Mexico tenders $20M contract to support biometric CURP at scale

The Mexican government has published a new tender worth 343 million Mexican pesos (US$19.9 million) to expand the operation of the country’s personal information repositories and ensure their data protection. This includes biometric data from the Population Registry Code (Clave Única de Registro de Población – CURP), introduced earlier this year.

The data is managed by the National Population Registry (RENAPO), which is currently preparing for a broader adoption of biometric CURPs. The contractor will need to provide administration, storage, operational support, and secure data handling for 112.9 terabytes of information generated annually by Mexico’s population.

The provider must also ensure that the infrastructure can support the growing volume of identity data. The funding will be allocated to work conducted between the second half of 2026 and the end of 2028, according to the Ministry of the Interior (SEGOB).

Mexico has been implementing its biometric CURP system since its gazetting in July last year. The citizen code, which includes face, fingerprint and iris biometrics, is a modernized version of Mexico’s previous CURP.

The biometric-based identifier became available in February and is now required for access to public and private services, including social programs and pensions, financial services, education and healthcare. The country is also implementing a mandatory registry of mobile phone users, which links phone numbers to CURPs. All numbers that are not linked to a verified user by June 30th, 2026, will be suspended.

Although President Claudia Sheinbaum has characterized the biometric CURP as voluntary, its integration into access to public services, financial products and telecommunications means it is increasingly functioning as a de facto national digital identity credential. The distinction reflects a common dynamic in national digital identity programs: enrollment may not be legally compulsory, but participation becomes a practical necessity as the credential becomes mandatory for more everyday services.

The Ministry of the Interior has published a list of technical requirements for operating and securing RENAPO’s data, which is currently managed through approximately 12 servers and several large-scale storage systems.

The data center to be provided by the contracted company must be located outside Mexico City, in an area with low seismic activity and away from high-risk sites, such as gas stations or refineries. The contractor will also need to hire staff specialized in server administration and virtualization, data backup and recovery, database administration, infrastructure monitoring, risk management, and personal data protection, newspaper La Jornada reports.

In August 2025, RENAPO also received 520 million Mexican pesos ($30.2 million) to boost its infrastructure, including database administration, data migration, cybersecurity controls, and operational management for biometric identity systems.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Clave Única de Registro de Población (CURP)  |  digital ID  |  Mexico  |  National Population Registry (RENAPO)  |  tender