Deputies approve CURP with biometric data, mandatory for these procedures

The Chamber of Deputies approved a series of reforms to the General Population Law and the General Law on Forced Disappearance of Persons , which pave the way for the creation of the mandatory biometric CURP .

This initiative, promoted by President Claudia Sheinbaum, establishes a national identity document that will integrate photographs, fingerprints, and other personal data in both physical and digital formats.

With 438 votes in favor in general and 417 in specific, the proposal was sent to the Executive Branch for enactment. Although its central objective is to improve the identification of missing persons, the bill has raised concerns among digital rights advocates.

The biometric CURP will become the mandatory official identification document in Mexico for all individuals, both nationals and foreigners with legal residence.

It will include:

• Full name
• Birthdate
• Sex or gender
• Nationality
• Fingerprints
• Recent photography

The Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency will be responsible for the digital version of the document, while the Ministry of the Interior will be responsible for integrating the biometric data in coordination with state and municipal authorities.

This document will be required for official procedures, both public and private, such as school registration, opening bank accounts, obtaining medical care, or obtaining telephone services.

Along with the biometric CURP, the Single Identity Platform will be created, a tool that will centralize information to facilitate the search for missing persons . This database will be able to cross-reference data with forensic records, hospitals, schools, transportation operators, telephone companies, and other sources.

According to the law, access to this platform will be restricted to competent authorities, under the supervision of the Public Prosecutor's Office, and only for legally established purposes. It will allow the generation of real-time alerts and automated searches for missing persons.

The reform also includes administrative sanctions for those who obstruct access to information or misuse biometric data:

• Fines of up to 20,000 times the daily value of the UMA (more than 2 million pesos).
• Obligation of state prosecutors' offices to submit monthly reports on missing persons.
• Mandatory harmonization, within 180 days, of local regulations on cemeteries, crematoriums, and pantheons to digitally record all buried or cremated bodies.

For their part, groups like R3D: Network in Defense of Digital Rights have warned about the risk of mass surveillance and the lack of real guarantees to protect citizens' sensitive information.

They warn that the creation of a national database with biometric data could be used for purposes other than those originally intended, affecting privacy and opening the door to abuse if there are no solid oversight and transparency mechanisms.

With Congressional approval, the initiative was sent to the Federal Executive Branch and is expected to be enacted in the coming days. Once published, the gradual implementation of the new biometric CURP and the development of the national platform will begin.