INE voting card — Basic identification document in Mexico. Although it is also called the internal passport of Mexicans, it is not a passport, but an identity card. INE— it is an acronym for Instituto Nacional Electoral (National Electoral Institute, formerly IFE). Actually INE — it is the largest, most secure multi-biometric database of citizens over 18 years of age existing in Mexico. The INE card is issued without payment to all Mexican citizens who are at least 18 years old. At the same time, if local or federal elections are held in a state or country, the card can also be issued to those who reach adulthood six months before the elections.
To obtain an INE card, you must have 3 original documents:
- Birth certificate for Mexican citizens by birth or letter of naturalization for Mexican citizens by naturalization,
- Any ID:
- passport for traveling abroad,
- professional license,
- driver's license,
- National Military Service Card,
- civil servant ID,
- pension certificate (INAPAM), etc.
- Proof of home address no older than 3 months. Most often, it is enough to present a utility bill in any name, a tax report or a bank account statement in your name.
INE will not accept ID cards that do not have an expiration date or are issued more than 10 years ago.
Now you will need to pre-register for a visit to the INE office using thislinkor by calling . You do not need to download anything using the link; you must bring the original documentation with you. INE offices are open Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 20:00 without a break. You are free to contact any INE office in Mexico, regardless of your home address. You can find the coordinates of the nearest INE office to you heremap. You will have the chance to choose the date and time of your visit.
On the appointed day, you come and submit the above papers, and at the end you receive a confirmation sheet. In addition, you will have to submit biometric data: prints of all 10 fingers and digital photography.
At the moment, the waiting time for the production of an INE card in different states of Mexico ranges from 1 week to 1 month, and you will be told the approximate time when it will be possible to pick up the card. You can check the readiness status of the card using thisaddress. Once your voting card is ready, you can go pick it up; no pre-registration is required. You must bring your identification and the confirmation sheet received upon your first visit to the INE office. You must pick up your voting card within 2 years after it was first issued, or 30 days if you had your card renewed. If you do not pick up the card within this time frame, the card will be destroyed and you will have to start the card application process all over again.
INE card validity period — 10 years.
It is also possible to request an INE card through all Mexican consulates.