Children of Mexican citizens born outside of Mexico can easily acquire Mexican citizenship. In this case, it is enough that at least one of the parents is a citizen of Mexico. Once they obtain citizenship, they will be considered Mexican by birth rather than by naturalization, even if both their parent and they were not born in Mexico. At the very first stage, they need to obtain a Mexican birth certificate. Now we will tell you how to do this through the Mexican consulates.
If a parent who has Mexican citizenship wants to transfer his citizenship to minor children who were born abroad and do not have such citizenship, he must initiate this process. In this case, all family members must come to the consular department: parent — Mexican citizen, second parent, and also their minor child. Even if both parents — citizens of Mexico, the initiative of one of them is enough. If the procedure is started by a non-resident — an adult (18 years or more) child of a Mexican parent, most often you can do without a visit to the consulate by his parents.
The official name of the processes — Registration of the birth of Mexicans born abroad (Registro de Nacimiento para mexicanos nacidos en el extranjero). The purpose of the stages is to enter an entry about the foreigner into the Mexican Civil Registry, issue him a Mexican birth certificate and recognize him as a citizen of Mexico. Birth certificate — The main document that proves Mexican citizenship by birth, and once acquired, you can begin processing all other Mexican identification documents, including your passport. The procedure for obtaining a Mexican birth certificate occurs in several stages, with three visits to the consulate.
You can sign up for a diplomatic mission through the MiConsulado system, by calling the consulate, and at some consulates — via Whatsapp. On the MiConsulado website, in the block with the names of procedures, select the «Registro civil» processes. Most often, you can only contact the Mexican diplomatic mission in the country where the birth certificate of the child of a Mexican citizen was issued. In many consulates this procedure is performed only once a week.
Whenfirst visitAt the consulate, only the submission and verification of papers takes place. The presence of all interested parties is not required, and only the person who initiates the registration of citizenship by himself or by a minor child and who brings the necessary documentation can come. This person may be the father or mother of a minor child or an adult child or a third person appointed by them by proxy. If the submitted documents meet all the criteria, a second visit date will be scheduled on the same day.
The following documents should be provided to the diplomatic mission.
- Foreign birth certificate of a person whose parent is believed to be Mexican and who will purchase a Mexican birth certificate issued by the country of birth.
The original certificate is required, and its expanded version, if such is provided in the country of birth of the foreigner.
- Identification card of the foreigner who will issue the Mexican birth certificate — internal and international passport or other document, with a photograph, full name and date of birth.
This may also include, depending on the country, a school or student ID card or a certificate from a pediatrician, certified by a seal. If the first or last name on the ID card is different from the first or last name on the birth certificate, you must provide documentation explaining the change in last name. In particular, you will need to provide the original marriage certificate if there was a change of surname during marriage.
- Proof of Mexican citizenship of one or both parents:
- Mexican birth certificate (Acta de Nacimiento), or
- Letter of naturalization in Mexico, or
- Valid Mexican passport for travel abroad.
- Photo ID for each parent: Mexican or foreign passport, consular registration, or photo ID for voting (INE), etc.
If the first or last name on the ID card is different from the first or last name on the child's birth certificate, you must offer a document explaining the change in last name. For example, you should provide the original marriage certificate if there was a change of surname during marriage.
- If the parents were married before the birth of the child, an original marriage certificate will be required.
The parents' marriage date on the marriage certificate must precede the child's date of birth on their foreign birth certificate by six months.
If the parents were unmarried or married after the birth of the child, they must appear in person or send an authorized representative to the consular section, regardless of whether their child who will receive a Mexican birth certificate is a minor or an adult. Each parent must agree to have their first and last names included on the child's Mexican birth certificate.
If one of the parents has died, the original death certificate is required.
If the parent — the Mexican has died, and the second parent does not have Mexican citizenship and the parents were not married or the marriage was concluded after the birth of the child, obtaining a birth certificate for the child at the consulate is not allowed. You must first contact the Registro Civil office in Mexico at the parent's place of birth to confirm the parent's Mexican citizenship.
All foreign documents must be submitted only in originals and, except for identity cards, certified with an apostille stamp. Whether it is necessary to translate into Spanish depends on the consulate, but most often, the translation does not need to be certified, since the consular staff understands the language of the country in which they work. Each document must be accompanied by two simple photocopies.
Note: In April 2024, the Mexican Parliament considered a bill proposing to eliminate the requirement to certify foreign documentation with an apostille stamp in order to obtain a Mexican birth certificate at consulates. We do not know whether this bill was ultimately passed, but you can check with your specific consulate.
- 2 photos of the child — standard size foreigner (no longer required).
Each case is individual, therefore additional documentation may be required.
The resultsecond visitConsulate is the entry of a foreigner's birth into the Mexican Civil Registry and the issuance of a document confirming registration in this registry. If a minor receives a Mexican birth certificate, all family members come to the consular department: the father or mother and/or both, and in addition the child. If an adult receives a Mexican birth certificate, the presence of parents is usually not required, except in the case described above (the parents were not married at the time of birth).
Onthird visitThe consulate will issue a certified copy of the birth certificate based on a document confirming the entry of the foreigner into the Mexican Civil Registry. It is received without payment. If additional copies are needed, their price reaches about 20 USD each. They are also allowed to be prepared at any time later on Mexican territory. Anyone present at the second visit, except the minor, can purchase a copy of the Mexican birth certificate from the consulate.
Once the birth has been entered into the Mexican Civil Registry and a Mexican birth certificate has been issued, you can request to purchase a Mexican Unique Resident Number (CURP) and then a passport, which can also be done at the consulate.