Can I send food to Guatemala?
Conditions apply
Yes, with conditions.
Leave out fresh food, meat, and dairy. Unprocessed food needs MAGA approval, and processed food can need a Health Ministry permit.
For every Onvoyo box: Only sealed, shop-bought, shelf-stable food. Express couriers don't carry perishable food: nothing fresh, frozen, meat, dairy or produce.
More rules for Guatemala
Allowed with conditions
- Food, plants, seeds, and animal products
- The agriculture ministry (MAGA) must authorize live plants and animals and unprocessed food. Processed food can need a Health Ministry sanitary permit. Goods that need a permit leave the courier's simplified clearance.
Before you ship to Guatemala
- Tax-free limit
- There is no general duty-free threshold for courier parcels, so duty and IVA can apply from the first quetzal. The main exception for families: a small family shipment with no commercial character, sent by relatives abroad and worth up to US$500 (about GTQ 3,820) in customs value, is free of duty and taxes once every six months per receiver.
- Receiver ID
- NIT (Número de Identificación Tributaria) or DPI number (CUI) needed. The courier pays the duty and IVA at clearance and bills them to the receiver on an electronic invoice (FEL), so it will ask for the receiver's NIT or DPI number. Foreign receivers without a NIT should ask the courier which ID it accepts before the box ships.
- Transit
- 2-5 business days from North America; 4-7 from Europe; 5-8 from Asia
Questions
Can I send food to Guatemala?
Yes, with conditions. Leave out fresh food, meat, and dairy. Unprocessed food needs MAGA approval, and processed food can need a Health Ministry permit.
Ask about a specific item
Official sources
- 1.
Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria (SAT), Intendencia de Aduanas
Catálogo Courier 2026 (Séptima Enmienda) (opens in a new tab) - 2.
Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria (SAT)
Temas Aduaneros (Preguntas Frecuentes) (opens in a new tab) - 3.
Superintendencia de Administración Tributaria (SAT)
Reglamento del Código Aduanero Uniforme Centroamericano (RECAUCA), Anexo de la Resolución No. 224-2008 (COMIECO-XLIX) (opens in a new tab)
General guidance, not legal advice. Customs in Guatemala makes the final decision on every box.