PassportSouth Africa

Trip checklist: Guatemala

For South African passport holders. Last checked 5 October 2026.

Visa requirement

South Africans don't need a visa for Guatemala.

Permitted stay

Up to 90 days. CA-4 rule: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua share one visitor period. The 90 days start when you first enter any of the four and do not restart when you cross between them. Leave the CA-4 area (for example to Belize, Mexico or Costa Rica) to start a new period.

Before you go

  • Passport validity

    At least 6 months beyond the intended stay, with 2 blank pages.

  • How to apply

    No application needed.

  • Where South Africans apply

    No Guatemalan mission in South Africa. Visa enquiries go to the Embassy of Guatemala in Cairo, Egypt (embegipto@minex.gob.gt).

  • Vaccinations, including yellow fever on return to South Africa

    Destination rule: a yellow fever certificate is needed only if you arrive from a country with yellow fever transmission risk; South Africa is not a risk country. Return to South Africa: this country is not a yellow fever risk country, so no certificate is needed on return, unless you transited through a risk country (for example via Panama or South America) on the way.

  • Arrival forms

    Online immigration declaration before entry and exit; keep the QR code. Airport departure tax US$30, usually in the ticket.

  • Extending your stay and overstaying

    Overstay fine payable at the Instituto Guatemalteco de Migración or the border before departure.

  • Travelling with children

    Under-18s travelling without both parents need a notarised parental consent letter in Spanish (UK advice, applies to all foreign minors).

  • Confirm with the embassy

    Rules change. Check the official source before you book.

Research sources

  1. 1. UK FCDO travel advice (Other government, gov.uk) https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/guatemala/entry-requirements
  2. 2. Wikipedia, Visa requirements for South African citizens (Reference, en.wikipedia.org) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_South_African_citizens
  3. 3. Wikipedia, Visa policy of Guatemala (Reference, en.wikipedia.org) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Guatemala
  4. 4. The GSA, Guatemala country guide (updated 23 Oct 2025) (Commercial, thegsa.co.za) https://www.thegsa.co.za/visa-and-country-info/2654-guatemala-country-guide

From doineedavisa.co.za/guatemala. Always confirm with the embassy before you travel.