- Patente de Comercio (active RM inscription)
- NIT certificate from SAT
- Empty bound books (paper) OR electronic book file
- Number of sheets per book to authorize
- RM fee payment receipt (Q5/sheet)
- Registered accountant credentials (if assets > Q20,000)
Under the Guatemalan Code of Commerce, every registered merchant — sole proprietor, S.A., S.R.L., EIRL, foreign branch — must keep organized accounting with double-entry bookkeeping. Four books are mandatory, and the Mercantile Registry must authorize them before use under Article 372.
Quick summary: Four mandatory books (Inventories, Daily, Ledger, Financial Statements) per Art. 368. RM authorization is mandatory before use per Art. 372. Fee Q5 per sheet. Non-compliance fine Q100-Q1,000 per Art. 370. Small assets (≤ Q25,000) may be exempt per Art. 369. Accountant required above Q20,000 individual or any society per Art. 371.
Key facts
| Legal basis | Code of Commerce (Decree 2-70), Articles 368-382 |
| Mandatory books | 4: Inventories, Daily, Ledger, Financial Statements |
| RM fee | Q5 per sheet |
| Authorization before use | Mandatory (Art. 372) |
| Sanctions for skipping | Q100-Q1,000 per infraction (Art. 370) |
| Small-asset exemption | Q25,000 or less in total assets (Art. 369) |
| Accountant required when | Individual > Q20,000 OR any society (Art. 371) |
| Supporting documents kept | Minimum 5 years (Art. 382) |
| Books kept | Entire life of business + liquidation (Art. 376) |
The four mandatory books — Article 368
Article 368 (reformed by Decree 40-99) lists the four required books:
1. Inventories (Libro de Inventarios)
Records the opening inventory at the start of the business and updated inventories at each year-end. Includes assets, liabilities, and the partners’ equity composition.
2. Daily Journal / Primera Entrada (Libro Diario)
Chronological record of every transaction the business engages in — sales, purchases, payments, receipts. Double-entry: every entry has a debit and credit. This is the “first entry” book where transactions enter the accounting system.
3. General Ledger / Centralizador (Libro Mayor)
Centralizes by account. Each account (Cash, Accounts Receivable, Sales, etc.) has its own page that pulls from the Daily Journal. The ledger lets you calculate the balance of any account at any time.
4. Financial Statements (Libro de Estados Financieros)
Per Article 377, this book records:
- Opening general balance at start of business
- Ordinary year-end balance
- Extraordinary balances (mid-year, mergers, etc.)
- Profit and loss statement (Estado de Resultados)
- Any other statement the merchant considers necessary
You may add additional books (cost accounting, auxiliary books, etc.) but the four above are non-negotiable.
Article 372 — authorize BEFORE use
Article 372 is the rule that brings every merchant to RM:
“The Inventory, Daily, General Ledger, and Financial Statements books must be authorized by the Mercantile Registry before being used.”
In practice this means:
- You buy or print blank books with bound sheets
- You file at RM to authorize them BEFORE writing the first entry
- RM seals/numbers the sheets and issues an authorization act
- You then begin using the authorized books
For electronic books, the equivalent step is a digital authorization via RM’s platform — your software issues entries against an authorized file template.
Writing in books before authorization = subject to Article 370 fine plus invalidity of entries for tax and legal purposes.
Sanctions — Article 370
Article 370 establishes the penalty regime:
“Infractions related to accounting books are sanctioned with a fine of one hundred to one thousand quetzales (Q100-Q1,000). The Mercantile Registry imposes the fine and requires compliance.”
Typical scenarios that trigger fines:
- Using books before RM authorization
- Failing to keep one of the four mandatory books
- Keeping more than one set of accounting for the same business (also Art. 373)
- Erasures, blank spaces, interpolations in the books (also Art. 373)
- Not producing books when RM or SAT requests them
The fine is per infraction, so the total exposure can exceed Q1,000 in a multi-violation situation. Beyond fines, unauthorized books cannot be used as evidence in court or to defend against a SAT tax adjustment.
Step-by-step authorization
Step 1 — Confirm you need authorized books
Check the threshold:
- Assets ≤ Q25,000 + no special-law requirement → may omit (Art. 369)
- Any mercantile society (S.A., S.R.L., EIRL) → required from day one
- Individual merchant with assets > Q25,000 → required
- SAT-specific regime requirements → may require even below Q25,000
If unsure, default to authorizing the books — Q5/sheet is trivial vs. a Q1,000 fine.
Step 2 — Prepare your books
Physical books:
- Buy bound notebooks with sequentially numbered pages, or print bound copies
- Decide how many sheets per book (100-500 typical)
Electronic books:
- Use accounting software that supports Guatemalan electronic books (Contabilidad Electronica, integrated with SAT FEL)
- Have the software prepare the file for RM authorization
Step 3 — Pay the RM fee
Q5 × number of sheets × number of books. Pay at an authorized bank or via e-Tramites.
Step 4 — File the authorization request
Online: Submit via RM e-Tramites — upload Patente de Comercio, NIT, payment receipt, and book details.
In person: 8a Avenida 10-43 Zona 1, Guatemala City. Bring the physical books unbound or with the seal pages free for the RM stamp.
Step 5 — RM authorizes (3-7 business days)
RM seals/numbers the sheets and issues an authorization act. You pick up the authorized books or receive the electronic authorization.
Step 6 — Begin using
You may now legally start making entries in the authorized books.
Article 371 — when you need a registered accountant
Article 371 (reformed by Decree 58-96) establishes two triggers for mandatory professional accountant involvement:
| Trigger | Effect |
|---|---|
| Individual merchant > Q20,000 assets | Must hire registered Perito Contador or CPA |
| Any mercantile society (S.A., S.R.L., EIRL, etc.) | Must hire registered Perito Contador or CPA — regardless of size |
The accountant must be registered at SAT and at their colegio (Colegio de Contadores Publicos y Auditores or similar). Their signature appears on financial statements and tax filings.
Typical accountant fees:
- Small individual merchant: Q300-800/month
- Mid-size company: Q1,500-3,000/month
- Large company: Q5,000+/month or in-house team
Article 369 — small business exemption
Article 369 is the relief valve for the smallest businesses:
“Merchants with total assets of twenty-five thousand quetzales (Q25,000.00) or less may omit these books, except where special laws require otherwise. Foreign branches may keep duplicates in another language and currency with a conversion column to the national currency, with prior notice to the Mercantile Registry.”
Two parts:
(a) Q25,000 exemption — if your total business assets stay at or below Q25,000, you may skip the four mandatory books. The exemption does NOT remove SAT obligations (you still need a tax regime, invoices, monthly filings).
(b) Foreign branch duplicate — a US company with a Guatemalan branch may keep its books in USD English (matching US GAAP) provided each entry has a quetzal conversion column. The branch must give RM prior notice that it will operate under this dual-currency rule.
Document conservation — Articles 376 and 382
| Article | Rule |
|---|---|
| Art. 376 | Books are conserved during the entire life of the business plus the liquidation period. |
| Art. 382 | Supporting documentation (invoices, receipts, contracts, bank statements) is conserved for a minimum of 5 years, with longer terms where special laws apply. |
SAT tax law typically requires 4 years of supporting documents after the filing year — the Code of Commerce 5-year floor is stricter. In practice, keep everything for at least 7 years to cover overlapping requirements (SAT, RM, IGSS, MINTRAB).
Common errors
| Error | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Writing in books before RM authorization | Did not know about Art. 372 | Stop, file authorization request, void pre-authorization entries |
| Only 3 books authorized | Missed the Financial Statements book | File supplementary authorization for the fourth book |
| No accountant signature on statements | Did not know about Art. 371 | Hire registered Perito Contador immediately |
| Erasures or interpolations | Trying to “fix” entries | Cross out wrong entry with single line + new entry, never erase |
| More than one set of books for same business | Inadvertent duplication or fraud | Consolidate into single authorized set; multiple sets violate Art. 373 |
| Books missing during SAT audit | Lost or destroyed | Reproduce from supporting documents + report loss to RM |
| Foreign-currency books without RM notice | Foreign branch did not file Art. 369 notice | File notice; conversion column on each entry mandatory |
Cluster mesh
Related resources
- Mercantile Registry Hub — every RM procedure in one place
- Annual RM Update — year-end balance and renewal
- Corporation (S.A.) — books required from day 1
- Sole Proprietor — books may be exempt under Q25,000
- Patente de Comercio — annual business license
- SAT Hub — tax filings rely on your authorized books
- RM vs SAT — books bridge both worlds
Sources: Code of Commerce of Guatemala (Decree 2-70 of the Congress of the Republic), Articles 368-382 — consulted via Puerto Quetzal archive and Congress of the Republic. Relevant reforms: Decree 40-99 (Art. 368), Decree 58-96 (Art. 371). 2026 RM fees: registromercantil.gob.gt. Verified: May 2026.