It would be very difficult and complicated for a Guatemalan who has lived all her life here to figure out where to pay “el recibo del luz” in the United States. She would not know where to call and when she eventually is told that she can pay by check, she would roll her eyes and say, I don’t have checks because I don’t have a “cuenta monetaria”. Pay online then the clerks would suggest then and she would asked “how do I do that?” After she’s given the web address, she then realizes that she doesn’t have internet access, or credit card or even a paypal account to pay. Finally, after several weeks of frustration she would ask her Guatemalan friends or relatives to help her out pay the bill for her.

See, something that my seemed to be perfectly logical for that people who live there is totally irrational for someone who just arrived there.

Having said that, here like in the States, you have to have the account number to be able to pay bills or get refunds. The account number here for the “recibo de luz” is call the “correlativo”. The only four ways to find the “correlativo” (account number) is writing down the electric meter number (the easiest of all); providing the NIT number listed in the “factura” (NIT is your Tax Id Number and factura is an legal taxt invoice); three, providing the actual name of the account (simple if you know it, but sometimes the account was created by someone else, like the residential developer, et al); last but not least, if you provide them with the cedula number of the person for the account.

Once you have the correlativo number, you can pay online at any Guatemalan bank, once, of course, you have opened a Guatemalan bank account and set up the online banking system. With the correlativo number you can also call the Empresa Electrica or email them and ask them to email you a copy of the last “factura” or receipt as a PDF file. I have requested this a couple of times because my factura for the month never show up. Of course, I don’t need a factura if I only need to pay my electric bill since I already know my correlativo number, thus, I can pay online, which I have done so for over 7 years now and so they do most of my friends. Sometimes I pay at the bank while doing other transactions if I have my printed electric bill with me. With the correlativo number you can also pay at any ATM machine, cajero autmático as they are known here. I also heard you can pay your electric bill and others via your cell phone one you have linked your credit card with your telephone number and then you can send a SMS with the correlativo number and the amount to pay. I have never than pay through the telephone because I prefer to pay online.

With a printed copy of your factura, before is overdue, you can pay at any bank, some pharmacies, supermarkets, special public utilities booths, et cetera. As you can see, there at least a dozen ways to pay your electric bill if you know the system and the processes.

Easy fácil does it all the time!

You should listen to your mom, “Getting a ‘No’ for a response means you’ve asked the wrong question or the wrong person” (I already like your mom a lot!)

Also, regarding the RENAP, I believe the name of your best friend is actually Dany, short for Danilo. I believe the biggest problem for the RENAP in your case is that you were born in a remote village and it takes them a while to get all those archived documents scanned. Having said that, I believe the RENAP worked pretty fast in your case considering the previous piece of information and RENAP has only recently opened its doors and they are still ironing out all the wrinkles in the transition from archived documents in the local municipalities and the new centralized population digital data base. The official transition period is supposed to last a little over two years.

I wish you good luck learning the systems and precesses which make living in Guatemala a pleasure. Remember, while in Guatemala, do like the Guatemalans!