Can I find a person and their address in Mexico with only a phone number?

I get asked this question a lot. The idea is based on the belief that you can do a reverse phone lookup with a phone number in Mexico. If you are unfamiliar with a reverse lookup, it means you go to a database or website (there are several) and enter in a telephone number. The system will go through its database and, in most cases in the U.S., you will get the name and address of the person who has that specific telephone number.

This reverse lookup is free and works very well in the U.S. so many people assume that this will happen for Mexico. They couldn't be more wrong!

Here's the reality for Mexico. There is no reverse look up in Mexico meaning there is no database online or offline where you can enter phone numbers in Mexico and get an address in Mexico. We know there are thousands of sites that claim you can do a reverse lookup with telephone numbers, but they do not apply to Mexico.

I have already written about this in the blog post dated Tuesday, May 18, 2010 entitled "Want to find family or friends in Mexico for free? You must read this before you spend hours online." Articles that claim that you can do a reverse lookup for Mexico are wrong and misleading. A few even try to sell you on their product to do a reverse lookup. Don't waste your money!

I also wrote about this topic in the blog "#7 Is there a website to find people in Mexico with only a phone number?" I commented that you can just call the person and get their address, but I realize that there are situations where this is not possible.

Recently a woman wrote that she wants to find her ex-husband who is living in Mexico so she can get child support. The Mexico police will serve him papers, BUT they need his physical address. The woman only has her ex-husband's phone number in Mexico. Of course, she knows his name, but that hasn't helped her to find out where he's presently living, and he isn't offering to tell her where he is.

This idea of needing to have a physical address in Mexico for someone also applies to legal matters and sometimes foster care. An attorney or government agency may insist on having someone persoally confirm that someone lives at a particular address before a letter or legal documents are mailed out. Getting someone in a Mexican city to go and knock on someone's door to confirm their identity is usually very difficult.

Now just because you can't do a reverse lookup for a Mexico telephone number doesn't mean there are no other options to find out more information that can help you find people in Mexico. You can take the city code and find out where the person lives barring that they have a cell phone, which means they could be living and calling from anywhere in the world.

To see a listing of the most popular cities with their area codes, go to our Resources and click on the link under "Area Codes for Mexican Cities".

Once you know the city and state, you can take your information and go online and do a search to find the person. I recommend using several search engines because they all give slightly different responses.

If this doesn't work, and about 96% of the time it doesn't (but you should try anyway), then you need expert help. For instance, our company doesn't rely on telephone numbers to find people in Mexico. We have our own databases and access to hundreds more throughout Mexico. There may be several options to help you find someone in Mexico; however, these options are normally not available to the public.

Bottom line: reverse lookups do not exist for phone numbers in Mexico. You can still use the number to learn more so you can find a person in Mexico. If you can't do it on your own, then bring your information to us so we can get you the rest of the way and find that person in Mexico for you.

Best regards,



Richard Villasana

Richard Villasana
The Mexico Guru

"Uniting you with family and friends in Mexico"