Minor CUI Lookup Guatemala 2026: For Parents and Guardians

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. The minor does not need an ID card for the lookup. (Since October 1, 2026 RENAP does issue one for ages 0-17, the DPIME; the adult DPI comes 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. 55): 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 carries the number — the DPIME for ages 0-17 since October 1, 2026, and the adult DPI from 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 the 13 digits of a CUI are — and what they are not

The CUI (Codigo Unico de Identificacion) is a 13-digit number in the format XXXX XXXXX XXXX. The same number rules apply whether the holder is 5 years old or 50:

A common trap: a provisional CUI handed out at a hospital for a newborn is not official. The definitive CUI is generated by RENAP when the birth registration is processed, normally within 30 days of birth.

RENAP describes the CUI’s components as eight system-assigned digits, one check digit, two digits identifying the department of birth and two identifying the municipality of birth (read 28 October 2026).

Source: RENAP, identification-number explanation, read 28 October 2026.

Which lookup do you actually need?

Four different questions land on the words “CUI Guatemala”. Pick the row that matches yours before going any further:

Can you look someone up by name alone? RENAP lists certification requests using the full name and date of the event when the CUI is unknown, through https://portal.renap.gob.gt or the RENAP SE Android application (read 28 October 2026). An old or hard-to-find record can go to the archived-record route above.

Is the CUI your RENAP username? In practice yes for adults: an eportal account is opened with a valid adult DPI plus an email address, and the DPI number is the CUI. There is no separate account for a minor — the parent or legal guardian registers with their own DPI, and the linked children appear inside that account.

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.

Finding the number on the certificate or by phone

RENAP locates the CUI below the registered person’s details on the birth certificate. It also lists a telephone route through 1516, where staff request security information before giving the minor’s CUI (read 28 October 2026).

For online certification requests, RENAP lists payment by credit or debit card, or a bank voucher available at BANRURAL and BANTRAB (read 28 October 2026).

Sources: RENAP, ways to obtain a minor’s CUI; RENAP, certificates by name, read 28 October 2026.

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

1. 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.

2. Verify your identity. The system sends a code to your registered email. Enter the code to activate the session.

3. Select “Certificaciones” or “Civil Registry Lookup.” From the eportal main menu, find the section for looking up records linked to your DPI.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. Optional — Request printed certification (Q15). If you need the physical document (with RENAP digital signature and stamp), pay the Q15 base fee per certificate in Guatemala plus the 25% electronic card surcharge (RENAP tariff Arts. 2 and 7; checked 2 November 2026) and download the signed PDF or pick it up at a RENAP office.

7. Print and store. The signed PDF has the same legal validity as the document handed over the counter.

Cost and timing

Source for the late-registration fee: RENAP tariff, read 28 October 2026.

Common errors

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

The CUI and the birth certificate are two different requests

People use I need my child’s CUI and I need my child’s birth certificate interchangeably, and then get turned away at a counter. They are not the same thing, and only one of them is free:

Rule of thumb: if an institution asks you to write down the number, the free lookup is enough. If it asks you to submit something, you need the Q15 certification. See RENAP birth certificate for that procedure on its own.

What changes when the minor turns 18 — and what does not

The number never changes, so anything already filed under the minor CUI — a school record, a bank account, an inheritance registration — stays valid after the DPI is issued. Nothing needs to be re-filed.

Which document to get for a minor: the passport is the travel document and expires every 5 years. For ID inside Guatemala, RENAP’s DPIME is free the first time (MINGOB, October 1, 2026); the gold card for ages 0-7 expires the day before the 8th birthday and the silver card the day before the 18th (AGN). (Corrected 3 October 2026: this paragraph and the table above described a low-cost RENAP photo card for minors that we could not find in RENAP’s fee schedule; it has been replaced with the DPIME.)

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)

Common questions

What is the CUI in Guatemala?

The CUI (Codigo Unico de Identificacion) is the 13-digit personal number RENAP assigns to every registered Guatemalan, in the format XXXX XXXXX XXXX. It is assigned when the birth is registered — not at age 18 — so minors have one too. It is permanent and unique for life, and it is the number printed on the front of the DPI once that card is issued.

What is a CUI number and where do I find mine?

It is Guatemala’s personal identification number. If you are 18 or over, it is printed on the front of your DPI below the photo and engraved under the barcode on the back. If you are looking up a minor, it is on the birth certificate (acta de nacimiento) and in eportal.renap.gob.gt inside the parent or guardian account. Foreign visitors do not have one; RENAP’s 2023 DPIME regulation, as summarised by Prensa Libre, assigns a CUI to foreign minors domiciled in Guatemala.

Is the CUI my RENAP username?

Not exactly. An eportal.renap.gob.gt account is opened by an adult using their own valid DPI plus an email address, and the DPI number is the CUI — so in practice you identify yourself with your CUI. For a minor there is no separate account: the parent or legal guardian registers with their own DPI, and the children linked to that DPI appear inside it.

Can I look up someone else’s CUI with just their name?

RENAP lists certification requests using the full name and date of the event when the CUI is unknown, through https://portal.renap.gob.gt or the RENAP SE Android application (read 28 October 2026). For an old or hard-to-find record, use the archived birth-record search.

Do I need the CUI or the birth certificate?

They are two different requests. The CUI is a 13-digit number and looking it up on screen at eportal is free (Q0). The birth certificate is a document that displays that CUI, and a certification has a Q15 base fee in Guatemala (US$6 when requested abroad); electronic card payment adds 25% (RENAP tariff, checked 2 November 2026). Schools, banks and consulates almost always want the certificate, not just the number.

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