Location: Guatemala
Event: The government of Guatemala has agreed to provide permission for inter-departmental travel to American citizens and legal permanent residents traveling to Guatemala City for the specific purpose of flying to the United States from La Aurora International Airport. Each traveler will need to obtain, and carry on their person while traveling, a letter requesting safe passage, prepared by the United States Embassy in Guatemala for this purpose.
United Airlines will send by e-mail to all manifested passengers for its upcoming flights on Friday, April 17 and Saturday April 18 a PDF copy of the Embassy-prepared letter requesting safe passage. If you have purchased a ticket on one of these flights but do not receive the PDF letter via e-mail, please contact United Airlines directly by phone at (502) 3071 8381 or (502) 3069 9340. Passengers should print the document provided by United Airlines and carry it on their person while in transit, to present to Guatemalan authorities as needed, along with their passports and copies of their travel itineraries and boarding passes.
The United States Embassy in Guatemala will not provide letters requesting safe passage directly to confirmed passengers on the United Airlines flights, and cannot provide these letters to any other individuals for any other reasons. The Embassy also reminds U.S. citizens that inter-department travel without a letter from the Embassy, or for any purpose other than air travel from La Aurora International Airport as a manifested passenger, or other purposes specifically authorized by the Guatemalan government, is prohibited.
The United States Embassy in Guatemala urges U.S. citizens to comply with all laws, regulations and health guidelines put in place by the Guatemalan government, including the mandatory curfew, mandatory use of masks in public, and other restrictions on travel and other activities currently in effect. Failure to comply with these regulations could result in fines of up to 150,000 quetzals or up to six years in prison.
United Airlines currently has the following flights scheduled from Guatemala to the United States:
Friday, April 17 – 12:00 p.m. departure (Flight 3041) from Guatemala City to Houston, TX.
Saturday April 18 – 12:00 p.m. departure (Flight 3042) from Guatemala City to Houston, TX.
These flights are limited offerings and we do not expect them to continue on a regular basis. We urge U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents wishing to travel to the United States to contact United Airlines directly to make a booking. We also ask U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents still wishing to return to the United States to continue to check the availability of these and other commercial flight options as they are scheduled. Reservations for commercial flights would be made directly with the airlines, not the U.S. Embassy, so please contact them directly for bookings. Please contact United Airlines directly at https://www.united.com or VentasGUA@united.com to make reservations.
As a reminder: the restrictions on inter-departmental travel do not impede individuals currently in the Department of Guatemala, including those in Guatemala City, from traveling to the airport to board the upcoming United Airlines flights.
Please contact AmcitsGuatemala@state.gov for any urgent inquiries.
Actions to Take:
Read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the COVID-19 crisis in Guatemala, and actions the U.S. Embassy is taking to assist U.S. citizens.
Review the State Department’s Global Level 4 Health Travel Advisory at www.travel.state.gov.
Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.
For the most recent information on what you can do to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19 please see the CDC’s latest recommendations.
Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for the latest information.
Visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website on the latest travel restrictions to the U.S.
Monitor local news for updates.
Assistance:
U.S. Embassy Guatemala City https://gt.usembassy.gov/
Tel. (502) 2326-4000
Amcitsguatemala@state.gov
State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444
Guatemala Country Information and Travel Advisory Page
Enroll in Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates