Guatemala visa requirements for Botswanan citizens
Botswanan citizens need a visa for Guatemala and must apply for it before the trip at a consulate or embassy.
- Minimum passport validity
- 6 months from entry
Why is this passport validity required? →
Last verified: 5 September 2026
Verified practical details
You'll need to apply for a visa at a consulate or embassy before travelling. Here are the practical details we've verified:
Fee
No entry fee for visa-exempt nationalities. Not verified for nationalities that do require a visa.
Required documents
- Electronic or machine-readable passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry.
- Onward or return ticket.
- Central American Unified Traveler's Declaration (DUCA-F), electronic, mandatory since July 2023 on entry and exit (generates a QR code).
- Check that the immigration officer stamps your passport on entry: there are documented cases of tourists not getting an entry stamp at a land border crossing and later being charged a fine for "irregular stay".
Health insurance
Not mandatory for this destination.
When travel insurance is mandatory → Travel insurance policies ↓Transit rules
Stay of up to 90 days, extendable once, shared with the rest of the CA-4 bloc (El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua): the count doesn't reset when crossing from Guatemala into any of those three countries. Important: this is only an internal mobility regime: each CA-4 country sets its own entry visa policy for third countries. Nicaragua unilaterally tightened its own in February 2026, requiring prior authorisation from nationalities that previously entered without one; this doesn't change anything about entering Guatemala itself, but it can affect anyone planning to cross from Guatemala into Nicaragua within the same trip.
More Guatemala rules
They don't depend on your passport, so they are on the Guatemala page:
Official portal: https://igm.gob.gt/. Destination data verified on 5 September 2026. Sources: igm.gob.gt (Guatemalan Migration Institute: entry requirements, DUCA-F, Q15/day overstay fine, figures as quoted by the official domain itself); sica.int/ocam (Central American Integration System: CA-4 agreement text); Infobae (14 Aug 2026, Nicaragua's unilateral migration reform, Disposición 002-2026); exteriores.gob.es (Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs travel advice for Guatemala: active state of prevention in several departments) (checked 5 September 2026); sanidad.gob.es (Spain's Ministry of Health, "Listado de países: requisitos y recomendaciones de vacunación contra la fiebre amarilla") and who.int (WHO, "Country list: yellow fever vaccination requirements and recommendations"): yellow fever requirement (checked 20 September 2026).
Travel insurance for Guatemala
It isn't listed as mandatory for this entry, but without insurance, medical care during the trip can get expensive.
See IATI's international site →IATI sells its policies according to the country you live in. Where do you live?
If your country isn't listed, try IATI's international site.
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Things to see and do in Guatemala
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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This pair in context
In the other direction, citizens of Guatemala need an electronic visa to enter Botswana. See the Guatemala → Botswana page.
Of the 5 passports from Southern Africa that VisaRadar tracks, for travel to Guatemala 1 enter visa-free and 4 need a visa. Same result as Botswana: Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia.
With a passport from Botswana, in the rest of Central America you can enter Belize and Panama visa-free; you need a prior authorisation or a visa on arrival for El Salvador; you need a visa for Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua.
A passport from Botswana ranks 115 of 199 in the VisaRadar passport ranking and reaches 73 of 198 destinations without applying for a visa in advance.
Counts from the same requirements matrix behind this page's verdict, using the UN M49 subregions.
Frequently asked questions
Do Botswanan citizens need a visa for Guatemala?
Yes. You must apply for the visa in advance at the relevant consulate or embassy.
What minimum passport validity is required?
Electronic or machine-readable passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry.
What currency is used in Guatemala?
Guatemalan Quetzal (GTQ).
What do Botswanan passport holders need for the countries near Guatemala?
With a passport from Botswana, in the rest of Central America you can enter Belize and Panama visa-free; you need a prior authorisation or a visa on arrival for El Salvador; you need a visa for Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua.
Related pages
See Guatemala requirements for other passports →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.