Mexican consulates in the US began issuing new biometric e-Passports to US-based Mexican citizens on November 4, 2021, according to Mexican Consul General Mauricio Ibarra Ponce de Leon of El Paso, Texas. He emphasized that the passport’s security features make it a reliable identity document for Mexicans in living in the United States.
“This is a new passport that has more than 50 security measures. It includes a chip with biographical and biometric information that makes the passport difficult to forge,” Ibarra said. For example, because the security features are interlinked, if someone changes the holder’s name or photograph, the document no longer will scan.
The new, highly-secure passport will benefit the thousands of Mexican citizens who cross El Paso’s international bridges from Mexico every day for business, shopping, tourism, and family reasons. It will also be an asset for Mexican citizens who have lived in the U.S. for many years with their Mexican passport their only identity document.
Coming soon: Gender-neutral identification, assistance in indigenous languages
The government of Mexico plans to allow Mexicans living in the United States and Canada to identify as gender-neutral on their identity documents. The government also plans to hire speakers of five Indigenous languages to assist those who migrated to the U.S. from communities where Nahuatl, Zapotec, Mayan, Otomi and Mixtec are spoken. All of these options will be offered starting 1 June 2022.
Fraud-fighting security features
The security features of the new Mexican passport include the following:
- An electronic chip, containing biometric information, on the front cover
- Tactile features
- Variable laser image
- Optically variable ink
- Watermark and security thread
- Optically variable device
- Laser perforated number
- Laser engraved personalization
- Ultraviolet features
- Background printing, with offset, rainbow, and microprint
Passports issued to minors also feature photos and biographical data of parents/guardians (on page 1). This is will alert authorities to any child traveling with someone other than his parent(s) or legal guardian(s). This is designed to help thwart human trafficking of children across the US-Mexican border.
Current passports will remain valid until their expiration date.
Sources/References:
Border Report
National Document Centre Canada Border Services Agency