Guatemala Migracion | Customs and Immigration

We went over the border on the 06.02.24.
We came down from San Cristobal via 190 which was totally fine. The road was in good condition and not very busy. One military checkpoint on the way which let us through in 1 min. A bit more police and military presence than usually but other than that a normal road we felt safe.
the crossing its self was very easy. Everybody was very friendly and helpful people.
More details in all the other comments.

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Absolutely seamless (at least for a bureaucratic process). And at no point did anything feel remotely threatening or ominous. There were huge groups of Mexican and Central American biker groups going in either direction. I even got in a selfie with a group of bikers from El Salvador.

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On January 21 2024 the Mexican border at La Messilla was closed, coming from Guatemala (Camoja). Guatemala immigration advised to cross the border at Gracias de Dios near Nenton, which was easy with a good bus connection to Comitan.

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On the Mexico side there is a serious roadblock by the locals on hwy 190 near El Paraíso. It supposedly is due to the Guatemala & 2 other Mexican cartel fighting over territory.

Easy border crossing from Mexico to Guatemala at La Mesilla border crossing. Mexico & Guatemala immigration officials were super nice & helpful. No cars in line going south so our 3 vehicles were the only ones. This is probably due to the roadblock near El Paraíso, Chiapas, Mexico. We were lucky & got through that local roadblock that morning at 7am.

Note: you can suspend or just keep your Mexico TIP open if you plan to drive north within the 180 days listed on your TIP.

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Still easy in January 2024! All the workers were SO nice. At 3:00pm, the TIP folks were out to lunch, so we waited in the office for 20 minutes for them to return. Interestingly the Guatemalan crossing was like a medieval town with shops lining the streets and you’d barely know it was a border at all! We were the only ones crossing with a vehicle at 3:30pm on a Saturday. The guards spent more time marveling at our e-bike than looking in our van. They didn’t check our fridge or care what food we had with us.

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We travelled to this border from the Guatemala side on 4/01/24. On arrival into La Mesilla we were advised by locals that this is currently a very dangerous border to travel as the Cartels from the respective sides of the border were at war with each other. We had to cross over to the Mexican side to cancel our Mexican TIP for our vehicle due to a change of plans not to return to Mexico. We were told not to spend any unnecessary time and to only travel between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. When we did use the border, we had no issues with the Authorities and there were no line ups or other cars travelling through, likely due to the climate of conflict in the region. It is not suggested to use this border to transit from one country to the next.

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Really small and easy border. They were all really friendly and helpful, we managed to get everything done in around 20 minutes. Stopped in Ciudad Cuauhtémoc before to get exit stamp for Mexico and cancel our TIP at the Banjercito.

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they don't accept credit cards. Q solo. 160 for 90 days in Guatemala. couldn't find the place to get insurance. research early. the panam highway is in very rough shape.

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Be careful : if you exit Mexico and want to cancel the TIP and get the exit Stamp on your passport, make sure you do it in Ciudad Cuauhtémoc this is the last Mexican border authority
Other than that the border crossing is Easy, small border.
Exchange just what you need at the gate, you will find much better rates 300m after

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used this crossing today Mexico to Guatemala
very quiet and straight forward
fees as per other travellers

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Guatemala -> Mexico

EXIT GUATEMALA
This is where you get your passport exit stamp and cancel TIP on Guatemala side. Go through the gate, both Aduana and Migracion are right next to each other on the left side. No payment of anything for exiting.
1) If canceling TIP, Aduana/SAT will ask you to remove sticker from vehicle and stick it to the back of your TIP. Go to window and give them the TIP, they keep the original
2) go get passport exit stamp in next building over

ENTER MEXICO
1) Just after you go through the Bienvenido a Mexico sign and on the right there is fumigation. Pay 90pesos for fumigation.
2) go to Migracion to get passport entry stamp (other pin). They will give you a form to fill out. Fill out form give back to Migracion, they will give you back the bottom portion to go take to the bank and pay the tax
3) pay 687 pesos per person for taxes. The “bank” is the Aduana office, go to next building over to pay the tax
3) return to migracion, give them passport, paper slip from the form filled out earlier, and receipt for paying the tax. They will stamp your passport and paper slip
4) we didn’t have to do our TIP here because ours was still valid from when we entered from the US initially. We asked Aduana where to buy insurance and he said there’s nowhere to buy insurance around the border, we need to go to the next city
5) enter Mexico, no one checked our papers or anything to enter. No checking of the fumigation receipt, TIP, insurance, or passports
@MoraVentures

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never ever had such a pleasant boarder crossing > in and out in an hour (we were the only ones at 9 o’clock on Wednesday)

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Entering Guatemala from Mexico: Super easy and straightforward process. Managing the narrow road just before the checkpoint was definitely more challenging ;-). Make sure to bring cash for all fees. Copies of documents are not necessary - but bring originals of everything (passports, drivers' licenses, vehicle registration and/or title)
First: Fumigation - was done in 5 minutes and we had to pay 47 Quetzals
Second: Immigration - they want to see the exit stamp from Mexico in your passport and give you and entry stamp for Guatemala; if they don't ask you, tell them that you are importing a vehicle as they give you a customs form to complete
Third: Vehicle import - they need the form you just completed, Drivers' Licenses and Passports for all drivers, registration and/or title )originals) for the vehicles. They will check the Vin number of the vehicle, and had a look inside through the door, but did not inspect the inside of our truck.
You have to pay 160 Quetzals for the TIP and another 100 if you carry a second vehicle (in our case an ATV). Once paid they put a sticker on the windshield and that's it. The gate opens and you can drive into Guatemala. We were the only ones and didn't have to wait - took us about 45 minutes to complete everything.

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Left Mexico with our van and dog (which we adopted in Mexico) and entered Guatemala with no problem.

Bring cash. There are people that will exchange pesos for quetzals. They had the same rate as a ‘casa de cambio’ in San Cristobal.

18Q fumigation fee
110Q dog import fee (make sure you have the certificado de salud from a vet in Mexico, as well as updated vaccines. Info online https://visar.maga.gob.gt/visar/2021/sa/Reqmascotas21.pdf)
160Q vehicle import permit (registered as motorhome)

I am from the United States, and my vehicle is registered there. Only needed my driver’s license, passport, and registration. No title or proof of ownership via a bank loan. They want originals of everything and will copy it.

The actual border crossing is nuts but somehow functions. It’s like a crowded street market that somehow has two way traffic flow. Everyone was super friendly. We went on a Monday morning and were the only car. I can’t imagine what it’s like crowded there.

The process is really back and forth as there is an order for everything and requires different offices and banks… but it works out!

Oh, and they didn’t inspect inside our van.

Got a 90 day TIP and 90 day visa.

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Need a New SIM card? You can leave your vehicle at Immigration at walk up the street less than 100 metres. You will see large signs for Tigo or Claro. Both will sell you a new SIM card and whatever package you choose.
We went with Tigo based on the recommendation from the immigration officer who spoke very good English.
We paid $99Q for 10 GB of data plus $40Q for the SIM card.

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Nous avons passé cette frontière dans le sens Guatemala-Mexique sans aucune difficulté.
Il y a un premier stop côté Guatemala pour fermer le tip: il suffit de leur remettre le document véhicule reçu à l'entrée au Guatemala. Il faut alors passer à la fumigation (80$) puis rouler environ 4km avant d'arriver devant la douane mexicaine. Notre tip mexicain était encore valide, nous avons donc dû passer au bureau d'immigration pour remplir nos documents de demande d'immigration puis au Banjercito pour payer les frais de 680$/personnes et enfin retourner au bureau d'immigration pour le tampon d'entrée. Pas de démarche pour le chien ni fouille du véhicule.
Omegasfamily2022

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Really easy bordercrossing and well described in the comments below.
To import a dog:
You have to show the pass/vaccinations/microchipnumber & a health certification of a vet, not older than 7 days (costs for that was at our visit in Conitan de Dominguez 350MXN).

For more about travel with dogs:
und unsere Hunde-Tipps sammeln wir hier
https://www.ufbruchstimmig.ch/reisen/?tag=Reisen+mit+Hund

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Crossing Mexico to Guatemala. Simple and straightforward.

Stopped at the customs office in Mexico. The official had me park my motorcycle in the vehicle inpsection station. I went inside and gave the guy my import papers. A few minutes later he came outside, checked the VIN, took a couple of photographs, and then we went back inside. He did some stuff on his computer, then handed me a couple of papers explaining that it was my proof of the vehicle leaving Mexico and that my deposit would be returned to my credit card in a few days.

He directed me to the immigration office next door. I had to wait behind one other person. Then I gave my passport to the lady. She stamped it and I left. Very quick and easy.

In Guatemala, I stopped at the immigration office first. Gave the guy my passport. He stamped it and directed me to the SAT office a few meters away. He also gave me a form to fill out to turn in to the SAT office. The guy at the SAT building asked me to park my motorcycle in front of the building.

At the counter he asked for my passport, drivers license, vehicle title, and my exit papers from Mexico. He made copies and handed everything back to me. A few minutes later he gave me a form to sign, and then directed me to an office directly next door where I had to pay Q160 and get a receipt. I brought this back. A few more minutes waiting and a couple more forms to sign. One guy came out and looked at my bike, but it was not a close inspection, probably just double-check the VIN.

I was given a sticker, but the worker told me I could keep it in my passport.

Note, there was no fumigation required.

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Quick border crossing from GT to MX.
On Guatemalan side it was super fast. On Mexican side a quick inspection of the vehicle.

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Smooth border crossing. 109Q for two dogs and a cat, then usual fumigation and vehicle fees. ATM up the road ~5 min if you don’t have enough cash on hand.

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Crossed from Guatemala to Mexico through this crossing. We crossed around 1230 and the area was not too crazy. The Mexico side was tight with the vendors.

The crossing itself was very straight forward. They did a quick walk through of our camper and opened cabinets. Never mentioned any of the small amount of produce in the fridge. For our dog, they checked his Canadian vaccinations and a health certificate (dated 5 days before crossing). They asked about his food and I said we had food but they didn’t ask to see it or anything. Very casual crossing.

The drive here took much longer then expected as the highway (CA-1) is in horrible condition. So many massive pot holes. Huehue to the border took probably 4 hours.

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We left Guatemala at this border crossing. Very smooth and very fast. It’s quite a busy town, but no one bothered us. Once you reach the border, someone will open a barrier for you and this is where you get your stamps out and where you give your TIP. You have to give original TIP paper and the sticker, then you can leave and they will close it for you.

Reminder: if you plan on coming back within 90 days, don’t cancel your tip! You can only come back to Guatemala after haven been outside the country for 90 days with the vehicle.

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crossed into Guatemala with a motorcycle. very quiet as apparently the buses to the border don't run on Saturday. no COVID test or vaccine cert required. luggage was not searched.

Immigration: passport
Aduana: passport, drivers license, vehicle title, immigration form (provided by the office next door), Q160 cash (required a 500m walk to an ATM), visual inspection of the VIN no. on the bike.

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Mexico -》Guatemala. Several steps to cross the border: 1) We pay 39 Q for the fumigation and he gives us a document. 2) We go under a tent to present our PCR / antigen test, show the proof of the covid vaccine and take your temperature. 3) We go to immigration to have our passports stamped. If you have a vehicle, you must complete a document on site. 4) We go to the office for the vehicle. We give passports, permits, vehicle papers, the document following the cancellation of the Mexican TIP, the fumigation document and the one we just filled out at immigration. We pay 160 Q and we are given an authorization to circulate for 90 days. No need to make copies of your papers. Attention they do not take the card, plan the local currency. You can withdraw from a distributor a little higher by walking 20 minutes.

Mexique -》 Guatemala. Plusieurs étapes pour passer la frontière : 1) On paie 39 Q pour la fumigation et il nous redonne un document. 2) On passe sous une tente pour présenter notre test PCR/antigenique, montrer la peuve du vaccin covid et prise de température. 3) On va à l'immigration pour qu'il tamponne nos passeports. Si vous avez un véhicule il faut remplir un document sur place. 4) On va au bureau pour le véhicule. On donne passeports, permis, papier du véhicule, le document suite à l'annulation du TIP mexicain, le document de fumigation et celui qu'on vient de remplir à l'immigration. On paie 160 Q et on nous remet une autorisation pour circuler pendant 90 jours. Pas besoin de faire de copies de vos papiers. Attention ils ne prennent pas la carte, prévoyez la monnaie locale. On peut retirer à un distributeur un peu plus haut en marchant 20 minutes.

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Followed below comments and it was very helpful! A note to add, we only got a covid antigen test and it was fine alongside our vaccine cards. Also, there are what seems to be a couple 'fixers', but they actually just have wads of cash and will exchange your USD or pesos for quetzals at a good price, so you don't have to worry about the exchange before the border. The chillest, calmest border crossing ive experienced even with my minimal spanish.

PS If you have a dog, you only need a certificado de salud from a vet and a rabies vaccination.

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It is NOT possible to get an exit stamp from Mexico at the actual border! You have to get it in the immigration office 4km down the road at ciudad Cuauhtémoc. We missed it and had to cycle down and up again.
The border crossing itself went smooth. We came at noon on a friday and there was no line whatsoever. At both sides are a lot of (food) shops to spend your last pesos/quetzals. At the Guatemalan site they let you pass through a sanitary check first where they measure your temperature and where you have to show your negative PCR test result.
Two places in Comitan where you can get a PCR test:
Santa Lucy Laboratorio at 4a Sur Oriente street, number 12. Took 30min in and out. One our later we could pick up the result. Costs 500 pesos.
Pharmacies Del Ahorro at Parque Central. Costs 250 pesos and ready within one day.

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Smooth process leaving Guatemala, handed in old TIP and stuck the sticker to the back of it. Aduana guy happily accepted and waved us over to immigration, stamped out and everything in less than 5 minutes. Follow the road 4km to the Mexican immigration/aduana (right next to one another). 180 days for 575mxn. Simple process as there was nobody else there. Aduana only took about 30 mins but you need a copia of the Visa card. Mexican TIP is now electronic too. They print a paper copy for you but you’ll receive an email with an e-copy as well. $307usd deposit for a 2006 Toyota Tacoma. 180 days for $60usd.

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All went quite well, we passed on a monday around noon. steps described previously are accurate and very helpful. no one bothering us or offering help. do negotiate for your quetzals, prices vary and there are many options so dont hesitate to walk away if exchange is not good.

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Our experience after leaving México and arriving to Guatemala border :

1. Drive up to the border, an official will check your exit documents from Mexico

2. Drive a few more metres and an official will stop you for fumigation. One person needs to get out the vehicle to pay the 38 quetzels and receive the receipt.

3. Drive next door to the immigration office. We are from the UK and there was no charge. Fill in a form for the car, only 1 person needs to do this. Your passports will be stamped with the entry stamp.

4.. Drive on a few more meters to the Aduana office. Show your vehicle documents, drivers passport and drivers licence. They will give you a form to take to the bank next door. They keep your documents.

5. Go to the bank, a security guard is standing on the other side of the door and he will let you in. Pay the 160 quetzels to the cashier, and return to the Aduana desk.

6. The officer will return your documents, explaining you do not need another vehicle permit within 90 days. An officer will come outside to your vehicle to stick the vehicle permit sticker to your windscreen.

From leaving Mexico about an hour in total on a Saturday morning at about 9am

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Step 1: go to fumigation and they will charge you to clean under your vehicle and if you have any pets they will make a copy of the vaccination record and certificate of health. Then you will get a bank note for the pet charge.

Step 2: go to the migracion office and they will stamp your passport, you will fill out a doc for your vehicle, and then pay for the visa.

Step 3: go to the aduana window for your vehicle permit where they will ask for your stamped passport, original license, original title and the paperwork from the migracion office. Then they will give you a bank note for the charge.

Step 4: go to the bank directly to the right and pay the bank notes for pets and vehicle permit. You will get the two receipts.

Step 5: go back to aduana, give your receipt, and get your original documents. You will then get a sticker for your vehicle. The rep emphasized that we had 90 days and could enter and leave as much as we wanted for free but it had to be annotated in the back of the vehicle permit form under observaciones. You should not have to pay for this permit again within 90 days.

Step 6: go back to the fumigation office and give the receipt for pets and pay for the fumigation. You will then get a receipt for the fumigation and a pet form.

And then you’re done! There is an ATM about a 10 min walk uphill but it did not work for us. Additionally you can exchange your dollars for $100 to $700Q or pesos for $100 for $40Q. Lastly the fumigation rep did say the price for importing food went up to $300Q but no one checked our vehicle.

Total:
VISA $10Q pp
PERMIT $160Q
FUMIGATION $38Q
PET $108Q (we verified this with 3 different forms)

Lunch in the bank is from 1300 to 1400.

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Wir reisen von Mexiko nach Guatemala. Das erste Mal, dass wir hier waren, wurden wir nicht reingelassen, weil uns die Ausreisestempel von Mexiko gefehlt haben. Also müssten wir 4km zurück an die Immigration von Mexiko fahren. Dort haben wir die Stempel zur Ausreise bekommen und der Wisch, den wir bei der Einreise ausfüllen & behalten musste, wurde einbehalten.

An dieser Grenze war's beim 2. Mal sehr entspannt. Pässe durchgecheckt. Stempel für die Einreise bekommen, fertig.

Fürs Auto mussten wir ein Gebäude weiter gehen. Übern Schalter stand "Ventanilla", dort müsste mein Freund 160Q für die Einfuhr seines Autos bezahlen. Das ging aber NUR in Q und nur in bar... Also sind wir an den einzigen Geldautomaten in der ganzen Stadt, der zum Glück nur 500m entfernt war. Der war aber kaputt. Also haben wir im Endeffekt 400 P gegen 160 Q bei einem Geldwechsel getauscht. Der Kurs von 2,5 war sehr fair.
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We're travelling from Mexico to Guatemala. The first time we came here, they didn't let us pass because we weren't at the Mexican immigration. So we drove 4km back - got our stamps and paid for leaving Mexico.

Back here the second time everything went pretty smooth and quick. We didn't have to pay anything for getting in. They checked our passports & gave us stamps for immigration.

For the car, we needed to go to the next building. The shelter sign says "Ventanilla", there my friend had to show is papers for his car. No insurance fee needed to be paid. But he needed to pay 140Q for the car. That was a bigger thing... You only can pay cash AND in Q (no pesos, no dollars, no euros). There is only ONE ATM about 500m away. We walked there, it didn't work. In the end we exchanged money with one guy, who seems to do that all day long. We got a very good course of 2.5. (400 P = 160 Q).

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Exit Guatemala straight forward (10 Min.) Entry Mexico: Fumigation fee 65 Pesos for motocycle, Migration fee 558 Pesos for 180 days, TIP fee 1154 Pesos + USD 400 security depot for motorcycle younger than 2007. Copies: Passport fotopage, driving license, registration title and tourist card. Process very slow on mexican side.

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Really easy crossing. No helpers and all seems pretty legit.

Border opening times:

Mexico - Monday to Friday 0800 to 2000, Saturday 0800 to 1800, Sunday 0900 to 1600

Guatemala - the bank where you pay for the permit opens Monday to Friday 0800 to 1800, Saturday 0900 to 1800, Sunday 0900 to 1600.

We paid 17q for fumigation and 160q for temporary import permit.

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Super easy aduana with v v v helpful and welcoming people! Took less than an hour a Monday morning.

For those who have dogs, they asked to see the papers (of course) at the fumigation building then you have to pay at the "bank" (same place to pay for the TVIP). I showed them all we had: Certificado de salud from San Cristobal (3 days old), vaccinations papers (but he barely looked at it), a health certificate from Canada (4 months old lol) and the adoption papers. Idk what he wanted to see but he was superrrr happy with what he got! They didn't ask to see the dog food (I saw somewhere that they would keep all the opened bags of dog food). They actually didn't ask to see the dog, same as we experienced with CA, US and MX borders!

17Q Fumigation
160Q TVIP
25Q Dog

We didn't cancel the car permit as we are coming back before the expiration date but we did have our passports stamped to exit Mexico in Ciudad Cuahtemoc. Dunno if that step was requested, they told us yes but we don't know as we have very basic spanish. I couldn't find the answer through the comments below. We'll have to pay for the tourist card again on our way back......

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Thanks for the advices, we followed and worked out well.

First: cancel car paper in Ciudad Cuahtemoc, photocopy of the drivers passport needed.

Second: give the receipt of the payment we did when we entered Mexico(or else you have to pay the amount again),get exit stamped in Ciudad Cuahtemoc(same place but the building next to it)

Drive to this destination(take the crowded left when you reach and not the road down)& get the fumigation(44 quetzals). You can change pesos or dollars over there.

Right after that you can park just ahead in front of the immigration office.

Get the passport stamped(90days), fill up the form for the car permit.

Go to the counter next to it and get the work done :-) sticker on the car and all is good.

Warning: we had a hard time (25’’ RV) with truck traffic coz it’s very narrow road with humans, cars and shops to pass. Watch out and go early if possible( not sure if that helps).

Road in Guatemala in the beginning had less bumps but later it’s like in Mexico or let’s say less:-) good luck!

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Took us about 1:30 to do everything. First step cancel the mexico permit before arriving to the border, after they stamp our passport, we went to pay 160Q for the motorcycle next to the place they stamp us. No visa? He told us that if we are stamp in our passport everything is ok... so 55 for fumigation + 160 for permit , nothing else. We pass aroud 12.

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we were turned away at the boarder to cancel TVIP at the banjecito 3km down the road.

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On a early monday morning from Mexico in to Guatemala didn take more than 50 minutes.
Leaving Mexico at immigration: 5 minutes. Didn't go to Banjercito for cancelling TVIP.
In to Guatemala: first fumigation 55 Q, then immigracion (no costs), the aduana for TVIP (160 Q). The officials at immigracion and aduana: very nice, helpful, patient and spoke some english. 45 minutes in all. No shouting 'helpers' at all.

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Crossed with two motos from Mexico into Guatemala. easy crossing, altough it took us almost two hours on a sunday morning (no queing). howto on our blog; http://justamotoride.com/?page_id=502

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from México to Guatemala: first cancel permit and refund also stamp passpport Here. To cancel the permit takes some time for papers, check out vin number and also they take pictures of the vehicule.
Guatemala border HAVE QUETZALS ! THEY DON'T ACCEPT DOLLARS OR MXN. Of course you have a nice man that can change your money, but at a very low range. We could walk into an ATM Some blocks after, but we recommend you change money before.
Visa: 10 Q per person
Vehicule : 160 Q
Fumigación: 37 q
Dog: 37 Q

The man of the visa parte, very Nice, the one with glasses that takes Care of the vehicule part don't like woman participation. Very machista.

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Coming from Guatemala to Mexico you need to have your car fumigated for 95 MX pesos. Apparently you can also pay in quetzales however we didn't have any left. The money changers have awful rates and there are no ATMs.

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border crossing from mexico into Guatemala.
we went at 08:00 am and were the first ones there. All went super easy.
mind that the bank (where you have to pay for the car import permit) only opens at 08:00, so there's​ no point in going earlier.
the aduana and immigration officers were very friendly.

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Arrived at border at around 12 in the afternoon. Border was blocked with cars, trucks and a large crowd of people of the Mexican side protesting all day long. If you are backpacking, walking into Guatemala will not be a problem. If you are in a four wheeled vehicle, it would have been impossible to pass. I was on my motorcycle and was informed by a local of a nearby alternate road. This road lead into Guatemala but was blocked by a rope across the road, a small stream and a chain across the road on the other side. All passable by motorcycle. Also, there were street vendors in tents in some of the roads in which only scooters and motorcycles could squeeze through. Once in Guatemala, head to the immigration office to process your entry.

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Mexico to Guatemala at La Mesilla 12th January 2016. Updated to include tourist permit and vehicle permit extensions in Guatemala City. We crossed the Mexican/Guatemalan border on 12th January 2016 with our motorcycle. Our full experience is documented at the following location http://www.tiger800rtw.com/?p=1095 and includes GPS coordinates and photographs.

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I heard many stories about being hassled by money chargers, long lines and waits.  Spent the night in Comitan in the mountains, 50 minutes from the border.  Arrived in Frontera Compala around 9:30,  at the far end of town is Mexican immigration, passport stamped, then to Aduanas to export vehicle,  VIN number checked, copies of cancelation( save, will need for Guat.  5 kms to La Mesilla.  Pass through the offical exit of Mexico, nothing needed. Bike needed to be fumigated,  12Quetzales,  then another 10 meters secure place to park bike, passport stamped in Guat.  Another building, window, aduanas,   license, passport, title shown, copies made,  I had, though official used their copy machine.,  160 Q for importation fee, paid at back 5 ms from window,  Sticker provided for windshield, gate raised, bam, into Guat.  I suggest that you change money in San Cristobal.  I got a rate of 7 Q to a dollar,  offical rate 7.8Q ,  at the border they were offering 5.2Q to $1. I speak spanish, so it was faster, but whole process took 20 mins Frontera Comapala, 25 minutes La Mesilla.  

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Border Crossing: Mexico / Guatemala originally posted at  http://www.vangabonds.com/border-crossing-mexicoguatemala/

We cross borders by land in a CR-V with US passports and our two dogs. We do not carry drugs or weapons or disallowed fruit (usually). These articles are not a definitive guide to crossing borders nor should they be used as a sole source of information. They are our experiences.

When, Where, and Which Direction: May 1, 2013 – Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chiapas, Mexico > Santo Domingo, Huehuetenango, Guatemala

What We Needed: There wasn’t much information available about what we would need to cross the border, or maybe we just didn’t look that hard. Regardless, we went into the day with the same paperwork we’d had available when we  crossed into Mexico [LINK: http://www.vangabonds.com/border-crossing-usa-mexico/]  from the United States expecting from our basic research only to need a cancelled auto import permit from Mexico and our passports. What we would end up actually kind of needing were:Passports,Tourist Cards (to leave Mexico),Mexican Auto Import Permit (to leave Mexico),Vehicle Title,Cancelled Mexican Auto Import Permit (were told it was needed, but never actually showed it), and“Paperwork” for the dogs.The Process:Almost immediately upon entering Cuauhtémoc heading south on 190, there is a decently marked building housing Banjercito on the left side of the road. As the Mexican auto import permit must be cancelled to collect the deposit and is also supposedly a requirement for getting an auto import permit for Guatemala, this Banjercito office is the first step to leaving Mexico. Just inside the door, travelers should present their auto import permit at the window on the left. The worker will probably come to your car to verify that it indeed matches that which was registered when entering the country. The deposit will be processed the next day and post back to the account it was charged to a few days later.
Stop two is at the building next door to Banjercito, the second building on the left from the road. Here, travelers must present their passports and tourist cards and pay a new fee (a sign in the office indicated that this was another  November 2012 customs policy update [LINK: http://www.vangabonds.com/mexican-tourist-cards-a-lesson-learned/] ) to receive an exit stamp in their book (not that anyone would notice if you didn’t get it…). Tourist cards are collected. Now you are free to get back on the road and drive to the end of Mexico.

This “end of the road” is a congested and messy place. What we assume to be the exact border between Mexico and Guatemala is marked with a narrow gate. Cones stop vehicles about two car lengths passed the gate on the Guatemalan side, where swarms of people filter about just feet away. At this first stop, vehicles are sprayed for bugs, a non-optional part of the process, by a non-uniformed employee whose office is in a small, single-room building on the right side of the road behind the crowd. Men with wads of cash approach new visitors offering to exchange money, which is a necessity if you don’t have any quetzales as this is the only currency accepted at the border, but the rates are usually pretty terrible and the chaos of it all only adds to the feeling of being taken advantage of. It is apparently at this first tiny office that dog permits are addressed, but as our experience below details, this is about all we know.

Once shooed away from this station, vehicles can be parked on the right side of the road just before the second gate, which looks like a horizontal pole blocking a railroad track. Travelers take their passports into a larger building on the right side just past the bug-spray-and-pet shack. Here, passports are processed and stamped by a uniformed customs official standing behind a counter. Next, travelers with a vehicle must check in at the window at the front of the third building on the right for an auto import permit. The vehicle title, the owner’s passport, and the cancelled Mexican auto import permit are all requested (though our cancellation was never looked at) so that the employee can process the temporary import, which is good for 90 days. The worker will probably come to the car to verify its VIN. He then sends the vehicle owner to a door next to the window (apparently a bank; we were not allowed inside) to pay the fee and then return to the the window with a confirmation of payment to receive the windshield sticker and permit. If traveling with pets, you may be asked to show your papers or permit here as well.

With a permit sticker in the windshield, the second gatekeeper will allow you to pass, and if you can get through the next mile of excruciatingly narrow and crowded streets without running anyone over, you’re free to enjoy Guatemala!

Costs: There is no cost to cancel a temporary auto import permit in Mexico, and in fact, money is returned to the driver from the deposit put down when entering; however, a sign in the office where exit stamps are received indicates a November 2012 policy change requiring a 295 peso fee ($23.60 USD) when leaving the country. This fee is only charged to tourists who spend more than 7 days in Mexico. Entering Guatemala costs nothing for US citizens, but there are charges for cars and pets. We were quoted at 18 quetzales ($2.30 USD) to have our car sprayed for bugs, and the auto import permit cost 160 quetzales ($20.50 USD). Though discussion about the dogs occurred, we do not know if there is typically a charge (official or otherwise) and if so, what amount it would be for.

Dogs: According to  pettravel.com [LINK: http://www.pettravel.com/immigration/Guatemala.cfm]  and a  2004 statement [LINK: http://guatemala.usembassy.gov/uploads/7c/es/7cesNkayulGrhPUIQmrqlg/acsepets.pdf]  from the US Embassy in Guatemala, acquiring a permit prior to arrival is required in order to bring a dog into the country; however, we opted for the play-dumb-and-run system, which worked fine too (this time). The previous listed sources site a need for a rabies certificate that is older than 30 days but not more than 12 months and a vet signed certificate of health that is not more than 30 days old for each pet, both of which we carry with us (except that we have to occasionally update our dates). Both sites indicate that these forms need to be sent, possibly with a fee, to the Guatemalan consulate to receive a permit for travel. Given the time to do this, it sounds like a lovely idea to show up at the border with a permit in hand. As that process isn’t entirely conducive to our travel-style though, we planned to try to address it with an official at the border. Voila, the bug-sprayer asked almost immediately about our dogs’ papers. I agreed to show them and was prepared with our rabies certificates, the certificates of health, and a bit of cash (though that’s probably not what he meant); however, the chaos of the area gave us an open window to hit the road, so we went with it. I can’t imagine that will work every time, but we were happy to get lucky at this stop.

Due to character limits, the below section and photos are available at  http://www.vangabonds.com/border-crossing-mexicoguatemala/

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When you come from Mexico. Don't forget to stop at the village before at the immigration building to get back your deposit. (Cuauhtemoc)
There few steps to do : fumigation, pay for entry with your vehicle ; 160Q.

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For  anyone confused  by  this border crossing  name  appearing as Las Champas when a certain map scale magnification is zoomed to (about  60%) and the German "Grenzposten Guatemala"  rest assured the correct name is  indeed LA MESILLA,  the  town  in Guatemala where the  actual boundary line is located.
The  Mexican  village of Cd Cuauhtemoc  is  4km down the mountain to the north.
This border is open onlyfrom 6:00  to 21:00 hours, seven  days a week.

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All processes on the Mexican  and  Guatemalan  sides  are   the  standard   steps  as  at all  MX/GT  crossings. For  people  who intend  to make a  round trip  to  Central America and  back to the USA  WITHIN THE   VALID  PERIOD  OF  THE   TVIP    it is not  necessary  to  cancel  the Temporary Vehicle Import Permit   nor  to get the   security  deposit  refunded  .This  saves  you  th  cost  of  buying a  second  TVIP  for the  return  trip and  the   trouble  of  posting  the security bond anew. If  you  go  on  to  South America or  will not be  able  to  travel back  to the USA  within  the  term limit then of  course  cancel  the TVIP  and get  your  security  bond rfunded  to  your  credit  card.

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