General Information.

Children born overseas to a Mexican mother and/or father (by birth or naturalisation), regardless of whether they are minors or adults, have the right to claim Mexican citizenship. Birth registration and certified copies of birth certificates can be processed at the Embassy of Mexico

Birth Registration for children (registration made by the parents)

Original and two photocopies of each of the following documents (with the exception of the birth registration form):

  1. Birth Registration Form.
  2. Australian birth certificate of child. If the applicant (child) was not born in Australia, the birth certificate must be apostilled or legalised (as appropriate) by the issuing authorities. If it was not issued in either English or Spanish, it also must be translated into Spanish. Please contact the consular authorities from the issuing country to learn the process to legalise or get an apostille of the document.
  3. ID of the applicant (child). If the applicant is a child under 7 years of age and has no ID, a letter from a doctor or school can be accepted as a form of identification. The letter should follow this example. For children under 10 years of age, the letter can also be issued by their school following the same example.
  4. Official photo identification of both parents, preferably a current passport. The names of the Mexican parent(s) must match those on their Mexican birth certificates. If the parent has changed their name (i.e., adopted their spouse’s surname in Australia), evidence must be provided to show the official name change (for example, change of name certificate or marriage certificate). Mexican parents must identify themselves as Mexican nationals, regardless of whether or not they have a second nationality.
  5. Mexican birth certificate of the Mexican mother or father (or both, if they are Mexican). The birth certificate must be the original document issued by the Civil Registry or a printed version of a birth certificate downloaded from Yes .
  6. Marriage certificate of the parents (if applicable). If the marriage certificate was not issued in Mexico or Australia, it must be apostilled or legalised (as appropriate) by the issuing authorities and translated into Spanish or English by an accredited translator. Please contact the consular authorities from the issuing country to learn the process to legalise or get an apostille of the document.
  7. Official photo identification of two witnesses. If witnesses cannot be present, embassy personnel can act as witnesses. If this is the case, you must request this service in advance.

 

Birth Registration for adults (registration made by the applicant)  

Original and two photocopies of each of the following documents (with the exception of the birth registration form)

  1. Birth Registration Form.
  2. Australian birth certificate of the applicant. If the applicant was not born in Australia, the birth certificate must be apostilled or legalised (as appropriate) by the issuing authorities. If it was not issued in either English or Spanish, it also must be translated into Spanish. Please contact the consular authorities from the issuing country to learn the process to legalise or get an apostille of the document.
  3. Foreign passport of the applicant. The names must match those on the original birth certificate.
  4. Mexican birth certificate of the Mexican mother or father (or both if they are Mexican). The birth certificate must be the original document issued by the Civil Registry or a printed version of a birth certificate downloaded from TU ACTA.
  5. Marriage certificate of the parents (if applicable). If the marriage certificate was not issued in Mexico or Australia, it must be apostilled or legalised (as appropriate) by the issuing authorities and translated into Spanish or English by an accredited translator. Please contact the consular authorities from the issuing country to learn the process to legalise or get an apostille of the document.
    If the parents were not married at the time of the applicant’s birth, the father will have to grant a Special Power of Attorney (POA) authorising the registration with his surname. This document will have to be issued by a Mexican Public Notary or by an Embassy or Consulate of Mexico. Please, check with the Consular Section of this Embassy about the characteristics that this document must have.
  6. Official photo identification of two witnesses. If witnesses cannot be present, embassy personnel can act as witnesses. If this is the case, you must request this service in advance.

 

Birth Registration for children of same sex parents or from assisted reproduction (registration made by the parents)

The requirements may vary depending on the conception method used and/or the specific circumstances of each case. Please contact the Consular Section (Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo.) to learn more about the documentation needed. You will be required to email the same documents stated above for the birth registration for children, along with additional documentation regarding your specific situation.

 

  1. Email your documents to the Embassy
    Email a scanned copy of your documents to Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo. for review. Please indicate that you are applying for a birth certificate/registration. The documents must be under 10 MB and in PDF or JPG format only (no ZIP documents).
  2. Wait for verification of documents
    As soon as your documentation is reviewed and verified as having met the requirements, you will receive an email confirming your appointment.
  3. Attend the appointment in person
    On the day of the appointment, you must bring with you both an original and two sets of copies of all the required documents to the Embassy of Mexico in Australia (14 Perth Ave., Yarralumla, ACT 2600). The attendance of the parents, the applicant and the witnesses are essential. For adults, the attendance of the applicant and witnesses is mandatory.
  4. Wait for processing
    A certified copy of the certificate is issued on the day of registration.

The birth registration and the first certified copy of the birth certificate are free. Additional certified copies can be requested by paying a fee for each copy (see the current fees here).

Birth registration takes approximately two hours. If a passport is required the same day, please allow an additional 40 minutes.

To apply for the Mexican Passport on the same day as birth registration, all registration and passport documents must be emailed together. The rest of the passport requirements are available here. Please let the Embassy staff know beforehand if you intend to apply for your child’s passport, for your own passport or for any additional documents such as visas.

 

The names of the applicant registered at the Embassy of Mexico must be in accordance with Mexican law as follows: Name + father’s surname + mother’s surname, regardless of whether Australian records only use one surname or whether surnames in the Australian birth certificate appear in a different order or were linked by a dash.

 

If my children were born in Australia, do they have Australian citizenship?
Not necessarily. According to Australian legislation, only the children of an Australian parent or a permanent resident of Australia have the right to Australian citizenship if they are born in Australia. This means that children of visitors or temporary residents in Australia, including students, are not entitled to the Australian citizenship simply by being born in the country.

Does the Australian birth certificate need to have two surnames?
Ideally it must contain both last names (paternal and maternal), so that the name of the registrant is the same in official documents in both Australia and Mexico. However, it is common that Australian birth certificates only include the father’s surname.

Please keep in mind that if the names in the Mexican and Australian birth certificates don’t match, the applicant will have a “double identity” (two official names for the same person). To avoid confusion and problems confirming identity in the future, it is recommended to avoid having a “double identity” whenever possible or, at the very least, to keep the identity documents with both names (ideally passports) updated at all times.

Can my child have only one last name on the Mexican birth certificate?
Yes. However, this process cannot be done at the embassy because paternal and maternal last names would be registered in accordance with Mexican law.

To get a Mexican certificate with only one surname, you must register the Australia birth certificate in an Office of Civil Registry in Mexico. The process is called “inscription of foreign birth certificate” and the requirements differ from state to state. As a point of reference, at the very least, it is necessary to submit an apostille of an Australian birth certificate (see: Documents we can legalise) and a certified translation into Spanish. Valid identification and proof of citizenship of the parents must also be presented.

All the information from the foreign birth certificate will be included in the Mexican birth certificate. No modifications will be made, meaning the name of the registrant, the parents and any other information that the original certificate has, will not be changed. Please contact the Civil Registry Office in Mexico in which you wish to register the birth, as there might be additional requirements and not all Offices may be able to do this process.

Do both parents, the registrant and the witness need to be present?
Yes. Parents need to accompany children. As the birth certificate requires a fingerprint from the registrant, signature of the parents and of the witnesses, the parents’ attendance at the Embassy is absolutely essential. However, it is possible to request that the embassy function as a witness.

In cases of applicants aged 18 and older, they can register without the presence of parents. However, they must comply with the rest of the requirements.

Is there any way to process a birth registration in another city?
Birth registration can only be performed at the Embassy of Mexico, Canberra, or in the mobile Mexican consulate, which operates once or twice per year. If you cannot travel to Canberra and have an urgent need of the registration, please, contact the Consular Section of this Embassy.

Can I register my child if I am a single mother?
Yes. You must comply with the rest of the requirements that are mentioned above. To be registered as the child of a single mother, the registrant must keep both surnames of the mother, even if the Australian birth certificate mentions the name of the father. If the child was born while you were married to the father, you can also register your child with the father’s surname, even if the father is unable to attend the appointment. Please contact the consular section to learn more.

Can I request in Mexico the birth registration of my children born in Australia?
Yes. The process is known as “Inscription of foreign birth certificate in the Civil Registry in Mexico’’ (Inscripción del acta de nacimiento extranjera en el Registro Civil de México). To find out more about the process and requirements, it is suggested that you contact the office of the Civil Registry in Mexico. As a point of reference, it is necessary to submit an apostille of an Australian birth certificate (see: Documents we can legalise) and a certified translation into Spanish, in addition to presenting identification and proof of citizenship of the parents. All the information included in the foreign birth certificate will be included in the Mexican birth certificate. No modifications will be made, meaning the name of the registrant, the parents, and any other information included in the original certificate will not be changed. Therefore, if the birth certificate only includes the last name of the registrant or does not include the complete names of the parents, this will be reflected in Mexican law and it will not be possible to change it.

Please contact the Civil Registry Office in Mexico in which you wish to register the birth, as there might be additional requirements and not all Offices may be able to do this process.

 


 

Contact

Consular Section

Embassy of Mexico in Australia

Address: 14 Perth Avenue, Yarralumla, ACT 2600
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Phone: +61 (02) 6273 3963