Official DIGECAM procedure: requirements at digecam.mil.gt/tramites-requisitos and rates at digecam.mil.gt/costo-tramites. DIGECAM headquarters: 12 Avenida 31-09, Zona 5, Guatemala City · PBX +502 2299-9797 · Monday to Friday 07:00-15:00.

Quick checklist before starting:

  • DIGECAM import licence application form
  • Sworn declaration before a notary with your details and the details of each firearm (make, caliber, conversions, serial number, model, barrel length, country of origin)
  • Legalized DPI copy and certification of no criminal and police records
  • Work certification or proof of income
  • Catalogue showing the characteristics of the firearms
  • Pro-forma invoice (with a sworn translation if it is in another language)
  • Receipt for the import licence and the end-user certificate

TL;DR: DIGECAM’s individual import licence lets a person bring firearms and/or ammunition into Guatemala. DIGECAM’s requirements sheet lists 8 items; the tariff lists Q10 per firearm, Q5 per thousand rounds and Q50 for the end-user certificate. The licence lasts one year (extendable up to six months), covers only the firearms it specifies and must be shown in original at customs. Importing without it is a crime under LAM Art. 99. From the US, the personal-baggage exception does not cover a permanent export.

As of 7 November 2026, based on DIGECAM’s requirements sheet and tariff, Decree 15-2009 and Government Agreement 85-2011 as published by DIGECAM, Decree 27-92, and 15 CFR 740.14 and 758.11.

What is the Individual Import License?

It is the licence the General Directorate of Arms and Ammunition Control (DIGECAM) issues so that a person can import firearms and their ammunition (LAM Art. 34; Regulation Art. 9). DIGECAM’s requirements sheet calls it Licencia de Importación de Armas de Fuego y/o Munición por Persona Individual.

Under Regulation Art. 9, the licence must be presented in original when the firearms and ammunition enter customs, is valid only for the firearms and ammunition it specifies, and is cancelled by DIGECAM after the import. It lasts one year and can be extended by up to six months at the applicant’s request. DIGECAM also issues an end-user certificate at the importer’s cost.

Bringing any firearm into Guatemala without a licence or authorization, or without declaring it at customs, is the crime of illegal import of arms under LAM Art. 99: 5 to 8 years of non-commutable prison plus seizure; 8 to 12 years if there are more than two firearms or they are war-class or reserved to the Army.

This licence is separate from the dealer (compraventa) licence held by gun shops.

Requirements (DIGECAM sheet)

  1. Application form for the firearm import licence.
  2. Sworn declaration before a notary with: names, surnames, age, marital status, nationality, profession or activity, DPI with date and place of issue, exact home and work addresses, a promise to report any change immediately; and the quantities and characteristics of the firearms in the batch — make, caliber and conversions to other calibers, serial number, model, barrel length and country of origin.
  3. Legalized photocopy of the DPI.
  4. Certification of no criminal and police records (criminal records — Organismo Judicial; police records — PNC / MINGOB).
  5. Work certification or proof of income.
  6. Catalogue with the characteristics of the firearms to import.
  7. Pro-forma invoice (with a sworn translation if it is in another language).
  8. Receipt for the import licence and the end-user certificate.

Step-by-step

  1. Check the firearm is permitted (LAM Art. 9 and Art. 82).
  2. Get the pro-forma invoice and catalogue from the seller.
  3. Gather the personal documents: sworn declaration, legalized DPI copy, criminal and police records, work or income certification.
  4. Pay the import licence (Q10 per firearm; Q5 per thousand rounds of ammunition) and the end-user certificate (Q50), and file with DIGECAM at 12 Avenida 31-09, Zona 5, Guatemala City.
  5. Arrange the export from the country of origin (for the US, see below).
  6. Present the original licence at customs when the firearms arrive, and pay the import taxes. Import IVA is 12% on the CIF price plus duties and charges (Decree 27-92, Arts. 10 and 13).
  7. Take the firearms to DIGECAM. LAM Art. 35 requires the importer to send all imported firearms to DIGECAM, at their own cost, for ballistic fingerprinting and the issue of possession cards in the importer’s name (possession registration).

Cost and validity

ItemAmount
Import licence — firearms (DIGECAM tariff)Q10 per firearm
Import licence — ammunition (DIGECAM tariff)Q5 per thousand rounds
End-user certificate (DIGECAM tariff)Q50
Import IVA12% on CIF price plus duties and charges (Decree 27-92, Arts. 10 and 13)
Licence validityOne year, extendable up to six months (Regulation Art. 9)

DIGECAM’s requirements sheet does not state a response time.

Importing a firearm bought in the US

On the US side, firearms and ammunition are export-controlled by the Commerce Department (15 CFR part 740 and 758):

  • License Exception BAG (15 CFR 740.14) lets a US citizen or permanent resident leaving the US take firearms and ammunition for personal use in their baggage: no more than three firearms and 1,000 rounds per trip. Firearms and ammunition may not be exported permanently under this exception, and travellers must declare them to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer.
  • CBP Form 4457 (Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad) must be filed for firearms under ECCNs 0A501.a or .b, 0A506 or 0A507, shotguns with a barrel under 18 inches, and the listed ammunition (15 CFR 758.11).
  • ATF Form 9 is the ATF application to permanently export a firearm without payment of the transfer tax, under the National Firearms Act.

A permanent move of a firearm to Guatemala is therefore outside License Exception BAG. On the Guatemalan side, the DIGECAM import licence above is needed in every case, and LAM Art. 82(b) bars suppressors and silencers even where they are legal in a US state.

Penalties

InfractionLegal sanction
Importing a firearm without a licence or authorization, or without declaring it at customs (LAM Art. 99)5 to 8 years of non-commutable prison + seizure; 8 to 12 years for more than two firearms or war-class
Holding war-class firearms without DIGECAM authorization — illegal deposit (LAM Art. 116)10 to 15 years of non-commutable prison + seizure
Possessing a firearm with an altered or erased serial number (LAM Art. 113)5 to 8 years of non-commutable prison + seizure
Possessing or carrying a firearm with an altered or erased serial number (LAM Art. 129)10 to 12 years of non-commutable prison + seizure