About this service
International trade offers significant opportunities — but it also brings legal and regulatory complexities that call for specialized guidance. At Vaides Matta & Asociados, we support companies and individuals in their cross-border operations, ensuring compliance with Guatemalan law and applicable international trade agreements.
Our team has experience with Central American customs regulation and the free-trade agreements in force across the region, which allows us to provide comprehensive, up-to-date counsel.
What we handle
- Import and export advisory — tariff classification, documentary requirements, and import/export licenses and permits.
- Customs regulation — proceedings before the Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT) and Guatemalan customs authorities.
- Free-trade agreements — leveraging tariff benefits under DR-CAFTA, the EU Association Agreement, and other treaties in effect.
- Foreign investment — legal structuring for foreign investors looking to operate in Guatemala, including formation of local entities and compliance with the Foreign Investment Law.
- International contracts — drafting and reviewing international sale-of-goods contracts, cross-border distribution agreements, and supply arrangements.
- International commercial dispute resolution — arbitration clauses, international arbitration proceedings, and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards in Guatemala.
Our approach
We combine local legal expertise with an international perspective, which allows us to advise both Guatemalan companies expanding abroad and foreign companies entering the Guatemalan market.
If your business is engaged in — or planning — international trade operations in Guatemala, contact us to discuss your case.