# US born children to become Mexican citizens



## Carlos' Girl (Jan 26, 2016)

My husband, Mexican born-Mexican citizen, and I, US citizen, have three children -all three US born. Can anyone help me with the process to get the kids their Mexican citizenship? We have their birth certificates (in English), passports (US), my birth certificate and passport (US), my husband's birth certificate and ID (Mexican issued).

We are all in Mexico now.

Thanks for any help!


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Carlos' Girl said:


> My husband, Mexican born-Mexican citizen, and I, US citizen, have three children -all three US born. Can anyone help me with the process to get the kids their Mexican citizenship? We have their birth certificates (in English), passports (US), my birth certificate and passport (US), my husband's birth certificate and ID (Mexican issued).
> 
> We are all in Mexico now.
> 
> Thanks for any help!


The agency that deals with this in Mexico is the Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE).

The web page listing the documents you will need is:
Solicitud de certificado de Nacionalidad Mexicana por haber | gob.mx


----------



## Carlos' Girl (Jan 26, 2016)

thanks so much!


----------



## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

TundraGreen said:


> The agency that deals with this in Mexico is the Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE).
> 
> The web page listing the documents you will need is:
> Solicitud de certificado de Nacionalidad Mexicana por haber | gob.mx


This may not be correct. The link is applies to children born of a _naturalized_ Mexican citizen, while Carlos is a citizen by Mexican birth. I believe--but please check-- that they should start at the local Registro Civil and the paperwork needed is 1) father's Mexican birth certificate, 2) Mom's and kids' U.S. birth certificates, translated (apostilled?), and perhaps the couple's marriage certificate, translated and apostilled, if not for this but for Carlos' Girl's immigration/naturalization. One might just go there first and inquire who does the translations because they have their favorites. In any case, I hope it goes better than when we attempted to get Mexican documents for our children at the L.A. consulate 20 years ago and, even after pointing out the article and clause of the Mexican constitution that clearly states children born abroad of Mexican citizens are also Mexican.... they told us to get lost.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

perropedorro said:


> This may not be correct. The link is applies to children born of a _naturalized_ Mexican citizen, while Carlos is a citizen by Mexican birth. I believe--but please check-- that they should start at the local Registro Civil and the paperwork needed is 1) father's Mexican birth certificate, 2) Mom's and kids' U.S. birth certificates, translated (apostilled?), and perhaps the couple's marriage certificate, translated and apostilled, if not for this but for Carlos' Girl's immigration/naturalization. One might just go there first and inquire who does the translations because they have their favorites. In any case, I hope it goes better than when we attempted to get Mexican documents for our children at the L.A. consulate 20 years ago and, even after pointing out the article and clause of the Mexican constitution that clearly states children born abroad of Mexican citizens are also Mexican.... they told us to get lost.


You are correct, but that category was the closest of those listed:
Trámites | gob.mx
They need to talk to SRE.


----------



## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

Finally found an answer from our Mexican SRE friends in Alaska:
consulmex.sre.gob.mx/anchorage
After explaining all the paperwork they want, it says that the process can be completed at a Mexican consulate abroad or _El Registro de Nacimiento de sus hijos también lo puede realizar en México_. The Carlos Family needs an Inserción de Acta Extranjera for each child, and they get it at the registro civil.
The other thing I was thinking was that their marriage certificate also needs to be validated and recorded for use in Mexico (assuming they were married in the U.S.). INM will want this for her residencia, which can lead to natualization in two years.


----------



## Carlos' Girl (Jan 26, 2016)

Thank you so much for the links and starting point. My husband has not lived in Mexico since he was 11 years old, and he is as unfamiliar with all of this as I am. Not speaking enough Spanish puts a damper on some of my information gathering, but with a place to start, he should be able to get us going now.  Yes, we were married in the US, so we will need to take care of that, too, and I had read some about the two year process for my process, but can I get more information on that with the Registro Civil also?

Again, thanks so much for your help!


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

perropedorro said:


> Finally found an answer from our Mexican SRE friends in Alaska:
> consulmex.sre.gob.mx/anchorage
> After explaining all the paperwork they want, it says that the process can be completed at a Mexican consulate abroad or _El Registro de Nacimiento de sus hijos también lo puede realizar en México_. The Carlos Family needs an Inserción de Acta Extranjera for each child, and they get it at the registro civil.
> The other thing I was thinking was that their marriage certificate also needs to be validated and recorded for use in Mexico (assuming they were married in the U.S.). INM will want this for her residencia, which can lead to natualization in two years.


I am not sure PerroPedorro, but I think you can only get copies of existing documents from the Registro Civil. I think to establish the kids' Mexican nationality, you have to go to SRE. Maybe I am wrong.


----------



## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

TundraGreen said:


> I am not sure PerroPedorro, but I think you can only get copies of existing documents from the Registro Civil.


Not always, at least not as far as a marriage certificate, which they'll need for INM. Wife and I were married in the U.S. 25 years ago, recently got around to having it registered in Mexico (living in sin so long!). INM sent us to our local Registro Civil because I needed a Mexican marriage certificate for my RT and eventual naturalization. Her Mexican docs, my birth certificate, and our original apostilled & translated marriage doc and three trips later, we got a brand new Mexican marriage certificate, but with the original date, issued by the RC in a little town in Colima. It called for a new honeymoon.  
The link from the Anchorage consulate explained a similar procedure for births, i.e. a Mexican birth certificate would be issued at the local registro wherever they live. I think the SRE only gets involved, through its consulates, when applied for outside Mexico.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

perropedorro said:


> Not always, at least not as far as a marriage certificate, which they'll need for INM. Wife and I were married in the U.S. 25 years ago, recently got around to having it registered in Mexico (living in sin so long!). INM sent us to our local Registro Civil because I needed a Mexican marriage certificate for my RT and eventual naturalization. Her Mexican docs, my birth certificate, and our original apostilled & translated marriage doc and three trips later, we got a brand new Mexican marriage certificate, but with the original date, issued by the RC in a little town in Colima. It called for a new honeymoon.
> The link from the Anchorage consulate explained a similar procedure for births, i.e. a Mexican birth certificate would be issued at the local registro wherever they live. I think the SRE only gets involved, through its consulates, when applied for outside Mexico.


You are probably right. The only thing I know for sure is that, when you are located inside Mexico, SRE is where non-Mexicans go to get permission to buy property and SRE is where they go to apply for citizenship by naturalization. That is the extent of my personal experience.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

perropedorro said:


> Not always, at least not as far as a marriage certificate, which they'll need for INM. Wife and I were married in the U.S. 25 years ago, recently got around to having it registered in Mexico (living in sin so long!). INM sent us to our local Registro Civil because I needed a Mexican marriage certificate for my RT and eventual naturalization. Her Mexican docs, my birth certificate, and our original apostilled & translated marriage doc and three trips later, we got a brand new Mexican marriage certificate, but with the original date, issued by the RC in a little town in Colima. It called for a new honeymoon.
> The link from the Anchorage consulate explained a similar procedure for births, i.e. a Mexican birth certificate would be issued at the local registro wherever they live. I think the SRE only gets involved, through its consulates, when applied for outside Mexico.


PS
Congratulations on your 25 years of marriage. My ex-wife and I were married for 25 years. Next year will be our 25th year divorced. We are planning on celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary together.


----------



## Howler (Apr 22, 2013)

TundraGreen said:


> You are probably right. The only thing I know for sure is that, when you are located inside Mexico, SRE is where non-Mexicans go to get permission to buy property and SRE is where they go to apply for citizenship by naturalization. That is the extent of my personal experience.


It's kinda strange that the process doesn't seem so complicated doing it from abroad in the US. We've inquired & would like to do the same with our kids in the consulate here, but they are "too busy" to make the time to go with us. My oldest daughter took care of that, by herself, in the Phoenix consulate / embassy a couple of months ago. She was born in Veracruz, then we registered her in both the registro civil, then later in the US embassy in el DF.

It seems that in having to do any Mexican bureaucratic paperwork or process, it was always easier dealing with it from here, than when in Mexico... I wonder why??? :confused2:


----------



## Howler (Apr 22, 2013)

TundraGreen said:


> PS
> Congratulations on your 25 years of marriage. My ex-wife and I were married for 25 years. Next year will be our 25th year divorced. We are planning on celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary together.


You're too funny!! Glad you guys are good enough terms to do something like that... I imagine the rest of your family will be involved, too? (After all, a party is a PARTY!! arty: :rockon: )


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Howler said:


> You're too funny!! Glad you guys are good enough terms to do something like that... I imagine the rest of your family will be involved, too? (After all, a party is a PARTY!! arty: :rockon: )


I think both my kids, their spouses and maybe the grandkid will all be here. The invitations will read "25 years mostly happily married, 25 years mostly happily divorced."


----------



## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

TundraGreen said:


> I think both my kids, their spouses and maybe the grandkid will all be here. The invitations will read "25 years mostly happily married, 25 years mostly happily divorced."


I love it! Great attitude and sense of humor you've maintained through the ups and downs.


----------



## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

TundraGreen said:


> You are probably right. The only thing I know for sure is that, when you are located inside Mexico, SRE is where non-Mexicans go to get permission to buy property and SRE is where they go to apply for citizenship by naturalization. That is the extent of my personal experience.


I read a news article in a local TJ newspaper on-line about 1 year ago that stated that the Mexican SRE office in TJ were speeding up the process for US born citizens to Mexican National parents/parent to get their citizenship in Mexico finallized from many months to 3 or so weeks under the "Programa Paisano."


----------



## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

TundraGreen said:


> You are probably right. The only thing I know for sure is that, when you are located inside Mexico, SRE is where non-Mexicans go to get permission to buy property and SRE is where they go to apply for citizenship by naturalization. That is the extent of my personal experience.


I believe pedropedorro is correct about the “Inserción de Acta Extranjera" at the local Registro Civil. It's mentioned as an "in Mexico" alternative on the Mexican Consulate websites I've checked (including Consulates located in both US and Canada). For kids born in the US, their US birth certificates need to be apostllled. Canada does not use the apostlle system.

I recommend starting at the local Registro Civil, and ask them for a detailed list of requirements to do the “Inserción de Acta Extranjera", including who they recognize as official translators for the foreign birth certificate and how many copies of the various documents you need to bring with you. One source said the Mexican parent's birth certificate needs to be a recently obtained copy. Also, remember that often the government office will keep the both the originals and copies of these documents. 



TundraGreen said:


> ... SRE is where non-Mexicans go to get permission to buy property ...


Interestingly, I needed no governmental permission to buy property in Tepoztlan. I specifically asked the municipal official who registered our purchase about this and was told it was not needed. I was on a tourist permit. Maybe this was because I bought the property in conjunction with my Mexican husband, maybe it varies by state. Does anyone know why TG needed permission and I didn't?


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

ojosazules11 said:


> I believe pedropedorro is correct about the “Inserción de Acta Extranjera" at the local Registro Civil. It's mentioned as an "in Mexico" alternative on the Mexican Consulate websites I've checked (including Consulates located in both US and Canada). For kids born in the US, their US birth certificates need to be apostllled. Canada does not use the apostlle system.
> 
> I recommend starting at the local Registro Civil, and ask them for a detailed list of requirements to do the “Inserción de Acta Extranjera", including who they recognize as official translators for the foreign birth certificate and how many copies of the various documents you need to bring with you. One source said the Mexican parent's birth certificate needs to be a recently obtained copy. Also, remember that often the government office will keep the both the originals and copies of these documents.
> 
> ...


In Guadalajara, Jalisco, the Notario Publico handling the transaction told me I needed a permit from SRE to buy a house. It was easy to get. They just wanted a copy of the compraventa (buy-sell contract) and about $5000 pesos.

If asked to guess, I would speculate that you didn't need it because your husband was Mexican rather than a state difference, since the permit comes from the federal government.


----------



## perropedorro (Mar 19, 2016)

> I needed no governmental permission to buy property in Tepoztlan. I specifically asked the municipal official who registered our purchase about this and was told it was not needed. I was on a tourist permit. Maybe this was because I bought the property in conjunction with my Mexican husband, maybe it varies by state. Does anyone know why TG needed permission and I didn't?


Don't know if this is still applicable, but Mexico had (or maybe even still has) a constitutional prohibition on foreigners owning land within 50 km or the coast or 100 km of an international border. It was gotten around through bank trust. Of course neither the state of Morelos nor Guadalajara is within that zone, so I've no idea why TG's purchase would have to have been approved. 15 years ago when we bought a beach lot in Colima it was far simpler to put in my Mexican wife's name, so I stayed out of it. Community property anyway.


----------

