After registration: birth certificate, CURP and passport

The Mexican birth certificate

On the day of registration, the consulate issues your child’s Mexican birth certificate. At the Los Angeles consulate it’s issued that same day, together with a certified copy. Keep it with your important documents: you’ll need it for nearly everything that follows. If you need more certified copies later, you can request them at a consulate for a fee (in Calexico, for example, $20 in 2026).

The CURP

The CURP (Clave Única de Registro de Población) is the number that identifies each person in Mexico, similar to how the Social Security number is used in the United States. It’s used at school, for health services and for almost any official matter. You can look it up and print it on the official site gob.mx/curp. For a minor’s passport, the Los Angeles consulate asks for the child’s CURP and the CURP of the parent giving consent.

The Mexican passport

With the Mexican birth certificate, your child can apply for a Mexican passport at a consulate. That takes another appointment, by phone at 1 (424) 309-0009 or at citas.sre.gob.mx. Keep in mind:

• Both parents’ consent. For a minor, both parents authorize the passport on form OP7 and show valid ID. If one parent is in another U.S. state, they can sign the consent at the consulate nearest to where they live; if they’re in Mexico, at a passport office of Mexico’s Foreign Ministry (SRE). If a parent has passed away, bring the death certificate. In Los Angeles, the consent has to be used within 90 days.
• Validity. For children under 3, the passport is issued for 1 or 3 years; from 3 to 17, for 3 or 6 years.
• Cost. It’s set by Mexico’s Federal Fees Law (Ley Federal de Derechos) and changes every year; check your consulate’s page.
• A helpful detail: birth registrations made at a consulate aren’t considered late registrations, so you don’t need the extra documents asked for in those cases.

Traveling with two passports

Your child will keep using the U.S. passport to leave and enter the United States, and can use the Mexican passport to enter and leave Mexico as a Mexican citizen. If you have questions about a minor traveling with only one parent, ask us before you travel.

Why it’s worth it

Having Mexican nationality on paper opens doors many families don’t know about until they need them:

• Property. As a Mexican citizen, your child can buy, receive and sell property in Mexico under the same rules as any Mexican, including in areas near the border or the coast where foreigners face restrictions.
• Inheritance. When the family has a house or land in Mexico, having children’s and grandchildren’s Mexican documents in order makes inheritance paperwork easier.
• Studying in Mexico. They can enroll in Mexican schools and universities as a Mexican student, with a CURP, without immigration paperwork.
• Working and living in Mexico. No visa or work permit is needed to live or work there.
• Identity. Many families do it, above all, so their children have on paper what they already are: Mexican.

How we help

We explain which documents you need for the CURP and the passport, how to request the appointment and what to do if one parent can’t attend. If you haven’t registered yet, start with the requirements checklist.