The Santa Catalina Arch in Antigua Guatemala

Guatemala · Country guide

Moving to Guatemala from the US

Visas, residency routes, citizenship and tax for Americans moving to Guatemala, with the law behind each rule.

Source-checked17 sources, 14 officialHow we check

Today's rate: $1 = 7.66 quetzalesUpdated 14 Nov 2026

CapitalGuatemala City

Visa-free (US)Up to 90 days, extendable to 180

Residency income from$1,250 a month of pension or income

CitizenshipAfter 5 years of residence

Tax on foreign incomeNo: US pensions, Social Security and interest aren't taxed

Dual citizenshipNo: you renounce at the ceremony

Guatemala in brief

Visit visa-free: up to 90 days, extendable once to 180 days in total.
Remote employees: $2,000 a month of pay from a foreign employer gets 1–5 years of residence ($3,000 with family).
Retirees: $1,250 a month of pension gets permanent residence straight away, plus $300 per dependant.
Freelancers don't fit: the remote route is for employees; self-employment needs local tax registration.
Remote workers' tax: after more than 183 days a year, about $2,975 on $60,000 of pay.
Retirees' US income isn't taxed: Guatemala taxes only income earned in Guatemala.

About Guatemala

Guatemala packs volcanoes, highland Maya villages, Lake Atitlán and lowland rainforest with Maya ruins like Tikal into one small country. Colonial Antigua and the capital sit in the central highlands, with Pacific and Caribbean beaches on either side.

Deep blue Lake Atitlán below the Tolimán and Atitlán volcanoes, with the lakeside town of San Antonio Palopó on the slope. — Lake Atitlán and its volcanoes

A cobbled street in Antigua with colorful colonial houses, families walking, and a cloud-wrapped volcano behind. — Antigua street below a volcano

A large pot of pepián, a rich brown Guatemalan stew, on a grill with corn cobs beside it. — A pot of pepián stew

A market stall stacked with bright handwoven Maya textiles in Chichicastenango, with a boy standing beside them. — Woven textiles, Chichicastenango market

By the numbers

18.7 millionPeople, 2025 estimate

Size of TennesseeLand area, 42,000 sq mi

64%Live in cities

4World Heritage sitesNeeds review

$6,600GDP per person

Needs reviewThe count is from news reports; confirming it on the official list.

Regions

Central Highlands: Cooler highlands with Guatemala City, colonial Antigua and an active volcano.
Western Highlands: Maya villages, Lake Atitlán and more active volcanoes.
Northern Lowlands: Dense rainforest and Maya ruins, including Tikal.
Caribbean Coast: Beaches, and Garifuna rice and beans in Puerto Barrios.
Pacific Lowlands: Hot foothills rolling down a wide plain to the beaches.

Culture and daily life

Language: Spanish in all the main towns; in remote villages many people speak mostly a Maya language.
Food: Corn tortillas come with most meals, alongside black beans, tamales and stews like pepián.
Religion and holidays: Independence Day is September 15, the day Central America declared independence in 1821.

Economy and politics, briefly

Prices are steady: inflation was 1.5% in 2025. The quetzal trades at about 7.6 per dollar.
Politics: the next general election is set for June 27, 2027.
Banking: legal residents have the right to open bank accounts.

Sources (10)

Cities in Guatemala

Where our city guides are planned. Hover a city to find it on the map.

All Guatemala guides

Every rule with its legal source.

Entry and visasUp to 90 days visa-free, extendable to 180 Residency3 routes: remote employee, pension and income Citizenship5 years of residence, exams, then renounce TaxesWhat retirees and remote workers pay

Free tools

Count your days in GuatemalaTourist days used and left, the tax-residency test, and the US 330-day count.Social Security and Medicare in GuatemalaPayments, direct deposit, agreements and what Medicare covers.

Still being checked

Official texts: the 2025 residence rules and their start date (about Oct 2025), to confirm on the official sites.
Remote route: whether remote employees also need a work permit within 3 months.
Freelancers: no residence category found for people paid by foreign clients.
Checklists: the immigration office's current lists, including bank-statement apostilles and whether an SSA letter is enough.
Retiree benefits: the separate rules on import or tax breaks haven't been found, so don't count on them.
Shared 90 days: whether visitors share one stay with El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.

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