The Mexican government has announced the launch of a new National Health Card — document, which must become a key element of the universal health care system. Registration for receiving it starts on March 1, 2026, and issuance will be organized in stages, depending on the first letter of the surname. Both citizens and foreign residents living in Mexico can obtain a card.
According to the plans of the Mexican government, the main task of the new map — to consolidate in practice the principle of the universal right to free medical care. The document will guarantee access to the services of all public medical institutions in the country: IMSS, ISSSTE, IMSS Bienestar, Pemex services, military medicine and other government agencies. Essentially, the card should eliminate the situation where a person does not receive support due to bureaucratic barriers or lack of registration in the proper healthcare system.
The national medical card will perform several functions at once.
Firstly, it will become the main patient identity within the national health system. In emergency situations, presenting a card will allow you to quickly determine what a person is sick with (medical history and requests for medical help), where he should be treated and which other clinic he should be sent to.
Secondly, the card should make it easier to use health services on a daily basis. With its assistance, citizens have the opportunity to make an appointment, receive consultations and tests, undergo follow-up care, and avoid duplicating medical data.
Authorities call it a step toward creating a single electronic medical record available to the healthcare system in real time.
The document will be produced in two formats: physical and digital. The physical version will resemble a standard ID card with the owner's photo and basic personal information. On the reverse side there will be two QR codes: one for the healthcare sector (access to medical data for patients), the second for personal identification. In addition, the card will contain information about the blood type and organ donor status.
Registration for the issuance of the National Health Card will begin on March 1, 2026 and will take place through special modules that will be opened throughout the country. The process will be similar to registering for social support programs. The entry will be organized alphabetically, by the first letter of the last name.
To apply for a card, you will need to come to the registration center in person with a package of documentation, which includes an official identification card with a photo and CURP, for residents — resident card, for children — birth certificate, and also with confirmation of residential address. In fact, these are the same documents that are now required to register in the IMSS social security system. In addition, you need to submit biometric data — only fingerprints.
After registration, the patient will receive a notification via SMS or a call from number 079, which will indicate when they can pick up the card. The physical version of the National Card is scheduled to be issued approximately six weeks after application.
From April 2026, citizens will be able to download a digital version of the National Card through the application, which will display current information about the nearest clinic at their place of residence and improve the patient’s ability to visit doctors.
The National Health Card should be a universal tool that will allow Mexicans to obtain support faster, easier and without discrepancies between different institutions. In fact, this is an attempt to create a single medical «key» for every resident of the state — from routine consultation to emergency hospitalization.