Correction (24 September 2026): the rule is Reglamento de Tránsito art. 24: a foreign licence is valid for as long as your immigration authorisation is, and residency makes the transfer to a Guatemalan licence obligatory, with the Departamento de Tránsito (3a avenida 6-44, zona 1, Guatemala City) deciding whether you are tested. Tránsito publishes no homologación fee; its driving permit for foreigners costs Q50 per month. This page previously said a valid licence converts for Q150 (Q300 if expired), same day and without a practical test, at a transit centre in Mixco or zone 11, under a 30-day 1968 Vienna Convention rule with a 90-day deadline and a Q500 fine. No authority publishes any of that, and Guatemala is not a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention. See our corrections policy.

If you’re a returning Guatemalan after years in the United States, a Spaniard relocating for work, or any foreigner establishing residency, turning your foreign driver’s license into a Guatemalan one is one of the first practical steps you’ll face. The rule is short, but the paperwork is heavier than a counter swap: Tránsito asks for an apostilled certification of your licence, and it decides whether you sit a test.

The Departamento de Tránsito of the National Civil Police (PNC) handles it. The legal basis is article 24 of the Reglamento de Tránsito (Acuerdo Gubernativo 273-98), not an international treaty. Guatemala is a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (acceded 10 January 1962) and not to the 1968 Vienna Convention; our US licence page quotes the treaty record.

Summary: As a visitor, your valid foreign licence covers the vehicles it lists for as long as your immigration authorisation is in force (art. 24). With residency, you must transfer it to a Guatemalan licence of the same type or lower; the Departamento de Tránsito decides whether you take a theory or practical test. Tránsito’s homologación route asks for an apostilled certification of your licence, a sworn translation and your foreign-resident DPI. While residency is in process, Tránsito issues a driving permit for foreigners at Q50 per month. Both are handled at the Departamento de Tránsito, 3a avenida 6-44, zona 1, Guatemala City (tel. 2315-2600).

Requirements checked on transito.gob.gt on 24 September 2026. Check the exchange rate page for today’s USD/GTQ rate.

Start at the Departamento de Transito

Transito publishes the requirements for homologacion and for the driving permit for foreigners on its site.

For homologacion (residents with a foreign-resident DPI), have:

  • A certification of your licence from the authority that issued it, apostilled (or legalized through consular channels if your country is not in the Hague Convention)
  • A sworn translation if the licence is not in Spanish
  • A legible photocopy of both sides of your valid foreign licence
  • A photocopy of your DPI for domiciled foreigners

See the requirements on transito.gob.gt

Fee: none published for homologacion · foreigner permit Q50/month · Office: 3a avenida 6-44, zona 1 · Phone: 2315-2600 · Checked 24 Sep 2026

What is foreign license conversion

Article 24 of the Reglamento de Tránsito has three parts:

Los titulares de licencia de conducir extranjeras tienen permitido conducir en el territorio nacional, vehículos para los cuales están habilitados por la misma y sólo hasta que esté vigente su autorización migratoria.

En caso de residencia en el país, es obligatorio el traspaso de su licencia extranjera a una nacional, del mismo tipo o inferior, pero nunca superior. El departamento dictaminará, si es necesario, tomar alguna prueba teórica o práctica.

The third paragraph lets a foreigner who is processing residency apply to the Departamento de Tránsito for a driving permit. So there are two different documents: the transfer (traspaso) of your licence to a Guatemalan one once you are resident, which Tránsito processes as homologación de licencias de conducir, and the permiso de conducir para personas extranjeras that covers you while your residency is in process.

Conversion is not automatic and Tránsito does not promise a test-free swap: the Departamento decides whether you sit a theory or practical test. It is also distinct from a first license (for someone who has never held one) and a renewal (for someone whose Guatemalan licence has expired).

Who needs to convert

1. Foreigners with residency. Article 24 makes the transfer obligatory once you are resident. It sets no number of days to do it.

2. Foreigners whose residency is in process. You can apply for Tránsito’s driving permit for foreigners (Q50 per month) instead of waiting.

3. Guatemalans returning with a foreign licence. See the returning diaspora section: Tránsito’s homologación requirements are written for domiciled foreigners.

You don’t need to convert if:

  • You’re a visitor and your immigration authorisation is in force: your valid licence covers the vehicles it lists (art. 24). An International Driving Permit is recommended, not required by the Reglamento — see our US licence page. Our international driving permit guide covers the reverse case, Guatemalans driving abroad.

Complete requirements

Homologación de licencias de conducir (Tránsito, requirements checked 24 September 2026):

  • The user’s application and/or form (handed out at Tránsito’s windows)
  • Certification of your driving licence from the authority that issued it, apostilled — for countries outside the Hague Convention, legalized through consular channels (pases de ley)
  • Sworn translation of the licence if it is in a language other than Spanish
  • Photocopy of both sides of your valid, legible foreign licence
  • Photocopy of your DPI for domiciled foreigners

Tránsito lists no fee for this procedure. It does not publish a processing time either.

Permiso de conducir para personas extranjeras (Tránsito, permit page checked 24 September 2026), for a foreigner whose temporary residency is in process:

  • An application addressed to the head of the Departamento de Tránsito, with an address and phone for notifications
  • Legalized photocopies of your passport and foreign licence
  • Two photocopies of the immigration resolution showing your status (proof the file is in process, or a recent temporary or permanent residency)
  • A sworn declaration by a guarantor who is Guatemalan by origin, is not guarantor for another foreigner, and takes responsibility for your stay and for damage you cause while driving; a legalized copy of the guarantor’s DPI; and the guarantor’s last three bank statements showing a month-end balance of at least Q5,000
  • A CECOVE theory-and-practical certificate only if you have no foreign licence or it has expired
  • Sworn translation of the licence if it is not in Spanish; an embassy letter if the licence shows no expiry date
  • An eye test from an optician or ophthalmologist authorised by the Departamento de Tránsito
  • Two ID-size photos
  • Q50 per month for issue, renewal or replacement (Acuerdo Gubernativo 166-2018)

Everything goes in a legal-size folder with a fastener, in the order listed. Tránsito publishes separate lists for diplomats, refugees and applicants, and South Korean licence holders (Guatemala–Korea mutual-recognition agreement).

Step-by-step conversion

  1. Get the certification of your licence from the authority that issued it (in the US, your state’s licensing agency) and have it apostilled in the issuing country. MINEX does not apostille foreign documents — see MINEX apostille for the reverse direction.

  2. Translate it if it is not in Spanish — hire a Guatemalan sworn translator authorised by MINEDUC; check the name in the Ministry of Education’s register at certificados.mineduc.gob.gt. (The Organismo Judicial does not authorise or list translators; Article 37 of the Ley del Organismo Judicial simply requires an authorised one.)

  3. Check you are clear of fines in Guatemala — see the traffic fines lookup.

  4. Go to the Departamento de Tránsito — 3a avenida 6-44, zona 1, Guatemala City (tel. 2315-2600). Pick up the form at the window and file the homologación papers (or, if your residency is still in process, the foreigner permit file).

  5. Take any test the Departamento asks for — art. 24 leaves it to the Departamento to decide whether a theory or practical test is necessary. If a CECOVE evaluation is required, it costs Q700, lasts 1.5 to 2 hours and is passed with 72 points, with a free second attempt (Tránsito).

  6. Ask at the window what happens to your foreign licence and where the Guatemalan licence is issued. Tránsito’s pages do not say, so we don’t either.

Cost and timing

ItemCostSource
HomologaciónNo fee publishedTránsito requirements page, checked 24 Sep 2026
Driving permit for foreignersQ50 per monthAcuerdo Gubernativo 166-2018, as cited by Tránsito
CECOVE evaluation (only if required)Q700Tránsito, “¿Dónde examinarse?”
Apostilled certification of your licenceSet by the issuing country—
Sworn translation (if applicable)Set by the translator—
TimingDetail
Processing timeNot published by Tránsito (checked 24 Sep 2026)
Deadline to convert from residency startNone stated in art. 24; the transfer is obligatory once resident
Guatemalan license validity1 to 5 years, according to the holder’s needs and the fee paid (Reglamento art. 22)

Common mistakes

  • Assuming there is a 30-day limit — there is none in Guatemalan law. As a visitor your licence is valid while your immigration authorisation is; once you are resident, the transfer is obligatory.

  • Showing up without the apostilled certification — homologación asks for a certification from the authority that issued your licence, apostilled, not just the plastic card and a photocopy.

  • Showing up without a sworn translation — a US licence is in English; Tránsito asks for a sworn translation of any licence not in Spanish.

  • Confusing conversion with an international license — an International Driving Permit is issued in your country of origin (AAA in the US) before you travel, off the licence that country issued, and it does not replace the transfer once you are resident. If you want a permit to drive abroad on a Guatemalan licence, see this guide.

  • Not bringing proof of your immigration status — both Tránsito routes are tied to residency: homologación asks for the DPI for domiciled foreigners, and the permit asks for the immigration resolution. See DPI.

US-GT category equivalences

Tránsito publishes no table matching US licence classes to Guatemalan types. What the Reglamento does say:

Guatemalan type (Reglamento art. 23)What it covers
Tipo CCars, panels, microbuses and pick-ups, with or without trailer, up to 3.5 tonnes gross, without being paid to drive
Tipo BCars and motor vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes gross, may be paid to drive
Tipo ACargo vehicles over 3.5 tonnes gross, school transport and public transport (urban and inter-urban)
Tipo MAll motorbikes and motorcycles — see Maycom Type M
Tipo EAgricultural and industrial machinery only

Article 24 caps the result: the Guatemalan licence is of the same type or lower, never higher. If your licence covers several classes (a car and a motorcycle, say), show the Departamento all of them.

For returning diaspora

If you spent years in the US and are returning to Guatemala definitively, there are three situations:

Case 1: You have a valid US license AND never had a GT license. Article 24 speaks of holders of foreign licences, and Tránsito’s homologación requirements ask for the DPI for domiciled foreigners — they are written for foreign residents. We found no published equivalent for Guatemalan citizens (checked 24 September 2026). Ask the Departamento de Tránsito (2315-2600) before you pay for anything; the published alternative is a first licence: CECOVE evaluation (Q700) plus Maycom’s licence fee.

Case 2: You have a valid US license AND had an expired GT license. You may only need to renew. Tránsito also publishes an exemption from the late-renewal fine (Acuerdo Gubernativo 59-2012) for people who were outside the country, which asks for a certification of your migratory movements.

Case 3: Your US license is expired. You obtain the Guatemalan licence as a first-timer, starting with the CECOVE evaluation (Q700, 72 points to pass, free second attempt). See the licence guide and theory exam.

Diaspora tip: before traveling to Guatemala, renew your US license if it’s close to expiring, and order your state’s certification of it while you can do so easily. An International Driving Permit from AAA ($20, 1949 Geneva model) helps officers and rental counters read your US licence during your visitor period.