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Giving Birth in Mexico: Everything You Need to Know

Giving Birth in Mexico: Everything You Need to Know

Why give birth in Mexico? For me, it was a no-brainer for various reasons I described in a separate post. Most importantly, I think the best gift one can effortlessly give a child is to get the baby second citizenship at birth.

I spent a few years living in Mexico City, then few years in Playa del Carmen. During my time in Mexico City all my friends and community were Mexican and not expat crowd at all, which means I got to know how things actually worked.

I got to visit a few friends at various hospitals so I knew the quality of healthcare and I also worked on medical & legal research few years back.

While there’s a big difference between private and public care, for foreigners without a valid residency there’s only an option of private care which is extremely affordable if you have an income from outside of Mexico.

Hence why so many Americans practice medical tourism – if you go to Tijuana or any other spot right next to the border you’ll notice there are hospitals and pharmacies dedicated to those who just cross the border to get a medical treatment done (plastic surgeries being the most popular actually). I did it with my psoriasis actually.

Birth tourism in Mexico is also slowly getting more attention. Especially since Mexican immigration is cracking on 180 days visas and wants people to get proper residency.

UPDATE 2022: Giving birth in Mexico got so popular that many birthing agencies popped up – there are quite a few. They’re for those who want to get some help when it comes to paperwork, arranging doctors and hospitals.

You don’t NEED the birthing agency. The process is pretty straightforward: you just call the hospital and set up a visit with obgyn you pick. There’s always someone who speaks English. You can also just get someone to go with you to register the baby – finding anyone who speaks English and can translate for you cannot be easier in popular towns like Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City, or Tijuana.

While the agency can make things easier and I’m sure there are plenty of good ones I keep getting emails from people who used birthing agents and end up with surprise costs and overpaying double for everything, so until I find someone I can recommend I’ll say: do everything on your own – I just added all the steps on how to do things.

Choosing a Hospital for Birth in Mexico

There were a few hospitals I considered, but ultimately I decided that instead of going back to Mexico City I’d rather spend a few weeks on the beach in Playa del Carmen as I used to live there before and give birth in Cancun at Hospital Galenia.

There’s a belief that Mexican hospitals push many women to have a cesarian birth even if natural birth is possible, and while I cannot speak for all public hospitals as all local friends opted for private options as well, I can certainly tell you that it’s not the case with private hospitals.

In fact, I can tell you that it’s surely not true with Galenia in Cancun, because I was able to see the birth registry and it was definitely more natural vaginal births. Considering that my doctor specialized in high-risk pregnancies in which c-sections are required more frequently I’d say it looked pretty good.

In Mexico you can have a vaginal birth, water birth (parto en el agua) or cesarian depending on the preference and naturally medical circumstances. I also know some people who even had a doula for a home birth (parto en casa) – in fact, it’s getting more and more popular.

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Step 1: Recommendations for Hospital from First-Hand Experiences:

  • Cancun
    • Hospital Galenia (doctors Eduardo Loya or Alejandra Macías)
    • Amerimed Hospital
  • Mexico City
    • ABC Hospital (doctor Annie Kuttothara)
    • Hospital Angeles Interlomas
  • Playa del Carmen:
    • Salud Primal (birthing center)
    • Ixchel Hospital (doctor Ivan Kowasky)
  • Puerto Vallarta:
    • La Joya Hospital

Pick a hospital and doctor, call for an appointment. Arrive, have an appointment, and set up your hospital birth registration along with a tour. You should receive a brochure with costs and be informed about additional extra costs during the process.


My Experience Giving Birth in Mexico

Prenatal Care in Mexico

We made a decision of going to Mexico at 34 weeks which still seemed early after last time. If it wasn’t for covid and potential issues caused by it I’d prob just booked an appointment for then, but I wanted to be sure that we’re all set before moving back to Mexico for a few months.

That said, I called the hospital and arranged an appointment around 28 weeks. I had a few doctors to pick from and based on several recommendations I decided on dr. Eduardo Loya.

I was positively surprised at the first appointment when the doctor took an hour to get all my history, explained everything, took time to see if everything is ok for the ultrasound, and discuss options for the birth. The same appointments in the US take about 10 minutes.

I had another appointment at 36 weeks when we arrived back in Mexico and we scheduled the birth then, as at this point it was pretty much certain I would need another c-section (I had placenta previa. and we waited till the last minute to see if something improves).

I really liked that my doctor was flexible and while we had a date, it was subject to a potential change. I had follow-up appointments every week (free of charge) and detailed ultrasounds each week. We decided that if I can make it to almost 38 weeks it makes no sense to take the baby out before.

My doctor was always reachable on WhatsApp any time of the day in case I needed something. This applies to post-birth as well.

My hospital room

Hospital Experience – Hospital Galenia in Cancun

I was scheduled for Friday at 8 AM and because we lived about an hour away from the hospital it was better for me to check in the night before. This was something I was offered at no extra charge, similar to my weekly appointments.

Step 2: Documents needed to check-in at the hospital:

  • medical approval from your local doctor (kind of obvious)
  • proof of payment or deposit (because it’s a private hospital)
  • proof of address – it can be a bill under someone else’s name if you’re not a permanent resident or renting
  • your passport copy or FM2/FM3 (if you’re a resident)

There’s no need for me to share my entire birth story – all I will say is that a second c-section is definitely not a walk in the park, but all complications have been taken care of.

One thing I do want to say is that they have protocols for everything including going to the bathroom the next day, so if you need or want something – keep insisting on it.

I discussed everything with my doctor beforehand, including the type of incision closure. My anesthesiologist was great and made me feel very comfortable during the entire process.

My husband was naturally allowed in the operating room, but after debating it for a while we decided that both he and our older son Dylan will come to the hospital after the baby Holden is born and everyone is out of recovery rooms.

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I was allowed to have a phone with me during my c-section and in recovery since my husband couldn’t be there. They took nice photos for me in the operating room and with a fresh baby as well.

We had to ask for special permission to bring Dylan to the hospital since kids are currently not allowed due to covid.

I cannot speak about the language barrier since I’m fluent in Spanish, but I can say that not all nurses speak English for sure. However, there’s always someone available for a possible translation if needed.

My doctor was fluent in English, so was the anesthesiologist, and they both spoke English to my husband who doesn’t really speak Spanish apart from basics.

That’s me down there 😀

Step 3: Documents from the Hospital & Payments – Pay Attention!

Unlike in the US (I dare to say US is the only country that registers baby at the hospital), in Mexico just like in Europe babies aren’t registered for a birth certificate at the hospital. The hospital fills out a form in Spanish with information about the mother.

In my case, it’s been done before birth because we had time, but I assume if you’re in active labor they’ll do it after.

Then, right before the discharge, you receive a form provided by the hospital that you must “sign” by doing a fingerprint. They also give you a child’s hospital form called “nacido vivo” or “certificado de alumbramiento“ with baby’s footprints and handprints that they take after birth when they take him for a check-up.

I get a lot of questions about home births, so here’s some information: it’s pretty common and totally possible, but some arrangements are required to get baby’s birth certificate – keep reading under registration.

You also need to settle the payments before you leave which is pretty normal everywhere at a private hospital. In Mexico, however, it was an experience itself…

In Poland, with my firstborn, I was able to just send my husband to the office and pay for everything with a credit card, so we assumed (wrongly) that it could work the same way.

I decided to go instead of my husband as I spoke Spanish and thought it was going to be easier as we already pre-paid for some things in advance. The thing is, because of the protocol, you cannot “just go”, so first they had to call a guy to take me with a wheelchair to the cashier.

This is where the fun started because it turned out I can only pay the hospital fee, but then every doctor’s salary has to be paid to the doctor directly. Because my OBGYN was the director of the hospital I was able to pay his salary there, but then there was a question how do I pay for the neonatologist and anesthesiologist.

We had to ask nurses to communicate with both doctors to come and tell me how they want to get paid. Keep in mind that it was Sunday morning.

The anesthesiologist was pretty easy, because they called him in and he came very soon after and said that cash is fine, so my husband went to the ATM downstairs and took the cash out. The neonatologist, however, was working at a different hospital so we had to wait until he finishes a birth at another hospital and comes over.

Once he came over he said he can do a bank transfer, but Transferwise had some issues and required information that none of us had so that was no-go. The limit of daily withdrawal on our card also ended, so we had to agree that we bring the money when the baby comes for a check-up.

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Then we got another note from the cashier that our bill was all set and we could get officially discharged.

Cost of Giving Birth in Mexico

Everything came down to about $2200. If it was a natural birth then it would be cheaper, but we also got some extra tests for the baby (we asked for it) and I needed more drugs (also asked for it) and my doctor was the most expensive at the hospital (which I knew), so it could have been less.

My hospital was also the most expensive in the area.

You should be informed about all the costs beforehand. Doctors’ salaries vary per doctor, but you can ask them beforehand to be prepared.


Postnatal Care in Mexico

Unlike in the US when you have a follow-up appointment at 6 weeks, in Mexico both you and the baby have a follow-up 7-8 days after birth. Then you have another appointment at 3 weeks.

It’s very helpful and you can be taken care of nicely. I was able able to message my doctor and ask him any questions on WhatsApp.

I actually had some complications and needed extra medications, and even though my doctor wasn’t working that day he arranged for someone else to give me the prescription so I could start taking it as soon as possible.

Baby Holden

How to Register a Birth in Mexico

Step 4: How to Get a Mexican Birth Certificate for a Baby

To register the baby and obtain the birth certificate you need to go to the civil registry (registro civil). You don’t NEED to go immediately after (in Poland you have a 2-week period), but I read some horror stories from foreigners having issues with getting baby’s birth certificates that I wanted to go asap.

I was worried for no reason because obtaining a baby’s birth certificate is very easy. What you normally need is:

  • for from the hospital (discharge paper + certificado de alumbramiento / nacido vivo)
  • IDs of both parents, so in our case passports
  • Birth certificates of both parents (more on this below)
  • Proof of address (again, doesn’t need to be under your name)
  • ID of two witnesses and witnesses in person – they cannot be baby’s grandparents (no witnesses were required for us during the pandemic)
  • copies of all the documents – you can do it at the registry

Now, in reality, the list of required documents is longer and also includes things like marriage certificates, divorce certificates and so on, but when we went and asked, we were told it’s not really needed.

Important: both parents and the baby have to be present to submit the documents and pick them up. You have 180 days to register the baby.

FOR HOME BIRTH IN MEXICO: If you had or want to have a home birth, you obviously won’t have the discharge papers from any hospital.

The certified midwife you hire must issue a certificate related to the birth and later the mother and the minor must go to request the certificate.

If you wish to free birth or you’re a doula yourself, you can do it but also must hire a certified midwife to come afterward to issue the documentation stating the date and time of birth, the sex of the newborn, place of birth, the name of the mother and the information of herself – the certified midwife. It must be issued within the first 24 hours after the birth occurred.

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The witnesses are needed for the registration at the Registro Civil office, not the actual birth.

Now the bad news is that for all births that occur outside a medical unit, the mother accompanied by the newborn must go to the nearest health services to request the issuance of the Birth Certificate, no later than 48 hours after birth to register the baby.


One problem we encountered was that we needed official translations and apostilles on our birth certificates, even though my own birth certificate is an EU one and has all the translations. Officially.

However, the guy looked at it and told me that he can simply take all the information from our passports without using birth certificates, but he won’t be able to put all grandparents’ information on it (not that it matters for anything).

The only thing they weren’t able to do was to give the baby my last name. In Mexico and other Latin American countries, you normally have two last names – one paternal and one maternal (mother’s maiden last name). Since I had only my “new” last name in my passport the baby had to be named Holden James Karsten Karsten.

We were also told it would take a week to get it, but I was told to come back in 2 days.

2 days later we had an appointment to pick up baby’s birth certificate and his CURP (it’s like Mexican social security number). We went into a private room where we had to look at it and see if everything is correct and then the baby had to sign the document. This means he had to give a fingerprint 😉

Holden signing his birth certificate

You will get two birth certificates – a “long one” and “short one”. The longer one is called “copia fiel del libro” and that’s the important one.

Get copies of birth certificates, because some consulates ask for the official ones. In some places in Mexico you can just do it at the “kiosko”, but in Quintana Roo I had to order them directly from the civil registry.

You do NOT need the apostille of Mexican birth certificates for American documents. They might tell you at the registry that you do, but it’s no longer required and the American Embassy takes it all as it is.

Apostille takes about 14 days and costs about 2000 MXN. It IS required for European documents, so if you plan on getting your baby a European passport you need it. You can only get it in Mexico, in the same state as the baby was born.

Vaccination Card for the Baby

Vaccinations are mandatory in Mexico, so the baby needs to have a vaccination card. If you’re just giving birth and leaving not wanting a residency for yourself then you don’t need a vaccination card, but if you do that’s something you need to get as it’s needed for family residency.

Vaccination cards are given at IMSS (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social) which is like social security for medical things. However, since you won’t have medical insurance as a non-resident you cannot be given anything there, even though your baby is Mexican.

Only Hospital General in the city you’re staying can issue a vaccination card for your baby and they can also vaccinate your baby free of charge, regardless of whether you have insurance or not.

If you wish, you can also continue with your private pediatrician and do vaccines there, but a private doctor cannot issue a vaccination card.

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There’s an exemption to the vaccination card requirement for obtaining permanent residency based. on the baby: baby’s Mexican Passport. If you have a Mexcian passport for your baby already then you don’t need to show the vaccination card at the INM.

Mexican Vaccination Booklet

Step 5: Mexican Passport & Leaving the Country

Under normal circumstances, you can easily get a child a Mexican passport before you leave the country and pretty much straight away. For us, it was a bit different because of covid restrictions so I can tell you about both options and important things to add.

In order to get a Mexican baby (your baby is automatically a Mexican as he/she is born in Mexico) a Mexican passport you some documents that you might not need in your country.

Officially, as in every other place in the world, if you’re a citizen of a country you must leave and enter the country using this country’s document. So for example, if you’re an American and Mexican you must leave Mexico using Mexican documents and enter the US using your American documents.

Some people are using loopholes if their kids have expired passports or they were born elsewhere, but in Mexico or the US (or other countries with birthright) if in any passport it says “born in that country” there’s no way around it as the citizenship is automatic.

That said, your baby must leave on a Mexican passport officially. I’m saying officially because more on this below.

Obtaining a Mexican passport in Mexico for a baby is super easy and the passport is issued the same day. For Quintana Roo you can normally do it in Cancun. Documents you need:

  • baby’s photo
  • parent’s IDs (passports or residency card)
  • copy of baby’s birth certificate
  • carta de pediatra

What’s carta de pediatra? In Mexico a baby needs a document with a photo to obtain a passport. Basically, you need to ask your pediatrician to issue you a document with baby’s stats and stamp over a photo along with a copy of your doctor’s medical diploma.

Any pediatrician can do that and they know what to do and what’s it for, so don’t worry. The only thing you need to know is to schedule your passport appointment before going to get it at the pediatrician because this document is only valid for 30 days.

Carta de pediatra

Now, because of covid there were absolutely no appointments available for months at the passport office. I even tried through people I knew who worked there and had no luck.

However, there were appointments at the Mexican Embassy in Salt Lake City, so I scheduled one but we still had to leave Mexico and didn’t know whether we’ll be able to without his passport.

I was getting different information from different sources every time I enquired. Official information on the website said that the baby won’t be able to leave Mexico without Mexican passport.

I then called the Embassy who told me that we should be able to leave as long as we have baby’s birth certificate.

I also asked two lawyers and one told me that there’s a fine at the airport for that and another told me that it depends on the officer and I might need to pass some money to them.

Needless to say, we decided to just see what happens and nothing happened as we went to the airport with just his American passport (because naturally, baby needs A passport to travel). I gave the birth certificate at the check-in counter and they handed me a form for Mexican citizens leaving for the baby explaining we had no passport yet because of covid.

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Then I handed this form to the immigration with no questions asked. No issues, no fine, no bribe. Nada.

Bye for now!

Now, if for any reason you decide to get a baby’s Mexican passport outside of Mexico you still need carta de pediatra, even though officially it says you don’t need it.

We were asked for baby’s photo ID and that was naturally the only photo ID we had so it worked. We wouldn’t have been able to get it without it.

Another thing to note is that if you’re getting a Mexican passport at the consulate you don’t bring a photo with you, they take it at the consulate which was a big issue with a baby. Long story short it took 3 kind people, lots of help, a white poster on the floor in the middle of the busy consulate, and endless tries. And a ridiculously funny photo in Holden’s passport 😉


Step 6: Other Citizenships & Passports

Many people kept asking us questions if the baby was going to be American when it was born abroad. Yes, both of my kids are American at birth and none were born on US soil.

The US has a jus soli and jus sanguini rule (all countries that have jus soli also have jus sanguini actually). There are certain requirements that you need to meet and collect some paperwork, but it’s not difficult or costly. We’ve done it twice now.

As this is a common question, I actually wrote a separate post on how to get an American passport for a baby born abroad.

For Mexico specifically, if you’re in Mexico City that’s easy because the consulate is in Mexico City and you can even request CRBA online.

For Quintana Roo state it was a bit different because while there is a US consulate in Cancun and they can issue you an American passport, they cannot issue you a CRBA. This can only be done in Merida.

We had to go to Merida to get it which wasn’t a problem for us because we made a trip out of it.

For those wondering how you can do this if your baby needs to be airlifted to the US from NICU, as you have to bring a baby with you to the consulate, there are exceptions.

In fact, one family I saw did it right before us without the baby for this exact reason – the baby had to stay at the hospital. Nobody is going to ask you to risk the baby’s life if it’s medically not advised to do so.

What about other passports? Mexico allows multiple citizenships, making your child eligible for Mexican citizenship as well as your country of citizenship. In our case, all our countries allow multiple so baby Holden will have 4 citizenships.

However, you need to check whether your country allows it and if so, under which circumstances (sometimes it’s different at birth and when acquired).

Step 7: Getting a Permanent Residency in Mexico Based on Having a Baby

If you want to stay in Mexico or keep coming back and eventually become a Mexican citizen you might want to start thinking of getting your own permanent residency in Mexico (I described the process here). Thanks to your baby, the process is easy and you don’t need proof of earnings or anything.

You can do it anytime for the baby’s parents and siblings, but I recommend doing it at least before the siblings turn 18 because then they can skip the whole citizenship test when they become Mexican citizens.

Shri

Thursday 15th of February 2024

Hello Anna,

I am wondering whether you have any information about NICU costs in Mexico City hospitals and just an estimationย isย fine.

Thanks.

AnnaEverywhere

Sunday 18th of February 2024

They did tell me during my hospital tour, but I assume that prices might have increased since then. It wasn't more than $500 a day for sure.

Lark

Friday 12th of January 2024

Hi Anne, Thank you so much for the detailed explaination across the board! Considering doing something very simlilar for my birth, would you be able to note the pricing for document filing also? I saw $2200 for total medical, but do u recall what the costs were for the following: birth ceritifcate/equivalent, medical pediatric note, passport, residency? I just want to better prepare for any unexpected costs to properly estimate the total to do this type of trip/experience. Thank you so much, and feel free to email also if simpler! Merci!, Lark

AnnaEverywhere

Monday 15th of January 2024

Absolutely! Also make sure that the price hasn't will be slightly higher (up to $800 I'd say) due to the obvious: inflation.

Birth certificate - approx. 55 MXN + extra copies. Apostile (if you need it) - approx. 300 MXN Pediatric note was about 800 MXN total because it was combined with a regular check-up visit, but you could technically go to a public doctor too and then it will be cheaper. Passport - about 1655 MXN for 3 years. Residency is a long story and depends on what documents you have - see my other article on residency in particular.

karl Racheal

Tuesday 26th of December 2023

Hello Anne, am planning for my wife to give birth in mexico if i enter Cancun mexico and i was granted maybe one month entry and the stay expires before giving birth, will it affect document for the baby or our own permanent residency registration

AnnaEverywhere

Friday 5th of January 2024

It won't :)

Didi

Friday 13th of October 2023

Hello Anna!

Thank you for this very detailed article about giving birth in Mexico and how to register the birth.

Will you please post a link of the Mexican government website where we can check the latest requirements/procedure for registration of birth and where the offices are? We plan to give birth in Tijuana.

We have US passports, and do not plan on getting a temporary residence permit. For visibly pregnant tourists, have you heard of tourists not getting the 180 day stay?

Thank you so much again!

Didi

Tuesday 24th of October 2023

@AnnaEverywhere,

Dear Anna,

By what you have heard/estimate is 60 days now the new maximum effectively? Do most people now get 60 days, or is it even fewer days for the most # of people? Iโ€™m trying to do a worst to best plan). Thank you again

Thank you for your reply and again, for the staggering wealth of info you have shared through the post and especially in your replies, which means a lot of time spent on this work. Thank you also to commenters who have shared their knowledge and experience as well.

(I have just read about 50 of the comments on this post immediately before mine. I think I read about 30 of the earliest comments on the night I asked you my question. I think I might have missed the โ€œmiddleโ€ comments. โ˜บ๏ธ)

Since then, I learned โ˜บ๏ธ๏ผš

Type the search in Spanish. (Translate, copy, paste to search. I got a lot done that way. Conversely, for the answers, copy-paste-translate to English.) I first searched in English so I kept getting US consulate stuff or US-related or Mexican embassy or consulate in the US sites or private firms who provide immigration related services.

That is how I finally found the offices for processing in Mexico (vs processing in the US), and https://www.gob.mx/tramites, especially for information on getting the Mexican passport, to get the official info to cover my bases. One info I learned that took me so many steps or searches (because as you have advised, sometimes info on official websites might not be updated), was finding out that they do take passport applications for first time applicants (in this case, the baby) in Tijuana. I confirmed this by email, (I called the MX consulate in LA but the answering machine directs the caller to email), the reply below, from the MX consulate:

Secretarรญa de Relaciones Exteriores Tijuana Ubicado en: Plaza Pavilion Direcciรณn: Avenida, P.ยบ de los Hรฉroes 9111, Zona Centro, 22010 Tijuana, B.C., Mรฉxico Horario: Abierto โ‹… Cierra a las 5โ€ฏp. m. Telรฉfono: +52 800 801 0773

Debe hacer cita:

ยฟDรณnde sacar cita para pasaporte en Tijuana?

Llama al: 01800 8010 773 y no olvides que el servicio de programaciรณn de citas es gratuito.

I wish you and everyone here well. I will be rereading your posts and comments.

AnnaEverywhere

Monday 16th of October 2023

Honestly whether you get 180 days or not depends on the mood of the officers and has nothing to do with your itinerary or how you look. It's a lottery.

Here's a link for registro in Tijuana: https://www.tijuana.gob.mx/dependencias/registrocivil/index.aspx Keep in mind that it's Mexico, online you can print the form to fill in but it's not like anyone updates requirements online. You have to go and ask, but they rarely change the rules for that ;-)

Jessica

Tuesday 19th of September 2023

Hello, thanks for this, really helpful! Can you tell me, does my baby HAVE to be vaccinated for us to get residency? I know you briefly mentioned that if they have their Mexican passport they donโ€™t? Have I understood this correctly? Thank you

Esther

Monday 25th of September 2023

@Anna Karsten, Dear Anna Thank you so much for the wonderful detailed informations I have read every and will just like to ask 2 questions for clarity How far along do I have to be before I start the visa process? And for a Nigerian living in Cyprus, what documents are required for the processes

I will like to give birth in Mexico and continue living there with my husband So immediacy the baby is born, I will like to get the permanent residency.

Thank you so much, I will await your response

Anna Karsten

Tuesday 19th of September 2023

Correct, if the baby has a passport you don't need the vaccination card to get residency, but if you're planning on living in Mexico your child won't be able to even go to school without it as it's a legal requirement.

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