SIU Today Fall 2019 - 13

Voter Registration
A Federal agency called INE is responsible for nationwide voter
registration. Files are not open to public inspection. A registration
is valid for 10 years. An INE credential is the most common form
of photo ID in México. Proof of address is required for registration.

Civil Records
These include birth, death, marriage and divorce filings. Access
to these files is subjective. They are readily available to the parties
and their designated representatives. Persons wishing a record
copy without a plausible explanation may be denied. These records
are not nationwide. You need to know where to look.

Immigration
Not open to public inspection. The Federal government tracks
the entry of each person into México. This includes persons
arriving on a tourist visa. There is also a national registry of each
foreigner residing in México.

Business Records
There are no publicly available government records that will yield
information about business affiliation through a person's name
search. It is necessary to know the legal name of a business in
order to determine the identities of company organizers, officers
and persons in authority. "Doing Business As (DBA)" names
cannot be researched. Copies of these records are maintained at
the local level and if the business' lawful name is known, then
a search is possible.
There are non-public records which could yield business
information through a name search if the individual's Federal
tax ID number is known.

Motor Vehicle Accidents
Reports are available to parties involved and are not 100%
automatically provided to representatives of insurance companies.
Accidents resulting in serious injury or death are investigated by
agents of Ministerio Publico. This is an agency located throughout
each state which investigates serious accidents on behalf of the
state prosecutor's office. See below for information to obtain
these reports.

Death Inquiries
These occurrences are investigated by Ministerio Publico when
death is not a result of natural causes and reports are not open
to routine public inspection.

Medical Records
Mexican law restricts the release of medical records. Record
keeping is not required in some instances.
A medical record must be created and retained for five years
if a person spends a night (is admitted) in a hospital or clinic.
Mexican law restricts the release of medical charts, doctor and
nurse notes and medicines prescribed. It also blocks the release
of notes made during operations. The law says that hospitals
and clinics may provide a written summary of the patient's
13 | SIU TODAY | FALL 2019

hospitalization. This information may include diagnosis, types
of treatment and discharge information.
Although this is the law in México, it is not followed consistently.
There is no way to know how a hospital or clinic will respond to
a request until it is presented in person. On limited occasions,
requestors have obtained medical records without an authorization.
Attempts at this are discouraged as the risk of rejection is high.
Outpatient services do not routinely generate medical records.
This could include emergency room reception of a person for
pronouncement of death.
Doctor offices and walk-in clinics do not routinely keep patient
treatment records. It is not required by Mexican law. Considering
the low cost of a doctor visit, USD $3.00 to $50.00, it would add
overhead and raise costs to keep records. Medicines, except
for narcotics and antibiotics, are sold over the counter. This
availability includes anti-depressants, cortisone, diabetes drugs,
blood pressure drugs, etc. Certain doctors who live in the border
zone or other places where foreigners seek treatment are more
likely to maintain records. They know that foreign patients need
a record for insurance reimbursement. They are an exception.
Walk-in clinics are required to keep a daily list of patient names,
but no treatment data.

Accident Reports
Records of serious accident and death investigations performed
by Ministerio Publico are of limited availability. For a non-party
to obtain a report requires the following:
An original letter outlining the need for the report must be
signed by an involved party, an immediate family member or
legal representative of an estate.Additionally, the letter must
be notarized. If the letter is not written in Spanish, it must be
translated here by a licensed translator. The letter must specify
the person authorized to pick-up a copy of the report on behalf
of the interested party. A copy of the signer's photo ID should
accompany the letter. It often is also helpful to include a copy of a
document that establishes the relationship between the requestor
and the injured/deceased party. This could be a marriage record,
birth certificate, death certificate or a probate filing. The document
must be translated into Spanish.
Another option is to appear at any Mexican Consulate and have
the request prepared there. It is best to call first to learn the
requirements. Usually, an appointment is necessary.
Don't let the nuances of the Mexican culture stop you from
pursuing your investigation. Knowing how to request records
might be the key to detecting fraud. Good luck with your search.

Criminal History
Not open to public inspection. Conviction and imprisonment
records are maintained by police and prison authorities. Mere
arrest records not resulting in conviction are not retained
according to Mexican lawy.
Mike McHenry is the owner of México Investigations. You can reach him at
services@mexinv.com. Mike will be exhibiting at IASIU 2019. Stop by booth
212 to learn more and to pick up a free reference card, "Identification Guide
for Méxican Citizens."
SIU Today Fall 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SIU Today Fall 2019
