How I got Dual Nationality For My Family.

If you are of Mexican descent, dual citizenship is your birth right. I was born in the U.S. but acquiring Mexican Nationality was something I had long wanted to do. It was always in the back of my head as something my parents would have loved to see too. When the threat to people of Latin and Hispanic descent increased here in the U.S. and the kidnapping of our people in broad daylight became increasingly brazen, life in turn, also became increasingly scary. Suddenly this matter that sat in the back waiting, became a higher priority. Especially in the event we had to flee our country, something that was / is very shockingly, feasible. If you or any of your friends are first or second generation U.S. Citizens, and have skin that was kissed by the sun, you can be certain they too have thought of a “worst case scenario” escape plan. Making our dual nationality official gave us peace of mind that we could potentially have a second home in Mexico. Somewhere we already felt so connected to.

Other than a cool “world traveler” status, having Mexican dual nationality gives you full citizenship rights in Mexico while allowing you keep your existing citizenship. Per the internet, here are some of the perks to being a Mexican National…

Property and Land Ownership

• No Restricted Zones: Foreigners cannot directly buy land within 62 miles of the border or 31 miles of the coast and must use a bank trust. Dual citizens can own coastal and border properties directly.
• No Foreign Fees: You enter the country as a national and skip the special foreign registration taxes. You also skip the added closing costs when buying real estate or vehicles.

Travel and Mobility

• Visa-Free Travel: A Mexican passport grants visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to roughly 150 to 160 countries.
• Indefinite Stays: You can live, work, retire, or enter and exit Mexico at any time without tourist permits, visa renewals, or length-of-stay limits.

Work, Business, and Finance

• Unrestricted Employment: You can work legally anywhere in Mexico without needing a work visa.
• Business Ownership: You can start and operate local companies or hold corporate stock without foreign equity caps.
• Banking Services: You gain full access to local bank accounts, mortgages, credit cards, and high-yield savings certificates without extra foreign-reporting hurdles.

Healthcare and Education

• Affordable Healthcare: You can enroll in public healthcare systems like IMSS or ISSSTE at low-cost rates.
• Subsidized Education: You can attend public schools, trade schools, and state universities as a citizen, including access to low-cost tuition and scholarship programs.

Family and Civic Rights

• Generational Transmission: You can automatically pass Mexican citizenship down to your children. (I will touch on this later too!)
• Civic Participation: You can obtain a voter ID (credencial para votar), vote in elections, and run for public office in Mexico (note that specific local IDs may have distinct registration limits if held strictly as a Declaration of Mexican Nationality rather than full citizenship by birth/naturalization).

Now I consider myself proficient in the Spanish language. I may have a “pocha” accent but I understand perfectly. Maybe I can’t fire off a response as quick as a native Mexican born, but this Chicana can hold her own… until, I opened the Mexican government website. I spent weeks attempting to get an appointment trying to figure out exactly what I needed. I ended up giving up and paying DNE to do the legwork for me. I am here today because, I don’t want YOU to give up! I am here to help and maybe (hopefully!) save you a couple hundred bucks. If not, at least saving you time and stress of figuring it out on your own. I hit all the roadblocks so that you can have smooth sailing into dual nationality. I am going to tell you your options and what you’ll need to get this done.  Here are your options….

1. IF YOU HAVE TIME. If you have the time to spend an ENTIRE TWO (2) Days at your local Mexican Consulate, this will be the most affordable option to your pocketbook. You will need your birth certificate, at least one of your parents birth certificates showing their Mexican nationality and your US passport for identification. If you are married and have changed your name since birth, you will also need your marriage certificate. Next find your local Mexican Consulate. Here in Los Angeles, you can go to… Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles, CA | Address & Appointments LISTEN TO ME. **The best and fastest way to make an appointment is through their WhatsApp number. Here I’ll save you the click…  +1 (424) 309-0009 

Only call when you have your documents ready to go. Beware sometimes the appointments are for that week. You need this initial appointment to submit all your paperwork and petition your dual nationality. They will give you your second appointment in office if you have all your documents in order and can move on with the process. *Note: Your parents name MUST match EXACTLY. If they don’t, just move to option 2.

2. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME OR YOU HAVE AN ANOMALY ON YOUR DOCUMENTS... If time is money and you don’t have the time to spend, maybe you simply don’t want to spend the two days at your local consulate, OR if your parents name does not match your birth certificate (very common! IE. My MIL name was listed on her birth certificate as “Ma.” Her son’s birth certificate listed her name as “Maria”. Not a match!) you can still get your dual nationality – the easiest way! Hire a legal service provider that specializes in dual nationality. I picked DNExpress, because someone I trusted used it successfully I decided to take that leap. ( I know, its scary sending off sensitive documents. You can use whatever service you’d like. I’m just telling you who I used. This is not an ad.) Anyway, I turned in all my documents to them and since I was already sending in all of my moms paperwork, I sent in my siblings paperwork too! Three birds with one slice of bread! A couple of months later, all of my documents and my new CURP was mailed to me! They mailed my siblings paperwork straight to them. My case was very easy and straightforward.  In the case of my husband, he tried to settle it himself and ended up wasting 3 days at the consulate. He finally (listened to me!) and just paid DNE to take care of the whole ordeal for him. They fixed the name on his birth certificate, updated his moms and submitted all the paperwork for him. Two or three months later, his CURP arrived in the mail too. It was a little pricier for all the extras but honestly, it saves so much time and stress if you don’t mind the hefty fee.

 

If you went with option 1… You will need to attend a second appointment to receive your new CURP number and to make you and official Mexican national. If you would like to get a passport you can try to do it right after you receive it. SOMETIMES they will take walk up appointments for a passport if you are already in the consulate and it is early enough. But more likely you will need to schedule another appointment for your passport.

 

For both option 1 & 2 … If you want a Mexican passport, you will need to book another appointment. Use the WhatsApp number to book your appointment. Take all of your documents with you to the appointment! Once you are there, they will give you an option of 1, 2 or 10 year passport. You pick one and they start the process while you spend yet another day in the consulate waiting room. This one, there is no escaping you must do this in person. The appointment is a little shorter and should only take 3 or 4 hours. When your passport is ready you move to the line to pay and receive your new Mexican passport!

You can pass your Mexican nationality on to your kids.

Once my CURP was secured, and I had my passport in hand, passing it on to my kids was much easier. By this time, I had done more research, chatted with those in the know, ** Shout out to Retache Media for the huge help! Mariano is a wealth of knowledge on all things MX and filled with great resources for returnees.** I was able to book the kids first appointment right away using the consulate’s WhatsApp number. Going into the initial appointment where you are turning in your paperwork to request your child’s CURP, your child (or children) do NOT need to be present. At that appointment they will give you a day and time for the second appointment. It is at the second appointment that the kids and the sponsoring parent(s) must be present.

Hot Mama Tip: You cannot bring liquids into the consulate building but I highly suggest bringing snacks and entertainment. It is a very long wait for the kids in a very boring waiting room. Once that is done, and you receive their CURP you can move forward with acquiring your child’s passport.

When I started this journey, I was looking for anything and everything that might help me figure it out. I hope this information helps you in your Dual Nationality journey! If you have any questions, drop them in the comments. I am happy to help!