Category Archives: Guatemala

Guatemala joins the information bank for the regional evaluation of medicines

On August 2, 2022, the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance announced adhesion to the regional mechanism for the joint evaluation of dossiers of medicines and related products for human consumption. With this adherence, the health regulatory authorities in charge of endorsing drug registrations in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Guatemala…

Update in the Registry of Exporters for companies with operations in Guatemala

Compliance with tax obligations is essential to guarantee the continuity of commercial operations of any company. In the case of exporting companies, the current Guatemalan regulation requires that, no later than July 31, such companies update their compliance status with the Exporters Registry. The update constitutes an administrative tax obligation and enables the subsequent tax…

New regulations in Guatemala for the prevention of COVID-19 in workplaces

On July 20, through Government Agreement 179-2022, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare established specific mandatory measures in the workplace to prevent COVID-19 infections, as follows. Employer Obligations: Ensure social distancing under the Health Alerts and Health Provisions System of the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance or use physical barriers. Clean work…

New rates for the Special Public Development Zones of Guatemala

Through Ministerial Agreement 398-2022, the Ministry of Public Finance has reformed the Tariff Regulations for the Public Special Development Zones (known as ZDEEP). The approved changes that apply to ZDEEP users and administrators include the following: Modification of the fees for evaluating the application file as a user. Modification of the monthly rent per square…

BLP advises Barentz International on the acquisition of Divsa in Central America

BLP has advised its client, Barentz International, a global distributor of ingredients in the life sciences industry, on the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Distribuciones Industriales Variadas, S.A. (Divsa) in a significant transaction involving eight jurisdictions (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, British Virgin Islands, Panama, and Mexico.) Divsa is…

BLP advises Emergent Cold Latin America (Emergent Cold LatAm) on the acquisition of Bodegas Frías in Guatemala

Emergent Cold Latin America (Emergent Cold LatAm), the fastest-growing cold storage and logistics services provider in Latin America, has acquired Bodegas Frías, the largest operator in Guatemala. BLP advised its client on all matters related to the acquisition, including performing due diligence on corporate, environmental, real estate, litigation, intellectual property, and regulatory issues to complete…

Simplification of procedures for inactive legal entities

On March 11, 2022 the Law for the Simplification of Procedures for Non-Profit Corporations, Nº 10160 of March 11, 2022, was published, whereby article 2 of the Income Tax Law was amended, in such a way that inactive companies must: Submit annually to the Tax Authorities, all variations in their assets, liabilities, and equity. In…

Reforms to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations in Guatemala

The Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare issued Government Agreement No. 57-2022 containing reforms to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. These reforms come into force as of March 4, 2022. Among the reforms implemented, the following stand out: The powers and functions of the occupational health and safety committee must also be included in…

GUATEMALA: Insuralex covers another jurisdiction in Latin America

Prestigious Guatemala´s law firm BLP has been chosen by Insuralex Global Insurance Lawyers Group, a worldwide association of independent insurance and reinsurance lawyers, as its exclusive member firm in Guatemala. For more than ten years, BLP has provided legal counsel to both emerging and established companies on the best way to conduct business in Central…

BLP advised IDB Invest on a $70 million loan to Pantaleon S.A. in Guatemala

BLP has advised IDB Invest on its senior loan for up to US$70 million to Pantaleon S.A., to finance: (i) its industrial and agricultural fixed investment plans, including the implementation of green projects; and (ii) it is working capital needs, including advance payments to sugarcane producers. The main development objectives of the loan from IDB…