Correction (24 September 2026): Guatemala’s International Driving Permit is issued by the Touring y Automóvil Club de Guatemala (13 calle 8-44, zona 10), on the 1949 Geneva Convention model, off an original Maycom licence with at least six months of validity left. This page previously said the Departamento de Tránsito issues it the same day at an office in zone 11 or Mixco for Q200, Q300 or Q400 by number of categories, under the 1968 Vienna Convention. We found no source for any of that; the club does not publish a price, and Guatemala is not a party to the 1968 Vienna Convention. See our corrections policy.
If you’re planning to drive abroad — tourism in Europe, business in South America, or a road trip — the International Driving Permit (IDP) translates your Guatemalan licence so officers and rental counters abroad can read it.
In Guatemala it is issued by the Touring y Automóvil Club de Guatemala (TACG), not by the Departamento de Tránsito. The condition: you must hold an original Maycom licence with at least six months of validity left. The IDP does not replace your national licence — it accompanies it.
Summary: The Guatemalan IDP is issued by the Touring y Automóvil Club de Guatemala on the 1949 Geneva model. You fill in the club’s application, have your photo taken at its office, show your original Maycom licence (minimum 6 months left) and pay. The club does not publish the price. The permit is valid for one year from issue in the states party to the 1949 Convention — not in Guatemala itself.
Checked on the club’s site on 24 September 2026.
Apply for an International Driving Permit
The Touring y Automovil Club de Guatemala issues the permit and publishes its requirements.
Before you go, have:
- Your original Maycom licence with at least 6 months of validity left
- The club's application form (TACG 180816)
- Time for the photo, which is taken at the club's office
- The payment (price not published — ask the club)
Go to the Touring y Automovil Club page
Office: 13 calle 8-44, zona 10, Edificio Edyma Plaza, local 104 · Phone: 2372-5316 · Hours: weekdays 9:00-18:00 · Checked 24 Sep 2026
What is the International Driving Permit
The International Driving Permit is a passport-style booklet that the Touring y Automóvil Club de Guatemala issues under the Convention on Road Traffic signed in Geneva on 19 September 1949. It carries translations of your Guatemalan licence in Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian and Chinese, so the authorities of the country you visit can read it.
It is not an independent licence. It accompanies your normal Guatemalan licence, and the club says it certifies that you hold a valid licence from your country of origin. It shows:
- Your name and personal details
- The issuance and expiration date
- The vehicle categories you may drive (the convention’s categories A to E)
- Your issuing country (Guatemala)
Validity: per Annex 10 of the 1949 Convention, “for the period of one year from the date of issue”, in the territory of all the Contracting States “with the exception of the territory of the Contracting State where issued” — so it does nothing for you inside Guatemala.
When you do and don’t need it
Whether a country or a rental company requires an IDP is set by that country and that company, not by Guatemala. We have not verified country-by-country rules. The practical cases:
- You plan to drive in a country whose officers or rental counters may not read Spanish — the IDP’s translations are its whole purpose.
- A rental company asks for it — check the company’s document rules before you book.
- You travel without driving — you don’t need it.
- You hold a licence from the country you are visiting — use that licence.
Complete requirements
Per the Touring y Automóvil Club de Guatemala (checked 24 September 2026):
- Application form TACG 180816
- Photograph, taken at the club’s office
- Original Maycom licence with at least 6 months of validity left
- Payment of the fee (the club does not publish the amount)
Step-by-step
Check your Guatemalan licence — it must be an original Maycom licence with at least six months left. If not, renew it first.
Fill in the application — the club’s form TACG 180816 (linked from its permit page).
Go to the club — 13 calle 8-44, zona 10, Edificio Edyma Plaza, first floor, local 104, Guatemala City; weekdays 9:00-18:00, closed Sundays. Phone 2372-5316 or 2372-5317.
Have your photo taken and pay — the photo is taken at the office. Ask for the price when you call.
Receive your permit — a passport-style booklet. It runs for one year from its date of issue.
Cost and timing
| Item | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| International Driving Permit | Not published | Touring y Automóvil Club de Guatemala, checked 24 Sep 2026 |
| Timing | Detail |
|---|---|
| Processing | Not published by the club |
| Validity | One year from the date of issue (1949 Convention, Annex 10) |
| Where valid | States party to the 1949 Convention, except Guatemala |
Common mistakes
Confusing IDP with license conversion — the IDP is for Guatemalan licence holders driving ABROAD. Conversion is for foreigners settling IN Guatemala. See foreign license conversion.
Going to the Departamento de Tránsito — Tránsito does not issue this permit; the Touring y Automóvil Club de Guatemala does.
Applying with a licence about to expire — the club asks for at least six months of validity left. Renew your Maycom licence first.
Expecting it to work in Guatemala — Annex 10 excludes the territory of the state that issued it.
Assuming it is a 1968 Vienna permit — Guatemala is a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention, not the 1968 Vienna one, and the club issues the 1949 model.
For traveling diaspora
If you live in the US but have a valid Guatemalan license and plan to drive in other countries, consider:
- If you already have a US license, AAA issues the US IDP on the same 1949 model for $20 — see driving on a US licence.
- If you only have a Guatemalan licence, get the IDP at the Touring y Automóvil Club de Guatemala while you are in Guatemala, and check that your licence has at least six months left.
- If going from Guatemala to Mexico/Honduras/El Salvador in your own car, what matters are the destination country’s vehicle rules: SAT publishes no exit permit for Guatemalan vehicles, and Mexico requires its own temporary import permit. See driving a Guatemalan vehicle abroad.
Tip: rental companies differ on IDPs. Call the rental car company in advance and ask whether they accept a Guatemalan license with an IDP.
IDP categories
The club lists the 1949 Convention categories:
| Symbol | Covers |
|---|---|
| A | Motorcycles, with or without sidecar, invalid carriages and three-wheeled motor vehicles with an unladen weight not over 400 kg |
| B | Motor vehicles carrying passengers with no more than eight seats besides the driver’s, or carrying goods with a permissible maximum weight up to 3,500 kg; may draw a light trailer |
| C | Motor vehicles carrying goods with a permissible maximum weight over 3,500 kg; may draw a light trailer |
| D | Motor vehicles carrying passengers with more than eight seats besides the driver’s; may draw a light trailer |
| E | Vehicles of classes B, C or D, for which the driver is licensed, drawing a trailer that is not light |
The club does not publish how Guatemalan licence types (A, B, C, M, E) map to these categories; ask when you apply.
Related procedures
- Transit and Vehicle Hub — all transit procedures
- Foreign License Conversion — opposite case: foreigners arriving in GT
- Guatemala Driver’s License (overview) — all GT types
- Maycom License Renewal — renew before getting IDP
- Driving a Guatemalan vehicle abroad (Mexico/Honduras) — if driving to Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador
- Traffic Fines Lookup — check your record
- Guatemala DPI — required for GT license
Official links
- Touring y Automóvil Club de Guatemala — International Driving Permit
- Driving on a US licence in Guatemala — Guatemala’s treaty position (1949 Geneva, not 1968 Vienna)
- United Nations Treaty Collection — 1949 Convention on Road Traffic
- Touring y Automóvil Club de Guatemala phone: 2372-5316