Everything You Need to Know About Passports Issued by Mexico

Getting a passport from your home country is imperative if you ever want to travel outside your country of origin. Passports are globally-recognized forms of identification that allow citizens of different countries to move in and out of other countries.

For Mexican citizens, possessing a Mexican passport is required for people of any age who wish to leave and re-enter the country. Not only will you be unable to return to Mexico without a passport, but most countries will refuse your entry if you do not have a valid passport and visa when required.

Getting a passport requires some amount of work, but the process is fairly straightforward and easy to follow. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about getting your MX passport and how to properly use it.

Three Types of Mexican Passports

There are three types of passports created by the Mexican government: ordinary passports, diplomatic passports, and official passports. Ordinary passports are what most citizens will be applying for and the category we will dive into in this article. Diplomatic passports are for top-ranking government officials and Mexican diplomats and are only to be used when conducting official business. Official passports are issued to individuals that are representing the Mexican government.

How to Get a Passport from MX

If you have never held a passport before, you’ll need to submit the necessary documents and follow the steps to apply for a passport from the Mexican government. 

Make an appointment at your nearest Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE) delegation or SRE-affiliated office. It is free to make an appointment via phone at 1 (424) 309-0009 or on the website at https://citas.sre.gob.mx/.

Attend your scheduled appointment at the SRE you scheduled with.

During your appointment, you will be required to provide the following documentation: 

• Form OP-5 must be legibly and completely filled out to obtain an ordinary passport.
• Proof of your Mexican nationality such as a birth certificate, certificate of citizenship, or naturalization certificate.
• Documents proving your identity such as a Cédula de Identidad Ciudadana issued by the Secretaría de Gobernación, a voting card, a Mexican driver’s license, or a consular ID card.
• 2 passport photos taken no more than 30 days prior to your in-person appointment.

Complete your in-person appointment and pay the required fees. Fees vary based on the desired validity timeline. The cost, in MXN pesos, is as follows:

• 1-year passports (only for children under 3): $755
• 3-year passports: $1,470
• 6-year passports: $2,000
• 10-year passports: $3,505

Once the above steps are completed, you should receive your passport within the same day, barring any issues with your application. 

Information Included in MEX Passport

Mexican passports are dark green in color and are embossed with the Mexican Coat of Arms on the front cover. Each passport will have its own biographical information page and a signature page; the information page will have the unique information of the specific passport holder on it. This information includes a photo, full name, passport number, nationality, date of birth, and more.

There is biographical information embedded into the information page, with a hologram symbol in the middle and other symbols throughout the page. Some of these symbols can only be seen under a blacklight and are meant to prove the validity of the passport. Lastly, there is a machine-readable portion of the information page that can be scanned when passport holders travel through immigration checkpoints when entering or leaving the country.

Standard passports are filled with 32 pages meant to hold visas and stamps needed for travel. Each of these pages has the coat of arms from one of the 32 Mexican states.

The Power of a Mexican Passport

Because the Mexican passport grants its holders visa-free access to 162 countries around the globe, it is considered the 25^th strongest passport in the world. For Mexican passport holders, entry into countries such as the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Singapore can be done without the hassle of getting a visa. Still, other countries such as Australia, the United States, and Taiwan still require visas for entry. 

Validity & Renewal Information

If your passport needs to be renewed because it is about to expire, the steps are similar to the first application process. You’ll need to make a renewal appointment with the consular offices, attend the appointment in person, submit your current passport that needs to be renewed, and pay the fees outlined in the section above. 

For lost or stolen passports, a police report is required when attending your replacement appointment. The documents required to replace lost or stolen passports are the same documents required when first applying for an MX passport (see above).

Restrictions for Mexican Passport Holders

Mexican passports grant access to every country in the world, though some countries will require an additional visa process. The visa application processes are entirely dependent on the target country, so be sure to do ample research into the entry requirements of each country you plan on traveling to. Some countries that commonly require visas from those with MEX passports are the US, Australia, Taiwan, China, Mongolia, and Saudi Arabia.

Dual Citizenship Overview

Dual citizenship is the term for an arrangement between two countries, allowing one person to be considered a citizen of both. This is unique from country to country, but the US and Canada both have dual citizenship arrangements with Mexico. Residents of either country that were born in MX or are of Mexican descent, can apply for dual citizenship. 

You must meet a set of residency requirements outlined by the Mexican government and complete the application process. Once complete, you can work, easily own property, and vote in either country, depending on where you reside. It’s worth noting that the process for Mexicans to try and get dual citizenship in Canada or the US may be more complicated. 

Passports from MX are respected by many countries around the globe, allowing Mexican citizens visa-free access to many travel opportunities. The process is straightforward, there is no wait time after the completed application appointment, and the passport fees are manageable.