Preparing to return to Guatemala
You and your family may have to return to Guatemala, either voluntarily or due to deportation. If you face this possibility, plan ahead so that the process can be as simple and safe as possible for you and your family.
Breathe. Know that your family and community are holding you in their thoughts and prayers and it is your own inner strength that will get you through this difficult transition. Take good care.
Before you leave the U.S.
1. Contact the Guatemalan Consulate:
- If you are able, contact or go to the nearest Guatemalan consulate to obtain a Guatemalan passport, birth certificate, and/or other important citizenship documents prior to deportation.
- *Currently: You will need to contact your local Guatemalan consulate for personalized services.
- To find your closest consulate address and number, check: https://www.embaguateusa.gob.gt/consulados
- Main website: https://www.embaguateusa.gob.gt/
2. Legal & Identity Documents:
- Power of Attorney: Sign and give one to someone you trust in the U.S. to handle finances and legal matters while you’re gone.
- Immigration paperwork: Consult an immigration expert before signing any document from U.S. immigration authorities.
3. Financial & Housing Preparations:
- Take care of your finances. Sell or transfer your real estate. Use banks to transfer funds from the U.S. to Guatemala.
- Make arrangements for where you will live in Guatemala. Let your representative know how you can be contacted there.
4. Family Preparations
- Complete a family preparedness plan: https://www.ilrc.org/community-resources/family-preparedness-plan
- Share it with your Power of Attorney.
- Keep all documents safe.
Children & Dual Citizenship
- Dual citizenship between the U.S. and Guatemala does not exist. Check with the Guatemalan Consulate regarding citizenship questions.
- Minor U.S. citizen children traveling to Guatemala should have a U.S. passport and a notarized consent form from the other parent or legal guardian permitting their travel.
Traveling separately from your children?
- Sign an authorization letter for the caregiver traveling with your child.
- If your child stays in the U.S., sign a Power of Attorney authorizing the caregiver to provide care.
5. Collect Additional Documents
Bring originals and multiple copies of:
- School records/diplomas (notarized by registrar)
- Immunization records & U.S. birth certificates (must include apostille from the Secretary of State where the child was born)
- Medical records & medications
- Marriage, divorce, and/or death certificates
6. What to Bring With You
- Phone numbers of family/friends in Guatemala & the U.S. (memorize them)
- Phone card, charger, and backup battery
- An address in Guatemala (needed for forms and job applications—use a family member’s if needed)
- Medications and written prescriptions. Diabetics may also bring nutrition items, like an energy bar.
- Guatemala ID (driver’s license or voting card)
7. Tips & Warnings
- TIP: The Guatemalan government may require two last names (father’s last name and mother’s last name) on all official documents.
- TIP: Get more than one original birth certificate for each child. You may need to leave one with officials and may need additional copies later.
- WARNING: Keep in mind, buying fake Guatemalan birth certificates is illegal.
- REMINDER: Avoid notarios!
- REMINDER: An apostille is required for U.S. birth certificates. Request it from the Secretary of State in the state of birth.
- REMINDER: During deportation, you may experience dehumanizing behavior from ICE officials. Your possessions may not be intact or returned to you at all. If you can remember officials’ names or get their badge numbers, it could be helpful in the future or for others.
Arriving in Guatemala
1. General cautions
- To stay safe, make a friend on the bus or plane. Stay together to support each other.
- Be alert and calm. Blend in and comply with authority.
- Avoid casual street encounters, including eye contact. Don’t look vulnerable, but also don’t look overconfident.
- Be prepared for bribes. Have $40 to $100 in cash in $10 and $20 bills. Keep them in different pockets.
- Keep contact information for your family in Guatemala (and all documents that prove your identity and deportation status) on you, not in your bag.
- Don’t use an offered cell phone to call your family. If you come across a trusted organization or a public institution, you can ask to make a phone call. If you have a cell phone, share your location with people you trust. Update your family as you travel and use agreed upon signals in case of danger.
- There have been cases of scams, extortion, and kidnapping, and you should do everything possible to be safe. Create a code word with your family to confirm your identity over the phone, or to verify that a request for money is indeed coming from you.
2. Cautions for Guatemala
- Keep your money/valuables as secure as possible.
- Avoid public ATMs, where credit card scams tend to happen.
- Conceal valuable items such as smartphones.
- Be careful when walking in Guatemala City and on buses, which are frequently subject to armed robberies.
- Understand that members of MS-13 and Calle 18 gangs and Mexican drug trafficking organizations operate throughout Guatemala.
3. Repatriation
People are transported to Guatemala from several detention centers in the U.S. Upon arrival at the Air Force Base’s Salón Migratorio, deportees—both adults and minors—are provided refreshments and formally received by representatives of the Dirección General de Migración (DGM).
ADULTS
- Adults get a free phone call and can exchange currency. After, they are taken to the bus terminal and are given a bus ticket to their hometown.
- Representatives from the Pastoral de Movilidad Humana may be at the airport to meet returnees. They can arrange transportation to Casa del Migrante, which provides services to returnees. Representatives from the Association of Returned Guatemalans (ARG) may also be at the airport.
UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN
- Unaccompanied children are briefly interviewed by Secretaría de Bienestar (SBS) staff. After, they are taken to Nuestras Raíces in Guatemala City, where they are given something to eat, a basic medical examination, and a clean change of clothes.
- A psychologist and social worker are there to conduct interviews to determine if there is a case (of abuse, trafficking, etc.) that needs to be referred to another agency. If this is the case, the case is reported to the Procudaría General de la Nación (PGN) of Guatemala, which contacts the proper agency.
Nonprofit organizations providing assistance
Casa del Migrante de Guatemala (Scalabrinianos)
Provides shelter, food, legal services, and psychosocial support.
15 Avenida 1-94 A, Zona 1, Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala
+502 2230-2781
ACNUR Guatemala
An international agency that offers international protection, humanitarian assistance, support for asylum seekers, and help with local integration.
Address: 13 calle 8-44, Edificio Edyma Plaza, Office 503 Level 5, Zona 10, Guatemala City. Additional offices in Petén, San Marcos, Izabal, Chiquimula, and Huehuetenango
+502 2384-3600
guagui@unhcr.org
Asociación Grupo Ceiba:
Offers support for young migrants and returnees in vulnerable communities. Services include educational programs, values-based training, violence prevention, and support for community reintegration.
4ta Avenida A 12-35, Zona 1, Guatemala City
+502 2238-1970 and +502 2232-4722
info@grupoceiba.org
Asociación Pop No'j
Local K'iche' association that offers legal counseling, psychosocial support, and cultural guidance to returned migrants, especially in Indigenous areas, with emphasis on community rights.
Santa Cruz del Quiché, serving Quiché and Huehuetenango regions
+502 2238-0905, +502 2251-5716
info@asociacionpopnoj.org