Guatemala spouse visa (marriage to a Guatemalan)

Article 28 of the residence regulation allows foreigners who prove at least one year of marriage, or of a declared civil union, with a Guatemalan person to apply for permanent residence. Both situations must be registered with RENAP. A marriage celebrated abroad therefore has to be registered in Guatemala before the year can be shown with RENAP certificates.

If the marriage is dissolved or the union ends, the resident must ask the IGM to ratify their status (USD 25), presenting the documents supporting the change.

File the general permanent residence requirements: application form; original valid passport and a complete legalised copy with the last entry stamp matching the certificate of migration movements; a birth certificate if your country has no diplomatic mission in Guatemala; an original certificate of no criminal or police record from your country, its consulate, or the country where you lived in the two years before entering; the certificate of migration movements; and the payment receipt.

Add the marriage or civil union certificate issued by RENAP and the Guatemalan spouse's RENAP birth certificate annotated with the marriage or union. Foreign documents must be apostilled or legalised, no older than six months and translated into Spanish.

The IGM tariff lists USD 25 to file a residence application and USD 700 for permanent residence. Permanent residents pay annual foreigners' dues of USD 40. Payments listed in dollars are made in quetzales at the Bank of Guatemala's official rate.

Residents may stay legally, leave and re-enter freely while the status is valid, carry out lawful activities, obtain the identity document (DPI) for domiciled foreigners, open bank accounts, acquire property and later apply for Guatemalan nationality. They must register biometrics within 30 days of notification, update their data every year and pay the annual dues.