You are required to have a passport if you are outside Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Visa requirements are simple, passports are classified in three groups A, B and C. If you are in “List A” you are lucky, no visa is required for you, “List B” passports require visa, and it should be easy to get in any embassy or consulate, if you have a “List C” passport, you are out of luck, you require a restricted visa. If you are in one of the C countries, and have gotten a visa, let me know how, so I can share it here.
People from CA-4 countries, do not require passports, this is a Central American initiative that let you travel in Central America with only your government issued ID. CA-4 countries include Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, and travel between these countries for people of this nationalities is really easy. Honduras usually makes it a little harder from what I have heard. This is only for people 18 years or older, as children of these countries do require a valid passport.
Some official and diplomatic passports do not need visa even if they are in Category B or C
Category A Passports
Germany, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Austria,
Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brasil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria,
Canada, Chile, Taiwan, Cyprus, South Korea, Costa Rica, Croatia
Denmark
United Arab Emirates, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, United States of America (includes Guam), Estonia
Fiji, Finland, France (and French territories)
Greece
Hungary, Ireland, Island, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Israel, Italy, Japan
Kuwait
Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco
Norway, New Zeland
Panama, Paraguay, Polony
Qatar
Netherlands (includes Aruba and Netherlands Antilles), Great Britain (includes Hong Kong with British Nationality), Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Romania, Russian Federation
Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Vatican, Saint Thomas and Prince, Singapore, South Africa, Sweeden Switzerland,
Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Tuvalu
Ukraine, Uruguay,
Vanuatu
Also passports of OAS (OEA), UN (ONU), European Commission
Category B Passports
Azerbaijan
Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cambodia, Chad, Colombia Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire
Dijbouti, Dominica
Ecuador,
Philippines,
Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana,
India (US, Canada or Schengen Visas can be used)
Jamaica,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati,
Lesotho,
Malawi, Maldives, Montenegro, Mauritania, Micronesia, Moldova, Montenegro, Myanmar,
Namibia, Nauru, Niger
Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru,
Central African Republic, Rwanda,
Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Suriname, Swaziland
Thailand, Tanzania, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkmenistan,
Uganda, Uzbekistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Category C Passports
Afghanistan, Albany, Angola, Algeria, Armenia,
Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana,
Cameron, China, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo-Kinshasa, North Korea, Cuba
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana,
Haiti,
Indonesia, Iraq, Iran,
Jordan,
Kenya,
Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya,
Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique,
Nepal, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Sierra Leona, Syria, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan
East Timor,
Vietnam,
Yemen
other not recognized as a state by Guatemala are Palestine, Sahrawi Arab
and any other Countries not listed above.
For up to date information you should try these sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_country_names_in_various_languages_(J%E2%80%93P)