The Mexican government is advancing the modernization of the Clave Única de Registro de Población (CURP) by incorporating biometric data, with full implementation planned for 2026. This measure aims to enhance identification security, though it sparks debates on its mandatory nature. The transition starts gradually in 2025 and will extend to public and private procedures.
The Mexican federal government has begun transforming the CURP into a biometric version to strengthen national identification. The decree reforming the General Population Law was published on July 16, 2025, in the Official Gazette of the Federation, adding photographs, fingerprints, and iris scans to the registry.
Implementation occurs in phases. Since July 2025, a pilot phase has been running in states like Veracruz, Mexico City, and Mexico State, with special modules set up to process the biometric CURP. From January 2026, the service will open to the general public at Civil Registry offices and the National Population Registry (RENAPO) nationwide. Mandatory use will take effect in February 2026, when the conventional CURP will no longer be accepted for identity verification procedures.
The new CURP will be required for various processes. These include access to health services, such as enrollments in public hospitals and clinics; social programs and pensions for registering and collecting subsidies; financial transactions, like opening bank accounts and obtaining loans; and educational procedures, such as school enrollments in public and private institutions. Private organizations and public bodies must accept it as valid identification.
To obtain it, documents required are a valid official ID (INE or passport), certified birth certificate, proof of address, and an active email. The process involves capturing biometric data with the holder's explicit consent, under personal data protection standards. Authorities emphasize it reduces fraud and identity theft, improving government system interoperability.
However, President Claudia Sheinbaum has clarified it will not be mandatory as an official ID: “People decide.” Civil society organizations voice concerns over potential surveillance and centralization of sensitive data, though the gradual approach aims to address technical issues and ensure national coverage.
