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Lake Atitlán under its volcanoes; the 200 meters of shoreline are State reserve.

Land

Buying here starts at the registry.

Where the Constitution closes the door to foreigners, what the registry actually proves, which title risks are typical, and what it costs to put a warehouse up on it.

Epiovesan: Emilio Piovesan · CC BY 3.0

Q18,011 M

Real estate · Q1 2026 · banguat_sdmx

The investor atlas

Land, and who is allowed to hold it.

Researched · unverified

42 topics

The strips where the Constitution closes ownership to foreigners, what the property registry proves and the cadastre still does not, the typical title risks, coastal leases through OCRET, and the industrial-warehouse market with its asking rents.

The research is written in English; quoted figures, source names and the titles of legal instruments stay in the language their source published them in.

Who may hold land, and on what title

35 topics

Yes. A foreigner can own real estate in Guatemala with the same guarantees as a Guatemalan (Foreign Investment Law, Decree 9-98, art. 5), except within two strips: the 15 km border strip (Art. 123 of the Constitution, reserved for Guatemalans by birth) and the state territorial reserves under Art. 122 (3 km of coastline, 200 m from lake shores, 100 m from the banks of navigable rivers, 50 m around springs), where no one holds private title and only a lease from OCRET is possible. The security of title depends almost entirely on the property being recorded at the General Property Registry (RGP) under the folio real system: as of June 2024 the cadastre had advanced in only 21 of 340 municipalities, there is no local title-insurance market, and the real risk lies in unrecorded possessory rights, communal land and usurpations.

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Faja fronteriza vedada a extranjeros15 km desde la línea divisoriavigente (Art. 123)
Municipios catastrados por el RIC21 de 340 (~6%)a junio de 2024

The dossier summarizes six scenarios. An urban property recorded at the RGP in a cadastred zone: low risk, because the folio real and the cadastre are reconciled. A rural property recorded in an uncadastred zone — most of the country — : medium risk, since the physical boundaries may not match the register. Unrecorded possessory rights: high risk, since what is bought is possession rather than ownership, and supplementary titling takes years. Coastline, lake shore or navigable riverbank: no private ownership is possible, only an OCRET lease. The rural 15 km border strip: closed to foreigners and to companies with foreign shareholders. Land originating in a state grant or lying in an agrarian-conflict zone: high risk, from restrictions on transfer, community claims and evictions.

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Escenarios de riesgo de título clasificados6 (bajo, medio, alto, sin propiedad posible, vedado, alto)investigación 2026-08-19

Art. 122 of the Constitution reserves to the state the ownership of four strips: 3 km along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts measured from the high-tide line, 200 m around lake shores, 100 m on each side of the banks of navigable rivers and 50 m around the springs and water sources that supply towns. Within them a private party cannot be the owner; only a lease from the state through OCRET is possible. Excepted are properties located in urban zones and rights recorded at the Registry before 1 March 1956; to acquire properties covered by those exceptions foreigners need authorization from the Executive, and where properties have been declared national monuments or lie within monumental complexes the state holds a preferential right over any transfer. The wording was checked against Justia in the 2026-08-22 audit; a literal check against the official PDF of the Constitution is still pending, as are the requirements for and the frequency of that Executive authorization.

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Litorales oceánicos (Pacífico y Atlántico)3 km desde la línea superior de las mareasvigente
Orillas de lagos200 mvigente
Riberas de ríos navegables100 m a cada ladovigente
Fuentes y manantiales que surten a poblaciones50 m desde el nacimientovigente
Fecha de corte de derechos inscritos exceptuados1 de marzo de 1956vigente

literal check against the official PDF of the Constitution still pending; the requirements for and frequency of the Executive authorization still to be researched

No, with exceptions. Art. 123 of the Constitution provides that only Guatemalans by birth, or companies whose members hold the same status, may own or possess real estate within the 15-kilometer strip along the borders with Mexico, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador, measured from the dividing line. Urban property and rights recorded at the Registry before 1 March 1956 are excepted. The restriction reaches both ownership and possession, and it applies as well to Guatemalan companies with foreign shareholders.

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Ancho de la faja fronteriza15 km desde la línea divisoriavigente
Fecha de corte de derechos inscritos exceptuados1 de marzo de 1956vigente

literal check against the official PDF of the Constitution still pending

No. A commercial guide suggests incorporating a company under Guatemalan law and buying through it as “the most common approach” for lakefront and beachfront property, but the dossier flags this as a commercial claim to be checked with a lawyer: within the Art. 122 reserves outside urban zones there is no private title for anyone to buy — only an OCRET lease — and within the Art. 123 border strip the company must have shareholders who are Guatemalan by birth, so a local corporation with foreign shareholders does not enable the purchase. The US State Department sums it up in its 2024 Investment Climate Statement: the law gives foreigners the same property rights as citizens, but bars owning land immediately adjacent to rivers, oceans and international borders. No Constitutional Court case law was found on the annulment of foreigners' titles obtained through such structures.

the ICS 2024/2025 citation was left without a literal check (403); verify any corporate structure with a lawyer before structuring

The Guatemalan registry system works on the folio real: each property is identified by property number, folio and book, with its full chain of title, encumbrances and annotations, and the dossier describes it as the single source of truth on title. There are two registries: the General Property Registry (RGP) (central zone, based in Guatemala City) and the Second Property Registry in Quetzaltenango, for the west of the country. Electronic searches and QR-code certificate verification run at consulta.rgp.org.gt, and certificates are requested through the RGP Virtual portal; the Second Registry offers online certificates at consulta.srp.gob.gt.

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Registros de la propiedad en el país2 (RGP, Ciudad de Guatemala; Segundo Registro, Quetzaltenango)vigente
See the other 29

The registry certificate is the central document of due diligence: it shows the current owner, measurements, mortgages, attachments, annotations and the chain of title. Under the General Tariff for the Property Registries (Governmental Agreement 325-2005, item 2.8, checked against the RGP's PDF on 2026-08-22), it costs Q50 for each certificate of up to 10 pages plus Q5 for each additional page. The PDF with a QR code has the same legal validity as the printed version and is requested through the RGP Virtual portal.

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Certificación registral, hasta 10 hojasQ50AG 325-2005, numeral 2.8 (reformas posteriores a 2005 por verificar)
Hoja adicional de certificaciónQ5AG 325-2005, numeral 2.8

amendments to AG 325-2005 after 2005 still to be verified

Under item 2.1 of Governmental Agreement 325-2005 (checked against the RGP's PDF on 2026-08-22), recording a sale pays a minimum of Q160 where the value is under Q10,000 and, from Q10,000 upward, Q1.50 per thousand or fraction of the excess; recording promises to sell and mortgages for unpaid balances pays a flat Q250 (item 2.1), and each annotation of a lawsuit or attachment Q160 (item 2.3). The dossier's example: a Q500,000 house pays approximately Q160 + Q735. The “Q0.50 per Q1,000” figure that circulates in a commercial guide does not match the text of the tariff and was discarded in audit; whether there are amendments to AG 325-2005 after 2005 remains to be verified.

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Inscripción de compraventa, valor menor de Q10,000Q160 mínimoAG 325-2005, numeral 2.1
Inscripción de compraventa, excedente sobre Q10,000Q1.50 por millar o fracciónAG 325-2005, numeral 2.1
Promesa de compraventa / hipoteca por saldo insolutoQ250 fijosAG 325-2005, numeral 2.1
Anotación de demanda o embargoQ160AG 325-2005, numeral 2.3
Ejemplo: inscripción de casa de Q500,000≈ Q160 + Q735cálculo del dossier sobre AG 325-2005

amendments to AG 325-2005 after 2005 still to be verified

The Cadastral Information Registry (RIC, Decree 41-2005) is the cadastral authority. Its original strategic plan foresaw surveying all 340 municipalities by 2025; in almost 20 years it has advanced in only 21 municipalities (~6%), according to Con Criterio (article of 26 Jun 2024, checked in audit). The same article records a budget of Q157.2 million with Q49 million executed — Q45 million operating and Q4 million capital — and 707 employees, 696 of them on contract line 022. The RIC does not publish an accessible consolidated figure for the territory cadastred; the CES analysis of cadastral progress was not extracted, and the RIC's presentation to ENADE 2024 (FUNDESA) returned a 403.

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Municipios catastrados21 de 340 (~6%)a junio de 2024
Meta original del plan estratégico del RIC340 municipios para 2025plan original
Presupuesto del RICQ157.2 millones (Q49 millones ejecutados: Q45 M funcionamiento, Q4 M inversión)datos del artículo de jun-2024
Empleados del RIC707 (696 por contrato 022)datos del artículo de jun-2024

press figures (Con Criterio); the RIC publishes no consolidated official figure

The Guatemalan Institute of Notarial Law describes Guatemala as a “country of possessors, not of owners”: less than 20% of the territory is cadastred — the article (20 Nov 2023, checked in audit) puts 14.6% of the national territory (~108,000 km²) under cadastre and 959.9 km² surveyed in 2023 — and only a small fraction is recorded in the registries. The article does not identify the primary source of that figure and the RIC publishes no consolidated official percentage. The consequence for the investor: the register (legal) and the cadastre (physical) are not reconciled across most of the country, the recorded property may not match the actual polygon, and in rural areas an independent topographic survey plus verification at the RIC, where a cadastred zone exists, is advisable.

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Territorio nacional con catastro14.6% (de ~108,000 km²)2023
Superficie levantada en el año959.9 km²2023

the primary source of the 14.6% figure is not identified in the article; no official percentage is published

Possessory rights attach to land never recorded at the RGP: what is sold is possession, not ownership, and the buyer must afterward obtain title through supplementary titling (Decree 49-79), with no access to mortgage credit in the meantime. The dossier classifies this as high title risk; the recommended mitigation is to buy only recorded properties and, where the rights are possessory, to demand a steep discount and budget for the titling process with a lawyer, which takes years and has no guaranteed outcome. The Notarial Institute recalls that Guatemala is a “country of possessors, not of owners”, with less than 20% of the territory cadastred.

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Posesión mínima probada para titular supletoriamente10 años (sumables a los antecesores)Decreto 49-79, art. 1 reformado

The RIC Law (Decree 41-2005, art. 23 letter y, checked in the RIC's PDF on 2026-08-22) defines communal lands as those owned, possessed or held by Indigenous or peasant communities as collective entities, including those recorded in the name of the state or the municipalities but traditionally held under a communal regime. Art. 65 requires the RIC to declare them administratively and, where appropriate, to order their registration, under its Specific Regulation on Communal Lands. For the buyer, verification means confirming at the RIC that the plot falls neither within a communal declaration nor within a recognition process.

The Penal Code (Decree 17-73, checked in audit) defines usurpation in art. 256, with imprisonment of 1 to 3 years — remaining on the land constitutes flagrancy and requires immediate eviction — and aggravated usurpation in art. 257, with 2 to 6 years. According to Prensa Digital 24-7, up to 2021 the Public Prosecutor's Office had counted 19,051 usurpation cases, against only 68 evictions carried out between 2017 and 2021; the primary origin of that figure within the Public Prosecutor's Office is still to be confirmed. A CABI study for the Chamber of Agriculture estimated that the 2018 invasions took 0.6% off national output. AGEXPORT and Mejoremos Guate published a private protocol for responding to usurpations of private property.

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Pena por usurpación (art. 256)1–3 años de prisiónvigente
Pena por usurpación agravada (art. 257)2–6 años de prisiónvigente
Casos de usurpación contabilizados por el MP19,051hasta 2021
Desalojos ejecutados682017–2021
Impacto de las invasiones en la producción nacional-0.6%2018

the figures of 19,051 cases and 68 evictions come from the press; their primary origin within the Public Prosecutor's Office is still to be confirmed

The Supplementary Titling Act (Decree 49-79, art. 1 as amended by Decree 49-2005 of 7 Sep 2005, checked in audit) allows the possessor of a property without recordable title to petition for titling before the First Instance Judge of the place where the property lies, proving legitimate, continuous, peaceful, public, good-faith possession in their own name for not less than 10 years, to which they may add that of their predecessors. It is the route for converting possessory rights into recorded, mortgageable ownership.

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Posesión mínima exigida10 años (sumables a los antecesores)Decreto 49-79, art. 1 reformado por Decreto 49-2005
Fecha de la reforma del art. 1Decreto 49-2005, 7-sep-20052005

Art. 3 of Decree 49-79 (checked in audit) excludes supplementary titling over properties larger than 45.125 ha (one caballería), over property located in the Franja Transversal del Norte and in the agrarian development zones of Decree 60-70 (except urban fractions of up to 5,000 m²), over property inside state reserves and over surplus areas of rural or urban properties.

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Superficie máxima titulable supletoriamente45.125 ha (una caballería)Decreto 49-79, art. 3
Fracciones urbanas exceptuadas en zonas del Decreto 60-70hasta 5,000 m²Decreto 49-79, art. 3

These are voluntary court proceedings: notices are published in the Official Gazette three times within one month and the municipality files a report following an on-site inspection by the mayor (arts. 7–8); once the proceedings close, the judge gives the Public Prosecutor's Office 8 days to be heard and then approves or rejects the petition (art. 10). Buying possessory rights means taking on this process — years, with no guaranteed outcome — before holding recorded, mortgageable title. The real costs and timelines of the process still have no public figure.

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Publicación de edictos3 veces en un mes en el Diario OficialDecreto 49-79, arts. 7–8
Audiencia al Ministerio Público8 díasDecreto 49-79, art. 10

the real costs and timelines of the court process have no public figure

Yes. Art. 2 of Decree 49-79 (“only natural-born Guatemalans may obtain supplementary titles”) was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court in Case File 1331-2005, judgment of 14 Feb 2006 (the annotation in the consolidated text dates it 25 Apr 2006), so a foreigner may obtain a supplementary title on equal terms. The dossier relies on the annotation in the consolidated text and on the vLex summary; the full text of the judgment and subsequent judicial practice with foreign applicants have yet to be obtained.

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Sentencia de la CC que anuló el art. 2 del Decreto 49-79Exp. 1331-2005, 14-feb-2006 (anotación del texto consolidado: 25-abr-2006)2006

the full text of the judgment has yet to be obtained; subsequent judicial practice with foreign applicants has yet to be documented

The Secretariat of Agrarian Affairs (SAA), the body that recorded and mediated land conflicts, was closed in 2020 by the Giammattei government as an austerity measure; the closure of SEPAZ and the SAA was announced on 1 Apr 2020 (República, checked in audit). Impunity Watch analyzed that closure as part of the dismantling of the peace-accord institutions. The defunct SAA's conflict database is not published; for a property's conflict history the dossier points to the SAA archive and to COPRECON, created in 2025.

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Anuncio del cierre de SEPAZ y SAA1-abr-20202020

the defunct SAA's conflict database is not published

The Arévalo government created, by Governmental Agreement 100-2025 (published on 4 Jun 2025, checked at the AGN), the Presidential Commission for the Handling of Conflict (COPRECON), temporary for 4 years, chaired by the President and made up of the ministers of the Interior, Finance, Agriculture (MAGA), Environment (MARN) and Energy and Mines (MEM), for the peaceful settlement of conflict across various spheres; the agreement does not mention land specifically. According to its director Otto Zeissig (Prensa Latina, 13 Oct 2025), COPRECON inherited an inventory of files that “easily exceed 600”, runs eight regional offices in the departments with the highest incidence — Petén, Huehuetenango, Quiché, Alta and Baja Verapaz, Izabal and Quetzaltenango — and its Directorate of Agrarian and Environmental Conflicts may account for 75–80% of the cases handled. These are the official's statements; there are no published statistics, and the inventory can be requested from COPRECON.

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Publicación del AG 100-20254-jun-20252025
Vigencia de COPRECON4 añosdesde jun-2025
Expedientes heredadosmás de 600declaración de oct-2025
Oficinas regionales8oct-2025
Peso de conflictos agrarios y ambientales en casos atendidos75–80%declaración de oct-2025

the inventory, the offices and the percentage are the director's statements to Prensa Latina, with no published statistics

Between January and July 2024 more than 15 communities were evicted in Alta and Baja Verapaz, Petén, Escuintla and Jalapa, according to the International Land Coalition Latin America (checked in audit). The breakdown — 15 evictions in the first half-year of the Arévalo government, 11 by court order and 4 extrajudicial, “driven by paramilitary groups without prior notice” — comes from a count by the researcher Laura Hurtado cited by Avispa Midia (17 Jul 2024); no official eviction statistics are published. For rural land in the Verapaces, Izabal, Petén and the Franja Transversal del Norte, due diligence must include the conflict history (COPRECON/SAA archive), not only the registry folio.

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Comunidades desalojadasmás de 15ene–jul 2024
Desalojos por orden judicial11primer semestre del gobierno Arévalo (2024)
Desalojos extrajudiciales4primer semestre del gobierno Arévalo (2024)

a researcher's count cited by the press; no official eviction statistics are published

Within the Art. 122 reserves the private party does not buy: it leases from the state through OCRET (the Office for the Control of State Territorial Reserve Areas, attached to the Ministry of Agriculture (MAGA)) under Decree 126-97, the Act Regulating Territorial Reserve Areas. Natural or legal persons may lease; legal persons must be legally incorporated in Guatemala (art. 5, checked in FAOLEX). This is the practical route for beach developments (Monterrico, the Pacific) and for lake shores: an OCRET contract, not a deed of ownership. The OCRET right is an administrative lease, not ownership: it cannot be mortgaged as full title and its renewal is at the state's discretion; Plaza Pública has published institutional criticism of OCRET. The lease application appears in the government's Catalog of Procedures (service 3040).

Under Decree 126-97 (arts. 5, 6, 9, 11, 25 and 26 checked in the FAOLEX PDF on 2026-08-22): art. 9 sets up to 30 years, renewable, for housing, reforestation, sustainable environmental development, recreation, industry, commerce, livestock, poultry, beekeeping and salt works, and likewise up to 30 years, renewable, for hotels, recreational, social or sporting centers or scientific research facilities; the renewal is “similar to the original lease”, the tenant who applies for it has priority, and the application is filed 6 months before expiry (art. 25). Rent is paid annually and in advance, or with a minimum advance of 20% of the annual installment (art. 11); the tenant may assign only the entirety of the leased property (art. 26); on the coast, housing and recreation are capped at 2,000 m² with a maximum beach frontage of 80 m (art. 6). The “review of use and rent every 5 years” that a studocu summary attributed to the law does not appear in its text. The rent table in art. 10 has yet to be compared with AG 151-2024.

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Plazo máximo de arrendamiento OCREThasta 30 años prorrogablesDecreto 126-97, art. 9
Antelación para pedir prórroga6 meses antes del vencimientoDecreto 126-97, art. 25
Pago de la rentaanual y anticipado, o anticipo mínimo del 20% de la cuota anualDecreto 126-97, art. 11
Extensión máxima en litoral para vivienda y recreación2,000 m² con frente de costa máximo de 80 mDecreto 126-97, art. 6

the check against the Minfin .doc and the comparison of the art. 10 rent table with AG 151-2024 are both pending

Governmental Agreement 151-2024, the new regulation to the Act Regulating Territorial Reserve Areas, has been in force since 1 Oct 2024, replacing AG 432-2002 with new requirements and procedures; according to a note from the firm Berger Pemueller & Asociados (checked in audit), it requires a bond before the contract unless the whole rent for the term is paid in advance. OCRET's legal-framework page still listed AG 432-2002 as the regulation in force as of 2026-08-22 (out of date). The text of AG 151-2024 — requirements, current rents per m², terms by use, and whether the 30 years apply to every use — has yet to be obtained.

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Vigencia del AG 151-2024desde 1-oct-20242024
Reglamento sustituidoAG 432-2002hasta sep-2024

the text of AG 151-2024 has yet to be obtained; the description is taken from a law firm's note

On sale, the capital gain is taxed at 10% of the net gain (Tax Update Act, Decree 10-2012, art. 92 — rate, base, deadline and form checked in Prensa Libre on 2026-08-22), applying to residents and non-residents alike for property located in Guatemala; the base is the sale price less the higher recorded value (RGP, municipality or DICABI), and it is settled in the first 10 days of the following month using SAT form 1321. If the sale falls within the ordinary course of business (a developer), it is taxed as ordinary income, according to a tax adviser (Vescco). Holding the property attracts IUSI (the Single Property Tax, Decree 15-98), annual and municipal, whose rates by value band are in dossier 03-impuestos; it is worth requiring municipal clearance from the seller before signing the deed.

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Impuesto sobre ganancia de capital al vender10% sobre la ganancia netavigente (Decreto 10-2012, art. 92)
Plazo de liquidaciónprimeros 10 días del mes siguiente, formulario SAT 1321vigente

IUSI rates are in dossier 03-impuestos; the ordinary-course-of-business treatment comes from a tax adviser and was not checked

The dossier consolidates nine checks: 1) a recent registry certificate showing owner, measurements, a chain of title of 10–20 years, encumbrances and annotations (RGP or Second Registry); 2) whether the property falls within the strips of Arts. 122/123 — 3 km of coast, 200 m of lake, 100 m of navigable river, 15 km of border — with a georeferenced survey plan and a written legal opinion; 3) if there is a RIC cadastred zone, request a cadastral report, and if not, commission an independent topographic survey; 4) any communal-land declaration or process at the RIC; 5) whether it came from a state grant (Decrees 1551/60-70/38-71) and whether the restrictions are still in force (registry certificate and FONTIERRAS); 6) the history of agrarian conflict and evictions in the municipality (COPRECON, local press); 7) IUSI clearance, municipal notices and land use (municipality/DICABI); 8) if it is coastline or riverbank, the seller can assign only an OCRET lease, there is no ownership to buy; 9) if the rights are possessory, budget for supplementary titling (at least 10 years of proven possession, a maximum of 45.125 ha, not within state reserves or the FTN, before a civil judge; open to foreigners since the Constitutional Court judgment in Case File 1331-2005).

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Verificaciones del checklist9síntesis operativa del dossier

The dossier leaves open, among others: the literal check of Arts. 122–123 against the official PDF of the Constitution; the official percentage of territory cadastred (the RIC publishes no consolidated figure; the FUNDESA PDF returned 403 and the CES analysis was not extracted); whether Guatemala appears on the approved-country lists of First American and Stewart; the text of AG 151-2024 (requirements, rents per m², terms by use); the Municipal Code (Decree 12-2002) regime for ejidos; the current official statistics on agrarian conflicts and evictions; possible amendments to the AG 325-2005 tariff after 2005; the real costs and timelines of supplementary titling and the full text of the Constitutional Court judgment in Case File 1331-2005; Constitutional Court case law on the annulment of foreigners' titles under Arts. 122/123; the requirements for and frequency of the Executive authorization for foreigners in urban zones inside reserves; and the primary origin within the Public Prosecutor's Office of the 19,051 usurpation cases. The data for the proposed indicators have not yet been ingested into the archive.

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Pendientes listados en el dossier14 (3 resueltos o parcialmente resueltos en la auditoría del 2026-08-22)al 2026-08-22

a list of research gaps; it contains no affirmative data

Outside the strips under Arts. 122 and 123, the rule is full ownership: art. 5 of the Foreign Investment Law (Decree 9-98) grants the foreign investor the full right of use, enjoyment, benefit and ownership over its investment. A foreigner can buy in their own name — with a passport and a tax identification number (NIT) from the tax authority (SAT) — apartments, houses and residential land, and the property is recorded directly in their name at the RGP, according to the State Department's 2024 Investment Climate Statement. A commercial guide adds that no residency or special visa is required in order to buy, though a NIT is needed to pay the transaction taxes; the dossier asks for this to be verified with SAT.

the absence of a residency requirement and the use of the NIT come from a commercial guide (verify with SAT); the 2024 ICS was not checked literally

There is no domestic title-insurance market of the US or Canadian kind; local practice rests on the registry certificate and the notary's public faith, according to a local broker (a commercial claim). First American Title (international division) states that it runs due diligence and issues dollar policies in more than 40 approved countries, with title-search supervision in 35 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, but Guatemala's specific inclusion in that list was not confirmed. Stewart Title offers international policies for cross-border transactions by US companies (the “Global Across the Board” policy, an indemnity contract under US law); its only Latin American subsidiary that issues locally is Mexico (STGMEX), and coverage of Guatemala remains to be confirmed case by case. The regional practice described is that US insurers issue policies over foreign property after due diligence by approved local lawyers.

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Países aprobados por First American (división internacional)más de 40 (Guatemala no confirmada)afirmación promocional, consultada 2026-08-19
Países de América Latina y el Caribe con supervisión de investigación de título (First American)35afirmación promocional, consultada 2026-08-19

promotional claims; Guatemala's inclusion in the approved-country lists of First American and Stewart is unconfirmed — contact their international divisions

The State Department's 2024 Investment Climate Statement warns that defects in titles and gaps in ownership in the public registry can lead to conflicting property claims, especially in rural areas, and that enforcing eviction orders is difficult where ownership is in dispute; the mitigation is to review the chain of title 10–20 years back. A commercial guide adds that if a seller asserts that the Art. 122/123 restrictions do not apply, independent legal verification must be obtained, since this is the main source of problems for foreign buyers; the dossier recommends a written legal opinion before the promise to sell. The 2024 and 2025 editions of the ICS returned 403 in the audit and the citation is left without a literal check.

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Cadena de dominio a revisar10–20 años atráspráctica recomendada

the ICS 2024/2025 was not checked literally (403); the recommendation about the seller comes from a commercial guide

The Land Fund (FONTIERRAS, Decree 24-99, a decentralized institution born of the Peace Accords) administers access to land through credit or subsidy and the regularization of land handed over by the state under Decrees 1551 (Agrarian Transformation), 60-70 and 38-71. Risk for the buyer: estates granted by the state often carry resolutory conditions, time-limited bans on transfer, or incomplete grant files awaiting regularization. It is worth checking in the registry certificate whether the property came from a state grant and whether the restriction has lapsed or been canceled. The exact scope of the restrictions article by article is an inference from the framework of Decree 24-99 and is still to be verified.

the exact scope of the restrictions article by article is still to be verified (an inference from the regularization framework of Decree 24-99)

Municipal ejidos are municipal assets; in practice they are granted under municipal lease or concession, not sold. The exact regime of the Municipal Code (Decree 12-2002) and the articles applicable to sale, lease or concession were not verified in this research and appear on the outstanding list. The RIC Law (art. 23, letter y) counts among communal lands those recorded in the name of the state or of the municipalities but traditionally held under a communal regime, which adds a further layer of verification over municipal land.

the Municipal Code (Decree 12-2002) regime for ejidos was not verified

Every sale of real estate requires a public deed before a Guatemalan notary, who drafts it, attests to it, settles the taxes and files the testimonio with the RGP (Conservis Abogados). The sequence for a foreign buyer, per a commercial guide consistent with Conservis: 1) obtain a NIT from SAT with a passport; 2) due diligence with an RGP registry certificate, municipal IUSI clearance and a land-use certificate; 3) promise to sell with a deposit of 5–10%; 4) public deed; 5) payment of taxes; 6) recording of the testimonio at the RGP (2–4 weeks); 7) notarial notices to the municipality and to DICABI. Buying from abroad requires a power of attorney in public deed form, apostilled and protocolized in Guatemala. The timelines are market practice, not law.

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Inscripción del testimonio en el RGP2–4 semanaspráctica de mercado (guía comercial)
Arras en promesa de compraventa5–10%práctica de mercado (guía comercial)

sequence and timelines from a commercial guide (c), matching Conservis (b); the audit checked the transcription, not the facts

Transaction costs collected by the dossier: VAT of 12% on the first sale (new build), on the higher of price and recorded value; stamp tax of 3% on second and subsequent sales (Decree 37-92); notary fees of ~1–2% of value, freely negotiated (a market figure); recording at the RGP of Q160 minimum plus Q1.50 per thousand on the excess over Q10,000 (AG 325-2005, item 2.1); a registry certificate of Q50 for up to 10 pages plus Q5 per page (item 2.8); and a lawyer for due diligence at Q3,000–Q8,000 or 0.5–1% (commercial guide, to be verified). Typical totals from the same guide, as an order of magnitude: ~4.5–6.5% of the price on a resale and ~13.5–15% on a new build. The detail on VAT and stamp tax is in dossier 03-impuestos.

Figures
IVA, primera venta (obra nueva)12% sobre el mayor entre precio y valor registradovigente
Timbres fiscales, segunda venta y subsiguientes3%vigente (Decreto 37-92)
Honorarios de notario~1–2% del valorpráctica de mercado
Abogado (due diligence)Q3,000–Q8,000 o 0.5–1%guía comercial, por verificar
Total típico, reventa~4.5–6.5% del precioorden de magnitud, guía comercial
Total típico, obra nueva~13.5–15% del precioorden de magnitud, guía comercial

only the RGP tariffs were checked against a primary source; fees, lawyer costs and totals are figures from commercial guides

In your own name: passport and NIT, and the property is recorded in the foreigner's name at the RGP (2024 ICS). Through a Guatemalan company (S.A.): common for developments and for limiting liability, with incorporation at the Mercantile Registry (dossier 12-operar-vivir), but it does not get around Art. 123, which requires shareholders who are Guatemalan by birth in the border strip. Buying remotely: a power of attorney granted in public deed form before a Guatemalan consul or a foreign notary, with apostille and sworn translation, then protocolized by a Guatemalan notary (commercial guide; verify the requirements with a notary). The promise to sell uses a deposit of 5–10% and a typical closing runs 4–8 weeks from accepted offer to recorded testimonio — market practice, not law.

Figures
Arras usuales en promesa de compraventa5–10%práctica de mercado (guía comercial)
Plazo típico de cierre (oferta aceptada a testimonio inscrito)4–8 semanaspráctica de mercado (guía comercial)

market practice from a commercial guide (c), not law; verify the power-of-attorney requirements with a notary

The dossier proposes eight indicators, with their sources and frequencies, not yet ingested into the archive: municipalities declared cadastred zones out of 340 (RIC, annual, figure to be requested in the annual activity report); cumulative plots with a cadastral survey (RIC, annual); recordings of real-estate sales (RGP, monthly or annual, statistics to be requested); complaints of usurpation and aggravated usurpation, arts. 256–257 (Public Prosecutor's Office, annual); active agrarian-conflict files by department (COPRECON, quarterly, by information request); evictions carried out by court order (the Judiciary, with ILC-Land Matrix as a proxy, annual); OCRET leases in force on the coast and on lakes (OCRET/MAGA, annual); and IUSI collection by municipality as a proxy for formalization (Minfin, local government portal, annual).

Figures
Indicadores propuestos8propuesta de 2026-08-19

proposed indicators, not data series; none has been ingested into the archive

Offices: stock, vacancy and rents

3 topics

According to JLL's 'Latin America Office Market' report (November 2024), cited by Inversión Inmobiliaria CR, Guatemala City had an office inventory of 627,000 m², 16,000 m² under construction, vacancy of 13.5% (down from 20.8% in 2023) and class A rent of US$9.50–15.00 per m² per month. These data were verified in the audit of 2026-08-19. The report does not break out class B rent for Guatemala; the dossier recommends seeking JLL's original PDF every six months for the office_class_a_rent_usd_m2 and office_vacancy_pct series.

Figures
Inventario de oficinas, Ciudad de Guatemala627,000 m²nov-2024
Oficinas en construcción16,000 m²nov-2024
Vacancia de oficinas13.5% (desde 20.8% en 2023)nov-2024
Renta Clase AUS$9.50–15.00 /m²/mesnov-2024

secondary source for the JLL report; class B rent unavailable

CABI, cited by República Inmobiliaria, reported that vacancy in AAA buildings in Zones 10 and 14 fell from 16% to 12% during the second half of 2023; it should be confirmed that CABI is indeed the source cited in that article. In 2026 listings, offices in Zone 10 are offered at US$12.50–13.00 per m² per month with service charge and parking included (Idea Central), and a plug-and-play corporate office in the Américas 10 building (Zone 13, class A) at US$20/m² (Colliers Guatemala). These are individual listings, not market averages; JLL's class A average as of November 2024 was US$9.50–15.00/m²/month.

Figures
Vacancia edificios AAA zonas 10 y 14de 16% a 12%2S-2023
Renta oficinas zona 10 (listados, mantenimiento y parqueo incluidos)US$12.50–13.00 /m²/meslistados 2026
Renta Américas 10, zona 13, clase A (listado)US$20 /m²/meslistado 2026

individual listings; attribution to CABI to be confirmed

The prime office corridors are Zones 10, 14, 4 (Cuatro Grados Norte) and 13 (Américas). The benchmark complex is Zona Pradera, on Boulevard Los Próceres, Zone 10: 5 interconnected towers (four of 18-19 floors and one of 10), completed in 2008, with more than 2,500 parking spaces across 6 basement levels, more than 350 companies, some 1,500 external visitors a day and a helipad on Tower I, according to Spanish-language Wikipedia and the complex itself. Active brokers with public inventory: Colliers Guatemala and CBR Guatemala.

Figures
Torres Zona Pradera5 interconectadas (4 de 18-19 niveles, 1 de 10)terminadas 2008
Parqueos Zona Praderamás de 2,500 en 6 sótanossin fecha
Empresas en Zona Praderamás de 350sin fecha
Visitantes externos diarios~1,500sin fecha

data from Wikipedia and the complex itself, undated

The building license, step by step

2 topics

The Territorial Control Directorate (DCT) of the Guatemala City municipality handles the authorization and supervision of construction licenses under the Land-Use Plan (POT) through its single window (vu.muniguate.com); it sits at 21 Calle 6-77 Zona 1, Palacio Municipal, PBX 2285-8000, ventanillaunica@muniguate.com. Published forms: F08 for single-family housing up to 700 m², extensions and remodeling, and subdivisions of up to 4 lots (it does not apply in the Historic Center or to changes of land use); F09 general feasibility; F04 license extension; F11 minor modifications; F13/F14 for municipal agreements COM 59-2023 and COM 58-2023. Online it offers the POT Map, case-file lookup and electronic payment. License times and costs are not published on vu.muniguate.com (possibly in the COM agreement setting the municipal fee schedule) and remain pending.

Figures
Límite del formulario F08, vivienda unifamiliarhasta 700 m²2026
Límite del formulario F08, fraccionamientoshasta 4 predios2026

license times and costs are not published

The VAC is described as a "digital platform that unifies the requirements and procedures of nine (9) executive-branch institutions for steps taken before a municipal construction-license application is filed"; it is reached at www.vac.com.gt and is promoted by PRONACOM. It is the step that precedes filing the case with the DCT of the Guatemala City municipality. The dossier records no VAC costs or timelines.

Figures
Instituciones integradas en la VAC92026

Building in Antigua: the heritage rules

2 topics

The legal basis is Decree 60-69, the Protective Act for the City of La Antigua Guatemala; the authority is the National Council for the Protection of La Antigua Guatemala (CNPAG, 2ª avenida norte and 2ª calle oriente, tel. 7873-4646, Mon–Fri 7:30–16:00). Article 23 requires a prior license from the Council for any new construction or alteration inside the conservation area or its area of influence, subject to the Regulating Plan, and prohibits buildings of two or more stories; article 24 requires drawings in duplicate signed by architects or engineers in good standing with their professional association, and the Council or the Conservator may suspend works at any stage. CNPAG has jurisdiction within the maximum-conservation polygon and the conservation islands in the villages; outside them, the municipal Control Urbano office applies. The file includes property details, a sworn declaration, existing and proposed construction, 2 sets of drawings and professional liability; anything under 30 m² requires a preliminary design. Antigua has been a World Heritage Site since 1979. The amounts of penalties and the real licensing timelines were not found. Implication: a boutique hotel in the historic center requires a CNPAG license in addition to the municipal one.

Figures
Altura máximaprohibidas construcciones de dos o más pisos (art. 23)vigente
Umbral anteproyecto<30 m²2025
UNESCO Patrimonio Mundialdesde 19791979

fine amounts and licensing timelines were not found

The Municipal Tourism Development Plan 2025-2029 (Municipality + INGUAT + CityLab) creates a Destination Management Organization and a tourism information system, diversifies towards the outlying villages and sets the 2032 vision of the 'best city to live in, visit and invest in' (mayor Juan Manuel Asturias). The municipal land-use plan (POT) classifies land as urban, expansion, rural or protected; Plaza Pública criticises it for attracting new residents without covering local needs; its approval date and the approving agreement are still to be verified. Antigua's Sustainable Tourism Observatory (INGUAT) recorded 971,930 non-resident visitors and US$277.4 M of estimated foreign-exchange earnings in 2024. Holy Week pressure: 641,704 arrivals in 2025 (19% of the national total of 3,423,890; 149,978 of them foreign), against 1,209,622 (37%) in 2024. The municipality's population was not found in a citable source.

Figures
Visitantes no residentes Antigua971,930 · US$277.4 M divisas2024
Llegadas Semana Santa Antigua641,704 (19% nacional; 149,978 extranjeras)Semana Santa 2025
Llegadas Semana Santa Antigua1,209,622 (37%)Semana Santa 2024

the POT's date and approving agreement are still to be verified; Plaza Pública returned 403

This layer is research: read from public sources by the archive's own team, every claim cited with the date it was consulted, and audited where it is marked so. It has not entered the verified store — no figure here was fetched back from its source or stamped with a retrieval time — so it wears no red provenance numeral and never mixes with the verified figures.

Industrial developers

Researched · unverified

8 organizations

The firms that build and lease the industrial space itself: logistics parks, build-to-suit warehousing and mixed-use projects. Researched from public sources — each firm's own site, its promotional material and the press that announced the project: rent is almost never published, it is quoted project by project, and appearing here is not a recommendation.

  • Grupo Rosul· No site published

    What it offers
    Developer of the Multinova class-A warehouse complex in San Miguel Petapa
    Location
    San Miguel Petapa, Guatemala
  • DECONSA

    What it offers
    Developer of the Internaranjo Empresarial project on the El Naranjo corridor (Mixco)a promotional claim
    Location
    Mixco, Guatemala
  • Idea Central

    What it offers
    The most prolific developer of the 2022-2026 period: Industrial Las Tunas (phases 1-8), Parque Industrial CAES, three projects in Amatitlán and Logística El Alto; sale and pre-sale of condominium office-warehouses and of logistics landprices from its own listings = a promotional claim
    Location
  • Calidad Inmobiliaria· No site published

    What it offers
    20+ years; 627,000 m² built; develops Districentro (Condado Naranjo) and Distribodegas at 7 locations in Guatemala and El Salvador; it cites market averages of US$990/m² for office-warehouse and US$700/m² for industrial park (Nov-2023)developer claims in a bylined article (Revista Industria&Negocios)
    Location
  • ÍNTEGRO· No site published

    What it offers
    Developer of InnovaPark and of Ciudad Santalú (a '10-minute city')developer claims reported through the press
    Location
    Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, Escuintla
  • Grupo Zeta· No site published

    What it offers
    An active industrial developer confirmed by 2022-2026 evidencedetail in dossier 07
    Location
  • Latam Logistic Properties· No site published

    What it offers
    A regional logistics developer; on 30-Jul-2019 it stated that it was looking at projects in Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama and Ecuadorno project announced in Guatemala in seven years; the statement cannot be read as a live signal
    Location
  • Ciudad Cayalá / Paseo Cayalá· No site published

    What it offers
    An urban development that houses the AC Hotel (operating) and the full-service Marriott (159 rooms), the only two branded projects with evidence in the dossier.named only as a location; the dossier does not describe the developer
    Location
    Guatemala City
Land · Advance Guatemala