Embajada Consulado de Mexico The Matricula Consular

The Matricula Consular (Matricula), also referred to as the Certificate of Consular Registration, is a water-sealed photo identification card issued to Mexican citizens by the Mexican Government. Local offices of the Consulate General of Mexico facilitate this service in the United States.

The Matricula operates as a Mexican citizen's primary identification and proof of residency in Mexico. The Matricula card is a numbered document which evidences the date of issuance and an expiration date. The Matricula includes a picture, a signature, and a brief description of the individual it identifies (name, date, place of birth, and the address of the individual). Security features include lamination, a watermark and a magnetic strip. The Matricula is normally valid for a period of five years, but it may be issued for lesser terms as indicated by the expiration date.

HOW DOES SOMEONE OBTAIN A MATRICULA CARD?
To obtain a Matricula card, a Mexican national must complete an application form in person at any of the 47 consulate offices of the Government of Mexico within the United States. Applicants must submit a certified copy of a birth certificate, present an official picture ID issued by any Mexican or U.S. authority, and show proof of residence in the consular district by presenting a phone, rent or power bill.

What is the Matricula Consular Fact Sheet

What is the matricula consular?

A Matricula Consular is an official I.D. card, which is issued by the Mexican Government through its Consular Offices. The document ONLY proves that the bearer is of Mexican nationality and is living outside of Mexico.

Requirements to obtain the Matricula Consular:

Applicant must appear in person

Applicant must present an original birth certificate to prove Mexican nationality.

An official government issued photo I.D. to prove identity.

Proof of address (utility bill, lease, etc) under the same name.

Secondary requirements:

Telephone number

Next of kin information

If a married woman wishes to use her married name, she must present an original marriage certificate.

In case of a lost or stolen ID the applicant must also provide a police report in order to obtain a new Matricula Consular.

Procedure followed when issuing a Matricula Consular:

Information booth: the applicant receives the information regarding requirements (see 2 and 3 above) in order to obtain the Matricula Consular. If these requirements are provided, the applicant is then interviewed and the submitted documentation is verified. If all the documentation is correct the applicant receives an application and a control number.

Call window: A Consular Staff member calls the number issued, reviews the applicant’s documentation once again and interviews the applicant. Once the second verification has been completed the documents are processed along with the payment of the Matricula Consular (28 U.S. dollars). The applicant is to wait while the information is inputted into the MatriculaSystem.

Data Capturing: A Consular Staff member introduces the applicants’ information into the Matricula System. The system will let us know has already been issued a Matricula, and if so, the previously captured photograph will appear, which avoids duplicity. The Matricula System has the capacity to keep a record of documents issued to each individual.

Photograph and signature: Once the data is entered, a forth Consular Staff member calls the applicant and with him verifies that the information already in the system is correct. An important part of this process is the fact that before the picture is taken the applicant must once again show his official ID in order to avoid someone from passing himself off as someone else. Once this is done the picture is taken and the signature is digitalized. After this, the system assigns an individual number that will appear on the card.

Printing and finishing: As soon as the previous step is concluded, the matricula is digitally printed on a secure form. Special care must be taken to ensure that the applicant’s matricula is printed on the corresponding numbered form, since the number assigned by the system must match the one pre-printed on the secure form. After printing the matricula is then laminated, once again the lamination has the matricula number pre printed on it, so in the same fashion as before the matricula and the lamination must match.

Embajada Consulado de Mexico Consulate Offices in the USA United States The Matricula Consular