How to Print Your CURP in Mexico (Step-by-Step Guide for Expats and Residents)

If you’re living in Mexico as a temporary or permanent resident, you need to present a current printout of your CURP (Clave Única de Registro de Población) for certain administrative tasks. If you’re dealing with government offices, applying for an RFC (Mexican tax number), or enrolling in public healthcare, there’s a good chance you’ll be asked for a printed CURP that’s no older than three months.

Luckily, printing your CURP is a fast and simple process—as long as you know where to go and what to watch for. In this short step-by-step guide, I’ll walk you through it with some extra tips.

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What is the CURP?

CURP is short for Clave Única de Registro de Población (Unique Population Registry Code). It’s your personal ID number used in Mexico’s national registry and is assigned to both citizens and residents of Mexico. The CURP is printed right on your Mexican ID card as a Residente Temporal or Residente Permanente.

The CURP consists of an 18-character code of numbers and letters based on your name, birthdate, and other personal details.

What do the letters and numbers of the CURP mean?

Each part of your CURP is based on specific details about you:

• First 4 letters: Based on your surnames and given name
  • The first two letters of your first surname
  • The first letter of your second surname (or X if you have only one surname—many people in Latin America and Spain have two)
  • The first letter of your given name
• Next 6 digits: Your birthdate in YYMMDD format
• Gender marker:
  • H = Hombre (male)
  • M = Mujer (female)
  • X = Non-binary
• State code: Two letters for the state of birth (NE (nacido en el extranjero) for foreigners)
• Three internal consonants:
  • The first internal consonant of your first surname
  • The first internal consonant of your second surname (or X if you don’t have one)
  • The first internal consonant of your given name
• One digit or letter:
  • A unique character based on your birth year
  • 0–9 for those born before 2000
  • A–Z for those born in 2000 or later
• Final digit: A control number to validate the previous 17 characters

All of this makes each CURP completely unique.

Who Gets a CURP?

Everyone living in Mexico—including temporary and permanent residents—is assigned a CURP. It’s also given to Mexicans living abroad.

How Do I Get a CURP Assigned?

If you’re a temporary or permanent resident, your CURP is assigned automatically when your residency card is issued. You’ll find it printed directly on your Residente Temporal or Residente Permanente card. So no extra step involved here!

When Do You Need to Print Your CURP?

You’ll need a printed CURP—usually less than three months old—for certain administrative tasks.

Always double-check the official site for the specific trámite (administrative process) you’re doing to confirm the document requirements as these might change.

Examples for when you need to present a current CURP printout:

• Enrolling in IMSS healthcare
• Opening a Mexican bank account
• Getting an RFC (tax number) at the SAT (Mexico’s IRS equivalent)
• Buying and registering a car

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Print Your CURP

Here’s how to get a fresh copy of your CURP in just a few minutes:

1. Go to the official CURP website and click the Trámite en línea (Online procedure) button at the top right.

This brings you to the Consulta tu CURP (Query and print the CURP) page—Paso 1 (Step 1).

3. Scroll down and enter your CURP in the Clave Única de Registro de Población (CURP) (Unique Population Registry Key) field, then click the Buscar (Search) button.

• You can find your CURP on your Mexican residency card.
• If you don’t know it, click ¿No conoces tu CURP? (Don’t know your CURP?) and fill in your personal data to get it.

The page updates to show the second step of the process (Paso 2), with all your personal information and the download button at the bottom.

5. Download your CURP letter as a PDF by clicking Descargar pdf. It has the current date.

6. Print it.

Important Notes

• Make sure the printout is clean and undamaged—no rips, stains, or handwritten notes.
• The site is in Spanish. Browser translation tools (like Google Chrome’s auto-translate) work well if you’re not fluent.
• The PDF is free and doesn’t require an account or login.
• Sometimes the website can go down temporarily. Don’t wait until the last minute to print your CURP if you’ve got an appointment coming up.

Conclusion

Getting a fresh printout of your CURP is one of the easier parts of dealing with Mexican bureaucracy. Just remember, in most cases, it needs to be less than three months old. If you follow the steps above and don’t leave it to the last minute, you’ll be good to go.

Read Next:

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• 18 Best Things to Do in Mexico City – And How to Plan Your Stay
• 24 Best Things to Do in Puebla, Mexico – Colonial Architecture, Culture, and Cuisine
• Driving in Mexico: How to Prepare and Stay Safe