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We are DNExpress (Doble Nacionalidad Express), based in Chula Vista, San Diego, CA, and Tijuana, Mexico. Every week, we help families who were told they can't become Mexicans because their parents were born in the U.S., but actually, they can.
Was your grandparent born in Mexico? You may have a path to Mexican citizenship by birth.
Since the 2021 Mexican constitutional reform, this generational route is available to thousands of Mexican American families who were previously told they didn't qualify.
It doesn't matter if your parents never obtained Mexican certificates; the opportunity is still there. In every case, the first step is to register your parents through your grandparents, and then register you through your parents; it's a chain process.
Yes, since the reform to Article 30 of the Mexican Constitution on March 17, 2021, a person born abroad to a Mexican mother or father is Mexican by birth, regardless of where that parent was born.
If your grandparent was born in Mexico, your American parents can first be recognized as Mexican, and then you can be recognized through your parents. The process requires proving the family chain with official certified vital records.
If your grandparent was a Mexican national, the first question is whether we can establish the chain of Mexican nationality from your grandparent to your parents and then from your parents to you.
For example: Your grandmother was born in Michoacán, Mexico. Your mother was born in California, and you were born in California. First, your mother needs to acquire her Mexican nationality documented through her Mexican parent.
Once your mother's Mexican registration is done and her Mexican birth record is issued, your case can proceed through your mother.
In other words:
Grandmother Born in Mexico
Mother Born in U.S., establishes citizenship through her Mexican mother
You Born in U.S., establish citizenship through your documented Mexican mother.
This is why DNExpress calls these cases a generational process. You can't just skip your parents. We build the chain correctly to avoid rejection at the Registro Civil and to make sure future generations can also apply.
In 2021, Mexican nationality law changed considerably, and many families still don't know about this meaningful impact.
Before this reform, only children of parents who were born in Mexico qualified for Mexican nationality by birth abroad. After the reform was modified, children of Mexican parents qualified even if their parents were born abroad.
For many Mexican American families, this change opened an important generational route. U.S.- born parents may now obtain Mexican nationality through their own Mexican parent.
Then that parent can become the link for the next generation, your generation.
That is why someone with a Mexican grandparent possibly has a path to be recognized as Mexican by birth, even when both the parent and grandchild were born in America.
Mexico has permitted dual nationality since 1998, and under U.S. law, recognition of another citizenship by descent does not lead to loss of U.S. citizenship.
No, the process does not skip the parent generation, even if your parent has no interest in Mexican documents. This is one of the most important things to understand since many families find incorrect information online.
Here's how it is: Your grandfather was born in Mexico. Your father was born in the United States and never obtained Mexican documentation. You were also born in the United States. We first address your father's Mexican citizenship and registration through your grandfather.
After your father's Mexican process is completed, we will address your Mexican citizenship through your now-registered father.
In appropriate cases, DNExpress can assist in these stages as part of the family's citizenship strategy to save time and help with searches and digitization of Mexican documents.
This is helpful for families where multiple siblings and cousins are applying.
Bring what you know: your grandparent's full name and place/state of birth, a certified copy of your parent's birth certificate, and your long-form American birth certificate.
Our DNExpress legal team will tell you if the chain can be completed, what is missing, and how long your case is going to take.
We provide a free eligibility case review and check if the next steps are necessary:
There's no need for in-person visits at our offices, since the process is online.
We assist in English and Spanish.
Every case is different, but a citizenship through grandparent(s) case starts by establishing the chain between all three generations through birth certificates. We review what you have and identify what is missing.
To apply through your Mexican Grandparent, we need the following documentation:
We believe in transparent pricing after a free case review, not in hidden costs like other traditional law firms.
What we call a “Perfect Case” costs $400 USD. A perfect case is when all names, dates, and places match perfectly across generations of documents.
When there are discrepancies or name mismatches, we have what we call a “non-perfect case”; it costs $700 USD and is for cases where we need to correct names or date errors in the Registro Civil.
We also check if Mexican birth certificates are available and digitized in Mexico's national electronic system. If not, we assist in legally digitizing records.
Both cover the full chain:
Yes, and this is a great way to approach a multi-generation case.
Suppose one Mexican grandmother has three U.S.-born children and those children have four U.S.-born children of their own.
Instead of four unrelated cases with four separate searches for the same grandmother's birth certificate, the DNExpress team can review the entire family tree and determine how the Mexican records and case are going to be handled.
One Mexican ancestor can create a citizenship pathway for multiple branches of the family. We use the same root Mexican certificate for all branches. One search, multiple cases.
Your grandparent does not need to be alive for you to claim your dual citizenship. What matters is obtaining the documentation that proves the family chain and Mexican nationality. Even if your U.S.-born parents have passed away, the opportunity to become Mexican is not closed.
DNExpress handles procedures before the Registro Civil to make sure that the generational chain stays intact, including cases requiring death certificates, marriage records, and additional evidence to prove lineage.
REVIEW MY DECEASED-PARENT CASEThis is the number one reason that applications get rejected. If your grandmother was registered as María Guadalupe Fernández Gómez in Mexico, but your mother's U.S. birth certificate says Ma. Guadalupe Gómez, the Mexican authorities considered it a mismatch.
We don't just tell you to fix it and send you away. We review whether the discrepancy/mistake can be explained with existing documents, or if it requires an official document correction and administrative management in Mexico.
Older birth certificates in Mexico are in physical, handwritten books in Civil Registry archives. If your grandparent's birth certificate does not appear in the official digital system, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist or that you have no case.
The DNExpress team performs searches in municipal archives, handles legal digitization, and ensures that the record is uploaded properly to the government system so your dual citizenship case can move forward.
HELP ME FIND MY GRANDPARENT'S RECORD
Forget about extensive paperwork. The DNExpress team manages the entire generational case for your family.
Explain to us what you know: names, estimated birth dates, and states/cities in Mexico. Send us any papers you have. We map your family line at no cost and tell you if the chain can be completed.
We check the records to connect your grandparent with your Parent and your parent with you. If a birth certificate is missing or needs an extra step, we map out the exact fix and who obtains what.
We secure your U.S.-born parent's Mexican documentation first, establishing them as the official Mexican legal link for the next generation. Most families skip this step when trying to do it themselves.
With the parent generation secured and their certified Mexican birth record issued, we prepare your dual citizenship application and work with Mexican authorities.
Once your Mexican birth certificate is issued, you also get your Clave Única de Registro de Población (CURP), and we guide you to obtain the Mexican passport and finally the INE card (once you get the passport).
You can pass citizenship to your children once you get your Mexican birth certificate.
We’ll tell you if the chain can be done.
We handle the whole chain.
Other providers often tell you to come back when your documents are perfect. We do the opposite.
We locate the missing certificates, fix the errors and name discrepancies, digitize old records, and do the paperwork for you so you don't have to navigate the process yourself.
Mexican Vital Record Experts: We are a cross-border company with experience navigating the Registro Civil across all Mexican states. Search, certified copies, digitization, corrections, and investigations are our daily activities.
No Office Visits Required: We serve clients throughout most 50 U.S. states. You can handle your entire review remotely from home, in English or Spanish, without planning a trip to Mexico or standing in line at a consulate.
Yes, in many cases. Following the 2021 constitutional reform, nationality passes to children born abroad to a Mexican parent regardless of where the parent was born. Your U.S.-born parent must be registered as Mexican first, then you.
No, the chain must run in order on paper: grandparent to parent to you. If your parent is deceased or not in your life, some extra steps may still allow the chain to be completed.
No, under U.S. law, obtaining a second nationality by descent is not an illegal action. Mexico has allowed dual citizenship since 1998. You continue to travel with your U.S. passport.
This is one of our specialties, we run searches through the Registro Civil to track down late registrations, variant name spellings, or non-digitized records in local archives.
The Mexican authorities do not charge for the birth registration itself, only for physical documents such as passports.
At DNExpress, once the chain is verified through documentation, the average processing time is from 4 to 12 weeks. Fees are $400 USD for perfect cases and $700 USD for cases requiring document searches or birth certificate corrections.
Every case is different, and the fastest answer is usually a short conversation. Tell us your situation and we will tell you plainly whether we can help.
