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Change to the UK visa application process in Guatemala

As from 12th of January 2012 the British Embassy in Guatemala City will no longer process visa applications for Commonwealth Countries and Overseas Territories.  We will not be able to take applications or answer questions on Visa / Immigration matters.

For questions on how to apply for a Commonwealth country visa please contact the country’s nearest diplomatic mission or Immigration Department directly (contact details below for the main destination Commonwealth Countries and Overseas Territories).  For Overseas Territories visas, you can also apply and pay online via www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk and mail your application to the British Embassy in Bogota for processing.

From 12 January, it will no longer be possible for UK visa applicants to enrol their biometrics at the British Embassy in Guatemala City. Instead, anyone applying for a UK visa in Guatemala may attend one of the mobile biometric enrolment clinics that will be operated in Panama City by the UK Border Agency’s Commercial Partner, CSC.

These clinics will operate monthly and anyone wishing to take advantage of this option will be required to pay an additional service fee of USD$150. Details of when and where the clinics will take place will be publicised on the UK Border Agency website. Alternatively, applicants can enrol their biometrics free of charge at the UK Border Agency visa section at the British Embassy in Bogota, Colombia.

Also from January 12 2012, the UK Border Agency will move the processing of UK visa applications lodged in Guatemala from New York, USA to Bogota, Colombia. Guatemalan passport holders continue to be able to visit the United Kingdom for up to 6 months without having to apply for a visa before travelling. For more information on what activities you can undertake as a visitor to the UK, take a look at the UK Border Agency website:  http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/visiting.

These changes will not affect the UK Border Agency’s customer service standards;

• The UK Border Agency aims to complete 90 per cent of visa applications (except settlement categories), in not more than three weeks, 98 per cent in six weeks and 100 per cent in 12 weeks.
•  For settlement categories, the UK Border Agency aims to complete 95 per cent of applications in not more than 12 weeks and 100 per cent in not more 24 weeks.

The UK Border Agency in the Americas regularly exceeds these customer service standards. For up to date information about processing times, go to: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/customs-travel/beforetravel/visas/processing-times.

For more information about how to apply for a UK visa in Guatemala, go to:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/guatemala

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