DIRECT ACCESS TO THE PROCEDURE
DIGECAM Carry License Renewal
Go to DIGECAM portal Book appointment
Before you go, have ready:
  • Renewal application form and a simple photocopy of it
  • Original DPI
  • Current certifications of no criminal and police records
  • Your expired carry licence (you hand it over)
  • Payment receipt (Q190 for 1 year · Q380 for 2 · Q570 for 3)
  • The firearm(s) being renewed
Cost: Q190 per year (2 years Q380 · 3 years Q570) · Time: not published by DIGECAM · Contact: correodigecam@digecam.mil.gt · PBX +502 2299-9797 · Verified: 7 November 2026

The firearm carry license renewal is done at DIGECAM (Dirección General de Control de Armas y Municiones, the firearms control directorate of the Ministry of National Defense). DIGECAM’s tariff lists the carry licence at Q190 for one year, Q380 for two and Q570 for three; LAM Art. 72 sets a validity of one to three years. Under Art. 76 a renewal requires the firearm(s), the application and the certification of no criminal and police records — the evaluations of a first licence are not on that list. DIGECAM does not publish a processing time.

Quick summary: Cost Q190 per year (2 years Q380, 3 years Q570). Seven requirements on DIGECAM’s sheet, including handing over the expired licence and presenting the firearm(s). Time: not published by DIGECAM. The expired licence plus the sealed copy of the application is a provisional licence for up to 45 days (Art. 76). Carrying on a licence expired 30 days or less is a falta (fine Q1,500-3,000, Art. 132); without a valid licence it is illegal carry under Art. 123 — 8 to 10 years, non-commutable.

As of 7 November 2026, based on DIGECAM’s requirements sheets and tariff and Decree 15-2009 as published by DIGECAM.

Why timing matters

  • Art. 132: carrying on a licence expired 30 days or less is a falta: the security forces take the firearm and the licence and put them before a judge; the fine is Q1,500-3,000. On a repeat, the fine doubles, the firearm is forfeited and the licence is suspended for one to three years.
  • Art. 123: carrying a civil-use or sporting firearm without a DIGECAM licence is illegal carry: 8 to 10 years of non-commutable prison plus seizure.
  • Art. 76: once you file the renewal, the expired licence and the sealed copy of the renewal application work as a provisional licence while DIGECAM resolves, for a maximum of 45 days.

The LAM sets no window for filing ahead of expiration.

Requirements (DIGECAM sheet: Renovación de Licencia para Portación de Arma de Fuego)

  1. Renewal application form for the firearm carry licence.
  2. Simple photocopy of the form.
  3. Original DPI.
  4. Current certifications of no criminal and police records (criminal records — Organismo Judicial; police records — PNC / MINGOB; MINGOB lists the police record at Q30).
  5. The expired carry licence, which you hand over.
  6. Payment receipt.
  7. The firearm(s) being renewed.

If the licence has already expired, the firearm can be moved with a licencia de traslado esporádico issued by DIGECAM, requested at www.digecam.mil.gt. Under LAM Art. 48 that licence is free, lasts up to 15 days, and the firearm must travel unloaded, in its holster or case or properly packed, with the ammunition in its boxes.

Longer renewal: Art. 76 adds that Guatemalan citizens and permanent-resident foreigners who have held a carry licence for three years can renew it for up to three additional years, paying for that period.

Who cannot renew

  • People convicted by a competent court of the crimes listed in Art. 73: intentional homicide, murder, kidnapping, extrajudicial execution, robbery and aggravated robbery, serious or very serious injuries caused with a firearm, illegal carry of a firearm, and the offences of the Law against Organized Crime (Decree 21-2006) or of the LAM.
  • People with unpaid fines imposed by a judge (Art. 131).
  • People found guilty of discharging a firearm without justified cause: no carry licence for three years (Art. 127).

Step by step

  1. Check the expiry date on your licence.
  2. Get current criminal and police record certifications.
  3. Choose the term (one to three years) and pay Q190, Q380 or Q570.
  4. Book an appointment at digecam.mil.gt/citas if you need one.
  5. Go to DIGECAM (12 Avenida 31-09, Zona 5, Guatemala City; Monday to Friday 07:00-15:00) with the form and its photocopy, original DPI, records, expired licence, payment receipt and the firearm(s). If the licence has already expired, move the firearm with a licencia de traslado esporádico.
  6. Keep the sealed copy of your application — with the expired licence it is your provisional licence for up to 45 days (Art. 76).

Cost

ItemCost (DIGECAM tariff)
Carry licence, 1 yearQ190
Carry licence, 2 yearsQ380
Carry licence, 3 yearsQ570
Licencia de traslado esporádicoFree (LAM Art. 48)
Police record certification (MINGOB)Q30

Transport (Art. 48 LAM)

When moving a firearm for maintenance, hunting, recreation or another occasional need, it must travel unloaded, in its holster or case or properly packed, with the ammunition in its boxes or properly packed, under a free licencia de traslado esporádico valid for up to 15 days.

Deposit with a third party (Art. 69 LAM)

Depositing a firearm with someone else must be done in writing and notified to DIGECAM within three business days, with the identification of both parties, the place of deposit and the firearm with its DIGECAM registration card. Deposit is only allowed between individuals or legal entities authorized by DIGECAM.

How you must carry (Art. 131 LAM)

Licence holders must carry concealed and without ostentation. Showing one or more firearms or their accessories visibly is a falta: six months of licence suspension and a fine of Q1,000-1,500. A second time, the judge may cancel the licence for up to one year; a third time, suspend it for up to three years.

Alcohol and drugs (Art. 128 LAM)

Carrying a firearm while drunk or under the effect of any prohibited drug, narcotic, barbiturate or substance that impairs your mental or volitional faculties is punished with a fine of Q1,000-3,000 and one year of licence suspension, even with a valid licence. On a repeat, the fine doubles, the licence is cancelled definitively and the firearm is forfeited.

Stolen or lost firearm (Art. 66 LAM)

Report it to the PNC or the Public Ministry and give a copy to DIGECAM; report it again immediately if the firearm turns up (report a stolen firearm). A stolen or lost licence card has its own replacement procedure.

Penalties

ConductLAM ArticlePenalty
Carrying on a licence expired 30 days or lessArt. 132Falta: fine Q1,500-3,000 (repeat: double + forfeiture + 1-3 years’ suspension)
Carrying without a valid licenceArt. 1238-10 years prison, non-commutable + seizure
Carrying without the licence on you (licence valid)Art. 130Fine Q1,000-1,500; firearm sent to DIGECAM within 24 hours
Ostentatious carryArt. 131Fine Q1,000-1,500 + 6 months’ licence suspension
Carrying while drunk or under the influence of drugsArt. 128Fine Q1,000-3,000 + 1 year’s licence suspension
Discharging a firearm without justified causeArt. 1271-3 years prison + no licence for 3 years
Modifying a firearm’s mechanisms to work differently from their designArt. 1346-8 years prison, non-commutable

Living abroad

DIGECAM’s renewal sheet asks for your original DPI, the expired licence and the firearm(s) at DIGECAM. If you want to bring a firearm bought abroad, that is a separate DIGECAM individual import licence: bringing a firearm into Guatemala without a licence, or without declaring it at customs, is illegal import under LAM Art. 99 (5 to 8 years of non-commutable prison, 8 to 12 for more than two firearms or war-class).