Passport at Mexico’s consular offices

Information on passport issuance by Mexico’s consular offices

Mexico’s consular offices are authorized to issue passports valid for 1, 3, 6, and 10 years. In addition, in the United States this procedure can be completed through Mobile Consulates, Consulates on Wheels, and Saturday Service Days, which make it easier to access consular services in areas far from the diplomatic mission.

Passports issued by Mexico’s Representations Abroad

For consular offices established in the United States, the passport can be obtained at the time of the appointment and is valid for 1, 3, 6, or 10 years. At other Mexico Representations Abroad, passports valid for 1 to 3 years (Type E booklet) may be issued the same day for emergency situations or consular protection. On the other hand, to obtain an unrestricted passport valid for 1, 3, 6, or 10 years (Type G booklet), the process may take about a month, since it is processed at the Representation for printing and shipment from Mexico.

Passport validity

• For children under 3 years of age, validity will be 1 or 3 years.
• For children age 3 and under 18, validity will be 3 or 6 years.
• For adults over 18, validity will be 3, 6, or 10 years.

Restrictions on issuing a passport:

A passport will not be issued to anyone who:

• Does not meet the requirements specified in the Passport Regulations, unless there are justified emergency or protection cases.
• Is subject to judicial or administrative restrictions.
• In the case of minors or legally incapacitated persons, does not have the consent of the parents or guardians, as indicated in Article 19 of the Passport Regulations.

Passports for adults

Requirements:

1. You must request an appointment through Mexitel or on its website. You can also do so through Mobile Consulates, Consulates on Wheels, and Saturday Service Days.
2. Once you have obtained the appointment, you must go in person to the relevant consular office.
3. You must prove your Mexican nationality by presenting the original of one of the following documents: certified copy of the birth certificate, certificate of Mexican nationality, declaration of Mexican nationality by birth, naturalization letter, citizen identity card, or high-security consular registration certificate.
4. You must prove your identity by presenting the original of one of the following official photo IDs: voter ID card from the National Electoral Institute,
   Mexican passport, released National Military Service identity card, professional license, professional degree, internship letter issued by the General Directorate of Professions of the Ministry of Public Education, certificate of Mexican nationality, declaration of Mexican nationality by birth, naturalization letter, etc.
5. You must pay the applicable fees as indicated in the Federal Law of Rights.
6. You must allow the collection of biometrics, including photo and fingerprints.

With the documents provided, our embassy team will enter the data and proceed to print the Passport Application (OP5). As the applicant, it is your responsibility to review all the information. If all the information is correct, you must sign in agreement, swearing under oath that all the information and documentation provided is authentic and accurate.

Passports for minors

REQUIREMENTS:

You must request an appointment by accessing the Mexitel service or on its website by clicking on this link. This process can also be completed at Mobile Consulates, Consulates on Wheels, and Saturday Service Days, which bring consular services to localities far from the consulate. You may ask about these alternatives if they are convenient for you.

After obtaining the appointment, the minor must go to the corresponding consular office, accompanied by their parents, guardians, or the person authorized to do so.

Mexican nationality must be proven with the original of one of the following documents:

• Certified copy of the birth certificate (original) issued by the Civil Registry Office, online, or by a Consulate of Mexico.
• Certificate of Mexican nationality.
• Declaration of Mexican nationality by birth.
• Naturalization letter.
• Citizen Identity Card.
• High-Security Consular Registration Certificate.

Note: If the birth certificate was registered late, you must go to the Representation for more information. Birth registration at Mexican consulates is not considered late registration.

The minor must present one of the following photo identifications:

1. School certificate from elementary, middle school, high school, or its Mexican or foreign equivalent.
2. Proof of the grade level currently being attended or a valid school ID, issued by a public or private institution incorporated into Mexico’s Ministry of Public Education or by the Ministry of Education of the country or state where the consular office is located.
3. Medical services card from a public health institution or Mexican or foreign social security institution.
4. Mexican naturalization letter.
5. High-Security consular registration (Matrícula Consular).

Exclusively for minors under 7 years of age and in the absence of any of the above identifications, they may present a medical certificate with photo and seal from a medical institution recognized by the law of the place where the consular office is located.

Documents verifying foreign identity must be reviewed in advance by the consular officer who will authorize the passport, to verify that it is a valid form of identification within their consular jurisdiction.

Procedure for issuing an ordinary passport to minors

To apply for a passport for minors, the parents, or those who exercise parental authority or guardianship, must follow these steps:

Physical presence or appointment of a representative

Applicants must be present in person or appoint someone to accompany the minor to the consular office and complete the process.

Proof of relationship and parental authority

To prove the relationship and parental authority, a certified copy of the minor’s birth certificate must be presented, including the parents’ names.

Identity verification

Applicants must prove their identity with one of the following documents:

1. Voter ID card from the National Electoral Institute.
2. Mexican passport.
3. Released National Military Service Identity Card.
4. Professional License.
5. Professional Degree.
6. Internship letter from the General Directorate of Professions of the Ministry of Public Education.
7. Certificate of Mexican nationality.
8. Declaration of Mexican nationality by birth.
9. Naturalization letter.
10. Citizen Identity Card.
11. High-Security Consular Registration Certificate.
12. Valid credential from the National Institute for Older Adults or its equivalent.
13. Mexican driver’s license.

Complete the passport issuance form

Applicants must complete the authorization form for issuance of the minor’s passport (OP7), specifying its duration.

Authorization to take a photograph

It is necessary to authorize that a photograph will be taken of the minor. The image will be taken without glasses, with the head fully uncovered, facing forward, and without any object covering the face.

Payment

Applicants must pay the applicable fees as indicated in the Federal Law of Rights.

Review of the information

With the documentation submitted, the consular office staff will enter the information and print the Passport Application (OP5) with the minor’s details. The parents, guardians, or authorized person must review the information and, if it is correct, sign in agreement swearing that the documents and the data provided are authentic and correct.

Emancipated minors

An emancipated minor is defined as one who marries before reaching the age of majority. If the requirements mentioned above are met, consular offices may issue or renew the passport. To do so, the minor must prove emancipation by presenting a certified duplicate of their marriage certificate, issued by the Mexican civil registry, or a foreign marriage certificate. If the document is issued abroad and outside the consular jurisdiction of the country where the consular office is located, it must be legalized or apostilled as applicable, and include the corresponding Spanish translation if it is in a language other than English.

Married applicants

Passport applicants who are married and want their spouse’s last name to appear in their passport must present, in addition to the previously required documents, a certified duplicate of their Mexican or foreign marriage certificate.

If the marriage certificate is foreign, it must be legalized or apostilled, as applicable, if the document is issued abroad and outside the consular jurisdiction of the country in which the consular office is located. It must also include the corresponding Spanish translation if it is in a language other than English.

Passport renewals for adults

The requirements needed for this process are described below:

1. Schedule an appointment with Mexitel or visit its website to complete the process. This procedure can also be carried out at Mobile Consulates, Consulates on Wheels, and Saturday Service Days, which help bring consular services closer to places far from the mission headquarters. Check the available options.
2. Once the appointment is obtained, you must appear in person at the consular office on the agreed date and time.
3. You must present the passport you wish to renew, as long as it was not issued for emergency or protection cases and has no restrictions.
4. If the passport to be renewed was issued before 1995 in Mexico, or before 2007 abroad, you will have to submit all requirements as if you were applying for the first time. Passports with one-year validity cannot be renewed.
5. Authorize the capture of biometric data, such as photo, fingerprints, and signature.
6. Pay the applicable fees, in accordance with the Federal Law of Rights.

If you have questions, contact the relevant consular representation to learn the specific details. In the case of minors, authorization from the parents, guardians, or the family court judge is essential each time passport issuance or renewal is requested.

Replacement of passport due to theft, loss, destruction, or mutilation

In circumstances of theft, loss, deterioration, alteration, or mutilation of the passport, the consular office may issue a new document provided that the holder submits a report from the competent authority documenting the situation. For consular protection reasons, the report may be taken at the consular office. In such cases, you must submit the documentation as if you were applying for a passport for the first time.

Replacement of passport due to change or error in data

If there is an error or variation in some of the personal data recorded in the passport and you need it to be modified or renewed, you must submit the documentation required to renew it, in addition to providing a certified copy of the documents supporting issuance of a new one with different data.

Special cases

1. Marriage cases.

If you are married and want your spouse’s last name to appear in the passport, in addition to the general requirements, you must present a certified copy of your Mexican or foreign marriage certificate. In the latter case, the marriage certificate must be legalized or apostilled, at least if it is issued outside the consular district of the country where the consular office is accredited, and translated if it is not in English.

Married individuals who use only their spouse’s last name on their identification must attach a certified copy of the marriage certificate that explains why the spouse’s last name is used on the identification, to demonstrate that it is the same person.

2. Adoptions.

To issue passports to minors who have been adopted in Mexico under adoption regimes other than full adoption, Articles 8, 18, 25, and 26 of the Passport Regulations must be complied with, and a certified copy of the Mexican judicial ruling, the order by which it became final, and the certificate issued by the Mexican civil registry office must be presented.

If the adoption was carried out in another country, the foreign judicial ruling must be recognized by a Mexican judge, in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Code of Civil Procedures, in order to proceed with passport issuance.

3. Transgender people.

Transgender people who wish to change both their name and sex on the passport must meet the passport issuance requirements, present the Mexican birth certificate indicating the new name and sex, and provide identification that contains the new name.

Legal basis for passports

The laws and regulations that support the passport system are as follows:

• Passport Regulations, published on August 5, 2011 in the Official Gazette of the Federation, with the latest amendment on 08/17/2016.
• Internal Regulations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Agreement reducing the timeframes for resolution and prevention for procedures carried out at the headquarters of Mexico’s consular offices and at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Published on 04/22/2016.
• Agreement making available the forms for procedures handled by Mexico’s Consular Offices abroad. Published on 07/17/2018.
• Administrative provisions issued by the General Directorates of Delegations and of consular services.
• Current Federal Law of Rights, Chapter II, First Section, Article 20.

NOTE: As established in Articles 9 and 14 of the Passport Regulations and the Identity and Travel Document Regulations, the consul may request verification of consular documentation and require additional documentation.