Professionals in Mexico - Cédula is Professional Designation

A cedula is a professional license to practice. All attorneys, doctors, architects, accountants, engineers, notarios, dentists, nurses, chiropractors, etc must have one to legally practice. The law provides for penalties of up to six years in prison for foreigners that practice a profession without obtaining prior authorization / credentialing as per Article 250 of the penal code.

Mexico does have certifying boards for medical specialties. The cedula is a government issued document that certifies that the professional has completed proper studies for the licensure in the appropriate school. For doctors every one must have a cedula as a general practitioner and the doctors with specialties may have a second or even third cedula that certifies them legally for the practice of their specialty(s). However, that does not mean that a doctor is competent in what they do or claim to be specialized at.

Aside from the cedula there are certification Boards for every specialty in Mexico. This is a different kind of certification which requires not only that you have legal documents (cedula) but also requires a Board exam of knowledge and technical skill when it applies. Board certification needs to be re-established every 3 or 4 years to ensure that specialty doctors are up to date. In order to get re-certification a specialist needs to obtain a specified amount of points. Points are given for National and International congress meetings, conference attendance, publishing, teaching, and other educational or continuing education participations.

Last, board certification is mandatory to work in most private hospitals and to be part of other medical associations / staff. Hence, for a patient it is very important to know if their specialty is board certified and up to date. It is the only way to fight charlatans and fraud (doctors that say they are but they aren´t).

Boards in Mexico are known as "Consejos", like: "Consejo Mexicano de Medicina Interna", "Consejo Mexicano de Otorrinolaringología", "Consejo Mexicano de Cardiología", "Consejo Mexicano de Ortopedia", etc. And all databases may be accessed on line.

There are also expats including in San Miguel who will indicate they are professionals including Nurse Practitioner but have never proven their credentials in Mexico. And, they may not be certified in another country as anyone can print certificates. Once an expat is certified they apply at INM for permission to work. Some expats have bypassed this requirement as well.

So, the next time any one including an expat states they are a doctor, engineer, architect, lawyer, chiropractor, dentist or any other professional designation ask to see their cedula. Then check it on-line to ensure it is real.

And if you know the Cedula number enter it here: http://www.buholegal.com/consultasep/