DIGECAM Firearm Carry License Renewal Guatemala 2026: 1 to 3 Years, Q190/Year

The firearm carry license renewal is a mandatory procedure that must be done at expiration at DIGECAM (Direccion General de Control de Armas y Municiones, the firearms control directorate under the Ministry of National Defense). The license costs Q190 per year of validity (1 year = Q190; 2 years = Q380; 3 years = Q570) DIGECAM does not publish a processing time (the government catalogue lists it as “Pendiente”, checked 24 September 2026). The holder chooses the term of 1 to 3 years (Art. 72, Decreto 15-2009). You do NOT need to repeat the psychological exam or the theory-plus-practical course: Art. 75 LAM applies the evaluations to the first licence only.

Quick summary: Hybrid procedure (online plus in person). Cost Q190 per year (2 years Q380, 3 years Q570). Time: not published by DIGECAM. Validity: 1 to 3 years (holder’s choice). No additional exams (Art. 75 LAM). Start well before expiration. Carrying on a licence expired 30 days or less is a falta (fine Q1,500-3,000, LAM Art. 132); beyond that it is illegal carry under LAM Art. 123 — 8-10 years, non-commutable.

Why Timely Renewal Matters

The LAM does give you a narrow cushion, and it is worth knowing exactly how narrow. Art. 132 makes carrying on a licence expired 30 days or less a falta: the security forces take the firearm and the licence, a judge imposes a fine of Q1,500-3,000, and on a repeat the fine doubles, the firearm is forfeited and the licence is suspended for 1 to 3 years. Once you pass that 30-day mark you are simply carrying without a valid licence, and Art. 123 applies — 8 to 10 years of non-commutable prison plus seizure. Separately, Art. 76 provides that an expired licence together with the sealed copy of your renewal application serves as a provisional licence for a maximum of 45 days while DIGECAM resolves. File before you expire and that cushion is yours; leave it and it is not.

Hence the rule of thumb: schedule your renewal 45-60 days before expiration. This buffer lets you handle:

• Background checks that come back with errors
• A DPI you may need to renew first
• DIGECAM appointments that slip
• Bank payments that are slow to register
• System errors

The LAM sets no window for filing ahead of expiration; confirm the operating rule with DIGECAM. The new license keeps the same number, the same registered firearms, and adds 1 to 3 years of validity (the term you choose, at Q190 per year) from the issue date.

Who Can Renew

• Holders with a current license — normal Q190-per-year process (2 years = Q380, 3 years = Q570)
• Holders whose licence has expired — the same procedure: MINDEF’s list has you hand over the expired licence and move the firearm with a licencia de traslado esporádico. DIGECAM publishes no late-filing surcharge
• Holders whose licence lapsed long ago — DIGECAM may require the full first-licence route (Q400 evaluation + Q190/year licence = ~Q590 initial, plus the evaluations). The LAM sets no specific cut-off; confirm your case with DIGECAM before paying

Not eligible to renew:

• People who picked up a criminal conviction for an intentional offense during the prior cycle
• People with an active restraining order or protective measure for violence
• People with an open criminal case for an intentional offense
• People sanctioned during the prior cycle for open carry (Art. 131), carrying while intoxicated (Art. 128) or unjustified discharge (Art. 127) — Art. 131 and Art. 128 allow suspension or cancellation, and Art. 127 bars a licence for 3 years

Requirements

Basic documents

• Renewal application form (Formulario 10 on digecam.mil.gt) plus a simple photocopy of the form
• DPI (original)
• Antecedentes Penales and Antecedentes Policiacos, current (vigentes)
• The expired licence, which you hand over
• Payment receipt (Q190 per year: 2 years = Q380, 3 years = Q570)
• The firearm(s) being renewed, presented so DIGECAM can check they were not modified (Art. 76 LAM). If the licence has already expired, move the firearm with a licencia de traslado esporádico, requested at digecam.mil.gt

This is MINDEF’s own list on the government catalogue (tramites.gob.gt, service 1643, read 24 September 2026). It does not ask for photographs or a NIT.

What you do NOT need (vs. the first license)

• NO psych exam required — Art. 75 LAM applies the evaluations to the first licence only (if your licence lapsed long ago, confirm with DIGECAM: the LAM sets no cut-off, but DIGECAM may route you through the first-licence process)
• NO theory plus practical course (Art. 75 LAM)
• NO advanced course documentation (not required for renewal)

Step by Step

Stage 1 — Check the expiration date

1. Look at your current license card. The expiration date is printed on the front. The LAM sets no window for filing ahead of expiration: confirm the operating rule with DIGECAM and put the date in your calendar with several weeks of margin.

2. Make sure your DPI does not expire before the new license. If your DPI expires within 2 years, renew it first — DIGECAM ties the license validity to the DPI’s.

Stage 2 — Refresh background checks

3. Pull the criminal and police background checks. Both online, Q30 each per the last published fee (La Hora, 17 January 2026; no gratuity law found in force as of our 24 September 2026 check). Valid for 6 months; line them up with your DIGECAM appointment so they do not expire before pickup.

4. If you have a new criminal case, check before continuing. Any complaint, conviction, or court measure added in the last 2 years can disqualify you. Better to consult a lawyer before paying the Q190/year fee that you will be denied.

Stage 3 — Pay and book online

5. Pay Q190 per year you choose (1 year = Q190, 2 years = Q380, 3 years = Q570) at an authorized bank (BANRURAL, Banco Industrial, G&T Continental).

6. Book your appointment at digecam.mil.gt/citas. Select “Renovacion de Licencia de Portacion” and choose a location.

7. Upload digitized documents if your location allows it (Guatemala City accepts pre-loading; regional offices may require physical submission only).

Stage 4 — In-person DIGECAM visit

8. Show up with all originals: previous license, DPI, background checks, the form and its photocopy, payment receipt, and the firearm(s).

9. Biometric verification. DIGECAM compares your current fingerprints and photo with the original file. Not a new registration, just verification.

10. Submit documents and sign the renewal record.

Stage 5 — Pick up the new license

11. DIGECAM reviews the file. It publishes no processing time.

12. You receive notification that the new license is ready. Pickup is in person.

13. Pick up the new license with your DPI and original payment receipt. They give you the new card and pull the old one (perforating it or canceling it).

Cost and Time

Common Mistakes

• Waiting until the last day. If your DIGECAM appointment slips or your payment does not register, you end up with an expired license. File several weeks early.
• Pulling background checks too soon. They expire after 6 months; if you pulled them 4 months early and the DIGECAM appointment slips to month 7, you have to pay and re-pull.
• Renewing with a DPI that is about to expire. DIGECAM ties the license validity to the DPI — if your DPI expires in 14 months, your new license is valid only 14 months (not 24). Renew the DPI first.
• Forgetting the old license. Without the previous card, DIGECAM treats the procedure as a replacement (different cost and process). Even if it is expired, bring it.
• Letting the licence lapse and assuming renewal still applies. The LAM sets no explicit cut-off, but DIGECAM may route a long-lapsed holder back through the first-licence process (Q400 evaluation plus the evaluations). Confirm before you plan the budget — and note the Art. 132 30-day falta window is about carrying, not about renewing.
• Assuming the renewal includes an address change. They are separate procedures. If you moved, notify the change separately (the LAM sets no deadline in days; do it as soon as possible).

Ongoing Legal Duties

Renewal does not change the holder’s duties. While you hold a valid license you remain subject to:

Safe storage — recommended practice, not a LAM duty

The LAM contains no general secure-storage article for civil firearms; Art. 65 governs collection firearms and Art. 69 covers depositing a firearm with a third party (in writing, notified to DIGECAM within 3 business days). Earlier versions of this page presented storage as an “Art. 65” obligation — it is not.

Recommended anyway: firearm unloaded, ammunition separate, out of reach of minors, a safe if you can. The firearm stays registered in your name, so if a third party uses it, the registry points at you and general Penal Code liability for negligence applies.

Transport (Art. 48 LAM)

This one is a legal duty. When moving a firearm outside the carry context — for maintenance, hunting, recreation or another occasional need — it must travel unloaded, in its holster, case or properly packed, with the ammunition in its boxes or properly packed. The sporadic transport licence is free and valid for a maximum of 15 days.

How you must carry (Art. 82(i), Art. 131 LAM)

The licence obliges you to carry concealed and without ostentation. Open or intimidating carry is a falta: a fine of Q1,000-1,500 plus six months of licence suspension; a second offence allows cancellation for up to a year, a third for up to three years. You must also have the physical licence on you — carrying without it, while the licence is valid, is a Q1,000-1,500 falta under Art. 131’s neighbour, Art. 130.

Places where carry is restricted in practice

The LAM does not contain a prohibited-locations article. Earlier versions of this page cited “Art. 95” for such a list; Art. 95 actually governs the authorization of shooting instructors, and the “Q5,000-25,000 fine” quoted alongside it does not appear anywhere in the statute. Both have been removed.

In practice, carry is commonly restricted by venue rules and property rights: schools and universities, hospitals, bars and nightclubs, banks and money exchanges, government and judicial buildings, churches, stadiums and public sporting events, and voting centers on election days. These venues routinely refuse entry with a firearm or require you to check it. Check the rules of the specific place.

Alcohol and drugs (Art. 128 LAM)

Carrying a firearm while drunk, or under the effect of any prohibited drug, narcotic, barbiturate or any substance that impairs your mental or volitional faculties, is punished with a fine of Q1,000-3,000 plus one year of licence suspension — even if your licence is perfectly valid. On a repeat, the fine doubles, the licence is cancelled definitively and the firearm is forfeited. (Art. 80, sometimes cited here, is a different rule: it says who may not hold a carry licence at all — under-25s, people declared legally incapable, and those convicted of the crimes in Art. 73.)

Mandatory reports

• Address change: the application includes a promise to report any change in your data (Art. 72 lit. a LAM); the law sets no deadline in days, so notify DIGECAM as soon as possible
• Stolen or lost firearm: report to PNC or MP + copy to DIGECAM as soon as possible (Art. 66 LAM; no deadline in hours, no fine)
• Stolen or lost license card: request replacement immediately

Penalties for Non-Compliance

For the Diaspora — Renewal from Abroad

If you live in the United States, Canada, Mexico, or another country and your DIGECAM license is close to expiration, you have three paths:

Option 1 — Voluntary lapse (safest)

If you are not coming back soon, the best move is to let the license expire and reactivate it when you return to Guatemala. It is cheaper (you do not pay Q190 per year for something you are not using), and you avoid the risk of carrying with a problematic document. If DIGECAM later routes you through the first-licence process, that costs Q400 for the evaluation plus Q190 per licence year — but you only pay it if you decide to start carrying again.

Option 2 — Renewal via representative (if you visit regularly)

If you travel to Guatemala 1-2 times a year and want to keep your license active for use during visits:

1. Grant a special apostilled power of attorney (at a Guatemalan consulate in the US, or by Guatemalan notary with MINEX apostille) to a trusted family member or paid agent
2. Your representative handles background checks and the Q190-per-year payment (2 years = Q380, 3 years = Q570) in Guatemala
3. You attend the DIGECAM appointment in person on your trip — biometric capture cannot be delegated
4. Coordinate the DIGECAM appointment with your travel date

Option 3 — Importing a firearm bought in the US

If you legally bought a firearm in the US (FFL license, ITAR compliance) and want to bring it to Guatemala:

1. You need a DIGECAM individual import license BEFORE traveling (Q10)
2. Comply with US ATF export rules
3. Declare to SAT customs when entering Guatemala
4. Register the firearm with DIGECAM individual possession immediately
5. Add the firearm to your license via add/remove firearm

Do NOT try to bring a firearm without these procedures — bringing a firearm in without a licence or without declaring it at customs is importación ilegal de armas (LAM Art. 99): 5 to 8 years of non-commutable prison and forfeiture, rising to 8 to 12 years if there are more than two firearms.

Related Procedures

• MINDEF / DIGECAM hub: Defense and DIGECAM procedures
• If DIGECAM routes a long-lapsed licence through the full process: DIGECAM First License
• Register a newly purchased firearm: Possession Registration with Purchase Contract
• Add the new firearm to your license: Add or Remove Firearm from License
• If your firearm is stolen: Report a Stolen Firearm
• If your license card is stolen: Replace Stolen or Lost License
• Import a firearm from the US: Individual Firearm Import License
• Antecedentes Penales: Criminal Background Check
• Antecedentes Policiacos: Police Background Check
• Renew DPI: Guatemala DPI ID
• Apostille a power of attorney: MINEX Apostille

Official Links

• DIGECAM procedures portal
• Book a DIGECAM appointment
• DIGECAM fee schedule
• Legal framework — DIGECAM
• Firearms and Munitions Law — Decreto 15-2009 (Congress)
• Official DIGECAM email: correodigecam@digecam.mil.gt