From a statement issued by the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Guatemala:

Guatemala, June 16, 2017. Guatemalan and Honduran officials concluded the negotiation process on Friday of the Customs Union between Guatemala and Honduras, which will officially open on June 26 at the border post in Corinto.

Adolfo Barrera, Vice Minister of Foreign Trade of Guatemala, stated that "the Customs Union is a platform that will allow an increase of trade, growth of productive chains and the more immediate access of the supply of products of both countries, and at the same time will become a support to the development of companies and the productivity of Guatemala, contributing towards improving their competitiveness."

From that date, the Customs Union Model will begin to operate at three border control points known as El Florido, Agua Caliente-Corinto and Entre Ríos.  

More on this topic

Northern Triangle: Progress in Customs Union

November 2018

On November 12th, the VII Round of Negotiations for the inclusion of El Salvador in the integration process towards the free transit of individuals and goods between Guatemala and Honduras began in San Salvador.

The negotiations between the three countries will last the entire week and it is expected that this round of dialogues will address issues related to the customs, migration, sanitary and phytosanitary challenges facing El Salvador.

Customs Union: Good Results, But Improvement Still Needed

June 2018

Reduced times to move goods through customs posts and an increase in bilateral trade are some of the results of the first year of the Customs Union between Guatemala and Honduras.

Twelve months after the entry into force of the treaty between the two countries, trade figures have favored the two Central American countries.  In 2017, exports from Honduras to Guatemala totaled $384 million, 16% more than in 2016, and sales made from Guatemala to Honduras amounted to $967 million, which is equivalent to a 6% increase.  

Full Customs Union Will Take A Long Time

August 2017

While Honduras and Guatemala are already advancing in the process of customs unification and Nicaragua and El Salvador have joined as observers, in Costa Rica it is thought that full union will only be completed between 2023 and 2025.

The fact that the countries in the region are implementing the processes necessary to achieve Customs Union at different speeds makes the full union of all systems and full opening of borders for the free transit of goods still a distant goal.

Nicaragua and El Salvador to join Customs Union

July 2017

The governments of Nicaragua and El Salvador have started the observation process, a step in the process to join the Customs Union which is already in effect between Guatemala and Honduras.

The process starts with the incorporation of representatives from the Nicaraguan and Salvadoran governments as observers in the meetings between Guatemala and Honduras.