The registration duty in US immigration law became an enforcement priority in 2025, and USCIS built an online form for people who had no direct way to comply. This page sets out, from USCIS’s own registration page, who must register, which Guatemalans already are, and what the law says about carrying proof and reporting a move.
In short: With limited exceptions, non-citizens 14 or older who were not registered and fingerprinted when applying for a US visa and who stay 30 days or longer must apply to register. Guatemalans who entered without inspection and never registered some other way are, in USCIS’s words, not registered; the online Form G-325R is one way to do it. Anyone with a work permit, a green card, a visa entry, parole or an open removal case is already registered. Registration gives no status or right. After registering, people 18 and older must carry proof, and everyone required to register must report a new address within 10 days. Get advice from an attorney or accredited representative first: USCIS’s own screening tool says it is not a substitute for one. A September 2026 court injunction limits one newer rule for a certified class (below).
Why this exists now
USCIS explains that on January 20, 2025, Executive Order 14159 directed DHS to make sure non-citizens comply with the duty to register under section 262 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1302), and that failure to comply be treated as a civil and criminal enforcement priority. DHS designated a new registration form through an interim final rule issued on March 12, 2025, and USCIS established Form G-325R, Biographic Information (Registration), with an online process. A final rule, effective June 29, 2026 (91 FR 39248), responded to public comments and adjusted the lists of forms and processes that count as registration and as evidence of registration.
Who must register
USCIS lists three triggers, all of which must apply:
- You are 14 or older;
- You were not registered and fingerprinted (if required) when applying for a US visa; and
- You stay in the US 30 days or longer, for each period of stay.
USCIS says the application is due before those 30 days expire. Parents and legal guardians must register children under 14 who stay 30 days or longer, before those 30 days expire. Anyone who turns 14 in the US, including previously registered children, must re-register and be fingerprinted within 30 days of the birthday. USCIS says the rule applies to each trip of 30 days or more.
Which Guatemalans are already registered
USCIS’s two lists, side by side:
| Already registered (USCIS list) | Not registered (USCIS list) |
|---|---|
| Lawful permanent residents | People who entered without inspection and admission or parole and have not otherwise registered |
| People admitted on an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa at their most recent arrival | People who filed benefit requests not on the registration-form list, including deferred action or Temporary Protected Status applications, were not issued evidence of registration, and have not otherwise registered |
| Anyone issued a Form I-94, I-94A or I-94W, even if the admission period expired | People born in the US to a foreign government employee when neither parent is a US citizen, who have not otherwise registered |
| People paroled into the US, even if the parole expired | Canadian visitors who entered by land without evidence of registration such as a Form I-94, I-94W or I-94A, and have not otherwise registered (not a Guatemalan case) |
| People DHS has placed in removal proceedings, or with an expedited removal order, or a reinstated removal order | |
| Anyone issued an employment authorization document | |
| People who applied for a green card on Form I-485 (or I-687, I-698) and provided fingerprints (unless waived), even if denied | |
| Crewmen admitted with Form I-95 or I-184 | |
| Holders of a Border Crossing Card | |
| People last admitted through NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST or Global Entry |
USCIS’s page also has an online Alien Registration Requirement Determination Tool that asks a few questions. USCIS says the tool is informational only and «is not a substitute for a consultation with an attorney or an accredited representative.»
Latest USCIS alerts (September 2026)
USCIS’s registration page, read on 25 September 2026, carries two alerts:
- June 29, 2026 final rule. DHS adopted the 2025 interim rule as final and updated the list of forms and processes that meet the registration requirement (Federal Register, 91 FR 39248). USCIS says people who must register and have not may continue to use Form G-325R.
- September 4, 2026 interim rule and a court injunction. USCIS published an interim rule on registering children born in the United States to foreign government employees, and a new 09/04/26 edition of Form G-325R. It says that, given the preliminary injunction in Casa Inc. v. Trump, No. 8:25-cv-00201 (D. Md. Sep. 2, 2026), DHS will not apply that interim rule or the 09/04/26 edition of Form G-325R to any member of the certified class, unless and until the government obtains relief from the injunction.
How to register with Form G-325R
- Create a USCIS online account. One account per person, including each child under 14 (a parent creates the child’s account in the child’s name).
- Submit Form G-325R online. It cannot be filed by mail or in person. USCIS says attorneys and accredited representatives may not submit it for their clients.
- USCIS reviews it. If you are already registered, USCIS tells you so and does not schedule biometrics.
- Biometrics appointment at an Application Support Center, if required. USCIS says there is no biometric services fee, and that the appointment notice comes only through the online account.
- Proof of registration appears in your online account as a downloadable PDF.
USCIS also lists other forms that count as registration, among them Form I-485 and Form I-94. Some serve as both a registration form and a benefit application, and USCIS notes you must qualify for the benefit if you use them that way.
After you register: carry proof, report moves
- Carry proof (18 and older). Evidence of registration must be in your personal possession at all times. USCIS says a phone that can display it, or a printout, satisfies this.
- Report a move within 10 days. Everyone required to register must report a change of address to USCIS within 10 days, preferably through the online account. Updating your address with the immigration court on Form EOIR-33 does not satisfy the USCIS requirement, and updating USCIS does not satisfy the court’s separate requirement.
The penalties USCIS lists
| Failure | Penalty on conviction (USCIS) |
|---|---|
| Willfully failing or refusing to apply to register or be fingerprinted (or to register a child under 14) | Misdemeanor; fine up to $5,000, up to 6 months in prison, or both |
| Failing to carry evidence of registration (18 and older) | Misdemeanor; fine up to $5,000, up to 30 days in prison, or both, per offence |
| Not reporting a change of address within 10 days | Misdemeanor; fine up to $5,000, up to 30 days in prison, or both; also deportable unless the failure was reasonably excusable or not willful |
USCIS adds that a person who submitted Form G-325R and is waiting for a biometrics appointment has not willfully failed to register, even if the 30-day period passed before the appointment date.
Related
- US government actions affecting Guatemalans (2026 tracker)
- CBP Home and Guatemalans
- DACA renewal for Guatemalans
- Asylum for Guatemalans in the US
Sources, read on 25 September 2026: USCIS, Alien Registration Requirement (uscis.gov/alienregistration); DHS final rule, Alien Registration Form and Evidence of Registration (Federal Register, June 29, 2026, 91 FR 39248). General information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do undocumented Guatemalans in the US have to register with the government?
USCIS says the Immigration and Nationality Act requires, with limited exceptions, that aliens 14 or older who were not registered and fingerprinted when applying for a US visa, and who stay in the United States 30 days or longer, apply for registration and fingerprinting. USCIS lists «Aliens present in the United States without inspection and admission or inspection and parole who have not otherwise registered» among those who are not registered. Form G-325R, filed online, is one way to register.
I have DACA or a work permit. Am I already registered?
USCIS lists «Aliens issued an employment authorization document» among people who have already registered. Its list also includes lawful permanent residents, people paroled into the US even if the parole expired, people admitted with a Form I-94, people admitted on a visa at their most recent arrival, and people DHS has placed in removal proceedings. USCIS separately lists as not registered people who submitted benefit requests not on its registration-form list, including applications for deferred action or Temporary Protected Status, who were not issued evidence of registration and have not otherwise registered.
Does registering give me legal status?
No. USCIS says: «Registration is not an immigration status, and registration documentation does not create an immigration status, establish employment authorization, or provide any other right or benefit under the INA or any other U.S. law.»
What is the penalty for not registering?
USCIS says a person required to register who willfully fails or refuses to apply to register or be fingerprinted, and a parent or guardian who willfully fails to register a child under 14, is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction may be fined up to $5,000, imprisoned up to 6 months, or both. Failing to carry evidence of registration (age 18 and older) carries a fine of up to $5,000, up to 30 days in prison, or both, per offence.
Does Form G-325R cost anything?
USCIS says registrants are not required to pay a biometric services fee. The form is filed only online through a USCIS online account, one account per person including children under 14, and USCIS says attorneys and accredited representatives may not submit it on behalf of clients.
Do I have to tell USCIS when I move?
Yes, if you are required to register. USCIS says all aliens required to register must report a change of address within 10 days of moving; noncompliance is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, up to 30 days in prison, or both, and a person who fails to comply is deportable unless the failure was reasonably excusable or not willful. Filing Form EOIR-33 with the immigration court does not satisfy the USCIS requirement.
