Requisitos para Obtener el Dictamen de Verificación UVIE bajo la NOM-001-SEDE

If you are in charge of a manufacturing plant in the industrial corridor of Saltillo, Ramos Arizpe, Torreón, or Piedras Negras, you know perfectly well that operational continuity is the heart of the business. A line stoppage due to an electrical failure or an STPS fine for regulatory non-compliance can cost millions of pesos. In this context, obtaining the UVIE verification report is not just a bureaucratic procedure required by the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) or by your insurer; it is the guarantee that your infrastructure industrial electricity is safe, efficient, and complies with current law in Mexico.

Obtaining this document is often perceived as a technical headache due to the number of plans, calculations, and field tests required by the authority. However, when approached with a structured engineering focus, the process becomes agile and adds real value to the plant. Below, we present the definitive guide, written from the trenches of field engineering, so you can understand the requirements, the legal framework, and the step-by-step process to successfully pass electrical verification without setbacks.

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Table of Contents

• What is the UVIE Verification Report and why is it vital for your company?
• Legal Framework in Mexico: NOM-001-SEDE-2012 and the Conformity Assessment Procedure (PEC)
• Essential Requirements to Request the UVIE Verification Report
  • 1. Complete Electrical Project (Plans, Single-Line Diagrams, and Load Schedule)
  • 2. Technical-Descriptive Report of the Installation
  • 3. Plans of Hazardous or Classified Areas (if applicable)
• When is it mandatory to hire a UVIE for your workplace?
• Step-by-step electrical verification process under NOM-001-SEDE
  • Phase 1: Document Review and Registration in SEDIVER
  • Phase 2: Physical Verification Visit and Field Tests
  • Phase 3: Resolution of Non-Conformities and Issuance of the Report
• Validity of the UVIE Report and Re-verification in Hazardous Areas
• Consequences and fines for not having the electrical verification report in Mexico
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Preventive vs. Reactive UVIE Verification
• Common errors in the Mexican industry when processing the report
• Real Case: Regularization of an Auto Parts Plant in Saltillo
• Professional Checklist for UVIE Verification Accreditation
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

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What is the UVIE Verification Report and why is it vital for your company?

Industrial UVIE verification report is the official approval document issued by an electrical installation verification unit (currently called Conformity Assessment Bodies). This document certifies that the electrical installations of a property comply 100% with the safety provisions of the official Mexican standard for electrical installations.

In Mexico, the Secretaría de Energía (SENER) and the Entidad Mexicana de Acreditación (EMA) are responsible for accrediting and approving these units. For any industrial plant, having this report is not optional if a new medium or high voltage supply contract with CFE is required, or if a substantial modification is made to the substation.

Beyond the legal obligation, the report is an asset management tool. It ensures that protection systems, conduits, conductors, and transformers operate within design parameters, minimizing the risk of electrical arcs, overloads, and catastrophic fires that endanger the lives of operators and the integrity of production equipment.

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Legal Framework in Mexico: NOM-001-SEDE-2012 and the Conformity Assessment Procedure (PEC)

The regulatory framework for electrical safety in Mexico is based on NOM-001-SEDE-2012 (Electrical Installations - Utilization). This standard aims to establish the safety conditions that installations for the use of electrical energy must meet.

To verify that a plant complies with this standard, the Conformity Assessment Procedure (PEC)is applied. The PEC is the set of legal guidelines that dictate how the UVIE must carry out visual inspection, verification, tests, and document analysis.

All information and issued reports are managed through SEDIVER (Electronic System for Verification Reports), a digital platform of SENER that centralizes report folios to prevent falsifications and ensure process traceability. This means that CFE can verify in real time if your report is authentic before energizing a service connection or authorizing a industrial electrical lockout/tagout.

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Essential Requirements to Request the UVIE Verification Report

To successfully start the verification process, the plant must present a robust technical file. The UVIE does not perform design or engineering; its function is to evaluate what has already been projected and built. The UVIE report requirements mandatory documents are:

1. Complete Electrical Project (Plans, Single-Line Diagrams, and Load Schedule)

Industrial NOM-001-SEDE electrical project is the backbone of the verification. It must be signed by an electrical engineer or electromechanical engineer with a professional license and must include:

• General Single-Line Diagram: Detailing from the CFE service entrance, the overhead-to-underground transition, substation characteristics, main breakers, feeders, down to the final distribution panels. It must specify conductor gauges (usually from brands like Viakon or Condumex), insulation types (THHN, THWN-2, XHHW-2), conduit diameters (heavy-wall conduit, mesh or ventilated bottom trays), and thermomagnetic and electromagnetic breaker capacities.
• Load Schedule: Detailing the installed load and contracted demand in kW or kVA, phase balancing, and applied demand and diversity factors.
• Lighting and Receptacle Plans: With the physical distribution of luminaires (complying with NOM-025-STPS illuminance levels) and receptacles, indicating circuits and raceways.

2. Technical-Descriptive Report of the Installation

This document mathematically justifies the design decisions. It must contain:

• Voltage drop calculation (must not exceed 3% in feeders or 5% total from the service entrance to the last point of utilization, according to Article 210-19 of the NOM).
• Short-circuit calculation to determine the interrupting capacity of the breakers (in kA).
• Coordination study of protections to ensure that faults are cleared at the point closest to the origin.
• Calculation of the grounding system grounding and lightning rods, justifying that the resistance of the grounding network is below regulatory limits (generally less than 10-25 ohms for substations, and less than 5 ohms for sensitive equipment).

3. Plans of Hazardous or Classified Areas (if applicable)

If your plant handles combustible dusts, flammable gases, or volatile liquids (common in the chemical, paint, or auto parts manufacturing industry in Coahuila), you must present the area classification according to Article 500 of NOM-001-SEDE-2012. The plans must delimit Class I, II, or III zones, and their respective Divisions 1 and 2, specifying that the installed equipment (motors, luminaires, pushbuttons) must be Explosion-Proof or intrinsically safe.

Engineer's Tip: Do not try to save money by omitting the classification of hazardous areas in your plans. If the UVIE detects the presence of solvents or dust during its physical visit and you do not have classification plans or adequate equipment, it will reject the report immediately, which will delay your production for weeks.

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When is it mandatory to hire a UVIE for your workplace?

Not all installations require a UVIE to operate, but in the industrial sector, practically 99% of plants fall under the mandatory requirement due to their voltage levels and area classification.

According to the Agreement that determines public gathering places for the verification of electrical installations, it is mandatory to contract a UVIE for:

1. Medium and High Voltage Installations: Any service with a supply voltage greater than 1,000 Volts between phases.
2. Hazardous (Classified) Areas: Gas stations, chemical plants, solvent warehouses, paint booths, grain milling plants, etc.
3. Public Gathering Places: Industries with more than 100 workers, hospitals, shopping centers, hotels, and schools.

Type of Installation	Capacity / Characteristics	UVIE Required?	Regulatory Basis (NOM-001-SEDE-2012)
Standard Industrial Plant	Installed load > 20 kW	Yes (If it is a public gathering place)	PEC Section 6.1
Electrical Substation	Any capacity in Medium Voltage	Yes (Mandatory for CFE contract)	Article 450 (Substations)
Classified Areas	Class I, II or III (Any load)	Yes (Mandatory regardless of load)	Articles 500 to 517
Small Business	Load < 10 kW in Low Voltage	No (Except for concentration exceptions)	Exempt by the PEC

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Step-by-step electrical verification process under NOM-001-SEDE

The path to obtaining the dictamen (report) is divided into three critical phases that require close collaboration between the plant's maintenance department, the electrical contractor, and the UVIE.

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| Fase 1: Revisión Documental      | -> Planos, Memorias, SEDIVER
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                 v
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| Fase 2: Verificación Física      | -> Pruebas de Campo, Tierras, Aislamiento
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                 v
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| Fase 3: Solventación y Dictamen  | -> Cierre de No Conformidades, Emisión
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Phase 1: Document Review and Registration in SEDIVER

The process formally begins when the plant selects an accredited UVIE