Senate approves Catastral and Registry Harmonization Law with rejection of opposition

The Mexican Senate approved the new General Law for the Strengthening and Harmonization of Cadastres and Registers without amendments on Wednesday. The legislation completes its legislative cycle and is ready for publication by the executive branch. It was initially sent by President Claudia Sheinbaum with the aim of unifying, digitizing, and connecting municipal cadastres and Public Property Registers nationwide. Opponents warned that the law opens the door to increased property tax payments, a claim supporters rejected as disinformation. Margarita Valdés, president of the Governance Commission and a member of the ruling Morena party, accused opposition representatives of spreading misinformation. She urged them to support the measure for the benefit of Mexicans. Valdés argued that the law guarantees patrimonial security over real estate rights and provides greater legal certainty regarding property ownership. She stated that the goal is to build trust in the governing state rather than generate additional revenue. The vote resulted in 69 votes in favor from Morena, the Green Party, and the Labor Party. Thirty-two senators from the National Action Party, Institutional Revolutionary Party, and Citizens Movement voted against the bill. The law mandates that information on land, houses, and buildings cease to be fragmented or outdated. It establishes a Unique Cadastral Key, an identification number for each property similar to the personal identity code. Provisions include linking cadastral data with Public Property Register information through a Unique Cadastral and Registry Certificate. This process uses the unique key and the property’s real folio. The legislation creates the Municipal Cadastral Platform and the Public Property Registers Platform. These tools will allow users to consult georeferenced digital maps, perform online procedures, and make electronic payments using the Llave MX digital identity. The statement of purpose highlights that standardizing procedures and requirements will define uniform rules, formats, and response times across the national territory. This aims to simplify real estate transactions, eliminate bureaucracy, provide greater legal certainty to deeds, and prevent record cloning or duplication. While the law itself does not contemplate increasing property taxes, opposition representatives warned that updating cadastral values would lead to higher payments. Articles seven, eight, and sixteen assign the Digital Transformation Agency the authority to supervise update deadlines. Local cadastral authorities are obligated to keep their cartography and base maps current via the Municipal Cadastral Platform. Senators supporting the measure noted that an updated cadastre provides municipalities with better tools for urban planning and strengthens local administration. Legislative commissions stated in the report that harmonization should ensure cadastral values progressively and technically reflect real estate market reality. The text emphasizes permanent updates of cadastral information as a core objective. The approval marks the final step before the law enters into force upon official publication.