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Many people believe that by marrying a Mexican citizen, or by having children in Mexico, they can automatically receive Mexican nationality, as well as a Mexican passport and voter ID card.
According to the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, nationality can be acquired by birth or by naturalization, the process for which is explained in the latter case by the Nationality Law.
What is a naturalization certificate and what is it used for?
The naturalization certificate is the document issued to foreign citizens who demonstrate permanent residency in Mexican territory, by providing their **Secretariat of the Interior** card, in order to obtain Mexican nationality.
To do this, they must have remained in the country for the five years immediately preceding the date on which they submitted their application, as established by Article 20 of the Nationality Law and Article 14 of its corresponding Regulations.
**How to apply for a naturalization certificate? **
To apply for a naturalization certificate, you must take the following into account:
- Be of legal age and in full use of the civil rights granted by the Constitution.
- Submit to the appropriate authority **both the original and a copy of the DNN-3 application form, **which can be downloaded upon registration.
- Submit the original and two copies of the card issued by the Secretariat of the Interior.** **
- Obtain the **Unique Population Registry Code (CURP).**
- Submit the original and a copy of your foreign birth certificate, issued by the Civil Registry and legalized by a Mexican consular official, or apostilled by the competent authority.
- If the birth certificate is written in another language, it must be translated into Spanish by an expert translator**.**
- Those who have been recognized as refugees by the Secretariat of the Interior do not need to meet this requirement, and if they have their birth certificate, they only need to submit two simple copies of the document.
- Submit both the original and two legible photocopies of the pages of your foreign passport, or failing that, your valid identification document.
- In the event that the passport is currently valid, you must present a complete copy of the previous passport, or the migratory flow record from the **National Migration Institute.**
- Submit a letter along with two photocopies of it, **indicating the number of entries and exits made to and from Mexico in the two years preceding the submission of this application, in order to calculate absences during this time. **
- **Present a certificate or proof of no criminal record, **both in original and photocopy, issued by any competent local or federal authority.
- **Demonstrate **that you speak Spanish, have knowledge of Mexican history, and have integrated into the country's culture.
- Submit two color, passport-sized photos, measuring 4.5 x 3.5 cm, with a white background, without glasses, and with your head uncovered.
- A pair of printed copies of the Unique Population Registry Code (CURP).
- Submit the original and a copy of the payment receipt for the processing fees.
How to verify a naturalization certificate?
This is done with a certificate of no naturalization record, a document issued to anyone who needs to search for records within the archives of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs.
You are required to send an email to the address nacionalidad@sre.gob.mx, to which you must attach a series of documents in PDF format:
- A free-form, signed letter in which the interested party requests a search for the person for whom the certificate is needed, indicating the names by which the individual was known.
- A copy of the documents (birth certificate, marriage certificate, death certificate, immigration document, passport) that prove the relationship between the applicant and the person being searched for.
- A copy of the **valid official identification **of the person making the request.
- Proof of payment for the procedure.
- Upon meeting the aforementioned requirements, you will receive an acknowledgment of receipt
- via email. The document will be delivered within a maximum of three months, for which you will be notified via email of the appointment date to pick up the document.
**Types of naturalization certificates **
There are several types of naturalization certificates:
Naturalization certificate by residency
**Document issued to foreigners who can prove residency in Mexico, **with the card provided by the Secretariat of the Interior, to demonstrate temporary or permanent resident status for at least the five years preceding the date of the application.
**Naturalization certificate for having married a Mexican man or woman **
This is a document for a foreign citizen who marries a Mexican man or woman, and demonstrates permanent or temporary residency with the card granted by the Secretariat of the Interior for at least two years prior to the date of the application.
**Naturalization certificate for having children who are Mexican by birth **
Document issued to foreign nationals who have children born in Mexico and can prove at least two years of temporary or permanent residency in the country prior to this application, via the card issued by the Ministry of the Interior.
**Naturalization certificate for individuals from a Latin American country or the Iberian Peninsula**
Document issued to foreign nationals born in Latin America or the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain), who can demonstrate at least two years of temporary or permanent residency in Mexico prior to their application.
Essentially, the naturalization certificate is the document issued to foreign residents in Mexico to obtain Mexican nationality, provided they meet the aforementioned requirements.
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