Revision as of 10:20, 12 November 2011

Currency to display:

At the border

Correct as of: February 2010

Required Paperwork

Passport of registered owner (original and 1 copy).
Vehicle registration (original and 1 copy).
Drivers license of registered owner (original and 1 copy).

Process at border

Your vehicle will be fumigated, which costs $3.00 USD. Be sure to get a receipt.
The owner of the vehicle gains entry at immigration (migración), including a stamp in their Passport.
The owner must show the new passport stamp, drivers license and the original vehicle registration to customs (aduana).
Pay the required fee of Q40.00 GTQ at the nearby bank. Be sure to get a receipt.
The owner is issued a temporary import permit for the vehicle.

NOTE: You will encounter pushy locals offering to help you with paperwork to get across the border. See Central America Border Crossings for advice.

Cost of entry

$3.00 USD for fumigation.
Q40.00 GTQ for the vehicle entry.

NOTE: The CA-4 stamp that most nationalities get allowing entry to Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua for 90 days is supposed to be free, but some customs officials will ask for money. Politely ask for a receipt, and do not pay unless you are given a receipt for this.

Permitted length of stay

90 days.

Extension of stay

Unknown.
Describe the process to extend the permitted length of entry for the vehicle, if possible.

Storing a vehicle and temporarily leaving the country

(unknown)
Describe if/how a vehicle can be stored, and for how long.
Also mention if the owner / temporary importer can leave the country while the vehicle is in storage.

Exiting with a vehicle

The registered owner presents the temporary import paper to customs.
The registered owner is stamped out of Guatemala at immigration.

NOTE: As with entering Guatemala, you will definitely encounter very pushy locals offering to help you with paperwork to get across the border. See Central America Border Crossings for advice.

Overland Essentials

Vehicle Insurance

Insurance requirements

Nil.

Cost of insurance

N/A

Where to purchase insurance

N/A

Driving license

Technically an International Driving Permit is required.
In reality, showing a license from anywhere in the world seems to be good enough.

Driving side of road

Right.
Right hand drive vehicles are permitted without problem.

Mandatory items in vehicle

None.

Roads

General Road quality

Roads in Guatemala vary greatly. The Pan American is paved and good quality for the length of the country, as are most other highways. Lesser roads are gravel and can be very bumpy and rutted. Towards the center of the country, roads are extremely bumpy and slow-going. During the rainy season meany roads are impassable.

Road signs

Road signs are uncommon, and can not be relied upon.

Toll roads

None.

Bribery

Police bribery is relatively common in Guatemala, so you should expect it to happen. See the bribery tips page for advice.

Checkpoints

Police checkpoints are common in Guatemala. You'll primarily be asked to show your Passport, Vehicle registration, drivers license, and the temporary import permit you were issued at the border.

Traveling with pets

Unknown.
List the entry requirements and anything else required to travel with a pet.

Gasoline / Petrol / Diesel

Last updated: Feb 2010

Price

Currency and unit to display:

Gasoline Grade	Price
Regular	Error in price tag: 'galonus' is not a known unit.^[1]
Super (90)	??
Premium (95)	??
Ultra (97)	??
Normal Diesel	$0.73 USD per Liter^[2]
Diesel (low sulfur)	??

Gasoline Availability / Frequency

Gasoline is common.

Gasoline Quality

Accepted to be low quality. Sulfur content of diesel is unknown, but probably high.

External information about gasoline

Price Information: gasoline-germany.com - International Gas / Petrol / Diesel prices - Guatemala

Safety / Security Considerations

Driving at night

Driving at night is absolutely not recommended in Guatemala, due to safety considerations.

The North of the country near the Belize border is known to be especially dangerous.
Driving all the way around Lake Atitlán (Lago de Atitlán) is not recommended - numerous Overlanders have encountered bandits along the road to the South.

Vehicle parking

Find a secure parking lot to park for any length of time. Price unknown.

Special driving considerations

Like most Central American countries, you need to expect the unexpected at all times.

Security advisories and information

Camping

Camping is not popular in Guatemala, though you will find the odd spot if you keep a lookout. Roadside camping can be OK in the smaller out-of-the-way places.
The Police in Antigua offer a free campground in the middle of the city - a popular meeting place for Overlanders. See #Overland_Travel_Interest

Camping guide books

Unknown.

Drinking water

Tap water in Guatemala is not safe to drink.

Navigation

Paper maps

Purchase maps before arriving, good ones are very difficult to find in Guatemala.

GPS

Open Street Map: Appears to have good coverage.^[3]
Garmin: Apparently no map of El Salvador.
TomTom: No map of El Salvador. ^[4]

Directions and GPS co-ordinates for camping, propane, gas, repairs, etc.

Camping Sites: El Salvador - Detailed list of campsites and propane filling with description, directions and GPS co-ordinates. Some at hotels (lists facilities and price), some roadside and free.
Central America Camping Locations - List of campsites, with basic directions and GPS co-ordinates. Mostly free sites.
Camping Log 1: Central America - List of campsites, shopping, fuel, propane and border crossings with excellent descriptions and GPS co-ordinates.
White Acorn camping log page - GPS co-ordinates and excellent description of campsites]