The DC-3 is the Certificate of competencies or job skills (Constancia de competencias o de habilidades laborales). It is issued by the external training agent registered with the STPS (or by the company, if the instructor is internal) to each worker who passes a course, and it is delivered within the following 20 business days. The company keeps copies of the certificates from the last year for the STPS.
1What data it must include
| Block | Data |
|---|---|
| Worker | Full name, CURP (national ID code) and specific occupation according to the catalog |
| Company | Name or legal name and RFC (tax ID) |
| Course | Name, duration in hours, dates held and subject area according to the catalog |
| Trainer | Name of the external training agent (or of the company, if internal) and the instructor's name and signature |
| Signatures | Employer and worker representatives |
It can be issued on the official DC-3 form, in the STPS system or on the company's own document that contains at least that data.
2Who issues and signs it
- It is issued by the entity that delivers the course: the external training agent registered with the STPS, the company itself when the instructor is internal, or the supplier of a product or service that trains on it.
- It is authenticated, in companies with more than 50 workers, by the employer and worker representatives on the Joint Training Commission. In companies with up to 50, the employer or its legal representative is enough.
- Digitized signatures are allowed if the company keeps the agreements and specifications to verify them.
3Deadlines and retention
- 20 business daysCertificate deliveryAfter the course ends, if the worker passes the assessment.
- 60 business daysList of certificates (DC-4)At the end of each year of the training plan, when the company files it.
- 1 yearRetentionCopies of the certificates from the last year, on paper or as an electronic image.
4Why the inspector asks for it
Many safety standards require staff training and accept certificates of job skills as evidence. This is the case, among others, for the standards on work at height (NOM-009), personal protective equipment (NOM-017), confined spaces (NOM-033), material storage and handling with machinery (NOM-006) and ergonomics (NOM-036-1).
Be careful with logos. Certificates may only carry logos that identify the company or the training agent; they must not suggest STPS endorsement, except for those the Ministry itself issues.
5How to tell if a DC-3 is reliable
- The training agent has a current STPS registration and its number appears on the certificate.
- It includes complete data for the worker, the company and the course.
- The instructor is identified and signs it.
- There is a way to verify it. SICSSOM certificates carry a verification QR code.
- Agreement publishing the administrative criteria, requirements and forms for training, skills development and worker productivity procedures (DOF Jun-14-2013), arts. 24 to 26.
- Federal Labor Law (Ley Federal del Trabajo), arts. 153-A to 153-W.
Information current as of October 15, 2026. For filings with the authorities, always confirm the current official text.