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Guatemala - MARKET ACCESS
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Import regulations and customs duties
Regulations
Guatemala has a rather liberal system of import. Only the import of wheat flours is subject to license and there is a tariff fixed for rice (13,044 metric tons authorised for 2001 + 30,700 metric tons for rice in the nomenclature 1006.10.90). Since January 1st, 2001, it is not necessary anymore to have the documents legalised .
All food-processing products should be registered with the Department for the Registry and Control of Foodstuffs (Ministry of Health). The labelling has to contain markings such as ingredients, N ° of recording and expiry date. Pharmaceutical products should be registered on the " Registro Sanitario " of the Ministry of Health before being marketed in Guatemala.
Customs duties
Guatemala applies the Harmonised Customs System. The customs duties are calculated Ad valorem on the CIF value. Customs are managed by the Exchequer.
Regulations governing payments
All the currency transactions should be cleared by the authorised financial institutions.
Distribution
The economic activity is concentrated around the capital Ciudad Guatemala and to some extent around the cities of Quezaltenango, Puerto Barrios, Huehuetenango, Totonicapán, Escuintla and Antigua.
The Business to Consumer (B to C) market
The markets tend to concentrate on ways and means to make the minor players disappear. This happens especially to the advantage of the 2 main groups: the national tradename Fragua which holds more than 100 selling points together with the Almacenes Paiz shops and the American group Price Smart. The rest of the market is held by Multimart and La Torre.
The Business to Business (B to B) market
The last executive laws coming into force accelerated the privatisation and established the end of monopolies. As such, numerous private investments are being carried out. The privileged sectors are food-processing, telecommunications, tourism and consumer goods. The choice of an agent is essential to succeed on this market and it is advisable to appoint the services of a law firm before drafting a contract with a local partner. Some Trade shows and fairs are organised in Guatemala and can be used as bridgehead for prospecting the nearby markets such as are Belize, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Transportation of goods
By road
There is a total road network of 15,100 km out of which 5,100 km are tarred. The extension of the national road network was the priority of President Arzu's government who was elected in 1996. The Guatemalan network modernisation also made necessary the development of active private companies in road construction. This development should increase, thanks to international help ( World Bank, InterAmerican Bank of Development) and to the action of the Guatemalan Ministry of Transport (Ministerio de Comunicaciones, Infraestructuras y Vivienda).
By rail
The total railway network amounting to 800 km is insufficient. It was built to facilitate agricultural products export transportation towards the ports of embarkation.
By sea
The 5 main ports are: Santo Tomas of Castile (containers), Puerto Barrios on the Atlantic rim, Puerto San Jose (liquids), Puerto Quetzal (attics) and Champerico ( fishing ) on the Pacific Rim. Santo Tomas of Castile is the most important in terms of industrial goods volume and Puerto Quetzal is the one that holds the most modern installations. These two ports handle nearly 80% of the sea traffic.
By air
Guatemala possesses two international airports: Aurora (City of Guatemala) which is the most important and Santa Elena, in the region of Peten (for flights towards Mexico City).
Standards
The competent organisation aimed at legally dictating the current standards is the Guatemalan Committee of Standards (COGUANOR). Until now, 670 standards were published, of which 625 are compulsory.
The compulsory standards especially concern food products and often refer to international standards. Furthermore, the import of any food product requires obtaining a sanitary certificate to be asked at the Ministry of health (Recordings and food control Department). It further requires that the labelling of the products be written in Spanish.
Patents and brands
The organisation in charge of the protection of the intellectual property in Guatemala is the Registro de la Propiedad Industrial.
Guatemala signed the Agreement of Bern and the Treaty of Rome.
According to the agreement of Central America for the protection of industrial property, the preferential registration of a Guatemalan trademark is guaranteed in any country of Central America, during the first 6 months of the recording in Guatemala.
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Date entered into law |
Period of validity |
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Design
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Law on Design
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5 years renewable
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Last modified in
January 2004
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