Applicants should be aware that while the following requirements appear straightforward, applicants for residency often report that graft and delay in the issuance process make obtaining a resident visa very difficult. Delays of one, two and even four years are common. During such delays, an applicant’s residency status may be uncertain, requiring regular departure from and re-entry into Guatemala in order to re-establish temporary status. Intending residents should understand that, as foreigners living in another country, they are subject to the Guatemalan legal system.

Guatemalan Immigration Central Office
4 Calle 4-37, Zona 9
Guatemala City
Tel. 360-8578, 360-8544, 360-8580, 360-8540, 360-8584

Working hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

To apply for the 90-day residence permit at Guatemalan Immigration, the applicant must provide:

• Two recent photographs
• A valid passport
• A letter of sponsorship from a Guatemalan sponsor
• Evidence of the financial resources of both the applicant and sponsor

Present the application and supporting documents at Window No. 1 at the Guatemalan Immigration central office.

Generally this visa is issued fifteen days following application.

Before expiration of the 90-day residence permit (step one), an intending resident must apply for a "Visa Ordinaria" which permits residence in Guatemala for six months and is renewable thereafter. The applicant must re-submit:

• Another statement of support from the applicant’s Guatemalan sponsor
• Evidence of the applicant’s financial resources
• A report on the applicant’s police record in Guatemala
• A medical report
• A police report from the applicant’s prior place of residence in the United States
• A birth certificate authenticated by a Guatemalan Consulate in the U.S.

Pending approval of the visa ordinaria, an applicant may work if permission is granted by the Ministry of Labor in Guatemala City. According to Guatemalan immigration authorities, processing of the visa ordinaria requires up to two months, during which time only a validated photocopy of the passport is retained by the immigration office.

The Visa Ordinaria may be extended in increments of six month. All the documentation required in steps 1 and 2 must be re-submitted again when applying for the extension.

At the expiration of the fourth extension, i.e., after two years of residence under the visa ordinaria, the applicant may qualify as a legal permanent resident of Guatemala.

Cost (subject to change)

• 90-day visa Q100
• Visa Ordinaria Q100
• Visa Ordinaria Extension Q100

The Oficina de Extranjeros at the Immigration central office also issues other types of visas to foreigners:

• Student Visa: Valid for one year. Required for primary, high school and university students.
• Courtesy Visa: Valid for one year. Issued to members of the diplomatic community.
• Visas for Foreign Retirees.
• Visas Temporales: Issued for 12 months to teachers of foreign students.
• Visas for Religious Workers: Valid for two years.

Embajada de los Estados Unidos de América
Avenida Reforma 7-01, Zona 10
Guatemala Ciudad, Guatemala

Phone: (502) 331-1541
Fax: (502) 332-4353
Email: AmCitsGuatemala@state.gov

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