Casillero Electrónico OJ Guatemala 2026: Electronic Judicial Notifications, Enrollment & Who Must Have One

The Casillero Electrónico of the Organismo Judicial (OJ Judicial Branch) is the official electronic mailbox where courts deposit judicial notifications instead of serving them on paper. It is the core of electronic notification in Guatemala and, for lawyers, notaries, state entities and municipalities, it is mandatory.

Quick summary: A notification is legally served on the day and hour it is deposited in your casillero, not when you open it — the deadline runs even if you do not check it. Enrollment is free and done online at the OJ Electronic Services Portal (OJVIRTUAL), at portal.oj.gob.gt. It is mandatory for lawyers and notaries (when registering with the CSJ registry), state entities and municipalities. If the courtesy email alert never arrives, the notification is still valid.

Information verified July 23, 2026 — OJ enrollment form and legal texts live online.

What is the Casillero Electrónico and what is it for?

The Casillero Electrónico is the OJ’s official notification system: instead of a process server delivering a paper resolution to a physical address, the court deposits it in your electronic casillero. Resolutions, summons and other case communications arrive there. Every electronic notification must be electronically signed by the responsible officer when published in the casillero, and when all parties have a casillero the court may dispense with paper copies.

Its foundation is the legal recognition of electronic communications and signatures. It is managed from the OJ Electronic Services Portal (OJVIRTUAL), at portal.oj.gob.gt.

Legal effect: the notification counts from deposit

This is the point most people overlook. A notification does not count from when you read it, but from when it is placed in your casillero. The OJ’s own enrollment form states it (quote in Spanish, as published):

“las notificaciones se tendrán por realizadas en el día y la hora en que sean colocadas en mi casillero.”

The Regulation confirms it:

“Las notificaciones se tendrán por efectuadas el día y hora en que sean depositadas en el casillero electrónico previamente señalado por el interesado y se realizarán en la jornada de trabajo establecida, a excepción de los casos que, según la materia, tengan una disposición especial.”

Practical risk: the procedural deadline starts running on deposit, even if you have not opened the casillero. That is why you must check it consistently. And note: if the courtesy email alert does not arrive, the notification is still valid —

“El no recibir el aviso, no afecta la validez de las notificaciones electrónicas efectuadas en el casillero electrónico.”

Who is required to have a casillero electrónico?

For lawyers and notaries, Decreto 13-2022 (art. 19) is explicit:

“Será requisito obligatorio para los abogados y notarios, adherirse al casillero electrónico al momento de realizar su inscripción en el Registro de Abogados y Notarios de la Corte Suprema de Justicia; y los que ya se encuentren en ejercicio de su profesión, deberán hacerlo en el plazo y conforme a los procedimientos que señale la Corte Suprema de Justicia, mediante Acuerdo.”

And if a lawyer misses the deadline, the law provides for automatic enrollment: “se le incorporará al casillero electrónico, con base en la información que obre en la base de datos del registro indicado.”

How to enroll (Regulation art. 5)

Enrollment is done through the electronic form on the OJ Electronic Services Portal (OJVIRTUAL), accepting the terms and conditions. Requirements vary by person type:

a. Individuals

• Electronic form + full names
• ID document number (DPI or passport)
• Complete physical address, email and personal phone
• Audiovisual identity-verification recording (constancia audiovisual de verificación personal) to confirm your identity
• Image of the ID document
• State whether you already have a casillero and its user

b. Lawyers

• Everything for individuals, plus the colegiado (bar) number and the image of the current carné or active-membership certificate

c. Legal entities

• Form + digital copy of the registered document proving the legal representative’s current appointment + company name (razón social)
• Designate a user/profile administrator

d. Public institutions

• Form + registered document accrediting the representative

On completion: “En caso de no contar con casillero electrónico, al completar la adhesión, le será asignado uno” (if you have no casillero, one is assigned when you complete enrollment). Those who already had a casillero must enroll in OJVIRTUAL to keep receiving notifications there. You are the sole party responsible for the use of your credentials, and physical annex documents are still picked up at the court within the Regulation’s timeframes.

Note on the older form: The direct FormAdhesionB.aspx form is still live and asks for document type (DPI or passport), CUI, date of birth and the document image. Its terms describe enrollment as voluntary under Decreto 15-2011 — that voluntary path is for private parties; the Decreto 13-2022 obligation applies to lawyers, notaries and state entities as noted above.

Step by step

1. Go to the OJ Electronic Services Portal (OJVIRTUAL) at portal.oj.gob.gt. The old casilleroelectronico.oj.gob.gt site now redirects users to the electronic services portal.
2. Open the enrollment form and accept the terms and conditions.
3. Select your person type — individual, lawyer, legal entity or public institution — and complete the corresponding fields (see requirements above).
4. Record the audiovisual identity-verification if you are an individual or a lawyer.
5. Attach the image of your document (and, if a lawyer, the carné or active-membership certificate).
6. Submit the enrollment. If you had no casillero, one is assigned when you complete it.
7. Check your casillero consistently — remember the notification counts from deposit, not from when you open it.

Cost and time

There is no fee published on the form or in the law’s enrollment articles. Do not pay tramitadores for a process the OJ portal handles at no cost.

Legal basis

The consolidated text of Decreto 13-2022 and its Regulation is in the official LTEEJ PDF from the OJ. The Decreto 13-2022 record in Congress is at the decree 13-2022 detail.

Diaspora — receiving Guatemalan judicial notifications from the USA

If you live in the USA and have (or could have) a case in Guatemala, the casillero electrónico lets you receive judicial notifications without traveling:

1. The casillero and OJVIRTUAL work over the internet — you can enroll and check your notifications from the USA.
2. If you sue or are sued (divorce, child support, debt, inheritance), your lawyer in Guatemala designates their casillero to receive the case notifications, and you monitor online.
3. Check consistently — given the time difference, remember the notification counts from deposit, not from when you open it.

This pairs with the hub guide for people living in the USA: see Organismo Judicial Hub.

Support and contacts

Related trámites

• Organismo Judicial Hub — all OJ trámites
• OJ-CAPE Judicial Clearance Certificate — the online judicial background record
• International Judicial Requests OJ — notify or summon in Guatemala from a US court
• Judicial Divorce OJ — when a divorce goes to Family Court
• Child & Spousal Support Lawsuit — child support claim

Official links

• OJ Electronic Services Portal (OJVIRTUAL)
• Casillero Electrónico enrollment form
• LTEEJ — Decreto 13-2022 + Regulation (official OJ PDF)
• Decreto 13-2022 — Congress record