How do I become a citizen of Mexico?

You could become a citizen of Mexico in a number of ways. The easiest way we’ve done it for our clients is if your parents were Mexican or your grandparents were Mexican. For example, a girl came to me who is studying medicine at the medical school here in Guadalajara.  Her last name was Martinez or Ramirez and she said, “I’m having trouble here with my tourist visa. My university wants me to have a student visa but the consulate in San Diego gave me problems...

You could become a citizen of Mexico in a number of ways. The easiest way we’ve done it for our clients is if your parents were Mexican or your grandparents were Mexican. For example, a girl came to me who is studying medicine at the medical school here in Guadalajara.  Her last name was Martinez or Ramirez and she said, “I’m having trouble here with my tourist visa. My university wants me to have a student visa but the consulate in San Diego gave me problems because the university didn’t do the letter right.”

 

I said, “You’re a Martinez.  Aren’t you Mexican?”

 

She said, “No, I was born in California.”

 

“What about your mom?”

 

“She was born in California, too”

 

“What about your grandma?”

 

“Oh, grandma was born in Mexico.”

 

I said, “Okay, I’m going to make your mom Mexican through your grandma and then I’m going to make you Mexican through your mom.”

 

“I have a daughter.  Can I make her Mexican too?”

 

I said, “Sure.” So I made everybody Mexican and now she’s a citizen and doesn’t have to worry about the tourist issue every 6 months or being a temporary resident. That’s one option people have if they have that lineage, although it is subject to some restrictions. They want the person getting citizenship from the Mexican national to turn up a copy of their ID. So if someone’s deceased or they have lived in the US for 60 years and they have no Mexican ID they’ll have to get one in the Mexican consulate so that we can register them in Mexico.

 

For the average people who come to Mexico, there are three ways to get citizenship. One is through living here the required amount of time either as a temporary or a permanent resident. So if you live in Mexico as a foreigner for 5 years as a temporary or a permanent resident then you can apply for Mexican citizenship. Student visas do not count towards those 5 years. If you’re from a Latin American country or Spain then instead of having to live in Mexico five years, it’s only two years. They’ll make you take a test if you’re under 60 years old. It’s multiple choice and you will have to speak enough basic Spanish where you can talk to the person at exterior relations and be able to hold a conversation with them. The only odd part is they have a new guy working there who talks with a lisp and many of my elderly clients had quite a time understanding his Spanish.

 

Another way to get citizenship is if you have a Mexican child. In that case the time period is two years, be it temporary or permanent resident. 

 

The final option is two years for marriage with a Mexican citizen, along with being a temporary or permanent resident.    

 

(The mother of actress Catherine Bach of the television series The Dukes of Hazzard was of Mexican descent, pictured.)

n order to have Mexican nationality (being a citizen of Mexico), you need to pass through a long and deep process, which is called the Naturalization Process. In order to be a national you need to have substantial knowledge of general Mexican culture, you need to speak fluent Spanish, and you need to pass certain exams. Then you could be a Mexican national but not just a citizen. 

 

You could be a citizen of Mexico by just having a permanent residency....

n order to have Mexican nationality (being a citizen of Mexico), you need to pass through a long and deep process, which is called the Naturalization Process. In order to be a national you need to have substantial knowledge of general Mexican culture, you need to speak fluent Spanish, and you need to pass certain exams. Then you could be a Mexican national but not just a citizen. 

 

You could be a citizen of Mexico by just having a permanent residency. While in Mexico, what would be the difference? If you’re just a resident but not a Mexican national, you will always be a foreigner with a permit to reside in the country. When you’re a Mexican national, you can vote, you can exercise other Mexican national rights, which are more political.  

 

We have the double nationality as well because the US and the Mexico have an international treaty allowing for dual nationality so you could have both passports.

 

There are several benefits to being a Mexican national, Including you don’t need to renew any other residency documents, you can own land here without restriction, and you could vote, and you would be eligible to participate in the healthcare system.

 

(Pictured: Mexican revolutionaries in the south of Mexico.)

There are several ways to become a Mexican citizen. One is if you’re a child from a Mexican mother or a father or both. Two is if you have any children that are Mexican by first degree. For example, if you’re a foreigner but your child was born in Mexico, which means through your child you can get a Mexican citizenship. The other one is if you don’t have Mexican relatives, depending on your age you have to wait between 2 or 3 years of being a Residente Permanente in...

There are several ways to become a Mexican citizen. One is if you’re a child from a Mexican mother or a father or both. Two is if you have any children that are Mexican by first degree. For example, if you’re a foreigner but your child was born in Mexico, which means through your child you can get a Mexican citizenship. The other one is if you don’t have Mexican relatives, depending on your age you have to wait between 2 or 3 years of being a Residente Permanente in order to have a Mexican citizenship. 

 

If you’re less than 60 years old, you will have to do a Mexican test with all the history and the most important holidays such as the Independence Day, and to know the National Anthem. If you are more than 60 years old, you don’t have to do no test and you don’t have to know the National Anthem. The process usually takes between 3 months to 6 months.

 

(George W. Romney, businessman and former governor of Michigan, born in a Mormon colony in Mexico, pictured.)

It isn’t difficult to become a citizen of Mexico. We are a very warm people. We like having more Mexicans. We open the doors for you. It’s a simple process if you have everything in order.

 

You’ll need your birth certificate apostolized and translated. You’ll need to prove to the Mexican government you lived in Mexico for the correct amount of time. If you’re from Canada or the United States, it’s 5 consecutive...

It isn’t difficult to become a citizen of Mexico. We are a very warm people. We like having more Mexicans. We open the doors for you. It’s a simple process if you have everything in order.

 

You’ll need your birth certificate apostolized and translated. You’ll need to prove to the Mexican government you lived in Mexico for the correct amount of time. If you’re from Canada or the United States, it’s 5 consecutive years.  You’ll need your criminal records from the state where you’re living. If you live in Chapala, it’s the state of Jalisco.  You’ll also need your federal criminal record, for which you would have to go to Mexico City.

 

You take a small test if you’re under 65; six questions, but they’re very generic in Spanish, and you’ll have an interview, and you pay roughly 5,000 pesos (roughly US $270) to the Mexican government.  The process is between 3 to 6 months.

 

This is if you go through it without having any ties to Mexico. What do I mean with having ties to Mexico? If you did not marry a Mexican citizen, if your children are not Mexican, if your grandfather isn’t Mexican, those are the ties. If there is a family member who is Mexican and if you’re going through the naturalization process through them, it’s less expensive and much easier. It’s the same steps, however, there are no tests, and the cost is roughly 2,000 pesos (roughly $110).

 

( Beach on the Riviera Maya, Mexico, pictured. )