Administrative law
Administrative law governs how the State and its agencies act: public contracts, forests, expropriation, housing, the civil registry, traffic, migration, health, municipal government and public information. Many everyday questions about permits and public services are answered by these laws.
12 laws of Guatemala, text article by article. The Spanish text is authoritative.
Laws
Ley de Contrataciones del Estado Sets the rules for public procurement: how the State buys goods, services and works through tenders and contracts. Relevant if you want to sell to a public body in Guatemala. LCE Ley Forestal Governs the protection, use and planting of forests, and the rules for timber. Relevant to landowners and projects that involve trees, timber or land-use change. LFor Ley de Acceso a la Información Pública Gives anyone the right to ask public bodies for information and sets the deadlines and duties for answering. Useful for obtaining government records, contracts and budgets. LAIP Código de Migración The main migration law. It sets the rules for entry, stay, residence and departure of foreign nationals, and the duties of hosts and employers. Check the current procedure with the migration authority before you apply for a permit. CMig Ley de Tránsito Traffic rules for drivers and vehicles in Guatemala: licenses, rules of the road and penalties. Read it before you drive or rent a vehicle here. LTrans Ley de Servicio Civil Sets the rules for civil servants of the central government: hiring, duties, discipline and dismissal. Relevant if you work for, or contract with, a state body. LSC Código Municipal Organizes the municipalities: local government, the municipal council, the mayor, local taxes and fees, and citizen participation. Relevant for local permits, fees and land use where you live or invest. CMun Código de Salud Sets the rules for public health, sanitary control, food and medicine safety, and health offenses. Relevant to businesses that handle food, medicine, health services or waste. CSal Ley Orgánica del Ministerio Público Organic law of the Public Prosecutor's Office, which investigates crimes and prosecutes them. Useful to understand who handles a criminal complaint in Guatemala. LOMP Ley de Expropiación (Decreto 529) Sets the rules for the State taking private property for public use and the compensation owed to the owner. Relevant to landowners and investors with property in areas planned for public works. LExp Ley de Vivienda Sets the rules for housing and human settlements, including how housing projects are planned and developed. Relevant if you develop or buy residential property. LV Ley del RENAP Governs RENAP, the national civil registry: records of births, marriages and deaths, and the national identity card (DPI). Relevant for registering a civil event or obtaining the DPI. LRENAP