validates the digital professional card as an accreditation document to practice

The highest judicial authority in Mexico has settled a debate that generated some confusion among workers, employers and even institutions: What happens with the digital professional card. Recently have ruled in favor of its validity when presented as the only document, being as valid as the physical one. Below these lines we tell you all the details.

Why does it matter? On January 15, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) resolved the Contradiction of Criteria 164/2025 and confirmed that the electronic professional card has full legal validity to accredit the beginning of a profession in Mexico.

For years it has been a confusing situation in work environments and institutions, even generating unjustified rejections in hiring processes, labor procedures and records. And there were employers and institutions that required physical support out of habit or ignorance, without any legal support to do so.

What exactly does the resolution say? The full court established Three points that should be clear:

• First: the digital ID does not need a photograph or signature to have legal effects, because its function is not to identify a person, but to prove that they are authorized to practice their profession.
• Second: the electronic format issued by the General Directorate of Professions of the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) meets all current legal requirements, since the regulations at no time impose mandatory physical characteristics for this document.
• Third: no public or private institution can require the paper version as a condition for hiring or recognizing a professional. Doing so has no legal basis.

What this document does not do. However, the SCJN also explained an important nuance that may lead to confusion: the professional ID, whether digital or physical, It is not an official ID. It does not prove identity, only that the person is authorized to start a profession. This means that for procedures that require identification as a person (opening a bank account, voting, signing contracts before a notary…) it will continue to be necessary to present a separate identity document.

How to verify its authenticity. If an employer or institution needs to verify that an ID is legitimate, the official mechanism is to consult the ID number directly in the National Registry of Professionalsthe system of the General Directorate of Professions. There is no need to request an additional physical document or request photographs.

What changes in practice. For professionals, the ruling eliminates that confusion that has existed for years, since the ID downloaded from the SEP platform It has exactly the same legal weight as any printed version. For recent graduates, it simplifies accreditation procedures and eliminates unnecessary costs and management times.

For employers and institutions, the SCJN resolution clarifies doubts and turns the digital document into a mandatory recognition, not an option. Rejecting it or conditioning a contract on having to present the format on paper no longer has legal protection.

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