Mexico: State Law on Legitimation and Distinctions Between Children Born in and out of Wedlock
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Report for the Executive Office for Immigration Review LL Files Nos. 2017-014922 through 2017-014953 Mexico: State Law on Legitimation and Distinctions Between Children Born In and Out of Wedlock (Update) August 2017 The Law Library of Congress, Global Legal Research Center (202) 707-6462 (phone) • (866) 550-0442 (fax) • [email protected] • http://www.law.gov Contents Introduction .....................................................................................................................................1 Aguascalientes .................................................................................................................................2 Baja California .................................................................................................................................4 Baja California Sur ..........................................................................................................................6 Campeche .........................................................................................................................................8 Chiapas ...........................................................................................................................................10 Chihuahua ......................................................................................................................................12 Coahuila .........................................................................................................................................14 Colima ............................................................................................................................................15 Durango..........................................................................................................................................17 Federal District ...............................................................................................................................19 Guanajuato .....................................................................................................................................21 Guerrero .........................................................................................................................................23 Hidalgo ...........................................................................................................................................25 Jalisco .............................................................................................................................................26 México ..........................................................................................................................................28 Michoacán ......................................................................................................................................29 Morelos ..........................................................................................................................................31 Nayarit............................................................................................................................................33 Nuevo León ....................................................................................................................................35 Oaxaca ............................................................................................................................................37 Puebla .............................................................................................................................................39 Querétaro ........................................................................................................................................41 Quintana Roo .................................................................................................................................43 San Luis Potosí ..............................................................................................................................45 Sinaloa............................................................................................................................................47 Sonora ............................................................................................................................................49 Tabasco ..........................................................................................................................................51 Tamaulipas .....................................................................................................................................53 Tlaxcala ..........................................................................................................................................55 Veracruz .........................................................................................................................................57 Yucatán ..........................................................................................................................................59 Zacatecas ........................................................................................................................................60 Introduction Gustavo Guerra and Norma C. Gutiérrez Senior Foreign Law Specialists Mexico is a federal republic comprising thirty-one states and the Federal District (Mexico City). This report summarizes the current laws governing legitimation and distinctions between children born in and out of wedlock for each Mexican state and the Federal District.* Each jurisdiction has its own laws concerning parentage, and although there are similarities among the various jurisdictions, relevant rules applicable to specific issues may vary widely depending on the state. This report updates a report prepared in 2011 and retains the structure and scope of that report. It provides a brief summary of key current state law provisions on legitimation and acknowledgement of children born out of wedlock. The Law Library of Congress stands ready to provide a more detailed treatment of any issue for any particular jurisdiction, as needed. * Gustavo Guerra prepared the surveys for the states of México, Quintana Roo, Guerrero, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tlaxcala, Zacatecas, Yucatán, Oaxaca, Guanajuato, Aguascalientes, Coahuila, Hidalgo, Querétaro, Tabasco, and Veracruz. Norma Gutiérrez prepared the surveys for Baja California, Baja California Sur, Morelos, Colima, Chiapas, Campeche, Michoacán, Nuevo León, Chihuahua, Durango, Nayarit, Pueblo, Tamaulipas, Sinaloa, Jalisco, and the Federal District. The Law Library of Congress 1 Aguascalientes I. Legitimation of Children Born Out of Wedlock The Aguascalientes Civil Code includes a chapter entitled “Of Legitimation.”1 This chapter provides that children born out of wedlock may be considered to be born in wedlock provided that the parents subsequently marry and both expressly acknowledge the children as theirs, either jointly or separately.2 Acknowledgement may take place before the marriage, during the marriage ceremony, or during the marriage.3 Legitimation is effective from the day on which the parents marry, even if acknowledgement takes place afterwards.4 This Code also provides different rules applicable to proving filiation of children born in and out of wedlock. The most relevant of the latter for purposes of this report are briefly summarized below. II. Distinctions Between Children Born In and Out of Wedlock Children born out of wedlock need to establish parentage in order to have their rights implemented. The Aguascalientes Civil Code includes a chapter entitled “Of Acknowledgement of Children Born Out of Wedlock.”5 This chapter provides that filiation of children results, with respect to the mother, by the mere fact of birth.6 With respect to the father, filiation may be established by voluntary acknowledgement or by a judgment that declares paternity.7 Acknowledgement of a child born out of wedlock may be done in any of the following ways: I. In the birth certificate before the Civil Registry official; II. In a special certificate before the Civil Registry official; III. By a notarized document; IV. By a will; V. By direct and express judicial confession.8 1 CÓDIGO CIVIL DEL ESTADO DE AGUASCALIENTES, “De la Legitimación,” PERIÓDICO OFICIAL DEL ESTADO DE AGUASCALIENTES, Dec. 7, 1947, available as amended through May 2017 on the website of the Aguascalientes State Judicial Branch, at http://www.poderjudicialags.gob.mx/servicios/legislacion/Cod%20Civil.pdf, archived at https://perma.cc/DA8R-JACP. 2 Id. arts. 378, 379. 3 Id. art. 379. 4 Id. art. 381. 5 Id., “Del Reconocimiento de los Hijos Nacidos Fuera de Matrimonio.” 6 Id. art. 384. 7 Id. 8 Id. art. 393. The Law Library of Congress 2 State Law on Legitimation and Distinctions between Children Born In and Out of Wedlock: Aguascalientes A child acknowledged by the father, mother, or both parents has the following rights: I. To take the last name of the acknowledging parent(s); II. To get support from the acknowledging parent(s); III. To get an inheritance share and support as provided by law.9 Either parent may acknowledge a child born before the parents were married, and the husband may acknowledge a child born during his marriage, but he does not have the right to bring the 10 child into the marital home to live without his wife’s consent. 9 Id. art. 412. 10 Id. art. 396. The Law Library of Congress 3 Baja California I. Legitimation of Children Born Out of Wedlock The Civil Code of