- TSE Portal — institutional site, electoral laws, political parties, news
- Registration Lookup — check your data on the electoral roll (free)
- Voting Abroad — registration or update for Guatemalans outside the country (on 30/09/2026 the portal returned HTTP error 526)
- Citizens Registry — registration, residence updates, corrections
The TSE (Supreme Electoral Tribunal) is, under Article 121 of the Electoral and Political Parties Law (LEPP, Decree 1-85), the highest authority in electoral matters, independent and not subordinate to any state body. It keeps the Citizens Registry and the electoral roll (Arts. 224 and 225) and organises voting abroad (Art. 12).
Quick rule: registering with the Citizens Registry is essential to vote (LEPP, Art. 8) and it is a personal procedure with your DPI (LEPP Regulation, Art. 4). Check your status in the registration lookup before every election. Live outside Guatemala? → You must register, or move your electoral residence abroad, at least three months before the election (Regulation for Voting Abroad, Art. 6).
TSE sub-portals
| Portal | What it is for |
|---|---|
| tse.org.gt | Institutional site — news, laws, political parties |
| Registration Lookup | Check your data on the roll (asks for DPI/CUI or ballot number, date of birth and a verification code) |
| votoenelextranjero.tse.org.gt | Voting-abroad portal linked from the TSE website (on 30/09/2026 it returned HTTP error 526; the older migrante.tse.org.gt returned error 503) |
| tse.org.gt/reg-ciudadanos | Citizens Registry — registration, updates, corrections |
| tse.org.gt/comunicacion/noticias | TSE news — including the preliminary 2027 timetable note |
| portalweb.tse.org.gt | Portal Web TSE — personal user account for electronic services and certificates |
Notice (updated 29 September 2026): the Portal Web TSE help page (ayudaportalweb.tse.org.gt) shows an undated notice that electronic services are temporarily suspended, in response to a wave of cyber attacks on state institutions. The registration lookup form did load that day. For other procedures, go to the nearest TSE delegation or call 1580.
Most-searched TSE procedures
| Procedure | Cost | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Voter Registration | Free (LEPP, Art. 8) | Suspended three months before the election (LEPP Regulation, Art. 6) |
| Migrant Vote from USA | Free (LEPP, Art. 225) | Register at least three months before the election |
| Electoral Roll Lookup | Free | Online |
| Electoral Address Change | Free (LEPP, Art. 225) | Between municipalities, for 2027 it closed on 22 January 2026 (TSE) |
| Polling Station Fiscal and Voting Tables | Unpaid post (LEPP, Art. 184) | Voting tables formed no later than 15 days before (LEPP, Art. 181) |
| Political party affiliation lookup | Online lookup, no payment | Resignation: notified within 30 days at most (LEPP Art. 17) |
| Certificate of political rights | TSE does not publish the fee online (checked 29/09/2026) | TSE does not publish the turnaround online |
Diaspora — Guatemalans voting from the USA
Voting abroad was first used in 2019, according to the TSE, and only for President and Vice President. It was created by Decree 26-2016 (which added two paragraphs to Article 12 of the LEPP) and is governed by TSE Agreement 274-2016, the Regulation for Voting Abroad, last amended in July 2026.
How voting abroad works
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1. Have a valid DPI | Required to register or update data; a valid passport works only if you already registered your DPI (Regulation for Voting Abroad, Art. 5). See consulates |
| 2. Register or move your residence abroad | At least three months before the election (Art. 6), at Citizens Registry offices, online at the TSE-authorised website, or at TSE desks in consulates or coordinated with the Foreign Ministry (Art. 7) |
| 3. Wait for the call-for-elections decree | It sets the districts abroad and the voting method (Arts. 9 and 11) |
| 4. Vote | With a valid DPI or passport, at any enabled polling centre abroad (Art. 8, amended 2026) — president/vice president only |
Voting-abroad figures
- 2019 (first election with voting abroad): according to Prensa Libre, voting was in four US cities (Los Angeles, Silver Spring, New York and Houston) and 734 Guatemalans turned out.
- 2023: Prensa Libre reported, with TSE data, 90,708 Guatemalans in the USA eligible to vote. The TSE reported 1,433 votes cast at 17 polling centres in 15 US cities, across four electoral districts.
- 2027: the districts abroad and the voting method will be set in the call-for-elections decree (Regulation for Voting Abroad, Arts. 9 and 11).
Dual nationality USA + Guatemala
Article 144 of the Constitution says no Guatemalan by origin can be deprived of their nationality, and the Regulation for Voting Abroad gives the vote to Guatemalans with an electoral residence abroad who hold citizenship (Art. 2). To vote in Guatemala you need to be on the roll abroad; for US elections, your state’s rules apply.
See directory: Guatemalan Consulates in the USA.
Before you register or vote — citizen checklist
| Have it ready | Why |
|---|---|
| Valid DPI | You present it to register (LEPP Regulation, Art. 4) and it is the ID you show the voting table (Art. 7) |
| Your CUI and date of birth | The registration lookup asks for them plus a verification code |
| Know whether you changed municipality | Moving your residence between municipalities has its own deadline (LEPP Regulation, Art. 5) |
| Electoral calendar | Three months before the election, registration is suspended and only people registered by then vote (LEPP Regulation, Art. 6) |
Electoral and Political Parties Law (LEPP) — what it says
Decree 1-85 (Electoral and Political Parties Law) governs elections in Guatemala. Some points:
| Article / Topic | What it says |
|---|---|
| Registration | Art. 8 — essential to exercise political rights; free |
| Vote as right and duty | Art. 12 — universal, secret, single, personal and non-delegable |
| Voting abroad | Art. 12 (paragraphs added by Decree 26-2016) — President and Vice President, governed by TSE Agreement 274-2016 |
| Who CANNOT vote | Art. 15 — people on active duty in the Army or police forces, and people whose citizen rights are suspended |
| Nature of the TSE | Art. 121 — highest electoral authority, independent |
| Electoral roll | Arts. 224 and 225 — roll per municipality; roll operations at no cost |
| Voting hours | Art. 236 — from 7:00 to 18:00; anyone in line at closing may vote |
2027 electoral calendar (preliminary)
In June 2026 the TSE presented a preliminary electoral timetable (TSE note dated 3 July 2026). The TSE says the timetable is preliminary because it must be officially approved by the full bench of magistrates through the decree calling the elections. Updated 30 September 2026.
| Milestone | Preliminary date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Close of residence updates between municipalities | 22 January 2026 (already closed) | TSE, January 2026 |
| Official TSE call for elections | 22 January 2027 (planned) | TSE, June 2026 |
| Candidate nominations and registration open | 23 January 2027 | Agencia Ocote, 26 August 2026, citing the preliminary timetable |
| Voter registration closes | 20 March 2027 (planned) | Agencia Ocote, citing the preliminary timetable |
| Registration abroad closes | Article 6 of the LEPP Regulation also suspends registration mechanisms abroad three months before the election | LEPP Regulation, Art. 6 |
| Electoral campaign | 29 March to noon on 25 June 2027 | Agencia Ocote, citing the preliminary timetable |
| First round — General Elections | 27 June 2027 | TSE, June 2026 |
| Presidential runoff (if needed) | 22 August 2027 | TSE, June 2026 |
| New government sworn in | 14 January 2028 | Agencia Ocote, citing the preliminary timetable |
Moving to another municipality: Article 5 of the LEPP Regulation requires declaring it at least one year before the call for elections; for 2027 the TSE closed that phase on 22 January 2026, and a later notice only applies after the election. Listed as a member of a party? See Political party affiliation lookup.
TSE contact
| Channel | Detail |
|---|---|
| Phones (published on tse.org.gt) | +502 2236 5000 / 1580 |
| unidaddeinformacion@tse.org.gt | |
| Hours | Not shown on the tse.org.gt home page (checked 30/09/2026). In February 2025 the TSE said the Guatemala Departmental Delegation and its 17 sub-delegations serve Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 14:00 |
| Headquarters address | 6a avenida 0-32 zona 2, Centro Histórico, Guatemala City |
| Delegations | 22 departmental delegations and municipal sub-delegations (Portal Web TSE) |
| Voting abroad | votoenelextranjero.tse.org.gt (link from the TSE website) |
| Twitter / X | @TSEGuatemala |
| tseguatemala |
More Guatemalan government resources
- RENAP Guatemala — DPI (the ID the TSE asks for)
- MINEX Guatemala — Consulates — Guatemalan consulates
- MINGOB Guatemala — Ministry of the Interior
- OJ Guatemala — Judicial Branch
- Guatemala Procedures — full directory of government procedures