- 🆔 Your DPI (current, both sides scanned)
- 📱 Active email + cell number for verification
- 📋 CUI (the 13 digits on your DPI)
- 💳 Credit/debit card if paying for services online
- 🌎 If in the US: address of nearest Guatemalan consulate for shipping
RENAP (Registro Nacional de las Personas) is Guatemala’s official civil registry — the agency that runs the DPI national ID, and registers all births, marriages, deaths, divorces, naturalizations, and changes of civil status. For any identity or vital records transaction, RENAP is the office.
In short: RENAP runs Guatemala’s national ID (DPI) and civil registry (birth, marriage, death, divorce). Official portal: renap.gob.gt. RENAP’s published tariff sets a single DPI fee of Q100 — first DPI, renewal and replacement alike (people 60+ are exonerated; the DPI of people over 70 has indefinite validity). A birth certification costs Q15; all other registry certifications cost Q25; certification of a domiciled foreigner Q500. Paying by card online adds 25%. DPI replaced the old cédula de vecindad in 2010 and has a biometric chip + QR. Diaspora: Guatemalan consulates abroad (NY, LA, Miami, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, San Francisco, Silver Spring) work as delegated RENAP offices — abroad the birth certification is US$6.00 and the DPI US$15.00. Verified September 2026.
For diaspora: If you live in the US and need Guatemalan documents, the nearest Guatemalan consulate works as a delegated RENAP office. You can get/renew DPI, request certificates, and register US-born children or US-celebrated marriages without traveling to Guatemala.
RENAP services — full directory
DPI and identity
| Service | When you need it |
|---|---|
| First DPI | Q100. Can be requested from age 17; delivered from the day you turn 18. Payment receipt required |
| DPI Renewal (on expiry) | Q100 |
| Replacement (theft, loss, destruction, damage, data change) | Q100 |
| Aged 60+ | Exonerated from the DPI fee and the birth certification, for a first DPI or a replacement (RENAP’s published exoneration does not name renewal) |
| Aged over 70 | DPI has indefinite validity |
| Home delivery | Q40 in the department of Guatemala · Q60 in the other departments |
| DPI from abroad | US$15.00 at a consulate or embassy — see Consulates |
Paying any of these electronically by debit/credit card adds a 25% bank-handling surcharge (Art. 7). Source: RENAP tariff (Acuerdo de Directorio 15-2020 and its reforms) and Requisitos para Solicitud de DPI.
Civil registry certifications
| Certificate | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Birth Certificate | Q15 | Instant if digitized |
| Marriage Certificate | Q25 | Instant if digitized |
| Death Certificate | Q25 (the first death certification issued at the moment of registration is free) | Instant if digitized |
| Age Verification (Fe de Edad) | Q15 for the birth certification issued once the age determination is registered | Instant |
RENAP publishes three certification prices: Q15 for a birth certification, Q500 for a domiciled-foreigner certification, and Q25 for every other registry certification (Emisión de certificaciones).
Registrations
| Service | For whom |
|---|---|
| Foreign Birth Registration | Children born abroad with Guatemalan parent |
| Civil Marriage | Marriage before civil authority |
| Common-Law Union | Legal recognition of union |
| Divorce Registration | After judicial sentence |
| Late Registration | People not registered at birth |
| Naturalization | Foreigners who obtained Guatemalan citizenship |
| Birth Certificate Correction | Fix errors on records |
Digital access
- RENAP en Línea — account registration, digital downloads, lookups
Diaspora — RENAP from the US
This is probably why you’re here. Quick reference:
| Need | Solution |
|---|---|
| Renew expired DPI | Nearest Guatemalan consulate (NY, LA, Miami, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, San Francisco, Silver Spring) — US$15.00 |
| Birth certificate | Request via consulate (US$6.00) or from renap.gob.gt if your record is digitized (apostilled PDF download) |
| Register child born in US | “Foreign Birth Registration” — apostilled US birth certificate + the Guatemalan parent’s DPI (or consular ID) |
| Register US-celebrated marriage | Apostilled US marriage certificate + sworn translation + spouses’ DPI |
| International address change | RENAP does NOT require updating address if you live abroad — your DPI stays valid |
| First DPI from the US | Consulate, in person. Not 100% online yet. |
For details on each Guatemalan consulate in the US, see our consulate directory — includes addresses, hours, and which services each one handles.
Before going to a RENAP office — checklist
If you’re doing in-person service in Guatemala:
- ✅ Current DPI (except if getting first one)
- ✅ Original document you’ll use (passport if foreigner, birth records if registering, etc.)
- ✅ Cash payment (some offices don’t accept cards)
- ✅ Arrive early — some offices issue numbers only until certain hours
- ✅ Appointment if office requires it (check renap.gob.gt)
- ✅ 2 photocopies of any critical document (don’t assume the office makes them)
RENAP offices — where to go in Guatemala
RENAP has offices in:
- Capital City — multiple (zone 1, zone 4, Miraflores, Pradera, Naranjo)
- Departmental capitals — all 22 departmental capitals
- Major municipalities — some of 340 municipalities have RENAP offices
- Shopping centers — some have RENAP with extended hours
To map the closest office, see our municipality directory — each page shows which services are locally available.
What NOT to do
- Don’t wait for the DPI to expire — renew 30-60 days early
- Don’t use informal “expediters” offering to speed things up — RENAP has no official express service outside some offices
- Don’t travel to Guatemala just for certifications if you live in the US — consulates handle them
- Don’t underestimate shipping time — a consulate process can take 4-8 weeks total
- Don’t sign anything before reading — incorrect records are hard to fix later
Support and contact
- RENAP PBX: +502 2416-1900 · Call center: 1516
- Head office: Calzada Roosevelt 13-46, zona 7, Guatemala City
- Hours: RENAP publishes hours per office — look yours up at Consulta de horarios y direcciones. Five offices run extended hours until 7:00 p.m. (Sede del RENAP/CC Rus, Metronorte, Zona 9, Villa Nueva, and CIM Quetzaltenango)
- Email: contactenos@renap.gob.gt
- Diaspora: contact nearest Guatemalan consulate
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More resources
- All Tramites — full directory
- Guatemalan Consulates in the US — for diaspora
- How to Get a Passport — the other key document
- Visa & Residency for Foreigners — for foreigners living in GT