When something happens in Guatemala that affects US citizens (armed attacks in the capital, a volcano eruption, unrest in a town), the US Embassy posts an alert in the Alerts section of gt.usembassy.gov. That section also holds press releases about cooperation programmes and service notices such as passport days. This page reads the embassy’s feed every day, drops the press releases and splits what is left in two: safety alerts and citizen notices, each with the date, the place and the embassy’s own opening lines.
Safety alerts
Security, weather and health alerts, worldwide cautions, and posts with the embassy’s “Actions to Take” block:
Pulled Sep 25, 2026 at 12:45 Guatemala time from U.S. Embassy in Guatemala.
| Posted | Post | Location | What the post says (opening lines) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 2026 | Alert: Eruption Volcano Fuego | Guatemala | Guatemala’s National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology, and Hydrology ( INSIVUMEH ) volcanic surveillance network is reporting a significant increase in emissions of the Fuego volcano, which is spewing a mix of ash, rocks, and hot gases. The flows are moderate but are expected to increase. |
| Jul 7, 2026 | Security Alert – U.S. Embassy Guatemala City (July 07, 2026) | Santiago Atitlan, Sololá, Guatemala | Travel for U.S. government personnel to Santiago Atitlan remains prohibited. Demonstrations against the municipal government continue, resulting in several vehicles and buildings burned in small riots last week. Additionally, several people were reportedly wounded by gunfire. |
| Jun 18, 2026 | 2026 Rainy Season and Hurricane Season in Guatemala | Throughout Guatemala | Open the post. |
| May 24, 2026 | Worldwide Caution: Public Health Arrival Restrictions and Enhanced Ebola Screening | — | U.S.-bound American citizens who have been present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan within 21 days of arrival in the United States must only enter through the following airports for enhanced screening: |
| Jan 18, 2026 | Security Alert Update – January 18, 2026 | Guatemala City, Guatemala. | The U.S. Embassy has lifted the shelter-in-place order for their staff. The situation remains tense with coordinated, armed attacks on police in several zones of Guatemala City. |
| Jan 18, 2026 | Security Alert: January 18, 2026 | Guatemala City, Guatemala. | There are reports of violence and armed attacks on police throughout Guatemala City. U.S. Embassy personnel have been told to shelter in place. There is a planned Guatemalan press conference to provide additional details. Follow local news for more information. |
| Dec 15, 2025 | Security Alert – U. S. Embassy Guatemala City, Guatemala – (December 15th, 2025) | Nahualá and Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán, Sololá Department | The Guatemalan government has declared a “State of Prevention” for the next 15 days in Sololá Department in response to reported violence between the neighboring communities of Nahualá and Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán. |
| Dec 15, 2025 | Security Alert for U.S. Citizens: “State of Prevention in Sololá Department (December 15th, 2025) | Nahualá and Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán, Sololá Department | The Guatemalan government has declared a “State of Prevention” for the next 15 days in Sololá Department in response to reported violence between the neighboring communities of Nahualá and Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán. |
| Aug 14, 2025 | Security Alert for U.S. Citizens: U.S. Embassy Guatemala City (August 14, 2025) | Commercial areas, Zone 16, Guatemala City, Guatemala | The U.S. Embassy has received credible information of an increased threat of inter-gang violence in commercial areas in Zone 16, Guatemala City, from now through this weekend (August 14-17, 2025). U.S. government personnel are advised to exercise caution in Zone 16. |
| Jul 25, 2025 | Message for U.S. Citizens: Stay Safe, Stay Prepared – Earthquake Readiness in Guatemala | — | Open the post. |
| Jun 22, 2025 | Security Alert – Worldwide Caution, June 22, 2025 | Worldwide | The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East. There is the potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad. The Department of State advises U.S. citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution. |
| Jun 6, 2025 | Alert: Volcano Eruption Fuego (June 6, 2025) | Guatemala | As of Wednesday, June 4, Guatemala’s National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology, and Hydrology ( INSIVUMEH ) volcanic surveillance network reported a significant increase in the eruption of the Fuego volcano, which is spewing a mix of ash, rocks, and hot gases. |
| Jun 5, 2025 | Weather Alert for U.S. Citizens: 2025 Rainy Season and Hurricane Season in Guatemala | Throughout Guatemala | Open the post. |
13 posts of this type on file (the list grows as the embassy posts; the oldest dates from the embassy's own archive pages). Text in the last column is the embassy's own wording, cut to its first sentences.
Citizen notices
Passport service days outside the capital, overseas voting reminders, federal benefits visits:
Pulled Sep 25, 2026 at 12:45 Guatemala time from U.S. Embassy in Guatemala.
| Posted | Post | Location | What the post says (opening lines) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 2026 | Voting in U.S. Elections from Overseas | — | Open the post. |
| Aug 27, 2026 | Message to U.S. Citizens | — | Open the post. |
| Aug 26, 2026 | Message for U.S. Citizens | Huehuetenango, Huehuetenango | Passport Services for American Citizens in Huehuetenango |
| Sep 9, 2025 | Message to U.S. Citizens: Visit by the Federal Benefits Unit for Social Security Services from September 22-24, 2025 | — | Open the post. |
4 posts of this type on file (the list grows as the embassy posts; the oldest dates from the embassy's own archive pages). Text in the last column is the embassy's own wording, cut to its first sentences.
What the alerts on file cover (as of 25 September 2026)
Read together, the safety alerts collected on 25 September 2026 go back to June 2025, and most of them fall into four groups, each shown in the table above with its link:
- Guatemala City violence: a two-post sequence on 18 January 2026 (armed attacks on police across the city and a shelter-in-place order for embassy staff, then the order lifted), and a 14 August 2025 alert about a threat of inter-gang violence in commercial areas of Zone 16.
- Local unrest in Sololá: a State of Prevention for Nahualá and Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán (15 December 2025) and continuing travel restrictions for US government personnel in Santiago Atitlán (7 July 2026).
- Volcán de Fuego eruptions: 6 June 2025 and 5 August 2026.
- Seasonal and worldwide messages: rainy-season and hurricane-season alerts (June 2025 and June 2026) and State Department worldwide cautions (June 2025, May 2026).
Several of these alerts state rules for US government personnel (no travel to Santiago Atitlán, caution in Zone 16) inside a message addressed to US citizens. For the country-level rating, see the US, UK and Canadian travel advice compared.
Getting alerts the moment they are sent
This page is refreshed once a day. The embassy’s own messages name two faster channels:
- STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program): the State Department’s enrolment, which the alerts name as the way to receive security updates.
- WhatsApp: the channel U.S. Citizen Information: GUATEMALA, linked from the 7 July 2026 alert.
Contacts, from the embassy’s contact page (read 25 September 2026):
| Contact | Detail |
|---|---|
| U.S. Embassy Guatemala City, Boulevard Austriaco 11-51, Zone 16 | 2354 0000 from Guatemala · 011 502 2354 0000 or 1-301-985-8164 from the USA, in business hours and after hours · gt.usembassy.gov/contact |
| State Department, for Americans who need assistance (24/7) | +1-888-407-4747 from the US and Canada · +1-202-501-4444 from abroad |
| ASISTUR, Guatemala’s tourist assistance programme | 1500 from a Guatemalan phone · (502) 2290-2810 · WhatsApp +502-5188-1819 |
The contact page states that embassy personnel are not first responders and points tourists in an emergency to ASISTUR. One detail to know: the footer of an embassy notice of 26 August 2026 still printed an older number, (502) 2326-4000; the contact page lists only 2354 0000.
Everything else the embassy does for Americans (passports, notarial services) is on our guide to US citizen services in Guatemala.
Other live pages
- Emergency alerts: CONRED, Guatemala’s disaster agency.
- Volcano eruption today and earthquakes.
- Is it safe to travel to Guatemala right now? and the safety guide.
How this list is built
Source: the embassy’s RSS feed for its Alerts category (the ten most recent posts, with the embassy’s own categories) plus the embassy’s older Alerts archive pages. A post is dropped when the embassy files it as a press release and not as a message for US citizens, or when its title starts “Comunicado de Prensa”. Older posts found only on the archive pages are kept when their title says Alert, Caution, Demonstration or Message to/for U.S. Citizens. The list keeps growing as the embassy posts. If the embassy’s site cannot be read, the last good list stays up and the time above each table stops moving. First built on 25 September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the US Embassy in Guatemala post its security alerts?
In the Alerts section of gt.usembassy.gov. The same section also carries press releases and service notices, so this page filters the embassy’s feed: security, weather and health alerts in one table, passport days and other citizen notices in another, press releases dropped.
How do I get US Embassy alerts as soon as they are sent?
The embassy’s own messages point to two channels: the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), which the alerts name as the way to receive security updates, and the embassy’s WhatsApp channel, U.S. Citizen Information: GUATEMALA. This page is refreshed once a day, so it is a record and a check, not a replacement for either.
What number do I call in an emergency as a US citizen in Guatemala?
The embassy’s contact page (read 25 September 2026) gives one number for business hours and after hours: 2354 0000 from Guatemala, or 011 502 2354 0000 or 1-301-985-8164 from the USA. The State Department’s line for Americans who need assistance is 1-888-407-4747 from the US and Canada and +1-202-501-4444 from abroad. The same page says embassy personnel are not first responders and points tourists to ASISTUR, 1500 from a Guatemalan phone.
Is a US Embassy security alert the same as the State Department travel advisory?
No. The travel advisory is the country-level rating the State Department publishes for Guatemala; an embassy alert is a dated message about a specific event, place or period. Our travel-advice page compares the US, UK and Canadian advisories.
