Fees and steps checked on
Mexico certificate attestation is the process that lets a Mexican acta de nacimiento, acta de matrimonio, título, cédula-related record or federal certificate be accepted in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates. Mexico's quirk is that authentication is split by issuer. Federal documents go to SEGOB in Mexico City; state documents, including every civil registry acta, go to the government of the state that issued them. After that the UAE Embassy in Mexico City attests the document and MOFA attestation is the final stamp.
Price: Send a copy on WhatsApp and you get the total price plus VAT, all official fees included, before any work starts. See attestation fees.
Federal or state? Sort your documents first
| Your document | Issued by | Authenticated by |
|---|---|---|
| Acta de nacimiento, matrimonio, divorcio, defunción | State civil registry | Secretaría de Gobierno of that state |
| Título from a state university, state school certificates | State bodies | Usually the state government |
| Federal criminal record certificate | Federal authority | SEGOB, Dirección de Coordinación Política con los Poderes de la Unión |
| Títulos and records signed by federal authorities | Federal bodies | SEGOB |
| Notarial deeds and powers of attorney | Notario público (state-licensed) | State government |
If your file mixes a federal and a state document, they are two separate requests in Mexico. SEGOB has said its service needs no appointment or power of attorney, so a relative can go on your behalf.
Step by step for Mexico
- Get a current original from the civil registry, university or federal office.
- Mexican authentication at SEGOB or the state Secretaría de Gobierno, as in the table above. The exact form the UAE Embassy accepts for your document type is confirmed when you send a copy.
- UAE Embassy in Mexico City. The embassy lists attestation among its services for individuals.
- MOFA in the UAE, unless the embassy issues the digital attestation that already includes MOFA.
- Translation into English or Arabic, by a translator the receiving UAE authority accepts. See legal translation in Dubai.
What Mexicans in the UAE usually need
- A marriage acta to sponsor a spouse: marriage certificate attestation
- A birth acta for a child's visa or school place: birth certificate attestation
- A título and certificado de estudios for a skilled work permit: degree certificate attestation
- A federal criminal record certificate when an employer or authority asks for one from the home country. For the UAE version, see police clearance certificate in Dubai.
Fees
Every official fee and the courier are included in the total price you get before any work starts. That covers the Mexican state steps, the UAE mission and MOFA.
Doing it from the UAE
Mexican embassies and consulates abroad do not apostille or authenticate Mexican documents, so the step cannot be done in Abu Dhabi. The original travels to Mexico by courier or with a relative, and comes back attested.
A spouse or child with certificates from the USA needs that country's own chain: see USA certificate attestation.
Mexican problems we see
- Wrong office. A state acta sent to SEGOB is returned. Check the issuer first.
- Old acta copies. Some offices want a recently issued acta. Order a fresh one before starting.
- Two surnames. Mexican records show paternal and maternal surnames. If your passport shows only one, keep a passport copy with the file.
- Laminated originals. Not accepted for attestation.
For other Spanish-speaking countries, see Spain certificate attestation or attestation by country.
