DIRECT ACCESS TO THE PROCEDURE
Possession Registration via Purchase Contract — Individual
Go to DIGECAM portal Book appointment
Before you click, have ready:
  • Sale contract signed with a gun shop or registered private seller
  • Current DPI
  • Antecedentes Penales y Policiacos issued in the last 6 months
  • Q60 payment receipt from an authorized bank
  • The physical firearm (must be presented for serial-number verification)
Cost: Q60 · Time: 10-20 business days · Deadline: 30 days from purchase · Verified: May 2026

The firearm possession registration via purchase contract for an individual is the mandatory procedure at DIGECAM (Direccion General de Control de Armas y Municiones, the firearms control directorate under the Ministry of National Defense) to register a legally acquired firearm in your name. It costs Q60 — one of DIGECAM’s cheapest procedures — and is delivered in 10 to 20 business days. You only have 30 calendar days from the date of the sale contract to register; after that window, possession is a crime.

Quick summary: Hybrid procedure (online plus in person). Cost Q60. Time: 10-20 business days. Deadline: 30 days from the purchase. Validity: permanent while you remain the owner. Requirements: signed contract from a gun shop or registered private seller, DPI, current background checks, presentation of the physical firearm.

What Is Possession Registration?

Possession registration is the inscription of a firearm in DIGECAM’s national system in the name of a specific person. It is MANDATORY for every civilian-use firearm acquired in Guatemala, per Art. 23 of the Firearms and Munitions Law (Decreto 15-2009).

Possession is different from carry:

  • Possession = the right to OWN the firearm. It lets you keep it at home or at your place of work, transport it under specific conditions (unloaded, in a case, to authorized ranges or workshops), and pass it on as inheritance.
  • Carry = the right to BEAR the firearm in public on a habitual basis. It requires an additional DIGECAM carry license.

Many Guatemalans only have possession — a defense weapon at home, with no need to carry it outside. It is the cheapest option and the one with the lightest regulatory burden. Possession registration is permanent while the firearm remains in your name; it does not need renewal.

Who Can Register Possession

Eligible:

  • Guatemalan citizens 25 or older with a valid DPI
  • No criminal record for offenses against life, integrity, sexual freedom, drug trafficking, or aggravated robbery
  • No active court orders for violence
  • Who acquired the firearm by sale (does not apply to inheritance, donation, or other paths — those have separate procedures)

Not eligible:

  • People with active convictions for an intentional offense
  • People with active protective measures for violence
  • People with open criminal cases for an intentional offense
  • People under 25 (age limit for possession after recent reforms)

Requirements

Personal documents

Firearm and sale documents

  • Original sale contract signed by both parties (seller and buyer), with full firearm data:
    • Make and model
    • Caliber (mm or inches)
    • Type (pistol, revolver, shotgun, rifle)
    • Full and legible serial number
    • Country of origin
    • Year of manufacture (if visible)
  • Seller’s documentation:
    • If a gun shop: SAT invoice plus copy of the DIGECAM dealer license, current
    • If a private individual: copy of the seller’s DPI plus copy of their original DIGECAM possession certificate (which will be cancelled when the transfer is processed)
  • Q60 payment receipt from an authorized bank
  • The physical firearm — you must present it at the DIGECAM appointment so they can verify the serial number and characteristics

Step by Step

Stage 1 — Before buying the firearm

  1. Verify the seller is legitimate. If you buy from a gun shop, ask for a copy of their DIGECAM dealer license. If you buy from a private individual, ask to see the original of their DIGECAM possession certificate and check that the serial number on the firearm matches.

  2. Verify your own DPI and background checks are current. It is easy to do this before paying for the firearm — if your DPI is expired or you have a pending case, you will not be able to register and will waste the money.

Stage 2 — Purchase

  1. Sign the sale contract with full details. If it is a gun shop, they prepare the standard contract. If it is a private seller, use a DIGECAM template (downloadable from digecam.mil.gt) signed before 2 witnesses or, better, notarized (Q150-300).

  2. Receive the signed copy of the contract and the SAT invoice (if you bought from a gun shop). Do NOT take the physical firearm yet if you bought from a private seller — coordinate the handover for the time of the DIGECAM appointment.

  3. Request a copy of the previous possession certificate (if the seller is a private individual). This will be cancelled when the new possession is registered in your name.

Stage 3 — Pay and book online (WITHIN 30 DAYS of the sale)

  1. Pay the Q60 at an authorized bank.

  2. Book your appointment online at digecam.mil.gt/citas. Select “Registro de Tenencia con Compraventa - Persona Individual” and choose a location.

  3. Upload digitized documents if your location supports it.

Stage 4 — In-person DIGECAM appointment

  1. Show up with ALL originals AND THE PHYSICAL FIREARM:

    • Sale contract
    • DPI
    • Background checks
    • Payment receipt
    • Photos
    • The firearm (in a closed case, unloaded, no ammunition)
    • Seller’s documentation

  2. Physical verification of the firearm. The DIGECAM technician compares the firearm’s serial number with the contract. If they do not match, the procedure stops.

  3. Biometric capture. If this is your first DIGECAM possession or license, they take fingerprints and a photo. If your prints are already on file, they only verify.

  4. Cancellation of previous possession (if applicable). If you bought from a private seller, DIGECAM voids the seller’s possession and transfers it to you in the system.

Stage 5 — Vetting and delivery

  1. DIGECAM reviews the file for 5-15 business days.

  2. Pick up the possession document. It is an official certificate with your data, the firearm data, and a verification QR code. It is the document that identifies you as the legal owner of the firearm.

Cost and Time

ItemCostTime
DIGECAM registrationQ60—
Antecedentes PenalesQ50Same day (online)
Antecedentes PoliciacosQ251-3 days
Notarization of contract (recommended for private-to-private sales)Q150-3001 day
TotalQ135 - Q435 (~US$17-55)10-20 business days
Legal deadline to register—30 days from purchase
Registration validity—Permanent (while you are the owner)
Late-registration fine (after 30 days)Q300-1,500 (case by case)—

Common Mistakes

  • Buying without a formal contract. Without a written contract you cannot register. “Informal” black-market firearms almost always have provenance problems.
  • Waiting more than 30 days to register. After the deadline, possession is a crime (LAM Art. 122): 2-4 years prison + seizure. Do NOT procrastinate.
  • Failing to verify the serial number on the firearm against the contract. If the firearm has an altered, removed, or non-matching serial number, the procedure stops AND a criminal investigation for receiving stolen property opens (PC Art. 264).
  • Not bringing the firearm to the appointment. The DIGECAM technician must physically verify the firearm. Without presenting it, no processing.
  • Buying from a private seller without verifying their DIGECAM possession certificate. If the seller does not have the possession in their name, they cannot legally transfer it and your purchase is useless for registration.
  • Assuming possession registration = carry. They are separate procedures. With possession only, you may NOT carry the firearm in the street. For that you need a separate carry license.

Even if you only have possession (no carry license), the following duties apply:

Safe storage (Art. 65 LAM)

  • Firearm unloaded in a secure location
  • Ammunition stored separately from the firearm
  • Out of reach of minors and unauthorized third parties
  • Safe recommended (not legally required but highly prudent)
  • If a minor accesses the firearm or a third party uses it to commit a crime, the holder is criminally liable

Where you can keep the firearm

  • Your home (the address declared at DIGECAM)
  • Your place of work (if you declared this additional address at DIGECAM)
  • Authorized transit: to an authorized shooting range, to an authorized gun shop for repair, or to DIGECAM. ALWAYS unloaded, in a closed case, with copies of the possession certificate and the sale contract.

Where you may NOT keep it

  • Secondary residences not declared
  • Vehicles parked in the street (theft risk)
  • Prohibited locations under Art. 95 (schools, bars, banks, churches, etc.)

Mandatory reports

  • Stolen or lost firearm: PNC report + DIGECAM notification within 24 hours (free and mandatory)
  • Address change: notify DIGECAM within 30 days
  • Sale or donation of the firearm: must be done with a formal contract and new DIGECAM registration to the buyer
  • Modifications to the firearm (barrel change, sight system, caliber conversion): notify DIGECAM and register the modification

Penalties for Non-Compliance

ConductLAM ArticlePenalty
Possession without DIGECAM registrationArt. 1222-4 years prison + seizure
Carry without license (even if possession is registered)Art. 1224-6 years prison + seizure
Possession with altered serial numberArt. 1245-8 years prison
Clandestine modification of the firearmArt. 1245-8 years prison
Receiving a stolen firearm (knowing or having reason to know)PC Art. 2642-5 years prison
Transfer without registered contractArt. 122 + Art. 3224-6 years prison + ideological falsehood
Allowing a minor to access the firearm with harmful resultPC Art. 333 + specific offenseUp to 50 years for homicide