What the CEP is
The CEP (Comprobante Electrónico de Pago) is the receipt the Bank of Mexico (Banxico) issues for every SPEI transfer, the system Mexican banks use to transfer money to each other. For every settled transfer, the institution that received the payment signs the CEP and Banxico publishes it on its site. Your bank gives you its own receipt; the CEP is the one from the system.
NoteIt is also called «certificado electrónico de pago» or «comprobante de Banxico». It has no tax effect: it does not replace an invoice.
Where to download it
On the Banxico site, with the transfer details. No account and no password needed.
- Go to banxico.org.mx/cep.
- Enter the payment date, the tracking key, the sending bank, the receiving bank, the beneficiary account and the amount.
- Solve the security image.
- Download the CEP as PDF, or as XML if you are going to process it.
Official sourceThe site answers from 9:30 to 23:00, every day.
With VerikoThe same lookup is done by uploading a photo of the receipt. The verdict arrives in about 10 seconds and the CEP is kept in your history.
From your bank
Every bank delivers it differently. Look for the movement detail in your online banking: some banks put the link to the official receipt there and others do not offer it.
What is the same at every bank is the tracking key. With it and the rest of the movement details you request the CEP on the Banxico site, without going through your bank app.
What the CEP proves
It proves the transfer settled: date and time of the operation, amount, sending and receiving bank, beneficiary account and tracking key, with the digital signature of the receiving institution. It does not prove the description, which the sender writes, nor the identity of the person behind the account. A transfer between accounts at the same bank does not go through SPEI and has no CEP.
ImportantA screenshot is not a CEP: it is the receipt from the payer's bank, and it can be edited.
What the CEP says
Six blocks, always the same ones. The first five describe the payment; the last one signs it.
| Field | What it is |
|---|---|
| Date and time of the operation | When SPEI settled the transfer |
| Tracking key | The code SPEI uses to identify that transfer |
| Sender and originator | The bank that sent it and the name of the payer |
| Receiver and beneficiary | The bank that received it, and the name and account of the beneficiary |
| Amount and description | The amount with cents and the text the payer wrote |
| Digital seal | The signature of the receiving bank, with its certificate number and the original string |
- Date and time
- Tracking key
- Sender
- Receiver
- Amount
- Digital seal
How Veriko does it
Veriko looks up the CEP with Banxico using the details from the photo you upload or the ones you type, and gives you a verdict in about 10 seconds. If the payment exists, the verdict carries the date, the amount, the banks and the tracking key the CEP states, and the CEP is kept in your history.
The difference is the effort per payment. On Banxico's site you type six exact details and solve a security image, one transfer at a time and within its hours; if one detail does not match, the CEP does not appear and you start over. With Veriko the system reads the details and, if Banxico does not respond, the validation can retry on its own.
| What you need | By hand on Banxico's site | With Veriko |
|---|---|---|
| Details | Six exact details and a security image | A photo of the receipt, or the details typed in |
| Hours | 9:30 to 23:00 | Any time, with automatic retries if Banxico does not respond |
| Volume | One transfer per query | Hundreds of payments in one file, or through the API |
| Result | The CEP as PDF or XML | The verdict with date, amount and banks, and the CEP kept |
| Records | None: you keep it yourself | History, reports and alerts in your dashboard |
If you get paid often, sell with delivery or receive payments from many people, every manual lookup is time and a chance for error. There is a free plan that never expires to try it, and the pricing page compares the paid plans. The security page explains where the verdict comes from.
Frequently asked questions
What does «no es posible generar el CEP» mean?
Banxico could not generate a CEP with the data entered. Check the payment date, the tracking key, the banks, the beneficiary account and the amount with cents. The confirmation from the receiving bank may be missing, or the payment may be in another state. Check the state on MI-SPEI and ask your bank for the detail of the operation.
Does the CEP work as an invoice?
No. It has no tax effect: it proves the payment was made, it does not replace an invoice.
What is the difference between STP and SPEI?
STP is an institution, not a system. It takes part in SPEI the same way a bank does, so on the CEP form you enter it as sender or as receiver.
What is the difference between SPEI and a transfer?
A transfer is the movement of the money; SPEI is the system that moves it between different institutions. The CEP form only searches operations that went through SPEI.
What is the bank identification code for BBVA?
In SPEI, BBVA MÉXICO is 40012. The codes for the other institutions are in the bank directory.
Where can I look up a CEP by operation number?
The form asks for the tracking key or the reference number. The folio your bank shows you may be a different number: compare it with the one in the movement detail and keep the leading zeros.
Are there mobile apps that make using the CEP easier?
The Banxico site works in a phone browser. There are also apps that look it up for you; before using one, check what data it asks you for.
How long does an STP transfer take to arrive?
The name of the institution does not tell you how long a payment takes. The money can arrive before the CEP is published; you check the state of the operation on MI-SPEI.