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Health Establishment Sanitary License — DRACES MSPAS
→ Start at MSPAS DRACES 📞 DRACES 2231-2936
Before you click, have ready:
  • 📞 Call DRACES first (2231-2936 or 2231-2933) to confirm your category and fee
  • 💵 BANRURAL deposit slip — account 3621014128 (FONDO PRIVATIVO -DRACES-) — amount per category
  • 📋 Application form and qualification guide for your category (downloadable at mspas.gob.gt)
  • 🏥 Floor plan, equipment list, licensed medical staff with active professional college credentials
  • 📍 In-person submission at DRACES, Avenida Bolívar 28-07 zone 8, second floor, Guatemala City
💰 Cost: Q90 to Q5,400 (by category) · ⏱ Time: 10 to 15 business days · 🆔 Verified: May 2026

The Sanitary License for Healthcare Establishments (Licencia Sanitaria para Establecimientos de Atención para la Salud) is the document issued by the Department of Regulation, Accreditation, and Control of Health Establishments (DRACES) of Guatemala’s Ministry of Public Health (MSPAS), authorizing the installation and operation of hospitals, clinics, laboratories, imaging centers, and other private healthcare establishments. The procedure is grounded in Government Agreement 376-2007.

Summary: Fee between Q90 and Q5,400 (~US$12-US$700) depending on type and category. In-person process at DRACES (Avenida Bolívar 28-07 zone 8). Validity 5 years. Time: 10 to 15 business days. Requires prior qualification per the category defined in Government Agreement 376-2007.

Applies to: hospitals, medical and dental clinics, clinical labs, imaging centers, hemodialysis, elderly care homes, maternity centers, rehabilitation, optical clinics, physiotherapy centers.

What is this license?

DRACES (formerly the Authorization and Accreditation Unit) of MSPAS regulates private healthcare establishments in Guatemala. The sanitary license is the document proving your establishment has met:

  1. Qualification — physical, technical, and personnel requirements for its category
  2. Registration — formal entry into the DRACES database
  3. Authorization — MSPAS permission to operate

The license is valid for 5 years and must be displayed to the public inside the establishment. After 5 years it renews via the same process.

Don’t confuse this with the food sanitary license (Q500, annual, DRCA) — that one is for restaurants and cafeterias. This DRACES license (Q90-Q5,400, 5 years) is exclusively for healthcare establishments.

Who needs it?

You are required to hold the DRACES sanitary license if your establishment is one of these:

  • 🏥 Private hospitals — general, specialized, maternal/child, pediatric
  • 👨‍⚕️ Medical clinics — single-physician offices, group practices, multi-specialty
  • 🦷 Dental clinics — single-practitioner or group dental offices
  • 🔬 Clinical laboratories — clinical analysis, anatomical pathology, cytology
  • 📷 Imaging centers — radiology, ultrasound, MRI, CT
  • 💉 Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis centers
  • 👵 Elderly care homes and assisted-living homes
  • 👶 Maternity and newborn care centers
  • 🦽 Rehabilitation and physiotherapy centers
  • 👁 Optical centers with professional optometry service

Does NOT apply to:

  • MSPAS public hospitals
  • IGSS hospitals and clinics
  • Military medical services

Important: Pharmacies and drugstores are not part of this process — they have their own DRCPFA process (see Pharmacy Sanitary License).

Full requirements

Requirements vary by establishment type and modality (opening, renewal, relocation, modification, replacement). DRACES publishes a specific qualification guide for each category at mspas.gob.gt.

Mandatory preliminary steps for everyone:

  1. Confirm the establishment category. Before assembling any file, call DRACES (2231-2936 or 2231-2933) or email to be told exactly which category you fall into and the corresponding fee.

  2. Download the specific qualification guide from mspas.gob.gt. Each category has its own guide listing physical, technical, and personnel requirements.

  3. Complete the application form — also downloadable from mspas.gob.gt.

Documents common to all categories:

  • DPI of the owner or legal representative (foreign owners use passport + residence card)
  • NIT and SAT RTU certificate
  • Mercantile Registry patente de comercio (corporations)
  • BANRURAL deposit slip — account 3621014128 (FONDO PRIVATIVO -DRACES-) for the corresponding fee
  • Establishment sketch and architectural floor plan
  • Recent utility bill for the location
  • Lease contract (if applicable)
  • Medical equipment inventory with serial numbers
  • Roster of medical and technical staff with active professional college (colegio profesional) credentials
  • Proof of active professional college membership for medical professionals
  • Biosafety and hospital waste management manuals
  • Emergency response plan

Typical category-specific extras:

CategoryCharacteristic extra documents
HospitalsOperating room plan, sterile area certification, evacuation plan
Clinical labsQuality control manual, biosafety equipment registry
ImagingRadiation license from National Nuclear Energy Commission, dosimeters
HemodialysisSpecific biosafety manual, dialysis water log
Elderly careCare plan, staff profile, nutrition plan

Tip: Once you have your category-specific guide, read it carefully and build your own checklist. Incomplete files are the #1 cause of weeks-long delays.

Step-by-step process

  1. Initial DRACES consultation. If you’re uncertain which category applies, contact DRACES by email (verify the current address at mspas.gob.gt) or by phone at 2231-2936 / 2231-2933. They’ll tell you the category and the fee.

  2. Optional preliminary document review. Authorization and Accreditation Unit staff may ask you to scan and email key documents for preliminary review. This is highly recommended — it saves you from physical-submission rejections.

  3. Pay the fee. Once category and amount are confirmed, deposit at BANRURAL monetary account 3621014128 in the name of FONDO PRIVATIVO -DRACES-. Keep the original receipt.

  4. Download form and guide. Download the Application Form, Requirements, and Qualification Guide for your category from mspas.gob.gt.

  5. Complete the form. Fill in the requested information clearly and legibly, or use the Word format.

  6. Document collection. Gather all documentation per your category guide.

  7. Assemble the file. Order the documents in the exact sequence they appear on the requirements list. Order matters — it’s not enough to have the documents; they must be presented in the correct order.

  8. Physical file submission at DRACES. Bring the printed file to Avenida Bolívar 28-07 zone 8, second floor, including the BANRURAL payment receipt.

  9. Receipt and verification. The Authorization and Accreditation Unit receives the file and verifies it meets all requirements.

  10. Site supervision (if applicable). Some categories require a physical site visit. If that’s your case, DRACES coordinates the visit date.

  11. License issuance. If the file complies, DRACES issues the license within the indicated timeframe (10 to 15 business days, longer if supervision is required).

  12. License pickup. Collect the license at DRACES with your tracking receipt and ID. The license must be displayed to the public inside the establishment.

Cost and time

ItemDetail
Official feeBetween Q90 and Q5,400 by category (Government Agreement 53-2022)
Payment methodBANRURAL deposit, account 3621014128, FONDO PRIVATIVO -DRACES-
Validity5 years from issue date
RenewalSame process every 5 years
Time from submission10 to 15 business days (longer if supervision required)

Approximate fee table by type (verify with DRACES):

Establishment typeApproximate range (US$ equiv)
Single-practitioner medical officeQ90 - Q300 (~US$12-US$40)
Small multi-specialty clinicQ400 - Q900 (~US$50-US$120)
Clinical laboratoryQ800 - Q2,000 (~US$105-US$260)
Imaging centerQ1,500 - Q3,000 (~US$200-US$390)
Mid-size private hospitalQ2,500 - Q4,500 (~US$325-US$585)
Hospital with OR / hemodialysisQ4,500 - Q5,400 (~US$585-US$700)

Important: These ranges are reference only. The exact amount is confirmed by DRACES after reviewing your application and category. Never pay without first confirming the amount by phone or email with DRACES.

Real costs you’ll also incur:

  • Professional architectural plan: Q1,500-Q5,000 (one-time)
  • Manuals (biosafety, waste management): Q2,000-Q6,000 if outsourced
  • Medical equipment certification: variable
  • If radiation license is required (imaging): Q500-Q2,000 additional

Common mistakes & what to do if denied

Top five rejection causes:

  1. Wrong category. The owner assumes one category and assembles the file for that one, but DRACES determines another. Result: incorrect fee paid, file rejected, time lost. This is why the initial DRACES consultation is essential.
  2. Medical staff without active professional college credentials. Even one lapsed credential prompts an observation.
  3. Architectural plan that fails area separation. Missing waiting area, insufficient bathrooms, poorly defined sterile zones.
  4. Generic manuals. Same as in food licensing, inspectors recognize templates. Manuals must be specific to your establishment.
  5. Wrong deposit amount. Doesn’t match the fee schedule for your category.

If denied:

  • You receive a formal note with the observations
  • You have time to correct and resubmit
  • If you paid the wrong fee, you can pay the difference or request a refund (the latter can take months)
  • If rejected for wrong category, you must reassemble the file using the correct category guide

Critical recommendation: Take advantage of the optional preliminary review DRACES offers by email. Submit key documents before printing the entire file and before paying. This eliminates 80% of rejections.

  • Government Agreement 376-2007 — Regulation for the Authorization, Accreditation, and Control of Healthcare Establishments: the master regulation defining categories and qualification requirements.
  • Government Agreement 53-2022 — DRACES Fee Schedule: sets the current amounts (Q90 to Q5,400) by category.
  • Health Code — Decreto 90-97: the general framework empowering MSPAS to regulate healthcare establishments.
  • DRACES Technical Norms specific to each category (hospitals, labs, imaging, etc.).

Operating a healthcare establishment without a DRACES license is a Health Code violation carrying:

  • Significant administrative fines
  • Temporary or permanent closure of the establishment
  • For medical professionals: possible sanctions from the relevant professional college