DIRECT ACCESS TO THE OFFICIAL PORTAL
RECIT — Electronic Employment Contract Registration
Go to recit.mintrabajo.gob.gt
Before you click, have ready:
  • Individual employment contract scanned as a PDF, signed by both parties
  • Updated RTU for the employer entity or individual
  • Employer's DPI (legal representative if a corporation)
  • Employee's DPI (full data on the contract)
  • IGSS employer number (numero patronal) if the company is already enrolled
Cost: Free (Q0) · Time: 3 business days · MINTRAB phone: 2422-2500 · Verified: May 2026

TL;DR: RECIT is the MINTRAB online system where every Guatemalan employer must register each individual employment contract within 15 business days of signing. Registration is free (Q0), the certificate is issued in 3 business days, and it’s a legal obligation under Article 28 of the Labor Code. Failure to register exposes you to fines of 2-12 monthly minimum wages per contract and to losing labor lawsuits for lack of documentary evidence.

What Is RECIT

RECIT (Registro Electronico de Contratos Individuales de Trabajo / Electronic Registry of Individual Employment Contracts) is the online platform created by Ministerial Agreement 324-2019 to let Guatemalan employers comply, 100% digitally, with Article 28 of the Labor Code: submitting a copy of every individual employment contract to the General Labor Directorate within 15 business days of signing.

Before RECIT (in force since 2019), employers had to physically take each contract to MINTRAB offices, wait in line, leave a copy, and wait for the stamp. Today the entire process is online at recit.mintrabajo.gob.gt and takes under 10 minutes per contract.

What the RECIT certificate is used for:

  • Evidence in labor lawsuits — if an employee sues, you produce the certificate with electronic seal and the registered contract proves agreed salary, schedule, and conditions
  • MINTRAB and IGSS audits — the Labor Inspectorate and Social Security Institute review that ALL contracts are registered
  • Labor clearance (solvencia) — to obtain the Electronic Labor Clearance, you must have no infractions, and unregistered contracts count as a sanctionable infraction
  • Banking and credit — serious banks check labor compliance before approving large business loans

Requirements

  • Updated RTU for the company
  • Commercial license (patente de comercio), valid
  • Legal representative appointment (current, from the Mercantile Registry)
  • Legal representative’s DPI (PDF, both sides)
  • IGSS employer number if already enrolled (see IGSS Employer Registration)
  • Individual employment contract signed by both parties, scanned as a legible PDF

For Individual Employers

  • Updated RTU
  • Employer’s DPI (PDF, both sides)
  • Individual employment contract signed and scanned

Employee Data (in the contract)

  • Full names and CUI/DPI number
  • Address
  • Date of birth and nationality
  • Job title or position
  • Salary, schedule, and workplace
  • Start date and term (indefinite, fixed, project-based)
  • Employee signature

Tip: If you don’t have a contract template, download MINTRAB’s model template at mintrabajo.gob.gt — it includes all minimum fields under Article 20 of the Labor Code, and you only need to customize it with the employee’s data.

Step-by-Step

  1. Sign the contract with the employee. In original and copy, both signed. The 15-business-day RECIT clock starts on the signature date — register it the same day if possible.

  2. Scan the contract as a PDF. Medium resolution (200 dpi), legible, all pages in a single file. Maximum size: 5 MB per contract. If there are annexes (NDAs, non-compete clauses), include them as numbered annexes in the same PDF.

  3. Go to recit.mintrabajo.gob.gt. First time: create a user account with company NIT + email + phone. You’ll receive a verification code.

  4. Enter contract data. The system asks for: contract type (indefinite, fixed-term, project-based), employee CUI, monthly salary, schedule (day/night/mixed), start date, workplace. These data must match what’s in the PDF.

  5. Upload the contract PDF. Once uploaded, the system assigns a case number and queues for review.

  6. Wait 3 business days. The General Labor Directorate verifies the contract meets minimum requirements. If everything is in order, you receive an email with the Final Registration Certificate (Constancia Definitiva de Registro) electronically signed with QR seal.

  7. If there are observations, you’re notified by email. You must correct the contract (re-sign with the employee) and re-upload. The Labor Code’s 15-day clock restarts from the new version’s date.

  8. Download and archive the certificate. Keep it in the employee’s file (digital and/or physical). If sued or audited, that certificate is your evidence.

Cost and Timing

ItemDetail
Official costFree (Q0)
Issuance time3 business days
Legal deadline to register15 business days from signing
Modality100% online
Certificate validityPermanent (for the duration of the contract)

Common Errors

My contract doesn’t have overtime clauses — will it be rejected?

No. Article 20 only requires minimum elements: parties, work, location, schedule, salary, term. Additional clauses (overtime, probation, exclusivity, confidentiality) are optional. If you omit them, the Labor Code applies as default (supletorio).

I uploaded the contract but the system says ‘data does not match’

RECIT cross-references the employee’s CUI with RENAP. If the DPI number is mistyped in the PDF (a transposed digit), the system flags it. Verify character by character. If correct but the system still rejects it, call MINTRAB at 2422-2500 (country code +502) to escalate to technical support.

I forgot to register contracts from 6 months ago — what do I do?

Register them today. Technically you’re in default (the fine applies from day 16 after signing), but late registration interrupts the violation. If an inspection arrives first, the fine applies per unregistered contract. Voluntary regularization is the better move: the system accepts late registrations without blocking.

I’m a foreigner hired by a Guatemalan company — where does my contract appear?

Your employer is responsible for registering it in RECIT. You can request a copy of the certificate for your personal records — it serves as proof for migration when renewing your work permit, for IGSS to validate your enrollment, and at any future employer change to document seniority.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

Article 272(a) of the Labor Code (Decree 14-41) sanctions failure to register contracts:

InfractionFine (Labor Code Art. 272)
Failure to register an individual employment contract2 to 12 monthly minimum wages per unregistered contract
False data in registered contract6 to 18 monthly minimum wages
RecurrenceDoubled fine + temporary operations suspension

At the 2026 minimum wage (~Q3,500/month, non-agricultural), a single infraction can cost Q7,000 to Q42,000 (~USD 900 to USD 5,400) per contract. A 30-employee company with no registrations could face fines from Q210,000 to Q1.26 million (~USD 27,000 to USD 162,000).

But the highest real cost is NOT the fine. It’s losing labor lawsuits: without a registered contract, the judge applies the principle in dubio pro operario (in doubt, favor the worker) and presumes true what the employee alleges about salary, schedule, seniority, and conditions. A miscalculated severance from a lost lawsuit can exceed Q100,000 (USD 12,800) per employee.

Practical: Assign HR the task of registering the contract the same day it’s signed. Don’t wait until day 14 — one unforeseen event and you’ve blown the deadline. Batch upload allows processing 10-20 contracts in a single session.