Guatemala
General Information for Guatemala
Geo-political:
Capital City: Guatemala City.
Nationality: (noun) Guatemalan, (adjective) Guatemalan.
Population: 13,276,517.
Communications:
International Direct Dial Code: 502.
Number of Internal Airports: 13.
Major Languages Spoken: Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognised Amerindian languages,
including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca).
Economy:
Currency: 1 Quetzal (GTQ) of 100 Centavos.
Exchange Rates:
(as of December 2010)
US$ 1.00 = GTQ 7.98
GTQ 1.00 = US$ 0.13
Exchange rates under licence from
XE.com
Main Industries: Sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber and
tourism.
Environment:
Territorial Sea: 12 n.m.
Other Maritime Claims: Continental Shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation. Exclusive Economic Zone: 200 n.m.
Coastline Extent: 400 km.
Climate: Tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands.
Natural Resources: Petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle and hydropower.
Natural Hazards: Numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast
extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms.
Terrain: Mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau.
Average Temperatures:
| Month | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| January | 23° C | 11° C |
| June | 26° C | 16° C |
| September | 26° C | 15° C |
DOCUMENTS:
Masters are required to:
- obtain a health and clearance permit, issued by the competent authority at the last port of call, and certified by the Guatemalan Consul
- submit 5 copies of a general manifest of articles carried to each port of the country, approved by the Guatemalan Consul at the port of loading, and also, separate copies of the manifest for in-transit articles unloaded.
If no articles bound for the country are carried, a ballast manifest should be submitted.
Also see "
Pre-Arrival Information".
PRATIQUE:
The Pan American Sanitary Code:
Established by the signatory governments of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama,
Paraguay, Peru, United States of America, Uruguay, and Venezuela, being desirous of
entering into a sanitary convention for the purpose of better promoting and protecting
the public health of their respective nations, and particularly to the end that effective
cooperative international measures may be applied for the prevention of the international
spread of the communicable infections of human beings and to facilitate international
commerce and communication.
Full details available from the Pan American Health Organization website.
http://www.paho.org
Bills of Health:
- The Master of any vessel or aircraft which proceeds to a port of any of the signatory governments is required to obtain at the port of departure and ports of call, a Bill of Health, in duplicate, issued in accordance with the information set forth in the appendix and adopted as the standard Bill of Health.
- The Bill of Health will be accompanied by a list of the passengers, and stowaways, if any, which shall indicate the port where they embarked and the port to which they are destined, and a list of the crew.
- Consuls and other officials signing or countersigning Bills of Health should keep themselves accurately informed with respect to the sanitary conditions of the ports, and the manner in which this code is obeyed by vessels and their passengers and crews while therein. They should have accurate knowledge of local mortality and morbidity, and of sanitary conditions which may affect vessels in port. To this end, they shall be furnished with any information they request pertaining to sanitary records, harbours, and vessels.
- The signatory governments may assign medical or sanitary officers as public health attaches to embassies or legations, and as representatives to international conferences.
- If at the port of departure there is no consul or consular agent of the country of destination, the Bill of Health may be issued by the consul or consular agent of a friendly government authorised to issue such Bill of Health.
- The Bill of Health should be issued not to exceed 48 hours before the departure of the ship to which it is issued. The sanitary visa should not be given more than 24 hours before departure.
- Any erasure or alteration of a Bill of Health shall invalidate the document, unless such alteration or erasure shall be made by competent authority, and notation thereof appropriately made.
- A clean Bill of Health is one which shows the complete absence in the port of departure of cholera, yellow fever, plague, typhus fever, or of other pestilential disease in severe epidemic form, liable to be transported by international commerce. Provided that the presence only of bona fide imported cases of such disease, when properly isolated, shall not compel the issuance of a foul Bill of Health, but notation of the presence of such cases will be made under the heading of ``Remarks'' on the Bill of Health.
- A foul Bill of Health is one which shows the presence of non-imported cases of any of the diseases referred to in 8. above.
- Specific Bills of Health are not required of vessels which, by reason of accident, storm or other emergency condition, including wireless change of itinerary, are obliged to put into ports other than their original destinations, but such vessels shall be required to exhibit such Bills of Health as they possess.
- It shall be the duty of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau to publish appropriate information which may be distributed by port health officers, for the purpose of instructing owners, agents, and Masters of vessels as to the methods which should be put in force by them for the prevention of the international spread of disease.
Other Sanitary Documents:
Every vessel, carrying a medical officer will maintain a sanitary log which will be
kept by him, and he will record therein daily: the sanitary condition of the vessel,
and its passengers and crew; a record showing the names of passengers and crew which
have been vaccinated by him; name, age, nationality, home address, occupation and
nature of illness or injury of all passengers and crew treated during the voyage;
the source and sanitary quality of the drinking water of the vessel, the place where
taken on board, and the method in use on board for its purification; sanitary conditions
observed in ports visited during the voyage; the measures taken to prevent the ingress
and egress of rodents to and from the vessel; and the measures which have been taken
to protect the passengers and crew against mosquitoes, other insects, and vermin.
The sanitary log will be signed by the Master and medical officer of the vessel, and
will be exhibited upon the request of any sanitary or consular officer. In the absence
of a medical officer, the master shall record the above information in the log of
the vessel, insofar as possible.
Equal or similar forms for Quarantine Declarations, Certificates of Fumigation, and
Certificates of Vaccination, set forth in the appendix (not reproduced), are hereby
adopted as standard forms.
PRE-ARRIVAL INFORMATION:
There is no minimum period for notice of the vessel's arrival, as authorities exercise
a degree of flexibility; however, it is recommended that, when notice is submitted,
it is submitted to the Capitan de Puerto, Customs, Immigration, Port Health and the
Port Authority/Port Control.
If the vessel carries cargo to be discharged at the port, the following information
should be submitted to the Port Authority:
- amount of exports
- Cargo Distribution List
- Heavy Cargo List
- Stowage Plan.
If containers are carried to the port, 8 copies of the list of container contents
and 8 copies of the list of complete shipments and of mixed shipments (for more than
one consignee) are to be submitted to the Port Authority. This information may be
submitted upon the vessel's arrival, so that no delays in the work will be experienced
for that reason.
Departure:
The clearance permit is requested from the Capitan de Puerto 4 hours in advance, after
obtaining clearance from Customs, by submission of a written clearance permit application.
MEDICAL:
Hospitals in Guatemala are reluctant to give medical treatment unless they can be
satisfied that you have medical insurance. It is therefore essential that you carry
evidence of your insurance cover at all times. State-funded hospitals are on the whole
under-staffed, under-funded, ill-equipped, and are often unhygienic. Make sure you
have adequate health insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical
treatment and repatriation.
Water is not generally safe to drink outside the better hotels in the main towns,
but bottled water is widely and cheaply available.
Dengue fever is common to Latin America and the Caribbean and can occur throughout
the year. On 23 July 2012, the Guatemalan government issued a national alert due to
an outbreak of haemorrhagic dengue in the centre and south west of the country. Between
January and July 2012, there have been 1,186 reported cases, of which there have been
four deaths and 256 laboratory confirmed cases.
On 9 March 2012, local authorities declared that all hospitals are on yellow alert
as a result of an increase in confirmed cases of the H1N1 (A) flu virus reported in
Guatemala City, the departments of San Marcos, Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Zacapa,
El Progreso, Jalapa, Jutiapa and Santa Rosa. Local authorities are taking measures
to control the spread of the virus.
In the 2010 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated
that around 60,000 adults aged 15 or over in Guatemala were living with HIV; the prevalence
was estimated at around 0.8% of the adult population compared to the prevalence percentage
in adults in the UK of around 0.2%.
Yellow fever vaccination is required for travellers arriving from countries with risk
of yellow fever transmission.
Also see "
General".
REGULATIONS:
Uniforms:
Vessels have been fined when officers have not been wearing uniforms when boarded
by officials for clearance inward.
HOLIDAYS:
1 January (New Year's Day); Holy Thursday; Good Friday; Easter Saturday; 26 April
(Secretary's Day, only secretaries); 1 May (Labour Day); 10 May (Mother's Day); 17
June (Father's Day); 30 June (Army Day); 15 August (Assumption of Mary); 15 September
(Independence Day); 20 October (Revolution Day); 1 November (All Saint's Day); 24 December
(Christmas Eve); 25 December (Christmas Day); 31 December (New Year's Eve).
WEATHER/TIDES:
The rainy season in Guatemala normally runs from June to November, coinciding with
the hurricane season in the Caribbean. In 2011 the country suffered heavy rain damage,
flooding and landslides, including on main road routes.
Natural Disasters:
Guatemala is subject to frequent minor earth tremors and occasional earthquakes.
You should ensure that you know what action to take should an earthquake occur. If
staying in a hotel read their earthquake instructions. During an earthquake, you should
drop to the ground and take cover under sturdy furniture, in a doorway or next to
an inside wall, away from windows or objects which may fall. Cover your head with
a pillow or your arms and wait for the earthquake to stop, before moving to a safe
area outside.
Also see "
General".
BANKS:
Debit cards are sometimes rejected by ATMs and should not be relied upon as a means
to obtain money. Credit cards and travellers' cheques are more reliable. It is safer
to change money in hotels, at banks or at foreign exchanges offices. It is wise not
to withdraw too much money at one time. You should avoid withdrawing money at night.
There has been an increase in reports of credit and debit cards being cloned after
being used in ATMs in Guatemala City and Antigua. Check ATMs for evidence of tampering,
but be aware that affected machines may not be easy to spot. You should be particularly
vigilant before and after using an ATM – robberies are common, especially at night,
and usually involve firearms.
If credit cards are lost or stolen, there may be difficulties obtaining a replacement
as the main international courier services may refuse to accept delivery to Guatemala.
Also see "
General".
CUSTOMS:
Superintendencia de Administracion Tributaria.
http://www.portal.sat.gob.gt
Local Offices:
Puerto Barrios Tel: +502 7948 0595 (ext. 102). Fax: +502 7948 0595.
Puerto Quetzal Tel: +502 7934 2264.
Santo Tomas Tel: +502 7926 5481.
SHORE LEAVE:
Guatemala has one of the highest violent crime rates in Latin America. Although the
majority of serious crime involves local gangs, incidents are usually indiscriminate
and can occur in tourist areas.
You should always take your personal security seriously and be aware of your surroundings
at all times. Car-jacking, armed robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault can take place
anywhere and at any time of the day. Caution should be exercised around ATM machines,
petrol station forecourts, airports and shopping centres. Attacks usually involve
firearms and are often conducted and coordinated by motorcycle riders. There is a
low arrest and conviction rate for perpetrators.
Be wary of persons presenting themselves as police officers. There have been reports
of visitors becoming victims of theft, extortion or sexual assault by people dressed
in police uniforms.
For shorter trips within towns and cities the safest option is to take radio or hotel
taxis. You should avoid walking in unfamiliar areas or catching local city buses or
unofficial taxis.
Also see "
General".
IDENTIFICATION CARDS:
Carry a photocopy of your passport for identification purposes.
Also see "
General".
GENERAL:
Information obtained from the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office website. Updates available
from
http://www.gov.uk/fco
AUTHORITY:
Comision Portuaria Nacional Guatemala, 6 Avenida A, 8-66 Zona 9, Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Tel: +502 2360 5632.
Fax: +502 2360 5457.
http://www.cpn.gob.gt
Contact: International Relations Department.
