- Your DPI (parent, mother, or legal guardian)
- Minor data: full legal name, date of birth, place of birth
- Birth certificate of the minor (optional but speeds the lookup)
- Verified eportal account (initial registration requires email + active DPI)
TL;DR: Every minor registered with RENAP has a 13-digit CUI from the day their birth is recorded. The CUI appears on the birth certificate and can be looked up free at eportal.renap.gob.gt using the parent or legal guardian DPI. No DPI is needed for the minor (DPIs are only issued at 18). Lookup cost: Q0. Printed certification: Q15.
What is a minor CUI?
The CUI (Codigo Unico de Identificacion) is the unique personal number that RENAP assigns to every person registered in the National Persons Registry. The biggest confusion among parents: assuming the CUI only exists once a DPI is obtained at age 18 — that is wrong.
Legal reality (Decree 90-2005, Art. 50-78): the CUI is generated automatically when a minor birth is registered with RENAP. It is printed on the child birth certificate. The DPI is only the physical card that replaces other documents starting at age 18 — but the CUI number was already assigned from day one.
That means your 5-year-old, 12-year-old, or 17-year-old already has a 13-digit CUI assigned and ready to use in any official process.
What is a minor CUI used for?
Parents and guardians need the minor CUI for:
- School enrollment — public and private schools require it for the student file.
- Child savings bank account — Banrural, BAM, BI, and G&T open minor accounts with CUI + parent DPI.
- Guatemalan minor passport — IGM requires it.
- Visa applications (USA, Canada, Europe) — consulates ask for the CUI on the form.
- Private health insurance — Seguros El Roble, MAPFRE, Mediplan request the beneficiary CUI.
- Inheritance and property — to register a minor as owner of real estate, vehicle, or as heir.
- Minor exit permit (permiso de salida) — IGM requires it together with the birth certificate.
- US consular processes — for diaspora families registering their child as Guatemalan.
Requirements to look up a minor CUI
You need (or have scanned, for online lookup):
- Valid DPI of the parent, mother, or legal guardian (without this you cannot access eportal)
- Minor basic data:
- Full legal name (matching the birth certificate)
- Exact date of birth (dd/mm/yyyy)
- Place of birth (department and municipality)
- Birth certificate of the minor (optional but recommended — speeds the lookup if data is approximate)
- Account registered at eportal.renap.gob.gt (initial registration: email + active adult DPI)
If you are a legal guardian (not the biological parent), also bring the judicial guardianship order or adoption ruling — required for printed certifications at the RENAP office.
Step-by-step: Look up a minor CUI on RENAP eportal
Create or sign in to your eportal RENAP account. Go to eportal.renap.gob.gt and register with your parent/guardian DPI + email. If you already have an account, sign in directly. One account works for all your minor children.
Verify your identity. The system sends a code to your registered email. Enter the code to activate the session.
Select “Certificaciones” or “Civil Registry Lookup.” From the eportal main menu, find the section for looking up records linked to your DPI (minors registered as your children appear automatically).
Filter by minor birth record. Select record type = nacimiento (birth) and enter the minor data: full name, date of birth, department of registration. If the child appears as “linked” to your DPI, you can simply pick them from the list.
View the result. The system shows the minor data including the 13-digit CUI. This view is free and you can screenshot it or write it down.
Optional — Request printed certification (Q15). If you need the physical document (with RENAP digital signature and stamp), pay Q15 by card and download the signed PDF or pick it up at a RENAP office.
Print and store. The signed PDF has the same legal validity as the document handed over the counter.
Cost and timing
| Modality | Cost | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-screen lookup (eportal) | Free (Q0) | Instant | eportal.renap.gob.gt |
| Digital printed certification (signed PDF) | Q15 | Instant | eportal.renap.gob.gt |
| Physical certification at RENAP office | Q15 | Same day | Any RENAP office |
| Late birth registration (if never registered) | Variable + possible fines | 5-30 days | RENAP office of birthplace |
Common errors
Details
This happens when the minor was registered before RENAP full digitalization (roughly pre-2008) or when the parent data on the birth certificate differs from the data on your current DPI. Solution: visit the RENAP office of the place where the birth was registered with your DPI and the original certificate (if you have it). RENAP staff can manually link the record to your current DPI.
Details
The “provisional CUI” some hospitals assign to a newborn is not official until the birth is registered with RENAP. The definitive CUI is generated by RENAP when processing the birth registration form (normally done within 30 days of birth). The hospital CUI is for internal hospital tracking only.
Details
Correct — children of Guatemalans born abroad do not receive a CUI automatically. They need to be registered as Guatemalan via registration of birth abroad at the Guatemalan consulate of your jurisdiction. Once registered, RENAP generates the minor CUI.
Details
If there is a typo in the original birth certificate, you need to file a birth record correction (rectificacion de partida) with RENAP. Cost is Q15 plus possible legal advice if the error is substantive (not just typographic). The CUI does not change — only the associated data is corrected.
For Guatemalans living in the USA (Diaspora)
If your child was born in the United States to a Guatemalan parent and you have not yet registered the child as Guatemalan, your child:
- Has no CUI yet.
- Needs to first complete registration of birth abroad at the Guatemalan consulate covering your jurisdiction.
- After registration, RENAP generates the CUI and you can look it up just like any minor born in Guatemala.
Why this matters: without a Guatemalan CUI, your child cannot hold a Guatemalan passport, cannot inherit assets in Guatemala, and is not formally recognized as Guatemalan. Many diaspora families delay this registration and then run into problems when the minor turns 18 — late registration is far more complex (see late registration).
If your child was born in Guatemala but now lives in the USA: they already have a CUI and you can look it up from the USA via eportal with your Guatemalan DPI. No travel required.
For US Social Security: the Guatemalan CUI does not replace the SSN. They are independent systems. But Guatemalan consulates in the USA require the minor CUI for processes like matricula consular, passport, and address registration.
Difference: CUI vs DPI vs Birth Certificate
| Document | Who has it | What it is | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| CUI | Every registered person (including minors) | Unique 13-digit number | Assigned at birth registration |
| Birth certificate | Every registered person | Document proving the birth and showing the CUI | RENAP (online lookup or printed) |
| DPI | People age 18 and up only | Physical card with photo, CUI, and signature | RENAP (appointment required, Q100) |
| Minor identity document | Optional for minors | Card with photo and CUI | RENAP (Q15) — see minor ID document |
Related procedures
- Hub: RENAP — All procedures
- CUI / NIT lookup (adults)
- RENAP birth certificate
- Minor identity document
- Registration of birth abroad
- Guatemalan passport (including minors)
- Late birth registration
- Birth record correction
- Fe de edad — age affidavit
- Minor exit permit (IGM)
Official links
- eportal.renap.gob.gt — lookups and certifications portal
- www.renap.gob.gt — main page
- www.renap.gob.gt/servicios — services catalog
- RENAP phone: 1516 (free within Guatemala)
- Guatemalan consulates in the USA — for registering children born abroad