I have two sisters who are both us citizens, and now live in guatemala what do they need to come back to us?

Question

they been in guatemala since they were small 4 yrs and now they are 16 yrs, 14yrs what do they need to come back, just a passport and birthcertificate, or since they are underage do they need some kind of special document either from guatemala or us ? and can they travel on the airplane alone thanks

Answer 1

they can travel on the airplane alone but once they get here, they'll need a guardian if they have no parents since they are minors.  A guardian needs to be responsible for their living, schooling, healthcare, etc., until they are 18 yrs old.  Once here, they will be subject to school laws, etc. just like any other citizen.   However, since they have not attended U.S. schools, they'll have to update their schooling and immunizations, AND do they speak English?  that'll be a problem...

In case their parents were illegal immigrants, and depending on the current situation with immigration, there could be a snag in obtaining their passports... or once they get their passports they could be revoked.  So, there is always that risk, until they pass legislation about what to do with the children of illegal immigrants.

Answer 2

to a certain extent, it would depend on your parents, as in, where are they, do they both agree to have them come to the US? what's the law on this in Guatemala, if your parents disagree. the 14 year old would need the signatures of both parents to even get a passport. the 16 year old could get by with one signature. check out the passport section in travel.state.gov. it would be up to the airline to decide on whether to allow them to travel alone or with an escort.    

Answer 3

If they have US passports then they do not even need birth certificates. If no passports then definitely birth certificates and go to the US Consulate and get passports they can be issued there.