Start your transaction online:

You will need before starting:

  1. Valid DPI (national ID) of the license holder
  2. Original valid Carry License
  3. Possession Card of the firearm being added (prior DIGECAM registration)
  4. Sale contract or destruction certificate (if removing)
  5. Q190 payment receipt (Pagalo or bank)
  6. To add: Sporadic Transport License to take the weapon to DIGECAM

TL;DR: If you buy a new firearm, you must add it to your Carry License to legally carry it outside the home. If you sell, give away, or destroy a registered firearm, you must remove it from the file to release your liability. Cost Q190 per modification. Request an appointment at digecam.mil.gt, bring the physical firearm (only when adding) with a sporadic transport permit, and you will receive the updated license in 5-15 business days.

What is adding or removing a firearm from the carry license?

The Firearm Carry License issued by DIGECAM allows a citizen to carry up to three (3) firearms outside the residence. When the holder acquires a new firearm or disposes of one that was listed, the file must be formally updated. This is known as adding (including a firearm on the license) or removing (taking a firearm off).

It is a different procedure from the Possession Registration, which only legalizes ownership of the weapon at home. The Carry License grants the right to carry the firearm in public roads, vehicles, or establishments where the law permits.

The Firearms and Ammunition Law (LAM, Decree 15-2009) and its Regulations (Government Agreement 85-2011) require the holder to keep the license updated at all times. Carrying a firearm that does not appear on your license, even if you have legal possession, equals illegal carry — 8 to 10 years of non-commutable prison plus seizure under Art. 123 LAM. (Art. 122, cited in earlier versions of this page, covers army-exclusive bladed weapons and does not apply to firearms.)

Requirements

To add a firearm:

  • Valid DPI (national ID) of the holder
  • Valid Carry License (original)
  • Possession Card of the firearm to be added (prior registration required)
  • Sale contract, invoice, or notarized donation document justifying ownership
  • Sporadic Transport License (free, online) to move the weapon to DIGECAM
  • Physical firearm for ballistic verification (serial number, brand, model, caliber)
  • Q190 payment receipt (Pagalo or banking)
  • Updated criminal and police records (some delegations request fresh copies)

To remove a firearm:

  • Valid DPI of the holder
  • Valid Carry License (original)
  • Justification of the removal, depending on the case:
    • Sale or donation: Sale contract signed with DPI of the new owner
    • Destruction: Destruction certificate issued at DIGECAM
    • Theft or loss: Certificate from the Firearm Theft, Loss or Disappearance Report submitted at DIGECAM and PNC police report
    • Seizure: Seizure certificate from PNC or Public Ministry (MP)
  • Q190 payment receipt (Pagalo or banking)

In the case of removal due to theft or loss, remember that you must first report it to the PNC or the Public Ministry and file a copy with DIGECAM as soon as possible (LAM Art. 66; the law sets no deadline in hours). Without that prior report, DIGECAM does not process the removal.

Step-by-step

  1. Gather the documents as appropriate (add or remove). Verify that your Carry License is not expired or in renewal: if it expires in less than 60 days, it is better to first do the renewal.

  2. Pay the Q190 slip. Enter Pagalo (https://pagalo.gt) or your bank app. Select “DIGECAM” - “Carry License Modification”. Save the receipt with the transaction code.

  3. Request the Sporadic Transport License (only if adding). At https://digecam.mil.gt enter “Online Transactions” - “Sporadic Transport”. It is free, issued in PDF format, and authorizes transporting your firearm from your home to DIGECAM on a specific date and route.

  4. Schedule the appointment at https://digecam.mil.gt/citas. Select “Carry License Modification” and indicate whether it is to add, remove, or both. Appointments at the central office (Zone 11) have 5-10 days of waiting; departmental delegations may be faster.

  5. Attend the appointment. Bring all original documents and copies. If adding, transport the firearm without ammunition, in a closed case, with the printed Sporadic Transport License. The DIGECAM armorer will verify the serial number and take the ballistic fingerprint if applicable.

  6. Sign and submit the file. The analyst verifies the documents, stamps the modification, and creates the file for printing. You receive a certificate with a transaction number for follow-up.

  7. Pick up the updated license. When you receive notification (email or online check), return to DIGECAM with your DPI and the previous license. You will receive the new Carry License with the updated firearms. The old one is invalidated.

Cost and timing

ItemDetail
Modification costQ190 per event (add and/or remove)
Payment methodPagalo, online banking, bank branches
Procedure time5 to 15 business days
License validitySame as the original (each license is valid 1 to 3 years at the holder’s choice, Art. 72 LAM)
Maximum firearms3 firearms in one Carry License
Prior appointmentMandatory (https://digecam.mil.gt/citas)
Firearm transportFree Sporadic Transport License

Common errors

Bringing the firearm without a Sporadic Transport License

Transporting a firearm outside your residence without a current carry license that includes it, without having processed a Sporadic Transport, constitutes illegal carry. PNC may stop you at any checkpoint and prosecute you even if your intention is to go to DIGECAM. Request the Sporadic Transport online BEFORE leaving home, print it, and carry it together with the possession card and your DPI.

Removing a sold firearm without a signed sale contract

DIGECAM requires a contract signed by both parties with the DPI of buyer and seller. Without that document, the removal does not proceed and the weapon remains under your name. If the buyer does not want to sign a formal contract, do not finalize the sale: the criminal liability risk is 100% yours until the registry changes.

Forgetting to add the firearm after buying it

The Possession Card legalizes the firearm at home, but does NOT authorize carrying it. Many buyers use it on public roads thinking that possession is enough: they expose themselves to 8-10 years of non-commutable prison for illegal carry (Art. 123 LAM). If you are going to carry the firearm outside the home, you must add it to your Carry License before leaving with it.

Not removing a destroyed or seized firearm

If the firearm was destroyed (DIGECAM destruction certificate) or seized (PNC/MP certificate), you must still file the removal procedure to release your file. While it remains on your license, you continue to be the legal carrier and administrative liability remains yours. Removal in these cases does not require payment, but it does require the appointment and documentation.

Paying Q190 twice for adding AND removing

The Q190 payment covers the file modification. If you add a new firearm and remove another in the same appointment, you pay ONCE. Confirm with the analyst at the start of the appointment and have both movements registered in a single file.

The Firearms and Ammunition Law (Decree 15-2009) establishes several obligations for the legal carrier:

  • Article 72 (LAM): The Carry License is personal and covers up to three (3) firearms, each of which must be registered with DIGECAM beforehand. Any firearm carried that does not appear on the license constitutes illegal carry. Article 130 requires you to have the physical license on you: carrying without it, while the license is valid, is a falta punished with a Q1,000-1,500 fine.
  • Safe storage — recommended, not a LAM duty: the LAM has no general secure-storage article for civil firearms. Art. 65 governs collection firearms; Art. 69 covers depositing a firearm with a third party (in writing, notified to DIGECAM within 3 business days). Keeping the firearm secured, unloaded and separated from ammunition is sound practice, but no LAM sanction attaches to the storage method itself.
  • Article 48 (LAM): Sporadic transport is a legal duty — the firearm must travel unloaded, in its case or properly packed, with ammunition boxed separately. The transport license is free and valid for a maximum of 15 days.
  • Article 66 (LAM): Theft, robbery, or loss of a firearm must be reported to the PNC or the Public Ministry, filing a copy with DIGECAM as soon as possible (the law sets no deadline in hours).
  • Manner of carrying (Articles 82(i) and 131 LAM): the firearm must be carried concealed and without ostentation; open or intimidating carry is a falta punished with a Q1,000-1,500 fine plus six months’ license suspension. The LAM contains no prohibited-locations article — Art. 95, cited in earlier versions of this page, governs the authorization of shooting instructors. Venues such as schools, banks, hospitals, courts, bars and government buildings commonly bar firearms under their own rules and property rights; check the specific place.
  • Article 123 (LAM): Carrying a civil or sporting firearm without a DIGECAM license — including one that is not listed on your license — is punishable by 8 to 10 years of non-commutable prison plus seizure. Where the license is merely expired by 30 days or less, the lighter Art. 132 falta applies instead: a fine of Q1,500-3,000.

Penalties

InfractionSanctionLegal basis
Carrying firearm not included on licensePrison 8-10 years, non-commutable + seizureLAM Art. 123
Failing to update license after acquiring firearm (carrying it)Prison 8-10 years, non-commutableLAM Art. 123
Altering or erasing the serial numberPrison 10-12 years, non-commutableLAM Art. 129
Modifying the firearm’s mechanism so it operates differently from its designPrison 6-8 years, non-commutableLAM Art. 134
Selling firearm without removing from registryThe LAM sets no specific fine; you remain the registered holder and carry the resulting liabilityLAM Art. 63, 66
Transporting firearm without a sporadic transport licensePrison 8-10 years, non-commutable + seizureLAM Art. 118
False statement on sale contractPrison 1-3 yearsPenal Code, ideological forgery