Quick summary: If you constantly and publicly use a first name or surname that differs from your Guatemalan birth record, use your name incompletely, or leave out one of your surnames, Guatemala lets you establish your identity with a sworn declaration in a public deed (escritura pública) before a notary (Civil Code, Art. 5). RENAP then annotates your birth record (Art. 7). A missing or extra accent mark does not count as a different name. Someone else with an interest can request a third party’s identification before a judge or notary, with an edict in the Diario Oficial, witnesses and a 10-day objection window (CPCyM, Arts. 440-441).
This page is the English guide to the Guatemalan procedure. The template is in Spanish, because the deed is a Spanish-language Guatemalan document. It is a model, not a signable document: the deed and the notarial actas must be authorized by a notary (or handled by a judge).
Download the Template (Spanish, Word)
Two parts: (1) a data sheet (minuta) for your notary to draft your own identification deed: the name on your birth record, every other name you use and where it appears, and the registry data RENAP needs; and (2) an outline of the acta de requerimiento for identifying a third party before a notary, with the five parts CPCyM Art. 442 requires for the final acta de notoriedad.
Identificación de Persona — Minuta + Acta de Requerimiento (Spanish, 2026)
⬇ Download Word template (.docx)Editable · For your notary · Works in Word, Google Docs and LibreOffice
Which Mismatches Qualify
| Your situation | What Guatemalan law says |
|---|---|
| Your US documents use a different first name or surname than your Guatemalan birth record, and you use that name constantly and publicly | Identification by sworn declaration in a public deed (Civil Code, Art. 5) |
| You go by only one of your registered first names | Using the name incompletely (use incompleto su nombre): identification (Art. 5) |
| Your documents carry only one of your two surnames | Omitting one of your surnames (omita alguno de los apellidos): identification (Art. 5) |
| The only difference is an accent (José / Jose) | No identification needed (Art. 5, last paragraph; Art. 5 as reformed by Decreto 8-2018) |
| You want to adopt a new name | That is a name change, which needs judicial authorization (Art. 6) |
| The birth record itself left out an essential detail | That is an omission or rectification of the record (Decreto 54-77, Art. 21) |
The identification is annotated in the margin of the birth record and does not change your civil status or prove filiation (Civil Code, Art. 7). The RENAP law lists identifications of persons among the acts registered in the Civil Registry (Decreto 90-2005, Art. 70 g).
Your Own Identification vs a Third Party’s
| Your own | A third party’s | |
|---|---|---|
| Who asks | You, if an adult, or your parents exercising parental authority (Civil Code, Art. 5) | Anyone with an interest (Art. 5) |
| Before whom | A notary (CPCyM, Art. 440) | A first-instance judge or a notary (Art. 440) |
| Form | Sworn declaration in a public deed | Edict in the Diario Oficial with the person’s full name, the names used and the names on the birth record; documents; witnesses, who may be relatives (Art. 440) |
| Objections | — | Within 10 days of publication; an objection moves the case to ordinary proceedings before a judge (Art. 441) |
| Before a notary, it ends with | The deed; the testimonio and a copy go to the Civil Registry (Art. 440) | An acta de notoriedad with: the request, the interested party’s sworn declaration, at least two witnesses, the documents reviewed, and the notary’s declaration (Art. 442) |
What to Bring the Notary
- Your Guatemalan birth certificate from RENAP, with the registry data. RENAP’s service page asks for the deed’s testimonio, original and duplicate, carrying the registry data of the entry to be annotated.
- Every document showing the other name (US passport or naturalization certificate, school records, deeds, employment letters): the acta de notoriedad lists the documents the notary reviewed (Art. 442), and your own deed relates the facts you swear to.
- Your DPI or passport. For public deeds, the Notarial Code has the notary identify signers they do not know “por medio de la cédula de vecindad o el pasaporte” (the statute’s wording), or by two witnesses known to the notary (Art. 29, numeral 4).
- Ask the notary which of your English-language documents need a Spanish translation.
From the United States
The Notarial Code lets Guatemalan consuls and diplomatic agents accredited and resident abroad who are qualified notaries practise as notaries (Art. 6, numeral 2). Ask your consulate whether it authorizes escrituras de identificación. The other route is a notary in Guatemala; whether you must appear in person for your own sworn declaration is something to confirm with that notary.
RENAP Annotation and Cost
RENAP’s page for “Inscripción de identificación de persona” (read on 24 September 2026) asks for the deed’s testimonio in original and duplicate, may request additional documents (Art. 37 of its registration regulations) and the service form where one exists (Art. 16). That page lists no fee. The Notarial Code’s fee schedule is a default that applies only when notary and client have not agreed a fee (Art. 106): Q200 to Q5,000 for a deed of indeterminate value (Art. 109, numeral 1) and Q100 to Q2,000 for an acta notarial (Art. 109, numeral 7).
Related
- Legal name change in Guatemala (RENAP)
- Birth record rectification
- Guatemalan birth certificate
- Translating a RENAP certificate for USCIS (template)
- Guatemalan sworn declaration from the USA
- Consular power of attorney
Guidance, not legal advice: the deed and actas are authorized by a notary. Civil Code per the CENADOJ (Organismo Judicial) annotated edition; Notarial Code per the CENADOJ text; CPCyM per the WIPO Lex copy; Decreto 54-77 per the Instituto Guatemalteco de Derecho Notarial copy; RENAP service page; read in September 2026.