per verification
Private document or draft (Art. 109.13)half of what items 1 and 2 would give
Partition project (Art. 109.14)Q300 base + 6% up to Q20,000, + 3% on the excess
Consultation (Art. 109.15)Q100-Q1,000
Written pages (Art. 109.16)Q5 per page or fraction
Service outside the office, within the town (Art. 108)+ Q50 per hour of work
Service outside the town (Art. 108)+ Q6 per kilometre or fraction, round trip

Source: Código de Notariado (Decreto 314), Título XV, Arts. 106-109, CENADOJ consolidated text (Organismo Judicial), read on 8 October 2026.

Under the same Art. 109.16, taxes, tax stamps and registry fees are paid by the client.

Example (our arithmetic): for a Q1,000,000 property the scale gives Q500 + 3% = Q30,500; for a Q600,000 one, Q500 + 3% = Q18,500; for a Q3,000,000 one, Q500 + 2% = Q60,500. With an agreement, the fee is whatever is agreed (Art. 106).

Status of the text: the CENADOJ copy is updated to 30 April 2014. Its only unconstitutionality note is in Article 100 (fines on notaries), not in the tariff.

The lawyers’ tariff is a different law

The table above is the notarial tariff. Anyone searching for the lawyers’ and notaries’ tariff of Guatemala is looking for two different instruments: a lawyer’s fees are set by Decreto 111-96 del Congreso, whose Article 1 sets a statutory minimum: in no case may the agreed fee be lower than that law. Article 106 of the Código de Notariado does not: it is supletorio, applies absent an agreement and sets no floor. Same professional, two regimes. The lawyers’ tariff, article by article, is in our lawyer costs guide.

What Is Charged on Top of the Fee

Real estate deed of sale

The notary’s fees are separate from:

  • Tax stamp duty (Impuesto de Timbres Fiscales): 3% of the value on the second and later sales of a property (Decreto 37-92, Arts. 2 item 9 and 4). It is not IUSI: IUSI is the annual property tax. The first sale of a property pays IVA instead of stamp duty (SAT lists it among the contracts taxed under the IVA law).
  • Special protocol paper (papel sellado): Q10 per sheet (Decreto 37-92, Art. 6).
  • Registry filing and certificates (Registro General de la Propiedad): they have their own fee schedule; see property registration at the RGP and property certificate.

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 and sworn statement

The statutory fee is Q100 to Q2,000 per notarial act (Código de Notariado, Art. 109, item 7), plus Q5 per written page (item 16) and a Q0.50 tax stamp per page (Decreto 37-92, Art. 5, item 6).

Powers of attorney, authentications, apostilles and companies

  • Power of attorney: the tariff has no line of its own for it. Ask the notary for the price in writing and which tariff line applies. Granting one from the US: notarial power of attorney from the USA.
  • Signature authentication: Q50-Q200 depending on its importance (Art. 109.10).
  • Apostille: a Foreign Ministry procedure, separate from the notary; see MINEX apostille.
  • Sociedad de Emprendimiento (Decreto 20-2018): does not require a notary; see our guide.

What a Notary Earns

There is no published figure: Computrabajo Guatemala shows no salaries for the notary job title (it says there is not enough data; page updated 7 October 2026). The lawyer job title does have data; it is in our lawyer costs guide.

How to Compare Notaries

  1. Get the quote in writing before signing, with the fee separate from stamps, taxes and registry costs.
  2. Ask which tariff line the notary uses as a reference and whether the price is by agreement.
  3. Get two or three quotes for acts of value (sales, companies, testaments).
  4. Confirm the notary is active with the Colegio de Abogados y Notarios.

Notary Price Differences by City

We have no source comparing what notaries charge in Guatemala City with the rest of the country, so we give no percentage. The Código de Notariado tariff is the same nationwide.

Sources

Tariff re-read in the CENADOJ text on 8 October 2026. Fees are agreed with each notary; the tariff applies absent an agreement. Always confirm the price in writing before signing.