Fotocívicas in Mexico City: Camera Tickets, Points and Fines
Speed and red-light cameras in Mexico City run on a points system called fotocívicas. How the 10 points work, which cars still get cash fines, and how to check a plate.
Fotocívicas is Mexico City’s points system for offenses caught by traffic cameras and radars. Each Mexico City plate starts with 10 points per emissions-inspection cycle, and camera offenses lead to warnings, online courses, an in-person session and community service instead of a cash fine. Plates from other states or countries, taxis, company cars and anyone ticketed in person by an officer pay fines in money.
How does the fotocívicas points system work?
The system comes from Article 64 of the Mexico City Traffic Regulation (Reglamento de Tránsito), as reformed in the city’s Official Gazette on March 19, 2019. Each plate (matrícula) starts with ten points, recorded in the systems of the Mobility Ministry (SEMOVI), the Public Security Ministry (SSC) and the Environment Ministry (SEDEMA). Each camera offense removes one point. Going more than 40% over the speed limit removes five.
The count runs per vehicle-inspection cycle (ciclo de verificación vehicular) and is cumulative within that cycle. Once a sanction is completed, the points are restored through SEMOVI’s system.
Cars that are exempt from the emissions inspection program are not left out. For them, the SSC records the points and the Legal Affairs Department handles the sanctions every six months. The regulation has been amended more than once, so treat the details below as the rules in the 2019 decree and confirm any change with SEMOVI.
What happens as a plate loses points?
The March 2019 Gazette decree sets this table:
| Points left | Sanction |
|---|---|
| 9 (first offense) | Warning (amonestación) |
| 8 (second offense) | Warning |
| 7 | Basic online course |
| 6 | Intermediate online course |
| 5 | In-person awareness session (sensibilización presencial) |
| 4, 3, 2 and 1 | 2 hours of community service at each step |
| Beyond 10 points lost | More community service hours that cannot be swapped for a fine |
For a five-point speeding offense, the first two in a cycle still bring only a warning. Community service is supervised by the Civic Justice office of the city’s Legal Affairs Department (Consejería Jurídica y de Servicios Legales) and can include cleaning or painting schools and clinics, public works, reforestation or talks in the neighborhood.
Which drivers still get cash fines?
Article 64 lists the cases where camera offenses are always paid in money:
- Vehicles with plates from another Mexican state or another country.
- Company-owned cars (personas morales), taxis, public transport and freight vehicles.
- Any vehicle caught invading a confined lane, such as a Metrobús or bus-only lane.
Tickets written on the spot by a traffic officer with a handheld device are also always cash fines. If you drive a car with US or other foreign plates, see our guide to bringing a foreign-plated car to Mexico City, and the rules on driving with a foreign license.
What are the speed limits and fines?
Where no sign says otherwise, Article 9 of the regulation sets these limits. Officers can fine 10 to 20 times the UMA for the offenses below, which comes to about MXN 1,173 to MXN 2,346 at the 2026 UMA of MXN 117.31, plus points on the driver’s license.
| Road type | Maximum speed |
|---|---|
| Central lanes of controlled-access roads (vías de acceso controlado) | 80 km/h |
| Primary roads | 50 km/h |
| Secondary roads and side lanes | 40 km/h |
| Traffic-calmed zones | 30 km/h |
| School, hospital and care-home zones | 20 km/h |
| Parking lots and pedestrian streets open to cars | 10 km/h |
The decree also lists the primary roads that are treated like controlled-access roads, so check the signs on each stretch.
How do you check a plate for fotocívicas and fines?
Two official lookups cover the two kinds of sanctions:
- Points and sanctions. The regulation sends drivers to the city’s procedures site (tramites.cdmx.gob.mx, infractions section) to see the plate’s points and how to complete courses or community service. SEMOVI runs the fotocívicas service.
- Cash fines. The Finance Ministry’s payments and debts lookup (Consulta de adeudos) shows unpaid traffic fines by plate, together with vehicle tax and other debts. Type the plate without spaces.
- Pay any fine with the payment form generated by the Finance Ministry, and keep the receipt.
Camera sanctions are notified to the registered owner by certified mail, electronically where possible, or at the owner’s registered address. If you bought a used car, check its plate before you sign.
Bottom line
Check your plate on both city sites a few weeks before your emissions inspection and finish any course or community service in time. Drive to the posted limit, keep out of Metrobús and bus lanes, and if your car has plates from outside Mexico City, assume every camera offense is a cash fine. Our guide to Hoy No Circula covers the other restriction most drivers face.
FAQ
Do fotocívicas cost money?
Not for private cars with Mexico City plates. The sanctions are warnings, online courses, an in-person session and community service. Lane invasions and out-of-state plates are fined in money.
How many points does a plate have?
Ten per emissions-inspection cycle. Each camera offense takes one point, or five for driving more than 40% over the limit.
Can I pay instead of doing community service?
No. The regulation describes the hours beyond the tenth point as community service that cannot be exchanged, handled under the city’s Civic Culture Law.
Are the rules the same for officer-issued tickets?
No. Tickets issued in person by an officer with a handheld device are always cash fines, and offenses such as speeding also add points to the driver’s license.
