How to verify a surgical facility
In Mexico, facilities where surgical procedures are performed must meet federal health requirements and, in many cases, appear on an official registry or listing; before a surgery, it is worth confirming directly with the facility that its operating notice (aviso de funcionamiento) is current and asking what happens if a complication arises outside business hours.
Scope and limits of this page
What this covers
- Explains what official records exist in Mexico for facilities where surgeries are performed.
- Explains what to ask the facility directly when the registry cannot be confirmed online.
- Links to how to verify the surgeon's certification and to documented risks of cosmetic surgery performed abroad.
What this page does NOT do
- Does not confirm the registration or health license of any specific facility.
- Does not evaluate the quality or safety of any specific surgical facility.
- Does not replace direct verification with the corresponding health authority.
What the federal health authority requires
The Comisión Federal para la Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios (COFEPRIS) publishes the requirements that facilities where surgical or obstetric procedures are performed must meet in Mexico, including infrastructure conditions and the operating notice filed with the health authority.
The Consejo de Salubridad General (CSG) independently maintains a listing of healthcare facilities that have gone through its own accreditation process; not every facility that operates legally appears on that listing, since CSG accreditation is a process in addition to the health operating notice, not an identical requirement.
What to ask the facility directly
When a registration cannot be confirmed online, it is worth asking the facility directly for a copy of its current operating notice, and asking which hospital or emergency service it has an agreement with in case a complication arises outside the facility's hours of operation.
Documented risks of surgery abroad
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) documents, among the risks of traveling to another country for cosmetic surgery, variability in quality standards between facilities and the possibility of infections from antibiotic-resistant bacteria; the same source recommends verifying the surgeon's credentials and the facility's accreditation directly before traveling.
See also: Risks and warning signs.
Related verification
Verifying the surgical facility is a step independent of verifying the surgeon's certification; it is worth confirming both before a surgery.
See also: Verify the surgeon's specialty, How we verify this information.
Where to see published facilities
This site's directory shows, when published evidence exists, the surgical facility associated with each surgeon, or explicitly states that this information was not published.
Sources
Review scope: this guide organizes and explains public sources through editorial and documentary review; it does not represent individual medical approval or determine a decision for any person.
Every concrete medical or regulatory statement on this page cites a verifiable source with a visible access date -- this is not an unsupported editorial opinion. How we verify this information.
This page is also available in Spanish: View this page in Spanish.