Consulates

Getting married at a Mexican consulate in the US: $65 fee, witnesses

Civil marriage between two Mexican nationals at a Mexican consulate in the US: US$65 marriage fee and US$20 per certified copy (2026 tables), health certificate, witnesses and stages.

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Getting married at a Mexican consulate in the US: fee, requirements and witnesses

Two Mexican nationals living in the United States can hold their civil marriage at a Mexican consulate, as part of the consulate’s Civil Registry (Registro Civil) services. The consulates in Chicago and Los Angeles both publish the procedure and agree on the core rule: both partners must hold Mexican nationality. The marriage fee is US$65.00 and each certified copy of the marriage record is US$20.00 (2026 fee tables published by the Mexican consulates in Los Angeles and Chicago, checked October 3, 2026). What changes from one consulate to another is the detail: how many witnesses, whether you need an appointment, and how the health certificate must be presented.

Versión en español

Cost (2026 consular fees)

Item	Cost	Source
Marriage fee (actuación matrimonial)	US$65.00	2026 tables from Los Angeles (“Actuación matrimonial”) and Chicago (“Actuaciones matrimoniales”), checked October 3, 2026
Certified copy of the marriage record	US$20.00 each	“Copia certificada de acta del registro civil (nacimiento, matrimonio o defunción)”, 2026 tables

Consulates charge in US dollars because Mexico’s Federal Law of Fees (Ley Federal de Derechos) provides that fees paid at offices abroad are paid in foreign currency. The Los Angeles table is titled “Tarifas y cuotas de acuerdo a la Ley Federal de Derechos para 2026 — En vigor a partir del 1 de enero de 2026” (in force from January 1, 2026). The Los Angeles payment page accepts cash in US dollars, Visa and MasterCard debit or credit cards, and money orders.

Watch for old prices: some consulate procedure pages were last edited before 2026 and still show earlier amounts. For this procedure, the 2026 tables govern. Los Angeles says payment is made at the second stage (the ceremony).

Who can marry at the consulate

Both partners must be Mexican. Chicago: “Ambos contrayentes deben ser mexicanos y probar su nacionalidad e identidad.” Los Angeles: “AMBOS contrayentes deberán tener la nacionalidad mexicana.”
Over 18, per the Chicago page.
The requirement is stated as holding Mexican nationality. If one partner does not hold Mexican nationality, the consular pages reviewed do not describe a route to marry at the consulate; they also do not address partners who hold a second nationality in addition to Mexican nationality.

Documents

Nationality and identity

Chicago accepts one of these to prove nationality and identity:

Original birth certificate plus valid official photo ID.
Valid Mexican passport.
High-security Matrícula Consular (issued after January 15, 2005).
Declaratoria de Nacionalidad Mexicana, Carta de Nacionalidad Mexicana or Certificado de Nacionalidad Mexicana, each with valid official photo ID.

Los Angeles asks for each partner’s original birth certificate (original plus two double-sided copies) and official ID (original plus two double-sided copies), which can be a valid passport, matrícula consular, voter card, driver’s license or US official ID.

If you do not have your Mexican birth certificate, consulates issue certified copies of Civil Registry records (US$20.00 each in the 2026 tables) when the record is available in Mexico’s national population database; see Mexican birth certificate from the US. If you need a matrícula, see Mexican consular ID.

Health certificate

Consulate	What it asks for
Los Angeles	A certificate signed by a licensed physician, for each partner, certifying that they do not have syphilis, tuberculosis, HIV or any chronic, incurable, contagious and hereditary disease; original, with a plain (non-certified) Spanish translation (traducción libre) and one copy
Chicago	A health certificate signed by a licensed physician, apostilled and accompanied by a simple Spanish translation

For how US apostilles work in general, see how to apostille a document.

Witnesses

Consulate	Witnesses
Chicago	Two witnesses over 18, one for each partner, who state that they know them
Los Angeles	Four witnesses over 18 who know the couple and can attest there is no legal impediment to the marriage, with valid official ID (original plus two copies)

The number of witnesses varies by consulate. Confirm it with yours before the ceremony.

If either of you was married before

Widowed: certified copy of the prior spouse’s death record.
Divorced: certified copy of the divorce record or final divorce judgment (or annulment).
Chicago: if the document was issued in the United States, it must be apostilled by the corresponding Secretary of State.
Los Angeles: if a foreign authority issued it, it must be translated into Spanish, notarized and apostilled, in the original plus two copies.

Applications

Both partners fill out and sign the consulate’s application forms.

Step by step

Los Angeles describes the procedure in three stages:

Submit the documents. One or both partners hand in the paperwork. In Chicago, originals are delivered in person, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and the page says no appointment is needed for this procedure.
The ceremony. Chicago says that once the application is accepted, the consulate gives you an appointment for the marriage. The partners and witnesses attend and the record is signed. The marriage fee (US$65.00) is paid.
Certified copies. Anyone can pick up the certified copies of the marriage record by presenting the payment receipt (US$20.00 per copy).

To find the consulate that serves you, use the Mexican consulate directory or the list by state. If your consulate works by appointment, the consulate appointment tracker helps follow availability.

What these consular pages do not cover

Recording a marriage performed at a US courthouse. The Chicago and Los Angeles marriage pages describe celebrating the marriage at the consulate. They do not describe how to record with the Mexican Civil Registry a marriage already performed before a US authority. This page does not claim such a procedure exists or does not exist — ask your consulate.
How US authorities treat a consular marriage. The consular pages do not address it. If you need to know how this marriage is treated for a US immigration or state matter, talk to an attorney; see find pro bono legal help.

Your US immigration status

The requirements published by Chicago and Los Angeles ask for Mexican nationality documents and ID; they do not ask for US immigration documents. Los Angeles even accepts a US official ID as identification.

Official sources

Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago — Matrimonio (page updated January 2, 2025): https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/chicago/index.php/tramites-consulares/matrimonio
Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles — Matrimonio (updated February 3, 2025): https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/losangeles/index.php/es/regcivil-podnotariales-menu2020/matrimonio
Los Angeles consulate — 2026 fees and payment methods: https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/losangeles/index.php/es/consul-general/tarifas-y-formas-de-pago
Chicago consulate — 2026 fees: https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/chicago/index.php/preguntas/costos
Ley Federal de Derechos, art. 22 (consular services): https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LFD.pdf

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Consular marriage requirements vary by consulate and change periodically. Verify directly with the Mexican consulate that serves you. Not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to get married at a Mexican consulate in the US?

Under the 2026 fee tables published by the Mexican consulates in Los Angeles and Chicago (checked October 3, 2026), the marriage fee (actuación matrimonial) is US$65.00 and each certified copy of the marriage record is US$20.00. Some procedure pages still show older amounts; the 2026 tables have applied since January 1, 2026.

Can I marry a non-Mexican at the Mexican consulate?

The Chicago and Los Angeles consulate pages say both partners must be Mexican. Chicago states that both partners must be Mexican and prove their nationality and identity. The pages we reviewed do not describe a consular marriage between a Mexican national and a person of another nationality.

How many witnesses do I need for a consular marriage?

It depends on the consulate. Chicago asks for two witnesses over 18, one for each partner, who state that they know them. Los Angeles asks for four witnesses over 18 who know the couple and can attest there is no legal impediment to the marriage, each with valid official ID. Confirm the number with your consulate.

What does the health certificate have to say?

Los Angeles asks for a certificate signed by a licensed physician, for each partner, certifying that neither has syphilis, tuberculosis, HIV or any chronic, incurable, contagious and hereditary disease; original, with a plain (non-certified) Spanish translation, which the page calls a traducción libre, and one copy. Chicago asks for a certificate signed by a licensed physician, apostilled and accompanied by a simple Spanish translation.

Will the Mexican consulate record a marriage I already had at a US courthouse?

The Chicago and Los Angeles marriage pages we reviewed describe celebrating the marriage at the consulate. They do not describe recording a marriage already performed before a US authority, so this page cannot tell you whether that procedure exists or how it works. Ask your consulate directly.

Do I need an appointment for a consular marriage?

It depends on the consulate. Chicago’s page says no appointment is needed for this procedure and asks you to hand in the original documents in person, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; once the application is accepted, you get an appointment for the ceremony. Los Angeles handles inquiries by email.

I am widowed or divorced. What extra document do I need?

A certified copy of the prior spouse’s death record, or of the divorce record or final divorce judgment. Chicago says that if the document was issued in the United States it must be apostilled by the corresponding Secretary of State. Los Angeles asks that a foreign-issued document be translated into Spanish, notarized and apostilled, in the original plus two copies.

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General information, not legal advice. MigrantUSA is an independent publisher and is not a law firm; using this site does not create an attorney-client relationship, and this content is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney about your specific situation. US federal, state, and local government procedures, fees, and forms change. Always verify current details directly with the relevant agency before acting. For immigration, tax, or other legal matters specific to your situation, consult a licensed attorney or BIA-accredited representative.