Mexico, Processes - understand-culture

The Certificate That Does Not Expire

In August 2022, Expansión reported the position of the Ministry of the Interior: “El acta de nacimiento no tiene vigencia” (The birth certificate has no expiry). The same article noted that some government procedures still ask for a birth certificate issued on a defined date.

In July 2026, Expansión returned to the question. Mexico City and Oaxaca said that their procedures would not require recent copies. The newspaper also reported that since April, the state government of Michoacán had required a copy less than two years old.

The Month of the Will

Every September since 2003, Mexico’s Ministry of the Interior and the country’s notaries have run the campaign “Septiembre, Mes del Testamento” (September, Month of the Will). During the month, notaries extend their hours, open on Saturdays and offer discounts of up to 50 percent on wills. (Video in Spanish.)

In 2025, Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez called the will “el último acto de amor y responsabilidad para heredar tranquilidad y no problemas” (the last act of love and responsibility, so as to leave peace of mind and not problems). Each will is reported to a national register of will notices run by her ministry.

Billions of Invoices

Since 2014, the electronic invoice, the CFDI, has been mandatory in Mexico. In 2016, Expansión reported that Mexico was the second-largest issuer of electronic invoices, with more than 420 million a month and 5,000 million a year. The figures came from an industry association, AMEXIPAC.

The Tax Certificate Rush

In 2022, some Mexican employers told their staff to bring a Constancia de Situación Fiscal, a certificate of tax status issued by the tax authority SAT.

According to the tax news site El Contribuyente, some companies warned that workers who did not deliver it would not be paid. Hundreds of taxpayers “hicieron filas en las oficinas del SAT por varias horas” (stood in line at SAT offices for hours). (Video in Spanish.)

In July 2022, SAT head Raquel Buenrostro said that the agency had never asked for the certificate, according to IDC Online. The certificate contains data, such as the postal code, that the SAT would check on payroll receipts.

The Administrative Record

Article 46 Bis of Mexico’s law for federal government workers sets out what happens when a worker may be dismissed for cause. The head of the office “procederá a levantar acta administrativa” (shall proceed to draw up an administrative record), with the worker and a representative of the union taking part.

The record “se firmará por los que en ella intervengan y por dos testigos de asistencia” (shall be signed by those who take part in it and by two attending witnesses). A copy must be handed to the worker and another to the union representative on the spot. If the case goes to the labor court, the record and the documents attached to it are the basis of the action.

Written and Signed by Hand

Article 3 of Mexico’s Federal Law of Administrative Procedure lists the requirements of an administrative act. Among them, an act must be issued “por escrito y con la firma autógrafa de la autoridad que lo expida” (in writing and with the handwritten signature of the authority that issues it), unless a law allows another form. It must also state the place and date of issue.

A Town Council for Cortés

On April 22, 1519, Hernán Cortés founded the Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz, the first town council of continental America. According to a study published by the Institute of Historical Research of UNAM, the new council held that the powers Cortés had held until then had expired. It then named him, in the name of the Crown, justicia y alcalde mayor, the town’s judge and chief magistrate.

The study observes that by sheltering behind the council, Cortés “imposibilitó a sus soberanos para que le negaran la legitimidad” (made it impossible for his sovereigns to deny him legitimacy). The council’s agreement with Cortés of August 5, 1519 was signed by Diego de Godoy, its public notary.

The Bicentennial Monument

The Estela de Luz, officially the Monument to the Bicentennial of National Independence, stands on Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City. It was due to open on September 15, 2010, for the bicentennial. It opened on January 7, 2012, more than fifteen months later. (Video in Spanish.)

In 2013, the federal audit office ASF found that its cost had risen 192.0 percent above the original contract, to 1,304.9 million pesos, according to Excélsior.

The School Year That Ended Twice

On May 7, 2026, Mexico’s Ministry of Public Education and the education authorities of the 32 states agreed to end the school year for basic education on June 5. The reasons given were the heat and the World Cup, which began on June 11. The calendar had set July 15 as the last day.

President Claudia Sheinbaum said: “Todavía no está el calendario completo” (The calendar is not complete yet). On May 11, the national council of education authorities decided to keep the 2025-2026 school calendar as originally planned. (Video in Spanish.)

No Extension, Then a New Calendar

Mexico’s telecommunications regulator, the CRT, set June 30, 2026 as the deadline for registering every mobile phone line. On April 1, with 17.33 percent of the lines registered, Ricardo Castañeda of the CRT said: “no podemos ampliar el plazo, es un plazo legal establecido en ley” (we cannot extend the deadline, it is a legal deadline established in law).

On June 25, Expansión reported that 63 million lines, 39.1 percent, had been registered, and that the CRT had set a new calendar. Depending on the last digit of the number, the new deadlines ran from August 15 to December 31, 2026. (Video in Spanish.)