Arizona is now accepting the consular ID, or matricula consular, as a form of identification for non-citizens.
For 10 years, the acceptance of these IDs was prohibited in Arizona and undocumented residents did not have an official form of identification.
The law Senate Bill 1420 has gone into effect. Gov. Doug Ducey approved the legislation in March.
Now Jorge Mendoza Yescas with the Consulate General of Mexico in Phoenix says there has been a recent increase in the amount of IDs issued.
“We used to issue about 40 consular IDs, and now we are issuing between 80-100 IDs daily,” said Yescas.
He says that usually, the process takes under two hours.
Yescas says applicants need to provide their Mexican birth certificate, another form of ID and proof of an address to be accepted. Then they are set to undergo a biometric screening process. If everything is approved, the ID can be issued that same day.
