Every child born in Mexico receives two surnames — first father and second mother. This is standard practice. But since 2017, Mexico has had a law that opens the way for parents to choose the order of their surnames: mother's surname first, then father's, as long as both parents agree.
Standard surname order: Ivan PETROV SIDOROVA
Changed surname order: Ivan SIDOROVA PETROV
Changing the order of parents' last names when registering a child is very simple. To do this, before registering, inform the civil registry office employee or the Registro civil registrar that you want to establish the order of surnames: mother first, father second.
Some states will require parents to sign an additional written statement confirming their last name order. But usually it is enough to indicate the chosen order in the child registration form — where you will indicate the child's name.
In the birth certificate (Acta de nacimiento), which will be issued upon registration of the child, the child's surnames will be indicated in the selected order. In the Observaciones section it is possible to add a note about changing the order of surnames.
When filling out many forms, you will need to indicate separately the surname given by the father (Apellido paterno) and the surname given by the mother (Apellido materno). However, after the introduction in 2017 of the prospect of choosing the order of surnames, these terms legally mean simply «first surname» and «second surname», and not real origin. If the child is registered as Ivan Sidorova Petrov, then:
- Apellido paterno = Sidorova
- Apellido materno = Petrov
This is the actual order of last names on the birth certificate. Even if the surname Sidorova actually belongs to the mother, it becomes apellido paterno because it is the first.
The birth certificate itself is a confirmation of the relationship of the child with the parents, no matter in what order the parents' surnames are indicated.
When changing the order of surnames, the principle of uniformity of the order of surnames for all children of the same parents applies. If the couple already has children registered, for example, with the surname of the father first, and the mother — second, then the Registro Civil will not be allowed to indicate a new order (to the mother first) for the next child. This is to ensure that all siblings have the same surname order. If the first child in the family is just being registered, the parents have the right to freely choose the order of surnames, but from that moment this order becomes mandatory for all future children of this couple.
In fact, the principle of uniformity of surname order only applies to children born in Mexico who are recorded in the Mexican Civil Registry. Other children born to these parents abroad receive their surnames according to the laws of the countries where they were born.