- 👨🔬 Environmental consultant registered with MARN (a consulting firm for Category A)
- 🆔 DPI or passport of the proponent or legal representative, and an updated RTU
- 🏢 Patente de comercio, deed of incorporation and legal representation, if a company
- 🗺️ Location plans and WGS84 geographic coordinates
- 📄 Proof of ownership of the property
The Environmental Diagnostic is MARN’s corrective environmental instrument: it is filed for a business, workshop, industry or other project that already exists and is operating, instead of the predictive instruments (the EIA or the Initial Environmental Evaluation) that are filed before a project is developed. The approved instrument leads to the environmental license for the project.
Quick summary: For projects already operating without an approved environmental instrument. MARN intake fee: Q750 (Category A), Q600 (B1), Q450 (B2), Q150 (C). MARN review: 120, 75, 60 or 50 days by category, not counting requests for clarification. Then: the environmental license, paid per year (Q7,000 a year for Category A, down to Q50 a year for C). Risk of waiting: Decree 68-86, Art. 8, fines failure to carry out the assessment Q5,000 to Q100,000, and the business is closed if it still has not complied six months after the fine.
As of 7 November 2026, based on MARN’s procedure sheets (published October 2026), Government Agreement 137-2016 as published by MARN with its reforms, and Decree 68-86.
What is the MARN Environmental Diagnostic?
Government Agreement 137-2016 (the Regulation of Environmental Evaluation, Control and Follow-Up, RECSA) defines two versions:
- Environmental Diagnostic (DA) — for projects in categories A and B1.
- Low-Impact Environmental Diagnostic (DABI) — for projects in categories B2 and C. MARN may also require a complementary Environmental Management Plan for Category C instruments.
Both are carried out on a project, work, industry or activity that already exists, so its impacts are determined by sampling and direct measurement, or by comparison with similar operations. Their purpose is to determine the corrective actions needed to mitigate adverse impacts (RECSA, Art. 3, numerals 20 and 21). Article 14 lists them as the corrective instruments, together with the form for corrective activities for registration.
Predictive vs corrective instruments
| Feature | Predictive (EIA, Initial Environmental Evaluation) | Corrective (Diagnostic) |
|---|---|---|
| When | Before the project is developed | The project already exists |
| Impacts | Predicted | Measured on site (sampling, direct measurement) |
| Legal basis | RECSA Art. 13 | RECSA Art. 14 |
| MARN intake, Category A | Q500 (EIA) | Q750 (Diagnostic) |
The category (A, B1, B2 or C) comes from MARN’s Listado Taxativo, Ministerial Agreement 204-2019 and its reforms.
MARN Fees and Review Times by Category
| Instrument | MARN intake fee | MARN review time |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Diagnostic, Category A | Q750.00 | 120 days |
| Environmental Diagnostic, Category B1 | Q600.00 | 75 days |
| Low-Impact Environmental Diagnostic, Category B2 | Q450.00 | 60 days |
| Low-Impact Environmental Diagnostic, Category C | Q150.00 | 50 days |
MARN’s sheets state that these times do not include the periods for requests for clarification (previos), extensions or internal opinions that arise during the analysis.
Environmental license after approval (RECSA Art. 72, numeral 8)
| Diagnostic category | 1 year | 2 years | 3 years | 4 years | 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Q7,000 | Q14,000 | Q21,000 | Q28,000 | Q35,000 |
| B1 | Q4,000 | Q8,000 | Q12,000 | Q16,000 | Q20,000 |
| B2 (low impact) | Q1,500 | Q3,000 | Q4,500 | Q6,000 | Q7,500 |
| C (low impact) | Q50 | Q100 | Q150 | Q200 | Q250 |
Consultant fees and laboratory analyses are private costs and are not part of MARN’s tariff.
Requirements
MARN’s Category A Diagnostic sheet lists 87 requirements, many of which apply only to specific project types (landfills, electrical substations, wastewater treatment plants and others). The general ones are:
- Form and terms of reference.
- Who prepares it: an Environmental Consulting Firm for Category A; for B1 and B2, an individual environmental consultant (Category B consultant) or a consulting firm.
- DPI or full passport of the individual or of the legal representative of the proponent.
- Updated RTU registration certificate of the proponent — see RTU registration.
- Document accrediting legal representation, registered and current.
- Deed of incorporation of the proponent entity, with its registration.
- Patente de Comercio of the company and of the corporation (legal entity), or a photocopy of the company patente (individual) — see business registration.
- Certificate of street address (Certificación de Nomenclatura) from the municipality, not older than six months, when applicable.
- Proof of ownership of the property where the project operates.
- Certificate of active membership (colegiado activo) of the consultants who took part.
- Plans (location, current land use, site layout, hydraulic installations and others that apply), WGS84 geographic coordinates and a Google Earth satellite image of the area of influence 50 metres beyond the project polygon.
- CONAP favourable opinion if the project is inside the protected-area system (SIGAP); if it is not, this is stated on the form — see CONAP procedures.
Step by Step (MARN procedure sheet)
- Log in to MARN’s web system with your username and password.
- File the request for your procedure, meeting the requirements.
- Pay the procedure fee.
- Submit extensions or clarifications, if any are requested.
- You receive an email saying that the final resolution of the environmental instrument is available to download and print.
- The system changes the status to Closed. End of the procedure.
Fines and Closure
| Rule | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fine for not carrying out the assessment | Q5,000 to Q100,000 for the private party that fails to carry out the environmental impact assessment | Decree 68-86, Art. 8 (last paragraph, added by Decree 1-93) |
| Closure | If the requirement is not met within six months of the fine, the business is closed until it complies | Decree 68-86, Art. 8 |
| Fine by category | Category C: 50-250 units; B2: 251-500; B1: 501-750; A: 751-1,000 | Government Agreement 137-2016, Art. 109 a) |
| Unit value | Base value Q100, adjusted by the Banco de Guatemala dollar exchange rate on the date of the resolution | Government Agreement 137-2016, Art. 108 |
| No current license | Fine according to the category when the project has no current environmental license | Government Agreement 137-2016, Art. 109 f) |
| Closure request | Six months after the fine is notified, if the environmental instrument has not been filed, MARN’s DCL (the directorate that imposes the fines) requests closure of the project | Government Agreement 137-2016, Art. 112 |
| Payment agreement | Up to 12 months, requested in writing; the instrument for the project must already have been filed | Government Agreement 137-2016, Art. 109 bis |
MARN Contacts
- SAGA (Sistema Ágil de Gestión Ambiental, MARN’s online system): https://saga.marn.gob.gt/
- Address: 7a avenida 03-67 zona 13, Guatemala City
- PBX: 2423-0500
- Short number: 1560
- WhatsApp: 3024-3048
- Procedure sheets and forms: marn.gob.gt/tramites-marn
Related procedures
- MARN Hub: Ministry of Environment Procedures — full directory.
- General Environmental License — the license that follows the approved instrument.
- Environmental License Category A — fees and steps for Category A.
- Environmental Impact Study EIA — the predictive instrument for new projects.
- Wastewater Discharge Permit — Government Agreement 236-2006.
- Solid Waste Rules for Businesses — Government Agreement 164-2021.
- MEM Procedures — energy projects.
- MAGA Procedures — agribusiness.
- CONAP Procedures — projects inside protected areas.
- Register a business in the Mercantile Registry.
- RTU registration.
Sources
- MARN — Trámites MARN (procedure sheets)
- MARN — 2. Diagnóstico Ambiental Categoría A (procedure sheet) — Q750, 120 days, requirements, steps
- MARN — 13. Diagnóstico Ambiental Categoría B1 — Q600, 75 days
- MARN — 18. Diagnóstico Ambiental de Bajo Impacto Categoría B2 — Q450, 60 days
- MARN — 29. Diagnóstico Ambiental de Bajo Impacto Categoría C — Q150, 50 days
- Government Agreement 137-2016 with reforms (MARN copy) — Art. 3, 13, 14, 72, 108-112
- Decree 68-86, Law of Environmental Protection and Improvement (INAB copy) — Art. 8
- MARN — home page contacts