Investor Temporary Residence

1. Renewup to 60 months
2. Permanent residencyafter 5 years
3. Citizenshipafter 5 years

• Permanent residency 5 years
• Citizenship 5 years
• Dual citizenship not allowed
• Language required for citizenship Spanish; civic-instruction exam

Country

Guatemala

Program

Investor Temporary Residence

Local name

Residencia Temporal para Inversionistas

Type

Investor visa

Status

Active

Max duration

60 months

Renewable

Yes

Temporary residence for a foreign national who invests at least US$100,000 in Guatemala in one or more commercial entities, in movable property, or in immovable property. The routes can be combined. The grant is for one to five years, as requested. It can be extended only inside a five-year cap on temporary residence. Permanent residence is available after five years as a temporary resident if the investment continues.

Tax regime

Territorial

Regime name

Territorial Tax System

Foreign income taxed

No

Capital gains taxed

No

Method

in person

Apply from abroad

No

Article 75(d) of the Migration Code and article 17 of Acuerdo IGM-016-2025 require US$100,000. The article says "cien mil dólares". The same regulation and the IGM checklist treat that as US dollars, so no exchange rate was applied. The applicant files a notarized statement of the economic activity and the intended length of stay, plus evidence that depends on the asset: registry certificates, securities titles, invoices for plant and equipment, or proof of the origin of the funds. The stored fee is the one-year total: US$25 to file plus US$200 for a one-year status. A two-year status is US$300 and a three-to-five-year status is US$500, each plus the US$25 filing charge. An extension costs another US$25 plus the fee for the new term. A dependent's file is charged on the same scale. The US$225 dependent fee is that one-year total, not a separate dependent tariff. Switching to permanent residence after five years uses the general permanent-residence fee of US$700 plus US$25, not the US$400 rentista fee. Temporary residence cannot be used to stay longer than five years. After that the holder applies for permanent residence and must show that the investment continues. An extension request goes in at least 30 days before the grant expires. There is no published processing time and no day-count stay rule. An unauthorized absence of more than one year can cancel the residence. Filing is in person at the Subdirección de Extranjería and the checklist asks for the last entry stamp. The Migration Code still says a temporary-residence file may be started at a consulate. The current checklist does not offer that route. Dependents follow the migrant-worker family rule: a spouse or partner, and dependent blood relatives within the degrees of law. No extra monthly income is required. The investor category does not include a Ministry of Labor work permit. The holder declares the economic activity of the investment. Paid employment under a Guatemalan or foreign employer is a different residence category. No guarantor is listed for the investor. Foreign-source income is outside Guatemalan income tax. Guatemalan-source capital income is taxed at the ordinary 10 percent rate. Ordinary naturalization asks for five years of residence and domicile and a Spanish and civic exam, and the grant ceremony asks the applicant to renounce every previous nationality. Language: Must understand, speak and write Spanish, plus a civic-instruction exam. No CEFR level is stated.

1. Oct 10, 2026

   Added

   created. Temporary investor residence at US$100,000, one to five years, permanent residence after five years, one-year fee US$225 (https://igm.gob.gt/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/24.1.4-Reglamento-de-Residencias-Guatemaltecas-Acdo-IGM-016-2025-AMN-05-2025.pdf).