- Internal Work Rules document in PDF, signed by the legal representative or owner
- Updated RTU (Tax ID profile) for the company, downloaded from SAT portal
- Commercial license (Patente) — corporate and/or business, as applicable
- Legal representative's appointment, current, issued by the Mercantile Registry
- Legal representative's DPI (Guatemalan ID) scanned both sides
TL;DR: RERIT is the MINTRAB online system for registering your company’s Internal Work Rules (RIT). Mandatory for any business with 10 or more permanent employees. Free (Q0), approval in 30 business days. Without registered RIT, you cannot legally enforce disciplinary actions against workers.
What is the Internal Work Rules document
The Internal Work Rules (Reglamento Interior de Trabajo, RIT) is the document an employer drafts to govern the day-to-day relationship with workers: schedules, breaks, disciplinary sanctions, safety rules, and internal procedures. It is required by Articles 57-62 of the Guatemala Labor Code (Decree 1441).
RERIT (Electronic Registry of Internal Work Rules) is the MINTRAB platform where you upload the document for the General Labor Inspectorate (IGT) to review and approve. Without that approval, the rules are not legally enforceable for sanctioning workers.
Don’t confuse with:
- RECIT — Electronic Registry of Individual Employment Contracts (one contract per worker).
- Electronic Salary Book — monthly salary payment registry.
RERIT registers one document that applies to all workers in the company.
Who is required to file
Per Article 57 of the Labor Code:
“Internal work rules are the body of standards… Every employer who permanently employs 10 or more workers is required to draft and put into force its respective internal work rules.”
| Company size | RIT obligation |
|---|---|
| 1-9 workers | Voluntary (recommended) |
| 10+ permanent workers | Mandatory |
| Mixed-staff companies (partial 10+) | Mandatory |
| Maquilas / free trade zones | Mandatory regardless of headcount |
Practical recommendation: even with fewer than 10 workers, registered RIT gives you legal grounds for suspensions, late-arrival deductions, and disciplinary action. Without RIT, those sanctions can be voided in labor court.
Requirements
To file the RIT through RERIT you need:
- Internal Work Rules drafted and signed by the legal representative or owner (PDF)
- Current RTU for the company (downloadable from portal.sat.gob.gt)
- Legal representation document:
- Corporation: legal representative’s current appointment from the Mercantile Registry
- Sole proprietorship: owner’s DPI/cedula and commercial license
- Commercial licenses (Patentes):
- Corporate license (if a legal entity)
- Business commercial license
- DPI of the legal representative (both sides)
For foreign legal representatives: valid passport + Guatemalan residency or migration status that allows legal representation.
Mandatory content of the RIT (Art. 58 and 60 Labor Code)
The rules must cover, at minimum:
- Worker entry and exit times
- Meal time and rest periods during the work shift
- Salary payment location and timing
- Occupational safety and hygiene rules and accident reporting
- Discipline: applicable sanctions, procedure for imposing them, competent authority
- Designation of persons to whom workers should submit petitions
- Special rules for women and minors (maternity protection)
- Disciplinary provisions and how to apply warnings, suspensions, justified terminations
- Procedures for hearing worker complaints
If your RIT omits any of these, IGT will return it for correction. It is well worth having a Guatemalan labor attorney review before uploading.
Step-by-step
Step 1 — Draft the rules. Hire a Guatemalan labor attorney or use official MINTRAB templates. The RIT must be drafted specifically for your company — a generic copy is the #1 cause of rejection.
Step 2 — Sign the document. The legal representative or owner signs every page. Convert to a clean PDF (not phone photos).
Step 3 — Create RERIT account. Go to rerit.mintrabajo.gob.gt and register a user with the company’s NIT (Tax ID), email, and phone. You’ll receive a verification code.
Step 4 — Start a new application. In the portal, select “New internal work rules registration.” Fill in general data: corporate name, NIT, address, number of workers, economic activity.
Step 5 — Upload documents. Load the RIT PDF, RTU, legal representative’s appointment, commercial licenses, and DPI. Each file under 5 MB.
Step 6 — Submit for review. Confirm and submit. You’ll receive a case number — save it, you’ll need it to track progress.
Step 7 — IGT review. The General Labor Inspectorate has 30 business days to approve or request corrections. Notifications come by email.
Step 8 — Corrections (if applicable). If observations are noted, modify the RIT and re-upload. The clock resets.
Step 9 — Approval and certificate. Once approved, download the Definitive Registration Certificate from the portal. This is the document IGT will request during inspections.
Step 10 — Publish to workers. Approved RIT must be made known to all workers and posted in a visible location (Art. 59 LC). Without that publication, you cannot enforce it.
Cost and timing
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Official cost | Q0 — completely free |
| Approval time | 30 business days (may extend if corrections needed) |
| Validity | Indefinite (until reforms require new registration) |
| Attorney fees (optional) | Q2,500 - Q8,000 depending on complexity |
Common errors
Rules copied from another company
IGT detects when the RIT is not tailored — references to activities, positions, or shifts that don’t match your company. Fix: draft each article around your real operation.
Omitting maternity protection provisions
One of the most common errors. The Labor Code (Art. 151-155) requires special protection: pre- and post-natal leave, lactation hour, prohibition of hazardous work, etc. Fix: include a dedicated chapter on “Maternity and lactation protection.”
Disproportionate or illegal sanctions
You cannot include sanctions that violate the Labor Code (cash fines on the worker, indefinite unpaid suspension, etc.). Fix: valid sanctions are verbal warning, written warning, unpaid suspension up to 8 days, and justified termination per Art. 77 grounds.
Not publishing the RIT to workers
Even with the certificate, if you don’t post the RIT visibly and deliver a copy to each worker, it is not enforceable. A terminated worker can win the labor case on this detail alone. Fix: deliver a signed acknowledgment copy to every employee.
Penalties for non-compliance
The General Labor Inspectorate can sanction per Decree 7-2017 (Labor Code Reforms):
| Infraction | Estimated fine (2026) |
|---|---|
| No RIT with 10+ workers | 3 to 14 monthly minimum wages (~Q11,000 - Q52,000) |
| RIT not approved by IGT | Same fine — treated as nonexistent |
| Not publishing RIT to workers | 1 to 3 monthly minimum wages (~Q3,700 - Q11,000) |
| Applying sanctions without registered RIT | Termination or suspension voided + severance + court costs |
Additional risk: a worker terminated for “internal rule violation” can win reinstatement plus back pay in labor court if they can show the RIT was not registered or not delivered to them.
Related procedures
- MINTRAB hub: All Ministry of Labor procedures
- RECIT — Employment Contract Registration
- Electronic Salary Book
- Electronic Labor Clearance
- Workplace Accident Registration
- Severance Calculation
- Foreign Worker Permit
- SAT — RTU Registration
- IGSS — Employer Registration (mandatory with 3+ workers)
- Mercantile Registry — Commercial License
Official links
- RERIT — Electronic Registry of Internal Work Rules
- MINTRAB — Main portal
- Labor Code (Decree 1441) — full text
- General Labor Inspectorate (IGT)
- Ministerial Agreement 540-2019 — RERIT Instructive
Phone: MINTRAB +502 2422-2500 (Mon-Fri 8:00-16:30 GT time)