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What is CURP in Mexico?

CURP Explained

The Unique Population Registry Code, better known as CURP, the acronym in Spanish, is used to individually register EVERYONE residing in Mexico. This includes all Mexican nationals, foreigners, and Mexicans living in other countries.

CURP Has 18 Alphanumeric Characters

The CURP contains 18 elements of an alphanumeric code. Of these, 16 are taken from the person’s ID (birth certificate, naturalization letter, immigration document or certificate of Mexican nationality), and the last two are assigned by the National Population Registry.

Last Name of Mother is Used in Latin America

Please note that in Mexico and every Spanish speaking country that I know of the last name of one’s father AND mother are used, unlike the US. Therefore, there are typically two last names for everyone.

Mother’s Last Name Used
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Example of CURP

To give you an example, we’ll use the name Daniela Salgado Briseño, born on June 26, 1976, in the Federal District, aka Mexico City.

  • First letter and vowel of the FIRST last name or father’s last name. In our example the first last name is Salgado, so it would be SA.
  • First letter of the SECOND last name or mother’s maiden name. In our example the second last name is Briseño, so it would be B. In my case I didn’t use my mother’s maiden name and was given an “X”.
  • First letter of the FIRST name. In our example the first name is Daniela, so it would be D.
  • Year of birth. Here one is given the last two digits of their year of birth. In our example the year of birth is 1976, therefore it would be 76.
  • Number of birth month. In our example the birth month is June so it would be 06. Note that a leading zero will preface the numerical equivalent of all single digit months prior to the 2-digit months of October, November and December.
  • Day of birth. In our example, the day of birth is on the 26th, so it would be 26. Here again all single digit days of birth (1-9) will be prefaced by a leading zero.
  • Gender. Here one will be assigned H for male (Hombre) and M for female (Mujer). In our example Daniela is a female so M would be assigned.
  • The abbreviation or code of the state where you were born. In our example Daniela was born in the Federal District, it’d be DF. You can check out the 2-character abbreviation of each state in Mexico on Wikipedia. For the purposes of CURP use the RENAPO column. Note that they’re still using old DF for the 2-character code for Mexico City and not the new CX. If one is a foreigner, the letter NE is assigned which is my case.
  • First internal consonant of the FIRST last name. In our example using Salgado the letter L would be assigned.
  • First internal consonant of the SECOND last name. In our example using Briseño the letter R would be used. In my case, I was given X since I didn’t use my mother’s maiden name.
  • The first internal consonant of the FIRST name. In our example with Daniela N would be assigned.
  • Number assigned based on the year 1999. The number ranges from 0 to 9 if you were born in 1999 or before. I’m not sure what protocol they follow to assign a number to a certain year, but that’s what it’s for.
  • People are assigned a letter of the alphabet if born in 2000 or later. In our example we know Daniela was born before 1999.
  • The last digit is a “check number” used to validate that nobody else shares the exact same data.
Example of CURP in Mexico using fictitious data and name of Daniela Salgado Briseño.
The Clave in this fictitious example is based on the info above provided by “Daniela”. Only the last two digits “59” were randomly entered.
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To apply for the CURP, present a document proving your identity such as a birth certificate, certificate of Mexican nationality, immigration document or naturalization letter and a valid government photo ID. Most foreigners use a passport, and most nationals use an INE. In my case I wasn’t required to find an “original” of my birth certificate. A copy sufficed.

Once you have your CURP, you can access it through the Mexican government’s official website gob.mx/curp/

CURP is Used Everywhere!

  • To carry out immigration procedures
  • To process other documents, such as birth certificates, other ID, school records, vaccination cards
  • To access other government services
  • Obtain a passport
  • Register for military service
  • Open a bank account
  • Get driver’s license
  • Sign up for cell phone service
  • Secure health insurance
  • To carry out SAT procedures

If your CURP contains erroneous data, go to the CURP office with proper ID and inform someone of the mistake.