Dual citizenship for children born in the U.S.

Your child already has the right; it just needs to be registered

Many families think their U.S.-born children "have to apply" for Mexican nationality, as if it were a permit. That’s not how it works. Mexico’s Constitution recognizes as Mexican by birth anyone born abroad to a Mexican mother or a Mexican father. The right exists from the day your child was born; registration simply puts it on paper.

The registration is made with the Mexican civil registry, and the most common way to do it from California is at a Mexican consulate. When it’s done, your child receives a Mexican birth certificate. That certificate is the key to everything else: with it your child can get a CURP, apply for a Mexican passport and handle any matter in Mexico like any other Mexican citizen.

Why do it while they’re young?

You can register a child at any age, even as an adult. But while your child is a minor it’s usually simpler: the parents are there, the documents are at hand, and you avoid the extra documents the consulate asks of adults who register on their own. Your child can also grow up with both passports, travel to Mexico with the family as a Mexican citizen and, if they ever decide to study, work or live there, won’t have to start from scratch.

How registration at the consulate works

Each consulate organizes the process its own way, so it’s always worth checking the page of your consulate. At the Los Angeles consulate, for example, registration takes two visits, both by appointment:

1. Document review. Only the person presenting the papers needs to go: the father, the mother or, if they’re an adult, the person being registered. If everything is complete, you get a date for the second appointment that same day.
2. Registration. Everyone involved attends: the father and mother (or whichever applies) and the person being registered. The registered person’s fingerprint is taken, the parents sign, and the Mexican birth certificate is issued that same day, together with a certified copy.

The details that most often delay a registration

Most delayed registrations aren’t about eligibility, but about details in the paperwork:

• Names that don’t match. The consulate requires the parents’ names to be identical on the U.S. birth certificate, the parents’ Mexican birth certificates and their IDs. An extra surname, a different letter or a missing middle name can stop the process.
• The wrong birth certificate. You need the long-form U.S. birth certificate, not the abstract many families keep at home.
• Parents who weren’t married. If the parents weren’t married when the child was born, or married later, the father has to attend the registration appointment or give his consent through a notarized special power of attorney, even if the child is now an adult.
• Married name. If the mother uses her husband’s surname on her ID, she usually needs to bring the marriage certificate.
• A parent who has passed away. Bring the original death certificate. Depending on the case, some consulates may ask for other documents or say the registration has to be done in Mexico.
• Parents who became U.S. citizens. Show the naturalization certificate. People who naturalized after March 20, 1998 kept their Mexican nationality; if it was before, ask us.

Being Mexican and American at the same time

Registering your child as Mexican takes nothing away in the United States. The U.S. allows dual nationality, as the Department of State explains. Your child remains a U.S. citizen, with a U.S. passport, and is also Mexican in the eyes of Mexican authorities.

How we help

At a consultation we review your documents one by one, compare the names across every paper and tell you exactly what’s missing before you request the appointment. If there’s a special situation, such as parents who weren’t married or a parent who has passed away, we walk you through it. See also the printable requirements checklist.