Message to U.S. Citizens: Proving Financial Solvency for Guatemalan Residence (April 25, 2022)
The Guatemalan immigration authority (IGM – Instituto Guatemalteco de Migración) now offers the following options for presenting proof of financial solvency in connection with applications and extensions for U.S. citizens maintaining Guatemalan residence. Please note that the following options apply only to residency applications or extensions for individuals reliant on foreign sources of income and not to U.S. citizens who are in Guatemala on work visas or have residence based on another category.
As Guatemala is a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention, foreign documents presented in Guatemala for legal purposes must be apostilled to be legally acceptable. However, as many U.S. bank statements, Social Security statements, or pension documents do not contain a signature or seal, it is impossible to request that the document itself be apostilled. To resolve this issue, IGM has confirmed that when applying for or seeking extensions to Guatemalan residency, U.S. citizens as described above may provide proof of financial solvency in one of the following three ways:
Option 1: The U.S. citizen may open a local Guatemalan bank account into which U.S. Social Security or other foreign-sourced income is deposited. It must be an international deposit, and the source of the funds must be readily apparent. The U.S. citizen may submit an original bank statement issued by the Guatemalan bank. No apostille is required.
Option 2: The U.S. citizen may take their printed Social Security statement, U.S. bank statement, pension statement, or other proof of financial solvency received from the institution to a U.S notary who will notarize the document as a true and correct copy. Then the U.S. citizen will send the notarized document with the affixed financial record to the appropriate state office to have the notary’s signature apostilled in the United States.
Option 3: The U.S. citizen may bring in their printed U.S. bank statement, Social Security statement, pension statement, or other proof of financial solvency to the U.S. Embassy and sign an affidavit swearing or affirming that it is a true and correct copy. The U.S. Embassy will notarize the U.S. citizen’s signature on the affidavit and affix the financial documents plus a copy of the citizen’s U.S. passport. No apostille is required.
Schedule a Notarial Service Appointment
With respect to Option 3, please schedule an appointment for an in-person notarial service. We generally offer notarial appointments Monday through Thursday around 11:00 am, except U.S. and Guatemalan holidays. Appointments are usually available within 7-10 business days.
The fee for this notarial service is USD $50. Fees may be paid in cash in U.S. dollars, by credit card in U.S. dollars, or the equivalent in Guatemalan quetzals.
Assistance
U.S. Embassy Guatemala City, Guatemala
Website: https://gt.usembassy.gov/
Phone: (502) 2326-4000
Email: AmCitsGuatemala@state.gov
State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444
Guatemala Country Information and Travel Advisory Page
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