DIRECT ACCESS — NATIONALITY FOR CENTRAL AMERICANS AND BELIZEANS
Nationality Appointments — MINEX
Before you book, have ready:
  • IGM certification of ordinary migratory status
  • RENAP certificate of domiciled foreigner
  • Nationality letter from your country's embassy or consulate in Guatemala
  • OJ and PNC records, plus a police record from your country, legalized or apostilled
  • Proof of income and of payment of the annual IGM foreigner fee
Cost: Q0 (free) · Time: 6 months (MINEX estimate) · MINEX: +502 2410-0000 · Verified: November 2026

Quick summary: If you are a national by birth of El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua or Costa Rica, or a Belizean of origin, and you have acquired domicile in Guatemala, you can apply to MINEX to be a Guatemalan of origin without renouncing your nationality (Constitution Art. 145; transitional Art. 19 for Belize). The government catalogue lists it as free, with a 6-month response time, filed in person at MINEX.

What is nationality for Central Americans?

Article 145 of the Constitution says: nationals by birth of the republics that constituted the Federation of Central America are also considered Guatemalans of origin if they acquire domicile in Guatemala and declare before the competent authority their wish to be Guatemalan; in that case they may keep their nationality of origin, without prejudice to Central American treaties.

The government procedures catalogue (service 2778) applies this to those born in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica and to Belize. For Belize the basis is transitional Art. 19: for nationality purposes, Belizeans of origin are subject to the regime the Constitution sets for those from the Central American countries.

The Nationality Law (Decree 1613, Chapter VII) treats these applicants as natural Guatemalans when they apply in due form before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, prove the constitutional conditions and complete the applicable formalities (Art. 61). Once the file is concluded, the person’s passport is returned (Art. 63), and the rules for naturalized Guatemalans do not apply to them (Art. 64).

Who qualifies?

  • A national by birth of El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua or Costa Rica, or a Belizean of origin.
  • Domicile in Guatemala — Art. 145 requires it, and the first two requirements are an IGM certification of ordinary migratory status and RENAP’s certificate of domiciled foreigner.
  • A declaration before the competent authority of the wish to be Guatemalan (Art. 145), made through the MINEX application.

Documentary requirements

The catalogue (service 2778) asks for an application with:

  • (a) Certification of ordinary migratory status, issued by the Guatemalan Migration Institute (IGM)
  • (b) Certificate of domiciled foreigner (Certificado de Extranjero Domiciliado), issued by RENAP
  • (c) Nationality letter from the embassy or consulate of your country of origin in Guatemala
  • (d) Passport, or a compared simple copy with the reasons the original is not handed in
  • (e) Certificate of no criminal record from the Organismo Judicial
  • (f) Certificate of no police record from the PNC
  • (g) Certificate of no police record from your country of origin, legalized or apostilled as applicable
  • (h) Proof of income or support
  • (i) Proof of payment of the annual foreigner fee to the IGM

For Belizeans, the Nationality Law (Art. 77) says Belize birth certificates need no legalization or translation for the purposes of that law; the Guatemalan consul’s annotation is enough.

Step-by-step

  1. Get the documents listed above; the IGM and RENAP certificates come first.
  2. Fill in the form and attach recent documents in the order indicated.
  3. Book an appointment on the MINEX nationality portal.
  4. File in person at window 7 of MINEX, 2a Avenida 4-17, Zona 10, Guatemala City (Monday to Friday, 9:00-17:30).
  5. Wait for the resolution — the catalogue estimates 6 months. The file is handled by MINEX’s Dirección de Asuntos Jurídicos (Nacionalidades).

Cost and timing

ItemCostTime
MINEX applicationQ0 (free)6 months (catalogue estimate)
ResultResolution—

Common errors

Details

The catalogue lists El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Belize. Art. 145 covers the republics that constituted the Federation of Central America, and Panama was not one of them.

Details

Art. 145 requires acquiring domicile in Guatemala, and the file starts with the IGM ordinary-status certification and the RENAP domiciled-foreigner certificate. Sort out residence first.

Details

The Nationality Law handles naturalización concesiva separately (Arts. 32-39, filed at the departmental governorates). The Central American route is filed at MINEX (Art. 61), and those who take it are not subject to the rules for naturalized Guatemalans (Art. 64).

Details

If one of your parents is Guatemalan, Art. 144 of the Constitution already makes you a Guatemalan of origin (children of a Guatemalan father or mother born abroad). That is a different procedure.

Why opt for Guatemalan nationality?

  • Owning property in the border strip. Article 123 of the Constitution limits ownership in the 15 km strip along the borders to Guatemalans of origin (urban property and rights registered before 1 March 1956 excepted), and Article 145 counts these applicants as Guatemalans of origin. See foreign buyer rules.
  • Keeping your passport: under the Nationality Law (Art. 63), your passport is returned at the end of the file and can be used like a Guatemalan one.

Once you hold Guatemalan nationality, see the Guatemalan passport and DPI guides.

Data verified November 2026. Before you start, call MINEX at +502 2410-0000 to confirm current requirements.