- Consular ID cards and passports issued by the Foreign Ministry will be accepted as official identification in banking and credit institutions in Mexico
- The Foreign Ministry will validate the information without sharing personal information with the banks
The Foreign Ministry and Bank of Mexico (Banxico) signed a collaboration agreement today that enables banking and credit institutions in Mexico to verify valid passports and consular ID cards online, in real time and securely, allowing Mexicans to use them as identification when carrying out financial operations.
If an individual uses a passport or consular ID card as identification in a bank, the banking institution will access an online system to request that the Foreign Ministry verify the information and biometrics in its database. The information will be kept confidential. No biographical or biometric data will be shared and at no time will a parallel database be created, in strict compliance with the General Law for the Protection of Personal Data Held by Obligated Parties. Banks and credit institutions should be able to accept passports and consular ID cards as identification by March 1, once the necessary technical work and tests have been completed.
Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard led the ceremony announcing the news. He said that Mexico's passports and consular ID cards meet the highest international security standards, which make them reliable and secure documents. Banxico's Director General for Legal Affairs, Luis Urrutia, said that acceptance of consular identification cards in banks would make it easier for Mexicans living abroad to carry out banking operations. The Chief Officer for North America, Roberto Velasco, thanked those involved in the Foreign Ministry and Banxico who worked for more than two years to achieve the compatibility of the computer systems of both institutions.
The agreement fulfills one of the commitments made by the Foreign Ministry to the Mexican communities abroad under the 2022-2024 Action Plan, in line with the instructions of President López Obrador. The plan establishes that the Foreign Ministry will promote the acceptance of consular ID cards and the e-Passport as official identification, both in Mexico and abroad. With this step, the Foreign Ministry reaffirms its commitment to the well-being and financial integration of all Mexicans, especially those living outside of national territory.
Also participating in the event were the head of the Administration and Finance Unit, Moisés Poblanno; the Director General of Consular Protection and Strategic Planning, Vanessa Calva Ruiz; the Director General of Consular Services, Jaime Vázquez Bracho; and the Director General of Passport Offices, Carlos Candelaria. The Bank of Mexico was represented by Ángel Melesio Fuentes, Director of Payment Systems and Market Infrastructure Operations; and Othón Martino Moreno González, Director of Payment Systems and Market Infrastructure Policy and Studies.
