Attesting Mexican Documents (FAQs)

Yes - Mexico is a member of the Apostille Convention.

Mexican documents can be legalized for use abroad with an Apostille Stamp when destined for other signatory countries without additional certification by the destination country.

When Mexican documents are required for non-apostille countries, such as United Arab Emirates - Taiwan - Malaysia - Thailand - Qatar they need additional authentication by the embassy of the destination country.

For further information about Apostille certification in Mexico, see:
Mexico Apostille Services

Documents can be authenticated with an Apostille in Mexico when signed by a Federal or State official, including:

• Mexican birth, death and marriage certificates
• Mexican Criminal Record Certificates (Constancia de Antecedentes Penales) and Registry Data Certificates (Constancia de Datos Registrales)
• University diplomas and course transcripts
• Trade documents, including GMP certificates and certificates of origin
• Copies of the Diario Oficial de la Federación
• Other documents certified in Mexico by a Notario Público or Corredor Público.

To confirm whether your document is eligible for a Mexican Apostille Stamp or legalization by the Mexican Secretariat for Home Affairs or State Government, please Contact us and we’ll check your document free of charge.

For further information on our Mexican Apostille Services and for assistance obtaining official copies of Mexican documents, see:
Mexico Apostille Services

Apostilles on Federal documents are normally obtained in one working day

Apostilles on State documents are normally obtained in 1 - 5 working days (depending on the State).

Some Mexican Apostilles can be verified online:

• Federal Apostilles can be verified online:
• Verify Federal Apostilles (in Spanish)
• Verify Apostilles - Jalisco (in Spanish)

Document legalization (or attestation) is a procedure which authenticates a public Mexican document so that it can be submitted in another country for official or legal purposes - for example, if you need to submit a Mexican birth certificate to the authority or embassy of another country, it will often need to be legalized.

Legalizing a document in Mexico certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized public official in Mexico and confirms the capacity of that official.

• Because Mexico is a member of the Apostille Convention, Mexican documents can be legalized by means of an Apostille Stamp when being submitted to countries that are also members of the Hague Apostille Convention
• If a Mexican document is required for a country that is not a member of the Apostille Convention, it will need to be legalized both by Mexican authorities and by the embassy of the recipient country (embassy in Mexico or non-resident embassy accredited to Mexico).
  See: Document legalization - Wikipedia

Isarey Certification Services provides a range of services in Mexico including Apostille and legalization services, notarization services, certified translation services and document retrieval services.

You can see reviews from past clients who have used our attestation and apostille services:

• ISAREY reviews on Trustpilot
• ISAREY reviews on Google

Mexico Apostilles follow the standard format laid down in the Apostille Convention. Some examples of Mexican documents certified with Apostille stamps:

• Mexico Marriage Certificate with Apostille (PDF)
• Mexico Criminal Record Certificate with Apostille (PDF)
• Mexico City Birth Certificate with Apostille Stamp (PDF)
• Mexican Certificate of Single Status with Apostille Stamp (PDF)
• Jalisco Birth Certificate with Apostille Stamp (PDF)

See What does an Apostille look like?

Mexican birth certificates registered in the National Civil Registry Database (Base de Datos Nacional del Registro Civil) can be obtained online.

• Apply online - birth certificates

FAQs - birth certificates (in Spanish) (in Spanish)

Death and marriage certificates are available from the Civil Registry Office (Registro Civil) in the State where the marriage or death was registered.

• Mexico City (CDMX) - birth, death and marriage certificates
• Nuevo León - birth, death and marriage certificates (in Spanish)
• Jalisco - birth, death and marriage certificates
• Civil Registry Office in Mexico (PDF)

Isarey can obtain official copies of Mexican birth, death and marriage certificates from all States. Please Contact us for assistance.

An original paper or digitally signed certificate is required to obtain an Apostille Stamp in Mexico. Isarey can obtain birth, death and marriage certificates from all Mexican states for clients needing an Apostille Stamp, including Acapulco marriage certificates from the State of Guerrero.

A digitally signed PDF certificate (Constancia de Antecedentes Penales) is required, issued by the Secretary of Citizen Security (Secretaría de Seguridad Pública).

Isarey assists with applications to obtain Federal and State police background checks in Mexico. Please Contact us for information.

There are different types of Criminal Record Certificates issued in Mexico.

Federal Criminal Record Certificates (Constancia de Antecedentes Penales Federales) can be obtained online from the Secretary of Citizen Security (Secretaría de Seguridad Pública). Certificates are issued as digitally signed PDFs. These certificates are available to Mexican and non-Mexican nationals who require a criminal record certificate for submission to a foreign embassy or consulate. To apply online, you need to provide your CURP - Unique Population Registry Code (Clave Única de Registro de Población).

In case of a positive match with a criminal record, Mexican nationals will need to upload a copy of their birth certificate and valid ID. Non-Mexican nationals will need to provide an Apostilled copy of their birth certificate translated into Spanish, passport and FM3 residency visa (tarjeta migratoria)

• Federal Criminal Record Certificates - apply online
• Criminal Record Certificates - FAQs
• Look up your CURP (in Spanish)

Registry Data Certificate (Constancia de Datos Registrales) lists judicial records, including preliminary investigations, involving the applicant. Registry Data Certificates or Proof Of Registration Data are issued by the Attorney General's Office (Fiscalía General de la República"). To obtain a Registry Data Certificate, a requesting letter is required from a Mexican Embassy or Consulate (valid for 30 days). Applicants will also need to provide a recently issued Mexican birth certificate or apostilled foreign birth certificate, proof of legal residence in Mexico (non-nationals) and proof of address. Persons applying from outside Mexico through a representative must provide fingerprints. Applications must be submitted in person to the Dirección General de Control de Procesos Penales Federales in Mexico City or local office of the Procuraduría General de la República elsewhere in Mexico. Applicants not residing in Mexico can submit the application through a representative with power of attorney. The Certificate is valid for 30 days fro issue.

State Criminal Records (Constancia de Antecedentes Penales Estatales) record criminal convictions at State level. State background checks are obtained from the competent state authority, in most cases the Attorney General's Office (Fiscalía General de Justicia) or the Secretariat of Public Security (Secretaría de Seguridad Pública). Depending on the State, applications can be made online, in person or by post.

• State of Mexico (Carta de Antecedentes No Penales) (in Spanish)
• Mexico City (Constancia Digital de No Antecedentes Penales) (in Spanish)
• Jalisco (Constancia de No Antecedentes) (in Spanish)
• Veracruz (Constancia relativa a los antecedentes penales) (in Spanish)
• Guerrero (Carta de No Antecedentes Penales) (in Spanish)

Federal Criminal Record Certificates (Constancia de Antecedentes Penales Federales) do not have an expiry date (but the authority requesting the certificate may require a recently issued certificate). Federal Registry Data Certificates (Constancia de Datos Registrales) are valid for 30 days.

Most Mexican States do not issue Apostilles to authenticate certified translations. However, Apostilles can be obtained in the State of Nuevo León for translation certified by translators registered with the State Government.

Apostilles on Mexican Certificates of Single Status (Actas de Soltería) are issued by the respective state government, normally the Secretariat or General Directorate.