Gone are the times when hiding or quitting a job served to avoid paying child support. As a family lawyer, I have seen how in recent years the law in Mexico has gone from being "soft" to becoming a true legal manhunt against alimony debtors.
If you are a mother and are owed years of support, or if you are a father and are worried about what will happen with your paperwork, pay attention. By 2026, the implementation of the National Registry of Alimony Obligations (RNOA) will be operating at 100% and the consequences of not paying will cease to be just a "scare" to become a civil paralysis.
Here I explain, without weird words, how the game changes.
The "Big Brother" of debtors: The RNOA
The most aggressive change that is already law and will be strengthened in the coming months is the National Registry of Alimony Obligations. Before, if you owed child support in CDMX, you went to live in Monterrey and "disappeared." That is over.
This registry is a federal database. If a judge determines that you are a delinquent debtor (usually for stopping payment for 90 days), your data enters the system. And getting out of there is not easy.
What you will no longer be able to do if you are on the blacklist
The law is clear and the authorities are linking their systems to block you:
Goodbye to Passport: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) will deny the process or renewal. You will not be able to leave the country.
No Driver's License: State mobility offices will check the registry before issuing licenses.
Block at the Notary: Do you want to sell your house or buy land? You won't be able to. Notaries will have the obligation to demand a certificate of non-alimony debtor to deed real estate.
Public Office (3 out of 3 Law): If you had political aspirations or wanted to be a judge, magistrate, or official, forget it. No alimony debtor can occupy popularly elected positions or positions in the judiciary.
How will the child support increase be calculated in 2026?
This is the fight every January. Many clients ask me: "How much do they have to raise my pension?".
The general rule remains, but the Supreme Court's criteria are increasingly strict to protect the children's purchasing power. The increase depends on how your pension was set in the sentence or agreement:
If it is in Minimum Wage Times (VSM)
Get ready. The Minimum Wage has had historic increases (20% annual average in recent years). If your pension is linked to this, the blow to your pocket as a debtor will be strong, but fair for the children.
If it is in UMA (Unit of Measurement and Update)
The UMA rises according to inflation (around 4% - 5% annually). It is a more moderate increase.
If it is a Percentage of Salary
Here there is no fixed annual "increase," but it is automatic. If the debtor gets a raise, a bonus, or is paid profit-sharing, the pension rises proportionally at that very instant.
Retroactivity: Your children can sue you even if they are 30 years old
This legal trend will consolidate towards 2026. The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) has established clear jurisprudence: the right to food (alimony) does not expire.
What does this mean? That if you did not give support when your children were kids, they can sue you today, even if they are already professional adults, to claim the retroactive payment of everything you did not give 20 years ago. I have handled cases where properties of elderly adults are seized to pay debts from their children's childhood. It is not revenge, it is restored justice.
Legal strategies: What do I do today?
The scenario is hardening, but the law also allows adjustments if your real situation changes.
For the one collecting support (Creditor)
Do not settle for a verbal agreement. If the dad or mom deposits "when they want," that does not count for the legal record. You need a judicial sentence or agreement to register them in the RNOA if they stop paying. Without a judicial paper, there is no real pressure.
For the one paying support (Debtor)
If you lost your job or had more children, do not simply stop paying. You have to initiate a "Pension Reduction" incident before the judge immediately. If you just stop depositing, you become delinquent, enter the Registry, and interest accumulates. Jail for non-compliance remains a real option if malice is proven.