US Embassy Guatemala: Citizen Services for Americans (2026)

The US Embassy in Guatemala City provides citizen services to American citizens living in or traveling to Guatemala. Whether you’re a long-term resident needing a passport renewal, a tourist who lost their passport, a parent of a child born in Guatemala needing a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or an American facing a Guatemalan legal issue, the embassy’s citizen services are the place to start. This page covers what services are available, how to access them, current fees, and contact information.

Embassy location and contact

US Embassy Guatemala Boulevard Austriaco 11-51, Zone 16 Guatemala City, Guatemala

Phone (business hours and after hours): 2354 0000 from Guatemala; 011 502 2354 0000 or 1-301-985-8164 from the USA American Citizens Services: through the embassy’s U.S. Citizens Services Navigator (linked from its contact page) Website: gt.usembassy.gov

Consular Section hours: Monday through Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (except on US and Guatemalan holidays)

Corrected 25 September 2026 from the embassy’s contact page: this block previously gave an address in Zone 14, a main line of 2326-4000 and Monday-Friday hours. The embassy’s contact page lists only 2354 0000; the older 2326-4000 number still appeared at the foot of one embassy notice on 26 August 2026. Security alerts are listed on US Embassy security alerts.

Services for US Citizens (ACS)

Passport services

Corrected 28 September 2026 from the embassy’s passport pages: this block previously said renewal needed an appointment and gave an expedited fee and a processing time that the embassy does not publish. The embassy offers renewal by courier, publishes no expedited option, and lists processing as 3 weeks.

Passport renewal by courier (Form DS-82, no appointment):

• Eligible if you meet all four conditions on the embassy’s courier page: your previous passport is in your possession, you were at least 16 when it was issued, it was issued less than 15 years ago, and it was issued under your current legal name
• Fee on pay.gov: $130 for a passport book, plus $30 for a passport card
• Drop off at any Cargo Expreso agency with a prepaid return shipping label
• Processing: 3 weeks per the embassy; after approval, about 10 days from the United States plus about 3 days to your Cargo Expreso agency
• Step by step: renewing a US passport in Guatemala

In-person application (Form DS-11, appointment):

• Required for a first passport, applicants under 16, a previous passport issued before age 16 or more than 15 years ago, or a lost, stolen or damaged passport
• Adult fee on pay.gov: $165 for a passport book, plus $30 for a passport card (the fee for children under 16 is not covered here)

Emergency passports:

• The embassy says they can be issued the same day as your appointment, have 12 pages, are “generally valid for one year” and have no electronic chip
• If you need an earlier appointment than the ones online, book the first available one and email AmCitsGuatemala@state.gov with the subject line the embassy specifies
• In most cases it can be replaced with a full-validity passport within a year of issuance at no charge (Form DS-5504)

The Guatemalan half nobody mentions: the embassy issues the new book, but your Guatemalan entry stamp and any Guatemalan visa stay behind in the old one — and IGM publishes a priced service for each. Its Subdirección de Control Migratorio lists “Reposición de sellos de entrada en pasaporte vigente” at US$10.00, and its Subdirección de Extranjería lists “Traslado de visa a pasaporte” at US$15.00. What the instruments do and do not say about the stamp, the old book, exiting the country and extending a stay is set out in my passport expires while I’m in Guatemala.

Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA)

Corrected 15 October 2026 from the embassy’s CRBA and notarial pages, the State Department’s CRBA page and 22 CFR 22.1: this section said processing took 6-12 weeks, called the CRBA a birth-certificate equivalent, asked for an apostilled birth certificate and listed apostilles among the embassy’s notary services.

For US citizen parents whose child is born in Guatemala:

• Documents that the child was a US citizen at birth. The State Department says a CRBA is not a birth certificate
• Must be applied for before the child’s 18th birthday; the embassy recommends applying as soon as possible after the birth
• Apply online through MyTravelGov (eCRBA), pay there, then email GuatemalaACSVerify@state.gov to ask for the in-person interview
• Processing time: 3 weeks from approval, per the embassy
• Fee: $100 (22 CFR 22.1, item 7)
• The child’s first US passport can be applied for at the same appointment with a DS-11 form, paid separately on pay.gov

Upload with the online application (the embassy asks for one PDF per document):

• The child’s Guatemalan birth certificate (Certificado de Nacimiento, not the Inscripción de Nacimiento) from RENAP, issued within 6 months and with a verifiable QR code
• A valid identity document for both parents, both sides
• Each parent’s marriage certificate if either has ever been married, and proof that any prior marriage ended

Bring to the interview: the originals of those documents, proof of the US parent’s physical presence or residence in the US, evidence of the parents’ relationship, and pregnancy and birth records. The embassy says not to upload the physical-presence proof.

For children born to non-US-citizen Guatemalan parents, no CRBA is needed; the child has Guatemalan citizenship via local birth registration. See birth registration for diaspora kids for the Guatemalan side.

Notary services

The embassy offers notarial services to people of any nationality, by appointment only, and says they are mostly for documents to be used in the United States:

• One appointment covers up to five documents
• Bring the complete document unsigned, and a valid government ID whose name matches the document
• Bring your own witnesses if the document needs them; consular staff cannot act as witnesses
• The embassy lists a few services it performs free of charge, among them the DS-3053 parental consent for a minor’s passport (when a parent in Guatemala needs it, see US passport for a US-born child of Guatemalan parents)

Fee: $50 per notary seal (the embassy’s notarial page; 22 CFR 22.1, item 41), plus $1 per page for photocopies unless you bring your own. The embassy takes cash in US dollars or quetzales, or a credit card.

Apostilles are not an embassy service. The embassy says US consular officers cannot authenticate US or Guatemalan public documents. US state documents, such as a birth or marriage certificate, are apostilled by the Secretary of State of the state that issued them; US federal documents go to the Department of State’s Office of Authentications. Guatemalan documents for use abroad are apostilled by MINEX. See apostille from the USA.

For Guatemalan-purpose powers of attorney, the Guatemalan consulate is the right place — the US embassy doesn’t issue Guatemalan-format documents.

Social Security

Social Security questions go to SSA, not the embassy counter. SSA publication 05-10137 says that outside the US (apart from a few listed places) you contact your Federal Benefits Unit, with the full list at www.ssa.gov/foreign, and that people already receiving benefits can call +1-410-965-0160. See receiving US Social Security in Guatemala.

Emergency assistance

• Lost passport: emergency passports can be issued the same day as your appointment
• Any other emergency involving a US citizen: call the embassy or the State Department’s 24/7 line, +1-202-501-4444 from abroad or +1-888-407-4747 from the US and Canada

Emergency and after-hours phone: 2354 0000 from Guatemala (embassy contact page, read 25 September 2026).

Scheduling appointments

Notarial services and in-person passport applications are by appointment. On gt.usembassy.gov, the passports page has a Schedule an In-Person Appointment link, and the passport and notarial pages say to contact the embassy through its U.S. Citizens Services Navigator if you need help.

For an emergency passport, the embassy asks you to schedule an in-person appointment; if you need an earlier slot than the ones online, book the first available one and email AmCitsGuatemala@state.gov.

Appointment availability

• Adult passport renewal: adults who meet the embassy’s four courier conditions renew through Cargo Expreso with no appointment
• CRBAs: after the online application and payment, wait 72 hours and email GuatemalaACSVerify@state.gov; the embassy says it checks the file within five business days and then schedules the interview
• Notary services: by appointment only, one appointment per five documents; the embassy publishes no waiting time
• Emergencies: book the first available appointment and email the embassy for an earlier one (see above)

Visiting the embassy

What to bring

• All documents requested for your specific service
• US passport (current, expired, or replacement)
• The printed pay.gov receipt — passport fees are paid online at pay.gov before you go

Security at the embassy

The embassy’s notarial services page says that because the embassy is a secure facility, certain items such as cell phones, smart watches and large bags may not be brought in, and that there is no facility at the embassy to store prohibited items, so make arrangements before you go. Its passport and notarial pages ask you to arrive on time: if you arrive 15 minutes late or more, you may be asked to reschedule.

Corrected 16 October 2026: this section previously listed airport-style screening rules and said to plan 15-30 minutes in security; the embassy’s pages do not say that. It now repeats what the embassy publishes.

Parking

The embassy is at Boulevard Austriaco 11-51, Zone 16 (not Zone 14, as this section said until 25 September 2026). The embassy’s passport page says there is no public parking at the embassy; it mentions commercial parking within walking distance and a drop-off area in front.

For Americans living in Guatemala

Routine services to plan ahead

• Passport renewal: Leave time for delivery. The embassy’s renewal-by-courier page says that from approval a passport takes approximately 10 days to arrive from the United States and another 3 days to reach the designated Cargo Expreso agency
• CRBA for new babies: The embassy recommends applying as soon as possible after the birth; a CRBA can only be issued before the child turns 18
• Notarized US documents: Embassy is the main resource

Staying in touch

• Enroll in STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) at step.state.gov to receive the latest security updates
• Keep your contact info up to date
• Stay aware of US embassy security advisories

Tax services

The embassy does NOT provide US tax filing services. For tax help:

• Hire a CPA familiar with American expat taxes
• IRS itself: irs.gov has resources for Americans abroad

For Guatemalan-side tax matters (NIT, SAT compliance), see Get NIT from USA (the principles apply for in-Guatemala compliance too).

When NOT to use the embassy

The embassy doesn’t provide:

• US legal services (you’ll need an attorney for civil matters)
• Loans or financial assistance to Americans in Guatemala
• Tax filing
• Banking
• Travel arrangements

For private legal matters in the USA from Guatemala, you’ll need a US attorney with bar admission.

What’s next

For Americans in Guatemala:

• Visa Requirements (US Travelers) — for entry/stay rules
• US Visa Interview Wait in Guatemala City — the same embassy’s other counter: how long a Guatemalan applicant waits for a B1/B2, F, M, J or petition-based interview, by visa class
• ATM Cards That Work in Guatemala — money access
• Pensionado Visa — for residency
• Best Banks for Foreigners — banking setup
• Internet Speed in Guatemala — for remote work

For Guatemalans needing services from US consulates in the USA, see our diaspora hub. British citizen instead? See UK Citizen Services at the British Embassy.

For specific embassy questions, the embassy’s website (gt.usembassy.gov) has the most current information. Email stu@livinginguatemala.com for general American-living-in-Guatemala questions not specific to embassy services.