- 🆔 DPI (Guatemalans) or passport (foreigners) scanned both sides
- 📧 Active email for SAT confirmation and password setup
- 📱 Cell number for verification SMS
- 🏠 Fiscal address in Guatemala (or representative's if abroad)
- 📋 Economic activity you'll register (employment, freelance, business, etc.)
The NIT (Numero de Identificacion Tributaria) is Guatemala’s taxpayer identification number, issued by the SAT (Superintendencia de Administracion Tributaria). You need it for any economic activity in Guatemala — from opening a bank account to starting a business.
Quick summary: The NIT is free (Q0). Since March 2025, your DPI number (CUI) automatically works as your NIT if you’re a Guatemalan citizen. Foreigners must apply in person at SAT with a valid passport.
This page is for: foreigners getting their first NIT, business/entity NIT registration, and US-based diaspora handling NIT processes from abroad. If you’re a Guatemalan citizen looking up your existing CUI-NIT number, use the SAT CUINIT consulta page → (or in Spanish →).
Cost
Free (Q0) — There is no official fee.
What Changed in 2025
Through Resolution SAT-DSI-393-2025, the CUI (your DPI number) was unified with the NIT for individual Guatemalan citizens. Your 13-digit DPI number is now your NIT — no separate registration needed.
You can verify the unification at: portal.sat.gob.gt/portal/consulta-cui-nit/
Requirements
Guatemalan Citizens
- Valid DPI (original)
- Digitized DPI (both sides in a single PDF or image file)
- Your economic activity classification
- Utility bill — water, electricity, or phone (no older than 3 months)
Foreigners
- Valid passport (original and photocopy) — or residency document if applicable
- Utility bill from your fiscal address (original and copy)
- Lease agreement or document proving right to use the property
Businesses (Legal Entities)
- Legal representative’s DPI
- Utility bill (3-month validity)
- Appointment deed of legal representative
- Articles of incorporation (see our guide to registering a business)
- Business license (patente de comercio)
SAT Agencia Virtual login (agenciavirtual.sat.gob.gt). Your NIT is the username. If you have not registered, use ‘¿No tienes Agencia Virtual?’ to start.
Step-by-Step Process
- Go to the SAT portal: portal.sat.gob.gt/portal/solicitud-electronica-de-nit/
- Fill out the electronic form with your personal data (names must match your DPI exactly)
- Upload your digitized DPI (both sides, single file)
- Select your economic activity
- Receive your form number by email
- Visit any SAT office within 10 business days with your original documents
- Receive your NIT certificate
Details
If you run a foreign company that sells into Guatemala but has no physical office, you may still need a NIT for customs, tax withholding, or contract purposes. In this case, you must appoint a legal representative in Guatemala who applies for the NIT on behalf of the foreign entity. This requires: a power of attorney from the foreign company (apostilled), articles of incorporation of the foreign entity (translated and apostilled), and the legal representative’s DPI. The process is more complex than a standard NIT and may require legal assistance from a Guatemalan attorney.
Details
If your DPI is expired or in the process of being renewed at RENAP, SAT may refuse to process your NIT registration because they require a valid (non-expired) DPI. You cannot use a temporary RENAP receipt in place of a valid DPI for NIT purposes. Solution: renew your DPI first, wait for the new card, then proceed with the NIT process. If you already have a NIT and your DPI expires, your NIT remains valid — you just cannot make changes to your RTU until you present a current DPI.
Details
If there is a discrepancy between your DPI name and your NIT records (common after name changes due to marriage, or after DPI renewals that corrected spelling), you must visit a SAT office in person to update your NIT records. Bring your current DPI (with the correct name) and any supporting legal documents (marriage certificate, court order for name correction). SAT will update the NIT record to match the DPI. Do not attempt to file declarations or request a solvencia fiscal until the name mismatch is resolved — SAT’s system may flag inconsistencies.
From the US (Diaspora Info)
If you’re a Guatemalan citizen living in the United States:
- Your DPI number already is your NIT since March 2025 — verify at portal.sat.gob.gt/portal/consulta-cui-nit/
- If you need to register a new NIT (for a business, etc.), you must do it in person in Guatemala
- Power of attorney option: You can authorize someone in Guatemala through a poder especial notarized at a Guatemalan consulate to handle the process on your behalf
- Nearest consulates: minex.gob.gt/consulados — offices in Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Chicago, Washington DC, and other US cities
- Call the SAT information line: 1550 for questions
Tips
- New: See our dedicated CUI vs NIT guide for detailed lookup instructions
- For Guatemalans with a valid DPI, the CUI already works as your NIT since March 2025
- Names must match exactly with your DPI — any discrepancy will delay the process
- If you don’t show up within 10 business days, you must file a new application
- Foreigners must appear in person with their original passport
- You can visit any SAT tax office nationwide
Related SAT Tramites
- RTU Registration — register your tax profile after getting your NIT
- FEL Electronic Invoicing — enable invoicing with your NIT
- Pequeno Contribuyente — simplified regime linked to your NIT
- Monthly IVA Declaration — tax filing tied to your NIT
- Tax Clearance (Solvencia Fiscal) — proves your NIT is in good standing
- New Vehicle Registration — requires a NIT
Common Errors and Solutions
If the SAT portal does not work as expected during NIT registration, these are the most common issues and how to resolve them:
The “I am human” captcha will not load or pass
The SAT portal uses hCaptcha (not Google reCAPTCHA). Ad blockers like uBlock Origin, AdGuard, and Brave Shields commonly block it. Fix: disable your ad blocker for portal.sat.gob.gt only, or use a different browser. Incognito/private mode also bypasses most blockers.
“Your data does not match our records”
This usually means your name on the form does not exactly match your DPI or passport — accents, capitalization, or first/last name order are off. Fix: copy the name exactly as printed on the DPI (with accents if present, without if not), in the same order. For foreigners: match the passport’s machine-readable zone (MRZ) name field rather than the human-readable name above the photo if they differ.
Your DPI scan or passport scan is rejected
SAT accepts PDF or JPG/PNG up to about 4MB per file. Both sides of the DPI must be in ONE file. Fix: scan at 300 DPI in good light without glare. If the file is too large, compress it at ilovepdf.com or smallpdf.com. For foreigners: scan the passport photo page AND the page with the valid Guatemala entry stamp (immigration officers sometimes ask for it).
Utility bill rejected as “expired”
SAT accepts water, electricity, or landline phone bills with a maximum age of 3 months. If yours is older, download a fresh one from your provider’s portal (EEGSA, EMPAGUA, Energuate, Tigo, Claro). If the bill is not in your name (renters), bring the signed lease agreement OR a notarized letter from the property owner. Digital PDF bills are accepted.
You missed the 10-business-day window for the in-person visit
If you do not appear at a SAT office within 10 business days of submitting the online form, the application is automatically canceled. There is no recovery or extension — file a new application from scratch. To avoid this, only submit the online form when you know you can visit a SAT office within the window.
Verification email never arrives
SAT sends verification codes to the email on your form. If it does not arrive: (1) check spam/junk folders, (2) confirm the email was typed correctly on the form, (3) for Gmail, whitelist notificaciones@sat.gob.gt. If still nothing after 24 hours, the email field had a typo — you will need to re-submit the form.
The portal returns “El sistema no esta disponible” or a blank page
SAT runs scheduled maintenance most Sundays from 12am-6am Guatemala time. Servers also saturate on IVA deadline (day 14-15) and the annual ISR deadline (March 31). Try off-peak hours (4-7 AM or 10 PM-12 AM Guatemala time). If it persists for more than an hour during business hours, call 1550.
From the US: the SAT page rate-limits or times out
The SAT site is occasionally rate-limited from non-Guatemala IP ranges. Fix: try at off-peak hours (4-7 AM or 10 PM Guatemala time, which is mid-day or late night for most US time zones), or ask a family member in Guatemala to start the form for you.
Common Questions
Is the NIT the same as the DPI number now?
Yes. Since March 2025, Guatemala’s SAT unified the CUI (DPI number) with the NIT for individual Guatemalan citizens. Your 13-digit DPI number now works as your NIT automatically.
Can I get a NIT if I’m a foreigner?
Yes. Foreigners can get a NIT by applying in person at any SAT office with a valid passport, proof of address, and a lease agreement. You must complete the online form first and visit within 10 business days.
Do I need a NIT to open a bank account in Guatemala?
Yes. Banks require a NIT for account opening. For Guatemalan citizens, your DPI number now serves as your NIT automatically.
Can I get a NIT from the United States?
No. The NIT must be processed in person at a SAT office in Guatemala. If you’re abroad, you can authorize someone through a notarized power of attorney (poder especial) to handle the process.
Do I need a separate NIT if I already have a DPI?
For Guatemalan citizens, no — your CUI (DPI number) is automatically your NIT since the 2025 unification. However, if you want to start a business (persona juridica), the business entity needs its own separate NIT distinct from your personal one.