Do Guatemalan passport holders need a visa for Canada?
By Aarush Chopra · Travel Writer, Tripmojo · Updated · Reviewed by Simran Raheja
Yes. Guatemala appears in neither Schedule 1.1 nor the exemptions in section 190 of Canada’s immigration regulations, so Guatemalan citizens need a temporary resident visa before travelling. The visa costs 100 Canadian dollars and biometrics add 85, so budget 185 per person. There is no eTA route, because the eTA exists only for people who are already visa-exempt.
Quick facts
Visa required- Visa required
- Yes, a temporary resident visa
- Cost
- CAD 100, plus CAD 85 biometrics
- Family maximum
- CAD 500 visa, plus CAD 170 biometrics
- eTA eligible
- No, the eTA is only for visa-exempt travellers
- Entries
- One or more, on the same CAD 100 fee
- Length of stay
- 6 months by default, or another period set by the officer
Entry requirements
- A Guatemalan passport valid for the whole of your stay.
- An approved temporary resident visa, obtained before you travel. There is no visa on arrival in Canada.
- Biometrics, meaning fingerprints and a photograph, given in person at a visa application centre.
- Evidence that you will leave at the end of the visit and can support yourself, plus details of where you will stay.
- A return or onward ticket.
How to apply for a temporary resident visa
Apply online through the Government of Canada. The processing fee is 100 Canadian dollars per person and the regulation prices the visa the same whether it comes back single or multiple entry, so there is no cheaper single-entry option to choose.
Pay the 85 dollar biometrics fee and attend a visa application centre to give fingerprints and a photograph. Appointment availability is usually what determines the timeline rather than the decision itself.
Submit evidence of ties to Guatemala and of funds for the visit. As with any visitor visa, the officer is deciding whether they believe you will leave, so the supporting documents carry more weight than the form.
Good to know
- The family caps are the part worth planning around, because they change the arithmetic completely. The visa fee is capped at 500 Canadian dollars for a family applying together rather than 100 each, and biometrics are capped at 170 rather than 85 each. A family of five applying together pays 670 in total where five separate applications would come to 925, so applying together and applying separately are not the same transaction.
- An eTA is not a cheaper alternative you have overlooked, though the reason is narrower than it first looks. Canada does let some visa-required nationals fly on an eTA instead, under s.7.01, if they hold a valid US non-immigrant visa or have held a Canadian visa in the last ten years. That route is limited to seventeen named countries, including Mexico, Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago, and Guatemala is not one of them. So a Guatemalan passport holder cannot substitute a 7 dollar authorisation for a 100 dollar visa, and any service offering to do that is selling something that will not get you boarded.
- Holding a valid United States visa does not exempt you from the Canadian one. The two countries assess visitors separately, and a Guatemalan traveller already approved for the United States, which many are, still needs the Canadian visa in hand before an airline will carry them north.
Frequently asked questions
Do Guatemalans need a visa for Canada?
Yes. Guatemala is not on Canada’s visa-exempt list, so a temporary resident visa is required before travelling, including for tourism.
How much does a Canadian visa cost for Guatemalan citizens?
100 Canadian dollars for the visa plus 85 for biometrics, so 185 per person. Families applying together are capped at 500 and 170 respectively.
Can Guatemalans travel to Canada with an eTA?
No. Canada extends the eTA to some visa-required nationals under s.7.01, but only for seventeen named countries and Guatemala is not among them. Guatemalan passport holders must apply for a temporary resident visa.
Does a US visa let Guatemalans enter Canada?
No. Canada assesses visitors independently of the United States, so a valid US visa does not remove the Canadian visa requirement.
How long can Guatemalans stay in Canada?
Usually up to six months, decided by the border services officer on arrival rather than fixed by the visa.
Related pages
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on .
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (SOR/2002-227), Schedule 1.1 — Guatemala absent; s.190 — no applicable exemption (laws-lois.justice.gc.ca). Read 2026-08-17.
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s.296 — "A fee of $100 is payable for processing an application for a temporary resident visa to enter Canada one or more times"; family maximum $500
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s.315.1 — $85 biometric information fee; $170 family maximum
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s.183(2) — the authorized period of stay is six months, or another period fixed by an officer
- Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, s.7.01 — visa-required nationals of seventeen named countries may fly on an eTA if they hold a valid US non-immigrant visa or have held a Canadian TRV in the previous 10 years. Guatemala is not among the seventeen. Read 2026-08-17.
Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.
