Guatemala GT
Guatemala regulates drones (RPAS/VANT) through the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC) under RAC 101 and Directiva Operacional DO-004-2025. Tourists wanting to fly recreationally must apply in advance for a specific DGAC authorisation (Form DVSO-OPS-805), giving passport details, drone specifics and exact flight coordinates; DGAC approval only covers airspace, not site access — flying at Tikal or other archaeological/protected sites needs separate permission from IDAEH or CONAP. Bringing the drone itself through customs is treated as ordinary personal baggage.
Your plan
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You're good to go, just follow the local rules
- No registration needed
A 249 g drone with camera doesn't need to be registered in Guatemala.
- Bringing your drone in
Drones enter Guatemala as ordinary personal baggage with no drone-specific duty reported. The approved DVSO-805 tourist flight authorisation form is used to help clear the aircraft through customs at the declared entry point — file it before arrival, since the form requests your customs entry point to coordinate release. Batteries: Carry-on only for spare lithium batteries. Up to 100 Wh freely; 100-160 Wh with airline approval (max 2 spares); over 160 Wh not permitted on passenger aircraft.
- Before each flight
Foreign tourists must obtain a specific DGAC recreational flight authorisation before flying, via Form DVSO-OPS-805 emailed to dvso@dgac.gob.gt with exact flight-location coordinates · Altitude is capped on a sliding scale near runways: 20 m within 2 km of a runway centre, rising to 40 m (2-4 km), 60 m (4-6 km), 100 m (6-8 km), and 400 ft (~122 m) beyond 8 km · Maintain visual line of sight at all times; tourists sign an undertaking to this effect as part of the permit
Flying
- Foreign tourists must obtain a specific DGAC recreational flight authorisation before flying, via Form DVSO-OPS-805 emailed to dvso@dgac.gob.gt with exact flight-location coordinates
- Altitude is capped on a sliding scale near runways: 20 m within 2 km of a runway centre, rising to 40 m (2-4 km), 60 m (4-6 km), 100 m (6-8 km), and 400 ft (~122 m) beyond 8 km
- Maintain visual line of sight at all times; tourists sign an undertaking to this effect as part of the permit
- Night flying is prohibited unless the aircraft carries lighting/markings meeting obstacle-warning standards
- Prior DGAC permission is separately required to fly near military bases, government buildings, embassies, hospitals, prisons, heliports, seaports, customs offices, or events with 100+ people
- DGAC authorisation covers airspace only — flying at archaeological sites (e.g. Tikal) needs separate approval from IDAEH (Ministry of Culture and Sports), protected natural areas need CONAP approval, and Antigua's historic centre needs CNPAG approval
Commercial use: Commercial and non-recreational operations require separate DGAC certification with more extensive operational documentation; liability insurance is required under RAC 101, with commercial operators expected to provide proof of coverage within 10 business days of issuance or renewal.
Registration & classes
| Registration | Depends on use Guatemala does not use a simple universal gram-based registration threshold: RAC 101 defines a 'UAV Micro' category (up to 100 g) but does not set a clear registration weight cutoff, and no 250 g rule is currently in force. Instead, foreign tourists go through a per-trip authorisation (Form DVSO-OPS-805) rather than a standing drone registration; residents can request a case-by-case technical opinion via Form DVSO-OPS-801. A new operational RAC (RAC 107) was in public consultation in August 2025 but had not been published as enacted as of the sources reviewed — expect this framework to change. |
|---|---|
| Pilot test | No No standard recreational pilot exam. No public recreational pilot knowledge test was found for tourists; the DGAC authorisation process instead vets the specific trip (dates, location, drone details) rather than certifying the pilot. Commercial/non-recreational operation requirements are more extensive but not detailed for individual tourists. |
| Remote ID | Unknown No broadcast Remote ID requirement was found. DGAC's per-trip authorisation (specifying permitted altitude and conditions in section D of the tourist form) functions as the traceability mechanism instead. |
| Insurance | Depends RAC 101 requires current liability coverage, with commercial operators expected to provide proof within 10 business days of issuance or renewal. Owners are stated to be liable for surface and in-flight damage. No confirmed minimum cover amount or explicit recreational-tourist insurance mandate was found. |
| Foreign registration accepted | Unknown Foreign tourists must apply in advance using Form DVSO-OPS-805, providing passport details, phone/email, country of residence, customs entry point, airline/flight number, entry/departure dates, exact flight-location coordinates, and the drone's brand, model, serial number and foreign registration. DGAC completes section D of the form specifying the altitude and technical conditions authorised for that specific trip — there is no generic, reusable tourist permit. No official processing-time estimate was found; submit the form well before travelling given the amount of specific trip detail required. |
Weight classes
| Class | Weight | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| UAV Micro | ≤ 100 g | Defined in RAC 101, but no explicit registration exemption or separate rule set was confirmed beyond the general framework. |
| All other recreational/tourist drones | > 100 g | Foreign visitors need a specific per-trip DGAC recreational authorisation (Form DVSO-OPS-805) rather than a standing registration; residents can request a case-by-case DGAC technical opinion (Form DVSO-OPS-801). |
Import & export
- Drones enter Guatemala as ordinary personal baggage with no drone-specific duty reported. The approved DVSO-805 tourist flight authorisation form is used to help clear the aircraft through customs at the declared entry point — file it before arrival, since the form requests your customs entry point to coordinate release.
- No confirmed source on whether Guatemala's telecom regulator (SIT) requires separate radio/type-approval homologation for personal drones.
- Batteries: Carry-on only for spare lithium batteries. Up to 100 Wh freely; 100-160 Wh with airline approval (max 2 spares); over 160 Wh not permitted on passenger aircraft.
- Submit Form DVSO-OPS-805 to dvso@dgac.gob.gt before your trip — DGAC states scanned copies or photos of the form are rejected, so complete and submit the actual fillable PDF.
- DGAC's own airspace authorisation does not grant access to archaeological parks, protected natural areas, or historic centres — arrange those separately with IDAEH, CONAP or CNPAG if you plan to fly at sites like Tikal or Antigua.
Export
- No drone-specific export controls were found; general Guatemalan foreign-trade and any applicable dual-use/strategic-goods rules would apply to specialised or military-grade UAV technology, not ordinary consumer drones.
Costs
| Operator registration | Unknown Validity: Tied to the specific authorised trip/operation for tourists; not a standing registration |
|---|---|
| No standard recreational pilot exam | Not needed |
| Import taxes | ? % duty + 12 % VAT Usually only for drones you buy abroad and bring in to keep. |
Guides
Flying in Guatemala as a tourist Visitors
- Complete Form DVSO-OPS-805 before your trip
Fill in the actual fillable PDF (scans/photos are rejected) with your passport details, drone specifics, and exact planned flight coordinates. Open
- Email it to DGAC and wait for section D to be completed
Send the form to dvso@dgac.gob.gt; DGAC fills in the permitted altitude and technical conditions before your flight is authorised.
- Get separate site permission if you plan to fly at heritage or protected sites
DGAC's authorisation only covers airspace — contact IDAEH for archaeological parks like Tikal, CONAP for protected natural areas, or CNPAG for Antigua's historic centre.
- Respect the runway-proximity altitude limits
The closer you are to a runway, the lower your ceiling: from 20 m within 2 km up to about 122 m (400 ft) beyond 8 km.
- Avoid sensitive sites entirely without prior clearance
Military bases, government buildings, embassies, hospitals, prisons, heliports, seaports, customs offices, and large public events (100+ people) all need separate prior DGAC permission.
Sources
- Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC) — official site · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- Living in Guatemala — Drone Rules in Guatemala (2026): Bringing One In, and the DGAC Authorisation You Actually Need · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- Prensa Libre — Guatemala aplicará controles más estrictos al uso de drones con nueva normativa de la DGAC · accessed 24 Sept 2026
How the score is built
- Operator registration−5
- Remote ID−3
- Mandatory insurance−3
- Night flight banned−8
- Visitors need a flight permit−20
- Visitors must register locally−10
- Duty + VAT ≈ 17 %−10
- Radio / type certification−4
Every score starts at 100 and loses points for each requirement. How scoring works