Mexico enjoys long daylight throughout the year

Mexico’s geographical location gives the country a privileged mix of daylight and dark, regardless of the season.  This is in contrast to countries situated further away from the equator, where daylight hours can be substantially curtailed during the winter months.

One of the reasons why so many people enjoy overwintering in Mexico is because the country offers pleasantly warm or temperate climates, and also because the daylight here remains fairly constant —thus by living here during the winter you can avoid the ‘long nights’ —and enjoy plenty of sunshine, too.

How Mexico’s daylight hours vary during the year

Mexico’s privileged daylight hours can be well illustrated by way of an example.

The table below shows the hours for sunrise and sunset on the longest and shortest days of the year —and the total daylight hours on those days— for three locations in Mexico:

• Tijuana one of Mexico’s northernmost cities, situated on the border with the US; and
• Mexico City on a similar latitude to Mérida, in the Yucatán; and
• Tapachula that is Mexico’s southernmost city on the border with Guatemala.

(Times shown take into account Mexico’s abandonment of annual clock changes.)

Enjoying long daylight on the shortest day of the year

The hours recorded in the table above for the ‘winter low’ are for December 21—the shortest day of the year in Mexico. These show that:

• In the northern-most areas of Mexico, even the shortest days of the year give more than 10 hours of daylight.
• In the southern-most areas (nearer to the equator) you can enjoy over eleven-and-a-quarter hours of daylight on the shortest day of the year.
• Mexico City (and Mérida, on a similar latitude) enjoy nearly eleven hours of daylight on the year’s shortest day, and over 12 hours of daylight on the longest day of the year.

A good balance on the longest days of the year

On or around June 21 —the longest day of the year in Mexico— you’ll enjoy between 12 and 14 hours of daylight in the peak of summer, regardless of where you’re situated in the country.

Mexico’s geographical location in relation to the equator offers a year-round equitable balance of night and day, with each month and season offering plenty of daylight every day of the year—which can be supportive to one’s moods, general health, and overall well-being.

Mexico’s light is also extraordinary

As well as offering an equitable balance of daylight and dark, when you pause to consider the quality of the light here, you come to realize that Mexico’s light is truly extraordinary.

Its quality is especially noticeable in the mountain highlands, although it’s exceptional even at lower elevations, and along the coasts.

Mexico is often said to be one of the most ‘colorful countries in the world’ and the quality of the light undoubtably contributes to the sparkling tapestry of colors on display to appreciate here.

Writers describing Mexico’s scenery often remark, for example, on the sharp and crisp ‘azure blue’ skies, especially in the central highlands.  They’ve noticed how the subtleties and hues of the light in Mexico are quite special.

The exceptional light is complemented by sensational fragrances during the rainy season as the groundwater swells and the flora blossom and bloom.

When the ground becomes parched during the dry season, dust particles rise high up into the atmosphere and contribute to the composition of the most magnificent sunsets you’ll experience anywhere.

Mexico for living and leisure

Mexico is one of the most visited countries in the world, offering beautiful beach locations, picturesque colonial mountain towns, fascinating archaeology, and an abundance of wild, natural habitats to traverse and enjoy. It also offers remarkable opportunities for living and lifestyle that you can also discover and explore here on Mexperience.

• Explore complete guides to aspects of living in Mexico
• Learn about leisure and travel opportunities in Mexico
• Read insightful articles about living and lifestyle in Mexico
• Sign-up to our free email Mexico Newsletter published monthly

• You intend to retire in Mexico or are already retired and want to move here.
• You own a house, or intend to buy a house, in Mexico.
• You live in Mexico part of the year and don’t want the hassle and risk of using visitor permit for your regular stays here.
• You intend to make a significant change in your life and work style and move your life situations to Mexico.
• You move to Mexico primarily for work reasons, usually under the auspice of a formal work contract.

Qualifying for residency in Mexico

When you have made the decision to apply for legal residency in Mexico, you will need to consider which route you will use to apply.

• Our article about the principal routes for obtaining Mexican residency summarizes the main routes most people use.
• Most applications are made via the ‘economic solvency’ route—i.e., proving that you have sufficient funds to sustain yourself here.
• If you have specified types of family connections in Mexico (including marriage/common-law partnership to a Mexican national or a foreigner with legal residency in Mexico), you may apply for residency via the Family Unit rules.
• If your income or savings are insufficient due to the recent rises in those qualification criteria, there are some other routes that might be open to you.

Type of residency in Mexico

Mexico offers two main residency types: Temporary Residency (Residencia Temporal), and Permanent Residency (Residencia Permanente).

Permanent residency is obtainable without having temporary residency first, but the situations that allow this are very limited, and thus most applicants begin holding temporary residency first.  After four consecutive years of holding temporary residency, you may apply to exchange this for permanent residency.

• Learn about the difference between temporary and permanent residency.
• If you’re a couple applying for permanent residency together, read this.
• Note that temporary residency does not automatically come with permission to work in Mexico—this needs to be applied for and granted separately.

The residency application process

When you have determined how you will qualify, and what type of residency you will apply for, you can begin the application process.

• Most applications for residency must begin at a Mexican Consulate abroad.
• If your application through a Mexican Consulate abroad is successful, a residency visa sticker will be placed in your passport. This sticker must be exchanged for a residency card in Mexico before the visa’s expiry date—usually six months after its issue date.
• Family Unit applications and applications through special procedures can be made at an immigration office in Mexico.
• If your application is one of the few that can be made at an immigration office in Mexico, you will exchange your visitor permit (or other visa type you might have) for a residency card in-country.
• Learn more about the government fees for residency permits, and typical time scales for obtaining residency in Mexico.

Residency card renewals and exchanges to permanent residency

When you take possession of your residency card, you will gain certain legal rights and obligations as a resident in Mexico and you’ll need to manage your ongoing status, thus:

• In most cases, your first temporary residency card is issued for only one year*
• After the first year, you can apply to renew your temporary residency for a further 1, 2 or 3 years.
• After holding temporary residency for four consecutive years, you may apply to exchange this for permanent residency.
• If you don’t want permanent residency, you can allow the temporary residency card to expire and restart the process with one year of temporary residency.
• Permanent residency cards issued people aged 18 years and older never expire. Minors (aged under 18 years) need to renew their permanent residency cards periodically until reaching the age of 18.

*Spouse of a Mexican national or foreign resident: If you’re applying as a spouse of a Mexican national or an existing foreign resident see this article for details about time scales.)

Mexico residency card use and management

Your Mexico residency card serves as a form of official identification in Mexico, and may be accepted abroad as form of government-issued ID.

• You must present your residency card when you enter Mexico, and each time you leave the country.
• If have a temporary resident card, or if you’re the parent or guardian of a minor (aged under 18 years) with a permanent residency card, you’ll need to manage renewals to keep your legal residency status valid.
• You need to file notifications about certain changes in your personal circumstances at your local INM office.
• If you lose your residency card, or it becomes damaged beyond use, you’ll need to apply for a replacement.

For more details, read our article about managing your resident card and residency status in Mexico.

Learn more about residency in Mexico

Mexperience publishes information and resources to help you learn about how to apply for and obtain legal residency in Mexico:

• Learn about the principal routes to obtaining legal residency
• The difference between temporary and permanent residency permits
• Financial criteria for residency in Mexico
• Time limits on Mexico’s visitor and residency permits
• Rights and obligations when you have legal residency
• Renewing your residency permit
• Temporary residency: expiry and renewal

This article shares practical tips and insights about how to live well and enjoy the rain season in Mexico, helping you to make the most of what is an extraordinary season that brings dramatic rainstorms and renewed life and vibrancy to the entire natural environment that surrounds you here.

Eagerly awaiting the return of Tlāloc

Tlāloc, the Aztec god of the rain, water, and fertility (from the Náhuatl, ‘He who makes things sprout’) was worshipped as guardian of the divine gift of rainfall that refreshes and brings life and continuity to the land and all depending on it.

Most people who live in Mexico eagerly await Tlāloc’s return after the long dry season that begins around October and can be seen and felt in earnest by January. By late April or early May, when the dearth of moisture makes the air feel brittle, and the occasional storms that roll in —albethey welcome— fail to bring substantial relief, the anticipation levels heighten, especially in the years when the rains may arrive ‘later’ than expected.

The seasonal tipping point

You might notice subtle shifts in the atmosphere in weeks and days leading-up the return of the rains: an elusive smell of moisture, a slight dip in temperatures, a sweeter fragrance in the early morning air before the sun’s heat takes hold.

The reappearance of the rains may also be preceded by a series of ad-hoc windstorms. And then a day arrives when the rains return in earnest. When they do, another transition period begins from dry to wet, although the flora respond much more quickly to the return of the rains than they do to their departure.

Typically, seasonal rainstorms are introduced by claps of loud thunder rolling-in over the mountain tops as heavily laden storm clouds gather overhead.  The wind picks up and drops abruptly, yielding to dramatic torrential downpours that gift immediate respite to the land.  In the early part of the rainy season, these storms help to return corn-yellow grass to emerald green and saturate the air with moisture that comprehensively settles the dust and dander, causing the flora to flourish with a joyful energy in a way that all the gardeners’ hoses, watering cans, and sprinklers can never accomplish.

For those who have lived in Mexico for a while, experiencing this tipping point between the dry season and the return of the drenching rains helps to bring into focus the natural cycles which greatly influence these lands far beyond the dust and flora, and serves as a reminder to all that we must pass through the challenges and irritations of a long dry spell to better appreciate the divine gift of refreshing rain.

The feel of a remarkable change in the air

The dust and dander, which are virtually unavoidable during the dry season, become almost immediately settled after the first two or three major rainstorms of the season.

The landscape changes color from yellow and brown to varying bright hues of green, orange, red, blue, violet, pink and white as trees redress their branches, shrubs blossom, and their flowers burst open to reveal the full splendor of their being.

The unmistakable scent of moistened soil is a sure sign that the dry season is passing; the early morning air —that felt mostly dry for months— now smells refreshed and carries sweet and subtle scents of the flora in its light breeze, especially after the drenching night rains, which tend to arrive midseason, sometime in July in most places, and pass leaving most mornings to break bright, sun-filled and distinctively refreshed.

When an afternoon rainstorm passes, the evening or night air is typically left fresh and cooled. It’s unusual for a heavy daytime rainstorm to last more than two or three hours —prolonged rains are usually caused by a tropical depression temporarily passing through the region— and most evenings unfold feeling fresh and accompanied by lingering subtle fragrances of flora in the air.

An ideal season to enjoy the great outdoors

Mexico offers visitors and residents a unique opportunity to enjoy different perspectives during the rainy season, especially when you’re visiting areas of outstanding natural beauty, for example, the Copper Canyon. the southern state of Chiapas, and the Yucatán region.

The rains bring color and vibrance to landscape, cause the flora bloom, and the to rivers to swell abundantly with rainwater that also feed some spectacular waterfalls.

Learn more about nature and adventure experiences in Mexico.

Gardeners rejoice in the rain season

As we mentioned in the article about living well in the dry season, gardeners spend a lot of time between January and May watering their plants in an effort to keep them from wilting and dying; some also attempt to keep their grass from turning corn-yellow, perhaps by means of a sprinkler system.

When the rains return, you’ll notice that the flora respond quickly.  Corn-yellow grass, thinned and made sparse by months without water, turns emerald green within a couple of weeks; and by summer the grass recuperates its full form and volume.

For those who have homes in Mexico situated on larger properties with tended gardens, or condo units with extensive landscaped areas surrounding them, the rains alleviate the constant call for manual watering, and replenish water cisterns that for months were being constantly drained, and requiring replenishment with additional water delivered by truck using local ‘pipas.’

Within a month of the first major rainstorm of the season, gardens become transformed in ways that hosepipes, watering cans, and even the most sophisticated sprinkler systems can never match. Gardeners’ attentions then turn to pruning, cutting, and trimming what appears to be unbridled growth; accompanied with a regular mowing schedule for those with grass lawns.

Water supply in the rain season

The ways in which water is supplied to your home in Mexico will depend on where the property is situated.  Many regions across Mexico experience some form of water scarcity during the dry season, although the scarcity is relieved almost entirely when the rains return.

Water deliveries

The dry season is the high trading period for the “Pipas”—tank trucks selling potable water.  When the rain season returns, these trucks are usually parked-up and left largely unused between June and September.

Properties that are not supplied by some type of mains water system and rely heavily on water delivery from the pipas, are especially grateful for the return of the rainy season, that dispenses with their need to buy copious amounts of water brought by trucks, and the rains also quickly refill water storage cisterns situated on the property.

Refilling water cisterns

Regardless of whether your Mexican property is served by a mains water system, a local communal water network, or by a combination of water truck deliveries and rain collection, it’s likely to have a cistern onsite that stores water on the property.  This water is either pumped up to a roof tank (to create a ‘gravity pressure’ system) or properties might have a hydro-pneumatic pump installed that pressurizes the water in the pipes without the need for it to be pumped to the rooftop.

Properties that are fed by mains or communal water systems don’t tend to collect rainwater (some might); however, all properties that rely on water from truck deliveries ought also to have a rain collection system in place.  When the rains return, they are so are so abundant that two or three heavy storms will easily refill 100,000-liter (c.26,000 US gallon) cistern with the help of a suitable rain collection scheme installed on the property.

Practical issues related to the rain season

Some tourists choose to avoid Mexico during the rain season, and ‘snowbirds’ —part-time residents who overwinter in Mexico— tend to miss the rainy season, which is lamentable in our view as the rain season brings life and abundance to the local environment that you’ll never experience in the dry months.

The rains also bring with them some challenges, especially for residents.  These are readily mitigated and, while they can cause some inconvenience, the challenges are easily outweighed by the benefits the rain season brings.

Proliferation of mosquitoes

Although mosquitoes don’t vanish entirely during the dry season, they do proliferate, and noticeably so, during the rainy season—as the females need a combination of moisture and iron from animal blood to breed.

A key matter to be mindful of during the rainy season is to ensure that you don’t allow stagnant pools of water to accumulate on your property, as these provide perfect breeding places for mosquitoes. Our article about dealing with mosquitoes in Mexico offers additional detailed and practical advice.

Managing your swimming pool

If your property (or condo complex) has a swimming pool, the rain season and summer high-temperatures can be the cause of additional algae and other living organisms to form and grow inside the pool.

Well-tended natural pools (those that use salts and flora instead of chlorine and other chemicals) ought not to be affected when they are properly managed.  Most people however use chlorine and other chemicals to regulate the pool’s water and keep it clean, clear, and free of algae—and algae spores which filtering alone cannot eradicate.

The period between the dry and wet seasons (April and May) can be especially challenging to maintain swimming pools. Pool owners tend to see the proliferation of algae build-up at this time and usually need to use a combination of chemicals and vacuuming to keep the pool crystalline clear.

If you hire someone to tend your pool, they may have the knowledge and experience to manage this; if you are maintaining your own pool, you may refer to resources online for advice if the algae build-up overtakes your pool—or hire someone locally to assist you.

Our article about enjoying and managing your swimming pool in Mexico contains further detailed insights and advice.

Electricity power cuts

The onset of a rainstorm is often preceded (or accompanied) by wind, and some of these windstorms, which might also be accompanied by lightning storms, can cause issues at local electricity sub-stations, or hit transformers and cables—which are most usually strapped to poles, not buried underground.  Thus the rainy season can bring an increase in the frequency of power cuts, which can also affect communications, especially internet services.  Our article about dealing with electricity power cuts in Mexico offers additional insights, and practical tips.

Drying laundry in the rainy season

Although some people use a tumble dryer (that requires a combination of electricity and natural gas to operate) Mexico’s exceptionally good weather makes it ideal for air-drying clothes and laundry.  During the dry season, it’s easy to become complacent with laundry routines as most days are warm and bright, and clothes dry in a short time, especially if there’s a light breeze, anytime of day you hang them.

When the rainy season returns, you’ll need to alter your laundry routines and hang laundry to dry early in the day as afternoon rain storms can be heavy enough to drench your clothes.

There’s more moisture in the air during the rainy season too, so clothes will take longer to dry, and if a tropical storm passes through your region, you might have to hang clothes under shelter, or indoors. Some people keep a tumble dryer for use during the rainy season, although with a little bit of forward planning (wash and hang your clothes to dry early in the day), air drying clothes is perfectly feasible even during the rainy season.

Beware of flooding and structural damage

Some rainstorms during the rainy season can be very intense—enough to cause flash-floods in localized areas.  This can cause flooding in your home, or on roads and local lanes, making driving conditions difficult or treacherous. In exceptional cases, colossal volumes of rainwater falling in a brief period can drench a locality and cause landslides.

An adequate home insurance policy will help you to mitigate the financial costs of dealing with storm damage during the rainy season, including any damage that might be caused to third parties—for example, if a flood undermines a wall on your property, causing it collapse.

Driving conditions in the rainy season

Heavy rainstorms can give rise to a range of risks and difficulties for drivers in Mexico, whether you’re driving through your local village, a city, or on an open highway.

Check your vehicle’s tires

A most common risk for drivers during the rainy season is bald (or balding tires) on vehicles.  During the dry season, when the road surface can remain completely dry for weeks or months on end, a slightly balding tire might not be a big risk; but as soon as the rains start, the absence of tread on a tire can create a potentially lethal risk —for you and others— as the surface water that cannot be displaced in the absence of tire tread creates a skid risk, and prevents you from braking effectively.  Always check your tire tread, especially before the rain season starts.

Flooding risks for drivers

In Mexico’s rural areas, rivers that swell during heavy rainstorms can cause local roads and lanes near those rivers to flood; if you’re caught out driving in a flash flood, your car may be become flooded and stranded or, in extremis, taken by the surge of a temporary river current.

In cities, flooding can be common when a rainstorm overwhelms the drainage systems available locally; power cuts can cause traffic light systems to fail and contribute to traffic jams; powerlines can fall and create blocks on roadways for a time until the emergency services can attend to repair them.

When you’re driving on open highways, in the wilderness, and other remote areas, heavy rainstorms (and hailstorms) can leave you especially exposed; on remote mountainous highways, mudslides and landslides can bring down trees, rocks and soil that cause the road running through a ravine to become completely blocked until road crews can attend and clear it: on tolled highways, this clearing work can happen quite quickly; on less-traveled remote highways it may take days or weeks.

Detailed advice about driving in Mexico

Our free eBook guide to driving in Mexico offers practical advice for driving safely, and we recommend that your vehicle is properly insured when you’re driving in Mexico.

Hurricane season

Some regions of Mexico are prone to hurricanes, a season that more or less coincides with the rainy season—although the most powerful hurricanes that make landfall tend to happen during the hottest weeks of the year: between July and September.

Although hurricanes mostly affect coastal areas, the storms can cause tropical depressions inland, too—in the form of an extended period of rain or unusually overcast conditions.  You can learn more about Mexico’s hurricane season here on Mexperience.

The end of the rainy season in Mexico

Sometime between late September and early November, depending on the region and how the rains manifest in any given year, the rainstorms that began in late spring begin to thin out, and one day, cease altogether—akin to someone switching off a faucet. Tlāloc, having discharged his natural duty to make things sprout, departs, and yields to the onset of the dry season.

The end of the rain season brings a marked change to the landscapes as well as life patterns across Mexico, although the effects of an ending rainy season are far more graduated than those which happen when the rains return.

During October through December, the bountiful amount of moisture that has accumulated in the ground keeps the flora active and the air feeling still fresh for a while.  However, by mid-December, the onset of winter heralds a change that can be sensed and felt; and by mid-January, the landscape and all who dwell upon it begin to enter, once again, into the ‘long dry’ season of the winter and early spring.

The change of season between the rains and the dry, and back again, is all part of a wonderful and divine cycle that contributes to making Mexico one of the most fascinating and enjoyable environments to enjoy being in.

Discover Mexico’s seasons

Mexperience helps you to discover Mexico’s diverse topography and climates as you make your lifestyle and leisure plans:

• The rain season begins in May or June.
• The dry season begins around October or November.
• Browse the latest articles about climate and weather in Mexico
• Discover Mexico’s climate through the seasons
• Learn about how Mexico is a land of three lands
• Check individual location guides here on Mexperience for climate by location.
• You can get full details about the weather by region and season on our guide to climate in Mexico.

Temporary or Permanent residency

Regardless of which route you take to apply for residency in Mexico, if your application for residency is accepted, you’ll be granted either temporary or permanent residency here.

Some routes and situations enable the applicant to apply for permanent residency right away; other routes and situations may require you to apply for temporary residency first, and after four consecutive years of holding temporary residency, you may opt to exchange that for permanent residency.

See also: To learn about residency types read our article about temporary and permanent residency in Mexico.

Principal routes to obtaining legal residency

Here are the principal routes that most foreigners consider when they decide to apply for legal residency in Mexico.

Economic solvency

Most applications for legal residency are sought through ‘economic solvency’—proving that you have sufficient income or savings to sustain yourself in Mexico.  Our article about financial criteria for residency describes the amount of income or savings you are required to prove to qualify for residency this way.

If you don’t qualify for permanent residency right away under the ‘economic solvency’ route (and note that most Mexican consulates now require applicants to be ‘retired’ even if they qualify economically), after four consecutive years of holding a temporary residency card, you can apply to automatically exchange your temporary residency for permanent residency in Mexico.

See also: FAQS: Obtaining Residency in Mexico via ‘Economic Solvency’

Owning a house in Mexico

If you own a house in Mexico —free of any mortgage and liens— then you can apply for temporary residency in Mexico if the assessed value of the house is equal to or greater than the value required under the qualification rules.

The house must be situated in Mexico (not abroad) and it must be registered in the name of the applicant(s) seeking legal residency in Mexico.

You can only apply for temporary residency when you use the value of your Mexican home as the basis for qualification. After four consecutive years of temporary residency you may apply to automatically exchange that for permanent residency.

See also: Financial criteria for residency qualification (home value)

Family connections

If you have certain types of family connections in Mexico, you can apply for residency on the basis of ‘Family Unit.’

Whether you can apply for temporary or permanent residency right away will depend on the type of family connection you have and these types of applications carry a lower ‘economic solvency’ threshold (or none, depending on the type).

Applicants applying for residency through Family Unit are among the few applicants who can exchange a Visitor Permit for a residency card without having to leave Mexico.

See also: Our related article describes who qualifies for residency in Mexico under the Family Unit rules.

Making a capital investment in Mexico

If you have capital to invest in Mexico, there is a route to applying for temporary residency based on making that investment.

There’s a minimum capital investment required, the capital must be invested in one of a prescribed set of ways, and these applications tend to be more involved/complex than applications on the basis of economic solvency or family unit.

See also: You can find out what the current capital investment is on our article about financial criteria for residency.

Local job offer (employer as sponsor)

If you have a formal job offer in Mexico, the Mexican company that has agreed to hire you can make a special application to the INM for your temporary residency permit.

When this is approved, you are invited to attend a Mexican consulate abroad, who will place a visa sticker in your passport, and when you arrive (or return) to Mexico that sticker is exchanged for a residency card.  Note that your right to residency will be tied to that employment contract.

Humanitarian grounds and political asylum

It’s possible to apply for residency in Mexico on humanitarian grounds or under the auspice of political asylum.  These are very specialized applications and you should contact your nearest immigration office in Mexico for guidance and advice.

Applying for Mexican citizenship (Naturalization)

If you intend to apply for Mexican citizenship, then you will need to obtain legal residency first and then apply for citizenship after the qualifying period, which is two years of legal residency if you’re married to a Mexican national, and five years of legal residency if you’re not married to Mexican national.

See also: Obtaining Mexican citizenship.

Further information and resources

Mexperience publishes a comprehensive series of regularly updated articles to help you learn more about visas and legal residency in Mexico. They include:

• How to apply for residency in Mexico—detailed summary
• Learn about Temporary and Permanent residency in Mexico
• Find out the latest financial criteria for residency in Mexico
• FAQS: Obtaining Residency in Mexico via ‘Economic Solvency’
• Current fees and charges for residency visas and permits
• Applying for residency via Mexican consulate
• Applying for residency within Mexico
• Exchanging your residency visa for a residency card
• Time limits on Mexico visitor and residency permits
• Procedures for entering and leaving Mexico
• Renewing your temporary residency card
• Dealing with expired temporary residency cards
• Guide to Mexico Immigration (continually updated)
• Visa & Immigration FAQs page

Comprehensive and detailed guide to living and cultivating a lifestyle in Mexico, continually revised and updated. Free—no payment or subscription needed.

Complete and detailed guide to Living & Lifestyles in Mexico that’s continually updated

Our extensive guides and articles offer insights to anyone exploring prospects for living, working, retirement and cultivating your lifestyle in Mexico.

They provide practical insights, incisive local knowledge, and meaningful guidance that helps you to discover opportunities, consider your choices, and make informed decisions.

Discover what lifestyles Mexico offers, identify opportunities of interest to you, weight up the compromises, consider your options, and plot a course based on the things that are important to you.

Guides to lifestyles in Mexico, for all life stages

Our continually-updated guides help you to begin weaving together the key components which create a workable and realistic lifestyle plan in Mexico, whatever planning stage and life stage you are in presently:

• To those considering a move to Mexico, whether you are single, with your partner, or a family with young children, Mexperience helps you to discover the country and evaluate living and lifestyle choices available here.  Our guides also offer thoughtful guidance about setting out your intentions and reshaping your situations.
• To those planning their retirement or seeking a place to retire, Mexperience guides provide specific guidance about matters related to retirement planning and retirement lifestyles, as well as the practicalities of retiring in Mexico.
• When you’re already living in Mexico, our guides and articles provide practical insights that help you to settle-in, adapt, and cultivate your new lifestyle here day-to-day.
• Regardless of your life stage, the information we publish provides meaningful insights about the essential day-to-day practical matters of living in Mexico, adapting to the country, the climates and culture, and more—with extensive cross references and links to further information and helpful contacts who can help you to realize your Mexico plans.

Planning or redefining your lifestyle in Mexico

Obtain practical insights, get incisive local knowledge and meaningful guidance that helps you to consider opportunities, weigh up your choices, and make informed decisions about planning or redefining your lifestyle in Mexico.

Mexico as a place for your retirement

We publish comprehensive information to help you plan a retirement here, whether you’re planning ahead or already retired and considering Mexico as a potential retirement haven.

Exploring locations and finding a place to live in Mexico

Our extensive articles help you to consider key aspects as you explore your options and make choices about your lifestyle and potential location types in Mexico.

Getting your residency permit for Mexico

Mexico’s immigration laws are reasonable and allow non-Mexicans with the financial means or family roots, and/or skills, to live here legally. We publish extensive knowledge to help you, including:

Moving and settling-in to life in Mexico

When you’ve decided to move to Mexico and made key decisions about where and how you’ll live, there’s the move a period of adapting and settling-in.  We publish extensive guides and articles to help you settle.

Learn how to keep in touch when you’re in Mexico

Our guides include detailed information about how to keep in touch when you’re in Mexico: by phone, by internet, as well as using postal and courier services here.  Our local knowledge helps you to choose a mobile phone plan, explore choices for high speed internet in Mexico (even if you live in a remote area) and our cost of living guide includes a section about the cost of communications services.

Detailed insights into the practicalities of living in Mexico day-to-day

Our articles and guides also include comprehensive insights about day to day living in Mexico that help you to plan your lifestyle, settle-in, and make the most of your life and activities in Mexico.

Mexico’s living costs and managing your finances

Financial considerations are an important aspect of any move.  Mexperience helps you to calculate your cost of living in Mexico and offers practical tips for managing your money and finances here.

Mexico as a place for working-age professionals

Working-age professionals, especially those plying a trade in the knowledge economy, are also considering Mexico as a base to live and work.

And more… resources for Living & Lifestyle in Mexico

Mexperience offers you a comprehensive online resource of information and local knowledge to help you discover Mexico, explore choices, find opportunities and plan a new life in Mexico.  Our resources include:

• A regular Mexico Newsletter you can subscribe to for free
• Regularly-updated articles about lifestyle planning  in Mexico
• Insights about day to day living with Mexico Home Life

What is Mexico’s CURP

CURP is an acronym that stands for Clave Única de Registro de Población and is different to the RFC.  All Mexicans are issued with a CURP by default, for example, when their birth is registered.

When you are granted legal residency in Mexico you are automatically assigned a CURP. Your CURP is usually printed on your residency card, but not always.  You can find your CURP using this website.

What is Mexico’s Biometrical CURP

In 2025, Mexico’s lawmakers legislated for a Biometrical (digital) version of the CURP.  The Biometrical CURP is intended to supersede the current version that can be accessed online and printed out.

To obtain a Biometrical CURP, people need to attend special processing centers that the government is setting up —at local RENAPO offices and Civil Registry offices— for people to share their biometrical data including electronic scans of their fingerprints, a digital photo of their face, and an electronic scan of their iris (eyes).

Is Mexico’s Biometrical CURP Obligatory?

In the autumn of 2025, lots of media stories stated that the new law makes the Biometric CURP obligatory; however, at a recent press conference Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, asserted that the Biometrical CURP is optional for individuals and that no one is being forced to share their personal biometric data, and also went on to say that she anticipated most people would participate in the Biometric CURP when the importance of doing so is explained to them.

In practice it might become impossible to enter into certain programs and transactions in Mexico in future without a Biometric CURP, for example: healthcare, government programs, school enrollment, and banking.

As of now, the regular CURP is being universally accepted.

What is a CURP used for and when is it necessary?

Mexico’s CURP is a unique alfa-numeric code that identifies a sole individual. The new Biometrical CURP associates that number with specific biometrical features of an individual and might become the country’s Universal Identification Document.

Presently, the CURP is needed when you want to engage in certain official, often government-related, programs and some private transactions too. Examples include:

• Enrollment in government social programs.
• Mexicans and naturalized Mexicans need a CURP to apply for a passport and their INE—the identification card needed to vote in Mexican elections.
• Mexicans and legal foreign residents need a CURP to enroll in the government’s national healthcare service, the IMSS.
• You’ll be asked for your CURP to register for a RFC at a local tax office.
• Employers ask for your CURP to manage payroll, and to register employees with various government departments.
• A CURP is needed to enroll yourself or your children in any school or university, whether it’s public or private.
• You’ll need a CURP to apply for a Mexican driving license, and to get/renew license plates for a vehicle.
• Banks ask for a CURP when you are opening a bank account and/or applying for a mortgage or other form of credit.
• If you are buying online, and the goods you purchase are being physically imported, the online retailer (e.g. Amazon) is obliged to ask for your CURP number to process the importation of the product(s).

How do I apply for a (Biometrical) CURP?

The CURP is issued and managed by a government agency called RENAPO.  Every state has local offices.  Go to the RENAPO website for further information: https://renapo.gob.mx/citas/

Foreign Residents in Mexico

Foreign residents are issued with a CURP automatically when they are issued with their residency card.

The RENAPO website is directing foreign residents to attend their local immigration office for any matters related to their CURP.

It is presently unclear whether immigration offices will in future take additional biometric details to the ones they already take when issuing residency cards, and thus issue Biometrical CURPs automatically, and whether there might be a different process to apply for a Bio CURP if you’re an existing foreign foreign resident in Mexico.

What happens if I don’t have a (Biometrical) CURP

If you are a legal foreign resident in Mexico with a residency card (Temporary or Permanent) you already have a CURP.

Most Mexican nationals have and use their CURP by default.

If you don’t apply for the Biometrical CURP, in future you might be denied access to certain government programs as well as services and transactions—public and private.

Further information

Here are some additional resources related to Mexico’s CURP:

• CURP main website
• RENAPO (Appointments for Bio CURP)
• DOF (Federal Law Register) for Biometric CURP
• See also: What is the RFC and what is it used for?

In addition to the notarization, official documents that are not originally presented in Spanish (e.g. those issued by Spain) must also be accompanied by a copy of the document(s) officially translated into Spanish.

Documents that most commonly need to be translated into Spanish include birth, marriage, divorce, and death certificates; academic and professional diplomas; and certificates of company incorporation.

Only certified translations into Spanish are accepted

Translation of official documents into Spanish (and their accompanying notarization/apostille certificates) must be undertaken by an authorized translator in Mexico certified by the Mexican judiciary to translate official documents.

Certified translators use a special stamp that is applied to translated documents, and their name/details are checked against a central register when the documents are filed.

How to get your documents translated into Spanish

Our associate can help and will be pleased to assist when you need to get your official documentation translated into Spanish by a certified translator.

They are certified to translate documents from English to Spanish, and German to Spanish.

Simple and streamlined process

Our associate offers a streamlined process to create a certified translation of  document(s) for you:

• The original documents as well as their notarized/apostilled certificates (where relevant) will need to be officially translated into Spanish.
• Our associate will ask you to send them a digital copy of the original document(s) you want to get translated.
• They will undertake the translation work using the digital images.
• Then they’ll print-out the translation on physical paper for you, and stamp/sign the papers using their certified credentials.
• These certified papers will be shipped to an address you specify—or you can arrange pick-up.

Document delivery options

When the translation is completed, it will be printed, certified, and shipped—or you can arrange pick-up.  These are the delivery options:

• Our associate will arrange for the the physical documents to be sent to you by courier, at your expense. (Courier fees vary by destination and our associate will advise you about these.); or
• You can arrange for a courier of your choice to pick them up; or
• You may pick them up yourself (or arrange Uber or Didi to fetch them) from the associate’s offices in Mexico City or Cuernavaca.

Typical delivery time scales

The table below describes the typical time scales required for translation work.

1 Page = 200 words.
Time scales exclude shipping/courier times.
If you have many documents to translate, our associate will quote an estimated time scale.

Fees for Certified Translations (2026)

Fees are based on a page count, and one page is = 200 words, minimum fee is 1 page.
Part-pages are rounded up to the nearest half-page, e.g., 1.2 pages=1.5, 1.6 pages=2.
Fees exclude shipping/courier costs to send you the certified translation copies.

Urgent translations: If your need is genuinely urgent, the associate can prioritize your translation for a 50% increase to the fees quoted above, and subject to the associate’s availability.

Make a service request

Complete the request form below and our associate will contact you directly to organize a certified translation of your documents into Spanish.

What happens next?

• After you complete the form, our certified translation associate will contact you to discuss your requirements, quote you for the work, and arrange payment for the translation.
• When you’ve paid, they’ll begin the translation procedure and send you the physical documents wherever you are based in Mexico (or abroad).
• Mexperience will send you an email to confirm these details.

Many of the these documents (whether on paper, digital, or on a website) are straightforward to deal with; but some that arrive might be confusing, especially if you don’t know much Spanish and a translation or AI scan still doesn’t give you clarity about what the document is telling you, asking for or demanding.

Document interpretation service

If you receive a document(s) in Mexico that you’re struggling to understand and respond to, our associate offers human assistance with document interpretation.

Whether you have received a physical document or email in Spanish, been given information online that is difficult to understand our associate helps by providing a clear explanation of the information to help you interpret it.

This service is designed for foreign residents or visitors in Mexico who would like personalized assistance understanding information, researching a topic cited in the document to obtain clear explanations in English about what the document is about and what it’s asking for so that you can make an informed response.

Example of situations our associate can assist with

Our associate will be pleased to receive your request and assess your situation when you have a document(s) in Spanish that you need assistance in understanding. Most typically these include:

• Understanding emails, physical letters, or other messages written/published in Spanish.
• Interpreting information found on or delivered on website portals.
• Translation and human interpretation of short texts and everyday communications delivered in Spanish. (If you need a certified translation read this.)
• Human review of forms, documents, instructions, and procedures, and clear interpretation offered for these

How the service works

To keep the service simple and focused our associate offers this personalized human assistance service using email.  They do not provide support by telephone, video meetings, or text-messaging support.

• Complete the request form below.
• You will receive an email introducing you to our associate, and providing you with their email address to which you can send the documents and other relevant information.
• Our associate will review your request, offer you a no-obligation quote, and if you decide to proceed, they will bill you directly.
• Typically, our associate quotes US$20-US$50 per request, depending on the situation and complexity.
• If you decide to proceed, our associate will interpret your document(s) and provide a written response by email.

Make a service request

Complete the request form below and our associate will contact you directly.

What happens next?

• After you complete the request form below, you’ll receive an email introducing you to our associate, and that provides you with an email address to which you can send the documents and other relevant information.
• Our associate will review your situation and offer a no-obligation quote for the service. (Typically between US$20 and US$50 per request.)
• When you’ve paid, they’ll begin work to interpret your document(s) and provide a written response by email.
• Mexperience will send you an email to confirm these details.

If you, or a family member is struggling to cope, therapy is an option that some people consider as part of a range of support mechanisms that may help.

Psychotherapy for foreign residents in Mexico

Adela Iglesias is a qualified psychotherapist with more than 30 years of experience working with adults of all ages, teens, and couples—helping them to navigate life’s challenges.

Based in Mexico, she offers one-on-one online sessions providing a confidential and warm space where you will feel at ease to share whatever is troubling you and have the opportunity to address it and help restore balance to your life.  Adela’s therapy is helping expats in Mexico to settle-in and adapt to their new environment.

Her training began in the field of psychoanalytical psychotherapy. She went on to incorporate perspectives that take into account both the body as well as the environment as essential factors to understand human behavior and the patterns that cause us suffering.

She is specialized in the use of Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) for the treatment of trauma, that is, the aftermath of stressful or challenging life experiences, such as loss and change, whether foreseen or unexpected, whether deemed as positive (e.g. moving to a new country), or negative (e.g. dealing with loss).

Therapy and the expat experience

Moving to a new country is an exciting opportunity that entails a unique set of challenges, ranging from culture shock and language barriers to complex logistics, financial management, and homesickness. There is an emotional and psychological toll when you settle abroad, which can include:

• Culture shock: Adjusting to new social norms, dining habits and communication styles can bring about disorientation, confusion and frustration, while you adapt.
• Loneliness and homesickness: As much as you might love the new place, being far from family and friends, especially during personal milestones or holidays, can lead to isolation, sadness and feelings of guilt.
• Identity struggles: Becoming an expat might involve a temporary sense of loss of belonging and the realization that it might be harder than you thought to adapt and fit in.
• Unfulfilled expectations: Relocating to a new country will not magically solve internal problems, which are part of your own baggage, or guarantee happiness, but it may open the opportunity to work through them.

Seeking professional help through therapy can help ease feelings of anxiety, burnout or isolation, and prevent them becoming unmanageable. Psychotherapeutic accompaniment can be a supportive strategy that makes the process of adapting to a new life abroad easier, gentler, and even enjoyable.

How Adela works with her clients

Adela believes that psychotherapy is a process through which we can reconnect to our innate capacity to heal, finding a way to lead a satisfying life while accepting and dealing with the challenges, pains, and losses that living entails.

Nobody knows more about us than ourselves, but in times of turmoil we may need someone to accompany us to help find the way through the maze of habitual patterns that can make us suffer needlessly.

Adela therefore works as a facilitator for exploration to help you identify and clear obstacles, and to offer gentle guidance as you regain your own balance.

Make a service request

Adela will be pleased to schedule a free 30-minute consultation so that you can meet her, talk about your situation and ask questions before you commit to any therapy sessions.

What happens next?

• After you complete the request form below, you’ll receive an email introducing you to Adela.
• Adela will respond to you directly to schedule a free 30-minute consultation video call to introduce herself, talk about your situation, and answer your questions without pressure or obligation.
• If you decide to engage in therapy with with Adela, she will work personally with you.

The heat and lack of moisture in the air can present several practical challenges for day-to-day living.  This article shares some tips and advice about how to keep yourself well and comfortable, and your home and garden maintained during the driest months of the year.

Dealing with the dust and dander

Grass that isn’t watered regularly turns corn yellow and exposes the dry dusty ground beneath; and pathways in the countryside feel bone dry underfoot as dust, pollen, and other allergens become free to roam through an air bereft of moisture aided by light breezes which come and go throughout the day.

Dust and dander are virtually unavoidable during the dry season, and stocking-up on boxes of soft tissue paper to help expel particles of dust and dander from your nose can be an effective first line of defense.

A wet mop regularly drawn across the floors throughout your home, and a generously dampened cloth wiped across all surfaces where dust gathers can be helpful in reducing any discomfort caused by dust blowing around indoors.

If you wear glasses, regular cleaning can also alleviate eye irritation by preventing dust and pollen building-up on the lenses and frames.  If you’re particularly sensitive you might acquire an air purifier for use indoors, but make sure it has an effective filter that traps allergens, otherwise micro particles of dander will simply get recirculated.

Dust and dander tend to be more problematic inland and less so along the coasts, although at least some dust and/or pollen are inevitable almost anywhere during the dry months.

Dry skin and itching

Prolonged dryness in the air, especially when you’re living at elevation, can affect many people’s skin, with itching being one of the most common symptoms.

Showering less regularly, or simply showering without the use of much soap may help as this will enable your body’s natural oils to protect your skin and reduce itching or other skin irritations, e.g., rashes. (Frequent showers and soap wash away your body’s natural oils.)

Some people use a diluted mix of white vinegar and water instead of detergent-based shampoos to wash their hair which also helps your body’s natural oils to work on your scalp.  A high-quality moisturizing crème may help to alleviate symptoms related to skin irritated by dry air as you pass through these months.

Scarcity of water

There are various ways that your home in Mexico may be supplied by water, and many places across Mexico experience some form of water scarcity during the dry season.  For people who have large gardens (or live in condo complexes with extensive landscaped areas surrounding them) the dry season can be a challenge.

Water deliveries

As we mentioned in our article about spring climates in Mexico, this is the high trading season for the “Pipas”—tank trucks selling potable water.  These trucks can be seen trundling around roads and lanes in the dry season, and although they are especially prevalent in the countryside and outlying areas not served by a mains water supply, you might also see them dispensing top-up supplies to homes in towns and larger cities.  Properties that are not supplied by some type of mains water system may collect and filter water for daily use during the rain season, and residents might arrange for water deliveries by truck to tide them over during the driest months.

Water rationing

Local municipalities may ration mains water feeds to homes during the dry season.  As we mentioned in a related article, Mexico’s water systems are not pressurized and instead deliver water into underground cisterns on the property which is then pumped-up to a tank on the roof for use in the home.  The water supplies that feed the cisterns may have their flow reduced or be turned-off on some days to conserve water, and thus residents need to use what water they have in their cistern more sparingly, or pay to have additional water supplies delivered by truck to top-up their cisterns.

Gardening in the dry season

Gardeners will spend a lot of time between January and May watering their plants to keep them from wilting and dying, and some embark upon a largely forlorn attempt to keep their grass from turning corn-yellow, which it will do naturally in the absence of a soaking each day. (Established grass usually won’t die and swiftly returns to green when the rains return.)

Sprinkler systems

Some people install underground sprinkler systems that activate automatically on a timer in the early morning and late evening; these keep water use down to a minimum by use of a mist-spray water jets that deliver moisture close to the ground in the coolest hours of the day.

Soaker hoses and drip irrigation

Alternatives to an sprinkler system are soaker hoses (that can be snaked around plants or buried just under the surface to deliver moisture directly to roots) and drip irrigation pipes.  This article offers a good overview and comparison of these two water-saving methods.

Using ‘gray’ water for plants

To conserve fresh water supplies, some larger homes and condo developments with extensive gardens use ‘gray water’ collected from rains and wastewater from the property, and store this in a special cistern underground; the stored supply is used to water plants and lawns when there’s no rain to do the job.  Some sprinkler systems are designed to make effective use of this limited water supply although keeping grass green in the dry season does call for a lot of water, nonetheless.

Dealing with the dry heat

Even when you’re situated at elevation, temperatures can gradually climb throughout the day to reach highs of 30 degrees Celsius (86F) between March and May and although these high temperatures tend to last for only a few hours during the late afternoon, the heat combined with dryness, dust, and pollen can combine to create an uncomfortable mixture.

Structuring your daily routines

One method to deal with this dry and sometimes brittle climate is to structure your day so that you get most of your work and chores completed before lunchtime, and return to more vigorous activities in the early evening when the sun sets and the air temperatures fall leaving late evenings cooler, and comfortable.

Using fans, aircon, and pools

Swimming pools can help to keep you cool on the hottest days of the year; air ventilators, ceiling fans, and air conditioning can help you to keep cool indoors, and to sleep.  If you use air ventilators and suffer with allergies, we recommend you use one with a decent filter otherwise all the dust, dander and other particles will simply get blown around the inside of your home.

Hydration and alcohol

Wherever you’re situated, it’s a good idea to stay properly hydrated by drinking plenty of fresh water throughout the day, and limiting your intake of alcohol—that accelerates dehydration.

The return of the rain season

When the seasonal rains return, typically in May or June, another transition period begins from dry to wet, although the flora respond much more quickly to the return of the rains than they do to their departure.  Learn more about living well through Mexico’s rainy season.

Discover Mexico’s seasons

Mexperience helps you to discover Mexico’s diverse topography and climates as you make your lifestyle and leisure plans:

• The dry season begins around October or November.
• The rain season begins in May or June.
• Browse the latest articles about climate and weather in Mexico
• Discover Mexico’s climate through the seasons
• Learn about how Mexico is a land of three lands
• Check individual location guides here on Mexperience for climate by location.
• You can get full details about the weather by region and season on our guide to climate in Mexico.

This article explores motivations as well as the fundamental choices you’ll need to make as you begin to paint (or repaint) your lifestyle canvass in Mexico.

Key themes and motivators for moving to Mexico

Common themes that motivate people to move abroad, and to Mexico in particular, include:

Reorganizing life situations: part of a long-term strategy of reorganizing a life situation for an eventual retirement, or semi-retirement, abroad—often when children are grown-up, debts paid, and spare time is available.

Culture and living environment: a desire to experience a different culture: for themselves, or as part of giving their children a wider perspective of living, lifestyles, and culture as they grow up.

Quality of life: the pursuit of a better quality of life, influenced by factors including the cost of living, the climate and natural environment, cultural nuances, and reasons related to health and well-being.

Working and professional reasons: a work placement or secondment that brought them to Mexico by way of their employer’s request for them to move here; or a desire to relocate an independent/freelance workstyle to Mexico.

Confidence of familiarity: the desire to move to a place that is familiar and geographically close to their home country—many Americans and Canadians know Mexico through vacations or family trips they have experienced here throughout their lives.

Pursuit of a new calling: a need to create a change in their life circumstances; perhaps as a response to some major life event, e.g., divorce, illness, or some sudden or unexpected loss or shift that caused the person to reexamine their lifestyle needs and choices.

Simplification and down-sizing: some people come to a point where they realize that their life situations have become enormously complex and challenging; and moving to Mexico becomes part of an effort simplify, down-size, and focus on a carefully considered set of redefined priorities—see the next heading in this chapter for more details about this;

Reflection through recuperation or sabbatical: to convalesce after an illness, or to take time away on sabbatical to reflect on how to make significant lifestyle changes and experiment with what these changes might look and feel like.

Simplifying your lifestyle situations

Simple living is concerned with recognizing your priorities, defining what is most important to you, and reorganizing your life to focus on those things and, in tandem, release the excess and superfluous elements and situations which are crowding or impairing your life.

A surprising number of people cite ‘creating a simpler lifestyle’ as one of the key intentions that propelled them to move abroad to start over with a fresh perspective on life.

Mexico offers choices for people who want to live more simply, and we have published articles that address matters related to creating simpler lifestyles for themselves and their partners/family here, and if that’s what you’re seeking, you don’t necessarily have to wait for retirement to consider pursuing a simpler lifestyle in Mexico.

The fundamental choices of your decision making

Most of the detailed choices that you’ll make as you consider a move to Mexico tend to be ‘peripheral’ matters; that is, they are everyday minutiae that are most often defined by specific circumstances and in most cases will not influence or impact the overall strategy and rationale for moving here.

Periphery matters might include things like whether to bring certain domestic appliances, accessories, or furniture with you or whether you’ll buy new when you get here.

However, some choices are fundamental, and, like the foundation stones of a building, these choices will determine what you can subsequently build within your framework from here on; and if you discover after the fact that you made a sub-optimal choice concerning something fundamental, it could cost you a lot more time, effort, and money to reorganize.

It’s therefore prudent to consider the fundamental choices you need to make as you consider a move to Mexico. While everyone’s situations and lifestyle priorities have distinct characteristics, there are a handful of matters which tend to be universally fundamental early in the decision-making cycle, and these are summarized below:

Timescales and your level of commitment

If your move to Mexico is intended to be tentative or experimental, or only part time —perhaps to get away from the cold during the winter months, or as part of a period of reflection in your life— you are likely to maintain ‘structures’ in two countries: for example, you may own a home and rent in Mexico, returning to your home country for certain seasons; or you might avoid making certain types of commitments in Mexico, e.g. buying a house here. Beware that this type of to-and-fro lifestyle takes good planning, as well as considerable effort and resources; moreover, it can become tiring over time.

Some people decide to make a ‘clean break’ with their life situation in their home country, sell their home if they have one, and their personal goods, and move to Mexico in earnest as means to motivate themselves to make things work: problems and challenges will inevitably arise, and being committed is a constructive way to find pathways through the difficulties.

Being clear about your commitment level and timescales will help you to focus on what is important and will also influence some of the other fundamental decisions you have to make.

Choice of location to live in Mexico

Where in Mexico do you want to live? Mexico offers a wide variety of locations, which in turn offer distinct types of topography, climate, and amenities.

Pausing to carefully consider the location you will go to is time well spent and patience well applied—especially if you intend to buy a home.  Part Three of this guide summarizes a list of key locations to discover and consider.  Also review the links in the Further Insight section, below, about matching your location with your lifestyle needs, and connect to Mexperience guides and articles about choosing a place to live.

Seeking legal residency

Some people have been staying longer term in Mexico as ‘perpetual visitors,’ using a visitor permit to live here indefinitely.  However, recent changes to the way visitors are admitted is making this more difficult, and perhaps impossible in some cases.

Exploring your routes to legal residency is therefore a fundamental aspect of your decision-making, and you ought to be clear about what type of residency permit you would like to apply for, (considering also what type you may qualify for), before committing to move here.

Accommodations

When you’ve chosen a location to live, you’ll need to arrange suitable accommodations locally.  Options include:

• Choose to rent for a year or two before you commit to buying a home in Mexico. This is a sensible choice especially if Mexico is new to you, or you intend to live in an area of Mexico you don’t yet know very well.
• Take a temporary rental for a brief period (usually a few months) while you scout for a home to buy locally.  People who are familiar with Mexico and the area where they intend to purchase will often take a short-term rental while they scout for a property purchase.
• Choose to make an investment in a home purchase right away.  Some people just don’t like renting and prefer to buy right away. Keep in mind that Mexico’s real estate markets are highly localized and might not be as liquid (it might take longer to sell up) as you are accustomed to, or expect.
• Move to Mexico and rent a home long-term, instead of buying a property. The property rental market in Mexico is extensive and varied and if you don’t want (or cannot afford) to buy, a long term rental house is a viable option.

Renting gives you additional flexibility but carries drawbacks in terms of choice of property types available and protocols —many rentals don’t allow pets, for example.

Buying enables you to find a place that is more precisely suited to your lifestyle needs and encourages you to settle in the location you have chosen.  If you need to move and cannot sell immediately, you might rent out the house, although this too requires thought and consideration to ensure your property remains well-kept and properly managed while you’re away.

Local services, amenities, and connections

Depending on your life stage and lifestyle choices, the services, amenities, and connections you want, or must have, can vary tremendously—but it’s essential that you identify them.

Read our article about matching your lifestyle needs to your location for details about this; key matters to consider are:

• the location you choose to live and rent or buy a home in (and the locale within that location) should have the key services you identified you need close-at-hand, for example, medical care if you have a pre-existing condition that may require immediate assistance;
• amenities you want or need regularly should be nearby too: this could include stores, restaurants, social centers, or other places of interest that form key parts of your life’s activities and priorities;
• if you have children, you should consider what they need in terms of schooling, sports activities, and community events—and ensure these are available and not too far away from where you live;
• the location should suit your need for community connections: local interest groups—whether those are with other foreign residents, Mexican neighbors, or both;
• if transport links are important to your lifestyle, you should consider these too: some places to live in Mexico are idyllic but remote, especially more rural places—so plan accordingly.

Whether you will work in Mexico

If you’re not planning to move to Mexico to retire, you’ll need to consider whether you intend to work here, in what capacity, and how.

Getting a work permit without a formal job offer from an established company is not easy. Self-employment options are available.  Our articles about working and self-employment in Mexico provide detailed insights and guidance.

Cross-checking your choices

When you have taken time to consider what is motivating you (or what events or situations are driving you) to move to Mexico, and you have made decisions concerning the fundamental choices, you should consider your intentions and priorities.

Key matters to cross-check in your deliberations include:

Having realistic motivations

Are your motivations realistic and driven by a desire to create a new lifestyle based on the things that are important to you and those closest to you?  Making choices based on fear or misunderstanding, on a desire to run away from something, or through refusing to face matters and issues that will inevitably follow you to Mexico (or some other location in Mexico if you’re already here), does not create a good foundation for cultivating a new lifestyle abroad, in any foreign country.

Considering your partner and family

If you’re in a relationship, or have a family that will move with you, it’s important to take their needs and emotions into consideration as these issues can fracture your lifestyle intentions and even break relationships without consideration at the planning stage.

Two helpful questions to ask:

Is your partner feeling comfortable about the idea of moving to Mexico and the choices you are making? Some couples might assume that the other person’s desire to move to Mexico is as strong as the one leading the intention; and couples might also find that one partner adapts much more easily to Mexico than the other, even when both partners have genuine intentions about moving here.

How will you support your children through the changes?  If you have minor children, the decision is ultimately yours, but you will need to be mindful of their needs and prepared to support your offspring through the changes and the inevitable challenges they will face as they join new schools, make new friends, and grapple with Spanish perhaps as a secondary or foreign language.

See also: Adapting and settling-in | Purpose and routines | Cultivating community

Will your location choice be a suitable place for you?

Will the location you have settled on suit your lifestyle needs and intentions?  Places that are great to visit on vacation might not be the place you want to live. Locations that appear ideal in the rain season might be quite uncomfortable in the dry season.

If you chose a place that doesn’t have any secondary schools suitable for your (now) young children, that can cause logistical challenges when they grow a bit older.  Our articles about matching your location to your needs and discovering places to live in Mexico address these types of issues and help you to consider your choices.

Suitable accommodations for your needs

What type of accommodations are you considering?  Whether you rent or buy, finding the right house in the right location and moreover in the right neighborhood can strongly influence how your experience unfolds in Mexico—especially in the early years.

Choosing your accommodations is a fundamental choice.  You home will ideally be a place you can feel comfortable in, situated in the right location for your lifestyle needs and surrounded by the services and amenities you need and want, as well as having easy access to things you have identified as being most important for your lifestyle—for example, social connections, community, schools for your children, transport links, etc.

Your readiness to adapt to Mexico

It’s helpful to ask yourself how adaptable you (and your partner and children if relevant) are.  Moving to a foreign country will place unique demands on your patience and your social skills, as well as test your ability to compromise and adapt amidst changing situations.

As part of your adaption process, you’ll need to make an effort to settle-in to your new life here, cultivate social networks locally, and find purpose and balance in your everyday life situations.

Our series about essential skills for expats addresses the key matters foreign residents should consider as they move and settle into a new life in Mexico.

Further research and resources

Mexperience offers you a comprehensive online resource of information and local knowledge to help you discover Mexico, explore choices, find opportunities and plan a new life in Mexico.  Resources include:

• Articles about lifestyle planning in Mexico
• Discover places to live in Mexico
• Principal routes to legal residency in Mexico
• Latest articles about lifestyles in Mexico
• A regular Mexico Newsletter you can subscribe to for free

Factors that influence commitment levels

As we describe in our continually updated guides about living and retirement in Mexico, how much time you spend living in Mexico, and how much commitment you make to cultivating a lifestyle here will depend on many things and is ultimately a personal choice that you will probably have determined when you were defining your intentions and identifying the key factors and other matters that will influence your choices about moving to Mexico.

As noted in our guides referenced above, the key factors that influence these choices include:

• social and family ties you have in your home country;
• the attachment (or otherwise) you feel to your home country;
• the physical distance between Mexico and your home country;
• your financial resources and personal energy levels required to move twice a year; and
• your offspring’s perceptions if you have children.

These factors are addressed in detail in our guide to living and retirement in Mexico, and although they are not the only influencers, they are the principal ones which most foreign residents face as they make their choices regarding a move.

Practical matters to consider as you prepare to return to Mexico

If you are one of many foreign residents that shuttles between your home country and Mexico each year —or if you intend to do this as part of your planned lifestyle— there are several practical matters to consider as you prepare for your re-arrival to Mexico.

Your visitor or residency permit

If you use a visitor permit to reside in Mexico part-time, note that border officials appear to no longer be giving 180 days stay by default.  They can still give 180 days maximum (by law) but in many cases people are begin given fewer days—sometimes as few as 10.

If you reside in Mexico even for a few months a year, we recommend you consider applying for a residency permit that will make your border crossing smoother and prevent you from having to leave the country if your visitor permit is not issued for the length of time you intend to overwinter in Mexico.

Renewing your temporary residency

If you hold temporary residency in Mexico and you intend to keep your residency status in Mexico, you will need to renew it before its expiry date.  Residency card renewals must be done in person, in Mexico—they cannot be filed by proxy.

Your arrival in Mexico is an ideal moment to check the expiry date on your residency card(s) and file your renewal (or exchange to permanent residency) as appropriate.  If you need assistance with your renewal process or exchange to permanent, our associate can help.

Vehicles you might bring

If you intend to drive your US or Canadian plated vehicle to Mexico, consider whether you will need a Temporary Import Permit (TIP), and whether you need a TIP or not, you’ll need to purchase a vehicle insurance policy that covers your vehicle while its in Mexico.  Read our guides to driving and road trips in Mexico for insight and advice about driving here.

House and home

If you own a home in Mexico, you’ll need to talk to your local contact or agent about ‘reopening’ the property for your return if it has been left vacant in your absence.

As we remark in our guides to home maintenance and security, it’s not advisable to leave your property unattended for months.  If it has been rented out, you’ll need to liaise with your agent or the tenants to organize the checkout and hand-back, review of the property’s condition, and return of the deposit, etc.

If you rent a home while you’re in Mexico, you’ll need to liaise with the owner or the owner’s agent you are dealing with about arrangements for you to take possession of the property during the lease period.  And it’s also important to know who is renting your home while you’re away.

Health matters

If you plan to be in Mexico for a defined period up to 90-days then a short-term trip protection insurance could work well for your stay.

If your stay in Mexico will be for longer than 90 days and less than 180 days, then an extended stay emergency and medical expense coverage will help to mitigate the cost of unexpected medical emergencies, and also includes medical evacuation to your home country in severe circumstances.

Language skills

Being able to speak at least some Spanish will materially improve your lifestyle experiences while you’re in Mexico, even if you’re only living here part of the year.  There are sensible reasons for investing time and effort to learn (or improve) your Spanish, and there are courses online and in classrooms that can help you to do this.

Travel and leisure opportunities

Part-time residents in Mexico may opt to take advantage of their presence in Mexico and consider some travel and leisure opportunities that are close-by.  You can browse custom leisure tours offered by travel experts that know Mexico intimately here on Mexperience.

Miscellaneous practicalities

The guide to living and retirement sets out the plethora of practical matters and details which need to be considered as you move from one place to another. Many of these matters are relevant whether you move to Mexico full-time or part-time—the principal difference is that if you are living here only part time, you’ll effectively be managing lifestyles in at least two different locations simultaneously.

Practical matters as you prepare to leave Mexico

If you intend to leave Mexico for a defined period each year and return months later (or next season/year), the key matters for you to consider prior to your planned departure date from Mexico will likely include:

• ensuring your Mexico visitor permit has not expired if you don’t have a residency card (you’ll need to pay a fine when you leave, if you overstay your visitor permit date);
• if you have a residency permit, you need to ‘check out’ at the airport or other port of exit when you leave Mexico;
• if you own a house here, ensuring that your Mexican home is properly cared for in your absence, or if you plan to rent it out, ensure that you know who’s renting your home;
• if you drove a foreign-plated vehicle to Mexico outside of one of the defined Free Zones (and thus have a Temporary Import Permit—TIP), make sure you stop at the Banjercito border offices and cancel your TIP.
• if your insurance policies are not annual, be mindful of the policy expiry dates and create a reminder for yourself to restart them for your next return to Mexico.

Resources for Living & Lifestyle in Mexico

Mexperience offers you a comprehensive online resource of information and local knowledge to help you discover Mexico, explore choices, find opportunities and plan a new life in Mexico.  Our resources include:

• Detailed guides to living and retirement in Mexico that are continually updated
• Insightful articles about living and lifestyle in Mexico
• If you’re planning your initial relocation to Mexico, browse article on our Lifestyle Planning section
• Our Mexico Home Life section contains a wealth of local knowledge to help you settle-in and make the most of your lifestyle in Mexico.
• Our section about Home Stewardship is packed with practical advice for managing your home and dwelling spaces in Mexico.
• A regular Mexico Newsletter you can subscribe to for free