Official portal: conap.gob.gt/licencias
Headquarters: 5a Avenida 6-06, Zona 1, Guatemala City
Phone: 2422-6700 | Cost: Q100 national / Q250 foreign non-resident to register + first licence, plus derecho de cacería Q400-Q1,800 | Time: no plazo published by CONAP
The sport hunting permit from the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP) is the legal authorization that lets Guatemalan and foreign hunters practice recreational hunting of authorized species inside set seasons and approved zones. Without it, the statute we retrieved is explicit: Decreto 4-89 Art. 81 bis punishes cutting or collecting live or dead specimens, parts or derivatives of wild flora and fauna without a licence from the competent authority with “prisión de cinco a diez años y multa de diez mil a veinte mil quetzales”. We publish no firearm-seizure penalty — the firearms law (Decreto 15-2009 / DIGECAM) was not retrieved for this page, and Decreto 4-89 does not set one.
Quick summary: CONAP hunter registry (Trámite 11A) plus an annual licence. Cost: a first inscription including the licence is Q100 national / Q250 foreign non-resident, renewal is Q50 national / Q100 foreign non-resident, and on top of either you pay a derecho de cacería of Q400–Q1,800 depending on nationality, residency and taxonomic group — see the fee table below. Requires DPI/passport, criminal record, hunting plan, a valid DIGECAM licence if using a firearm, and for a foreigner a CONAP-registered Guía Local. Validity: 1 year.
Sanctions, species framing and fees verified 2026-08-14 against the instruments we actually read: the CONAP-published consolidated text of the Ley de Áreas Protegidas (Decreto 4-89) and its Reglamento (A.G. 759-90); CONAP’s Trámite 11A page; and the CONAP Libro Tarifario. CONAP’s annual hunting resolution and the CITES appendices were not retrieved, so this page carries no species list, no season calendar, no quota and no appendix assignment. CONAP publishes no resolution time for Trámite 11A, so this page prints none either.
What is the CONAP Sport Hunting Permit
It is the license CONAP issues under the Protected Areas Law so individuals can hunt for sport — non-commercial purposes — within Guatemalan territory. Three modalities exist:
- National sport: for Guatemalan amateur hunters, standard quotas
- Tourist sport: for visiting foreigners, higher fee
- Subsistence: for rural communities, reduced quotas
Each modality has different fees, quotas and requirements. This article covers the sport modality (national and tourist).
Which species, seasons and quotas — what we publish, and what we do not
We do not publish a species list, a season calendar or a per-hunter quota on this page. Those come from CONAP’s annual hunting resolution, and that resolution was not retrieved for this page. Earlier versions of this page carried a season table, a prohibited-species list, a count of how many Guatemalan species sit in CITES Appendix I, and species-level appendix assignments — with no published source behind any of them, so they are removed rather than replaced with a better-sounding list.
What the retrieved statute does establish:
| Provision | What it says |
|---|---|
| Decreto 4-89, Art. 24 | CONAP “elaborará anualmente los listados de especies de fauna y flora silvestre de Guatemala, amenazadas de extinción, así como de las endémicas y de aquellas especies que no teniendo el estatus indicado antes, requieran autorización para su aprovechamiento y comercialización” |
| Decreto 4-89, Art. 27 | Prohibits “la recolección, captura, caza, pesca, transporte, intercambio, comercio y exportación de las especies de fauna y flora en peligro de extinción, de acuerdo a los listados del CONAP”, save for scientifically proven survival, rescue or safeguarding reasons |
| Decreto 4-89, Art. 49 | Export of hunted wild animals not on the threatened lists but on the protected lists may be done under annual or monthly quotas, on the requirements CONAP sets by regulation |
Where the season actually gets published. The Reglamento (A.G. 759-90) Art. 54 tells you where to look instead of guessing: CONAP must issue an annual acuerdo setting “los períodos, lugares geográficos, artes, armas y demás requisitos para efectuar la caza y la pesca deportiva”, and that acuerdo “deberá ser publicado con treinta (30) días de anticipación a la fecha inicial de su vigencia en el Diario Oficial y otro particular de los de mayor circulación”. Art. 57 has the Secretaría Ejecutiva build the calendario cinegético with closed seasons and quotas and take it to Congress for approval, and Art. 58 is flat: “No se otorgará autorizaciones de caza en el tiempo de veda.” So the season is a published instrument with a thirty-day lead time — watch the Diario Oficial, and ask the CONAP regional office covering your hunting zone for the acuerdo in force. Get the species named in writing on your permit.
So the question “can I hunt this animal?” is answered by the CONAP list in force this year, not by a list on a website.
On the penalty, we quote only the instrument we retrieved. The Ley de Áreas Protegidas (Decreto 4-89) punishes, in Art. 81 bis, cutting or collecting live or dead specimens, parts or derivatives of wild flora and fauna without a licence from the competent authority with “prisión de cinco a diez años y multa de diez mil a veinte mil quetzales”, and Art. 82 sets the same penalty for illegally transporting, exchanging, commercialising or exporting threatened, endemic or CONAP-listed species. No Penal Code figure is published here — that instrument has not been retrieved for this page.
Requirements for the Sport Hunting Permit
For Guatemalan Hunters (National Modality)
- Formal application addressed to the CONAP Regional Director
- Valid DPI (copy and original)
- Criminal record valid (less than 6 months old) — get criminal record
- Police record valid
- Simple hunting plan stating species, zones and desired season
- Valid DIGECAM license if hunting with a firearm — first firearm license
- Payment receipt of CONAP fee (Banrural deposit)
- Two ID-size photos
- NIT (Tax ID Number) — get NIT
- Medical certificate (over 60 years old)
For Foreign Hunters (Tourist Modality)
- Valid passport with visa or valid tourist entry
- A CONAP-registered Guía Local, named on the form. CONAP’s own note cites Art. 9 of the Ley General de Caza (Decreto 36-04): a foreign applicant for a sport hunting licence must state “el nombre y número de registro ante el CONAP del cazador local acompañante, quien deberá encontrarse debidamente inscrito como Guía Local”. Art. 43 of the Reglamento (A.G. 84-2007) repeats the requirement for any sport hunting inside a protected area
- Lodging proof and return tickets
- Temporary firearm import permit from DIGECAM (if bringing own gun) — individual firearm import license
- Liability insurance certificate
- Payment receipt of the foreign sport license (Q100)
- Hunter aptitude proof or hunter certification from country of origin (recommended)
Step-by-Step Process
Step 1 — Verify season and species
Ask CONAP for the annual hunting season resolution in force (we did not retrieve a publication calendar for it, so we do not print a month). The resolution defines which species can be hunted, in which months, in which zones, and with what quotas. Without an active resolution for your species, the application cannot proceed.
Step 2 — Pay the fee at Banrural
Make the deposit in the CONAP institutional account at Banrural, under “Código de CONAP: AXT 249, Empresa 706, Transacción 1”, then the specific BANRURAL code for each line. You pay more than one line, and the amount depends on nationality, residency and the taxonomic group you intend to hunt — not on the modality alone. See the full fee table below.
Keep every original receipt: CONAP’s requirement list asks for a separate comprobante de pago for the registry inscription, the licence, the derecho de cacería and the tag booklet.
Step 3 — Gather requirements and assemble file
Collect DPI/passport, records, hunting plan, photos, payment receipt, and DIGECAM license (if applicable). Foreigners: passport, invitation letter, and temporary firearm permit.
Step 4 — File application at CONAP regional office
Visit the regional office covering the area where you plan to hunt:
- Headquarters: 5a Avenida 6-06 zona 1, Guatemala City
- Peten: Flores office
- Izabal: Puerto Barrios
- Las Verapaces: Coban
- Costa Sur: Escuintla
- Western: Quetzaltenango
You receive a file number and intake receipt.
Step 5 — Firearm inspection (if applicable)
If hunting with a firearm, CONAP coordinates with DIGECAM for an inspection to verify caliber and condition. Some calibers are prohibited for certain species.
Step 6 — CONAP resolution
CONAP analyzes the file, verifies records and quota availability. CONAP publishes no resolution time for this trámite (checked 2026-08-14), so we print none. If everything is correct, an approval resolution is issued.
Step 7 — Pick up permit and tag booklet
Collect personally with DPI/passport. You receive:
- Physical license valid for 1 year
- Game-Control Tag booklet (fill one tag per harvested piece)
- Sealed ID with photo and signature
Cost — CONAP’s published tariff, in full
Every figure below is a row in CONAP’s own Trámite 11A tariff table (and in the Libro Tarifario), retrieved 2026-08-14. A hunter pays one line from each of the three blocks, not one line in total.
Block 1 — registry inscription (includes the first licence) or renewal
| Item | Amount | BANRURAL |
|---|---|---|
| Inscribe a national sport hunter + licence | Q100.00 | 342 |
| Inscribe a national subsistence hunter + licence | Q50.00 | 343 |
| Inscribe a resident foreign sport hunter + licence | Q200.00 | 25253 |
| Inscribe a non-resident foreign sport hunter + licence | Q250.00 | 344 |
| Renew a national sport licence (one year) | Q50.00 | 3421 |
| Issue/replace a resident foreign sport licence (one year) | Q50.00 | 3411 |
| Issue/replace a non-resident foreign sport licence (one year) | Q100.00 | 3441 |
| Issue/replace a national subsistence licence (one year) | Q25.00 | 3431 |
Block 2 — derecho de cacería, by nationality, residency and taxonomic group (all under BANRURAL code 2591)
| Hunter | Birds | Mammals | Reptiles | Birds + mammals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foreigner, non-resident | Q1,200.00 | Q1,200.00 | Q1,200.00 | Q1,800.00 |
| Foreigner, resident | Q800.00 | Q800.00 | Q800.00 | Q1,600.00 |
| Guatemalan, non-resident | Q450.00 | Q450.00 | Q450.00 | Q900.00 |
| Guatemalan, resident | Q400.00 | Q400.00 | Q400.00 | Q800.00 |
Block 3 — game-control tag booklet
| Item | Amount | BANRURAL |
|---|---|---|
| National sport | Q100.00 | 3442 |
| Resident foreigner, sport | Q250.00 | 3443 |
| Non-resident foreigner, sport | Q250.00 | 3444 |
| National subsistence | Q15.00 | 3412 |
Worked totals. A resident Guatemalan registering for the first time to hunt birds: Q100 + Q400 + Q100 = Q600.00. A non-resident US hunter after birds and mammals: Q250 + Q1,800 + Q250 = Q2,300.00. Optional gestor fees (Q500–Q1,500) are a market price, not a CONAP tariff, and we have no published source for them.
On time: CONAP publishes no plazo for Trámite 11A (checked 2026-08-14). Ask the regional office handling your file.
Common Mistakes That Stop the Process
- Applying outside season: CONAP rejects applications for species whose season is closed or not yet open. Verify the annual resolution BEFORE starting.
- Forgetting the DIGECAM license: without a valid firearm license, the firearm-hunting permit is not approved even if the CONAP file is complete.
- Vague hunting plan: “I will hunt in Peten” is not enough. Must specify municipality, ranch or area, species, and approximate month.
- Expired records: criminal and police records must be less than 6 months old at filing time. Renew if close to expiring.
Diaspora and US Visitors: Tourist Hunting in Guatemala
Guatemala welcomes sport hunters from the USA, Mexico and Europe each season. The tourist modality lets foreigners hunt legally with an adapted process:
Recommended Process for US Hunter
- Book a SIGAP-permitted tour operator (CONAP list) — facilitates invitation letter, transport and local guide
- Import firearm temporarily: DIGECAM issues a temporary import permit valid up to 90 days. Mandatory at the airport on arrival — see individual firearm import license
- Apply for CONAP tourist permit with operator support
- Hunt within authorized zone and season
- To take trophies back to USA: request a CITES export certificate at CONAP — the fee, bank code and requirement list for that document are on our CONAP CITES export permit (Trámite 19) page.
Documents to Have Before Traveling
- Valid passport (6+ months)
- Invitation letter from operator or local hunter
- International liability insurance proof
- US state hunter certification (NRA, hunter education) — speeds the process
- MINEX apostille if you need to apostille US documents
Typical Cost for US Hunter Visiting 1 Week
| Item | Quetzales (CONAP published) | USD approx. |
|---|---|---|
| CONAP registry inscription + first licence, non-resident foreigner | Q250.00 | ~$33 |
| Derecho de cacería, non-resident foreigner (birds or mammals Q1,200 · both Q1,800) | Q1,200-Q1,800 | ~$156-$234 |
| Game-control tag booklet, non-resident foreigner | Q250.00 | ~$33 |
| CONAP subtotal | Q1,700-Q2,300 | ~$220-$300 |
| DIGECAM temporary firearm permit | — | $50-$100 |
| Tour operator (5 days all-inclusive) | — | $2,500-$5,000 |
| CITES certificate (if trophy) | Q125.00 per permit — published CONAP fee | ~$16 |
| Estimated total | ~$2,800-$5,400 |
USD figures are arithmetic on the quetzal amounts at roughly Q7.7 per US$; check the rate on the day you pay. The quetzal column is CONAP’s published tariff, retrieved 2026-08-14. Earlier versions of this table showed only “Q100 ≈ $13” for the CONAP side — that was the renewal licence line alone and left out the derecho de cacería, which is most of what a visiting hunter actually pays.
Penalties for Hunting Without a Permit
Quoted from the consolidated Decreto 4-89 y su Reglamento (A.G. 759-90) as published by CONAP, with that edition’s reform annotations (retrieved 2026-08-13).
| Provision | Conduct | Published sanction |
|---|---|---|
| Art. 81 bis (added by Art. 25 of Decreto 110-96) | Cutting or collecting live or dead specimens, parts or derivatives of wild flora and fauna without a licence from the competent authority — and, expressly, a permit holder who “se extralimitaren o abusaren de los límites permitidos en la misma” (which is where exceeding an authorised quota lands) | “prisión de cinco a diez años y multa de diez mil a veinte mil quetzales” |
| Art. 82 (reformed by Art. 26 of Decreto 110-96) | Illegally transporting, exchanging, commercialising or exporting specimens, parts or derivatives of threatened, endemic or CONAP-listed flora and fauna — the trophy-export case | “prisión de cinco a diez años y multa de diez mil a veinte mil quetzales” |
| Art. 81 (reformed by Art. 24 of Decreto 110-96) | Opposing an inspection by duly authorised CONAP staff | “multa de quinientos a tres mil quetzales” |
| Art. 81 | Refusing to return an expired CONAP licence without justifying the retention | “multa de cien a mil quetzales” |
| Art. 83 | Any of the above committed by an authorised company | double the fine the first time; closure on repeat |
No figure is published here for hunting out of season, for a per-piece quota excess, or for carrying a firearm without a DIGECAM licence. Those numbers appeared on earlier versions of this page with no source behind them; the Decreto 4-89 text above does not set them, and the Código Penal and the firearms law have not been retrieved for this page. We remove them rather than replace them.
Related Procedures
- CONAP — Procedures hub — all CONAP services
- Hunting License Renewal CONAP — renew your annual license
- Replace Lost Hunting License — if you lost it
- DIGECAM — Temporary Firearm Import — for foreign hunters
- DIGECAM — First Firearm Carry License — for Guatemalan hunters
- Criminal Record (PNC) — mandatory requirement
- Get Guatemala NIT — CONAP requirement
- MINEX — Apostille — for foreign hunters’’ documents
Official Links
- CONAP — Official site
- CONAP — Licenses portal
- Government services catalog
- Protected Areas Law (Decreto 4-89)
- CITES — International convention
- DIGECAM — Firearm procedures
Sport hunting in Guatemala runs on strict annual quotas. Before heading to the field, verify the current CONAP resolution, keep your DIGECAM license active, and always submit your control tags. The line between legal hunting and environmental crime is paperwork in order.