Get help to plan your approach when you apply for residency in Mexico and practical facilitation assistance as you make your way through procedures related to applying for and managing your residency status in Mexico.

Get help to plan your approach when you apply for residency in Mexico and practical facilitation assistance as you make your way through procedures related to applying for and managing your residency status in Mexico.

Mexico residency facilitation and assistance support service

The tele-assistance support service saves you time and helps avoid common mistakes made by applicants.

Whether you’re applying for residency for the first time, renewing an existing residency permit, or need assistance with other procedures related to managing your legal residency in Mexico—our associates can help.

Our associates offer service packages for the most common residency-related procedures, with clear and transparent fixed-fees. (Consulting and assistance fees exclude the government fees applicants must pay to apply for residency in Mexico.)

Mexico residency assistance plans and fees

Learn about the service packages that our immigration assistance associates offer, with clear and transparent fixed-fees for each one.

Click on the service name for a full description of the service and procedures, and to make a service request.  Our associate will contact you directly.

• 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

Lead times for appointments at Mexico’s immigration offices

Our immigration assistance associates are reporting that the online appointment system is working well. Here are some notes about typical lead times for appointments:

• Appointment dates are currently being offered with a lead time of between ~one and three weeks from the date they are requested, depending on the location.
• You must check the calendar at the location where you intend to file as lead times and available dates vary by how busy that location is at the time you request your appointment.
• The system is currently allowing appointments to be made up to three weeks in advance from the first date available but some locations may only have appointments open on one or two days.
• For example, if you request an appointment on the first day of the month, appointments may be available as of the 7th to the 21st day of that month, depending on the location.
• Our associates tell us that new dates are opened daily on a rolling basis.
• Lead times and available appointment dates vary by location and are subject to change anytime without notice.

Procedures that can be booked online

Many, but not all, immigration filing procedures can be booked online.  The INM lists specific procedures that can be booked online, which cover the following types of procedures:

• Exchange of a Residency Visa sticker issued in your passport at a Mexican consulate to a Residency Card.
• Applications for residency via Family Unit.
• Applications for residency based of Humanitarian grounds.
• Change of status from Temporary Student to Temporary Resident.
• Change of status from Temporary to Permanent residency.
• Renewals of existing residency cards.
• Replacement of lost/damaged residency cards.
• Notifications of changes to personal circumstances. (You must attend an appointment in person to file the Notifications; they cannot be filed solely online.)
• Request for work permissions on existing Temporary Residency cards.

Process for booking your online appointment at an immigration office in Mexico

The booking process is done in stages. To book an appointment to file your procedure at an immigration office in Mexico you need an account; you need to create a “Pieza;” and then you must use the Pieza’s reference number to book the appointment.

• If you don’t have an account with the immigration institute, you must create one.
• When you have an account, you login to request appointments.
• You must create a “Pieza“—a procedural filing that has a unique reference number. The filing form varies depending on what type of procedure is being filed.
• The appointment-making process will ask you for the Pieza’s reference number and the INM office location in Mexico where you want to file the procedure.
• The system will show you an online calendar for the location you choose, showing available appointment dates and times there.
• When your appointment is booked you will receive confirmation of this by email.
• See the section above about typical lead times for appointment dates.

You can go online yourself to create the account and work your way through the application forms and appointment process, or you can hire our immigration assistance associates to do all this work for you.

This service saves you time and helps avoid common mistakes made by applicants. Accompanied Assistance provides a combination of tele-support and in-person accompaniment at the immigration office in Mexico.

Accompanied Assistance at immigration offices in Mexico

Accompanied assistance provides the same features and benefits of our associates’ tele-assistance services, with the added benefits of:

• Printing out and organizing all the paperwork and forms ready for you to sign and file the application.
• Meeting with you in person to guide you through the procedures.
• If the immigration office raises any issues with forms or letters, the associate can swiftly correct and reprint papers for you, minimizing the disruption time.
• If you need to return another day to complete the process, they will meet you in person again at no additional charge.

Accompanied Assistance is currently offered at the following locations:

How the Accompanied Assistance service works

Accompanied Assistance provides a combination of tele-support and in-person accompaniment at the immigration office in Mexico. This section describes the application stages and support offered at each stage.

Accompanied Assistance Service Plans & Fees

Our associates charge a fixed fee per person for the accompanied service at immigration offices in Mexico.  Fees vary depending on the location.  You must pay the government fees separately.

All Accompanied Assistance service plans include:

• An initial consultation by phone/videocall/email/chat.
• Confirmation of the required procedures.
• Helping you to make an appointment at a Mexican Consulate abroad, if relevant. (They cannot accompany you to the Consulate.)
• Making an appointment for you at the Immigration Office in Mexico using the INM’s online appointment system.
• Completion of the forms and letters required for your filing.
• Custom checklist of documents you’ll need to carry.
• In-person accompaniment at the immigration office in Mexico.

Make a service request for Accompanied immigration assistance

To hire our associate to assist you with the facilitation of your Mexico immigration application or renewal, please complete the request form below.

What happens next?

• After you complete the form, Mexperience will send you an email that confirms your request and introduces you to the associate who will assist you.
• The immigration assistance associate will respond to you directly and request payment for their service. When you’ve paid, they’ll schedule-in your initial consultation and the service will begin.

The type of visa you apply for will depend on your life stage and lifestyle plans in Mexico including how long you intend to stay, and whether you intend to work, (or volunteer), live off your investments, or retire in Mexico.

The three principal situations that will influence your choice about whether you will apply for Temporary or Permanent residency are when you intend to:

• Live in Mexico and not work.
• Live in Mexico and work.
• Apply for Mexican citizenship (Naturalization).

When you intend to live in Mexico and NOT work

If you intend to visit Mexico for a short or defined period of time, and not work here, you have various options to consider.

Living part-time in Mexico

If you intend to live in Mexico part-time and not work, or if you intend to volunteer for a short period of time that doesn’t exceed six months, you might arrive in Mexico under the auspice of a Visitor’s Permit.

A visitor’s permit can allow you to remain in Mexico for up to 180 days (six months) from your arrival date, but note that the immigration officer might at the port of entry might grant you fewer days—the full 180 days are not guaranteed.

If you intend to stay, or volunteer, in Mexico for more than six months, you ought to apply for a Temporary residency permit.

Living full-time or defined periods in Mexico

If you intend to live full-time in Mexico and not work (for example, living off your investments, or as a retiree), or if you intend to be in Mexico for defined periods, for example to overwinter in Mexico, a Temporary or Permanent residency permit will work for you.

Whether you choose temporary or permanent will depend on your longer-term goals, and whether qualify for permanent residency from the outset.

If you are not retired, then you cannot apply for a Permanent Residency right away even if you have the economic means, but after four consecutive years of temporary residency (or two years if you are married to a Mexican national), you can apply to exchange your Temporary residency for Permanent residency status.

Most people apply for residency in Mexico on the basis of their income or savings, although some people with certain family connections can apply through the Family Unit route.

When you intend to live in Mexico and work

To work legally in Mexico, you must have a temporary residency card with work permissions, or permanent residency.

As Mexican Consulates only issue permanent residency permits to retirees, if you want to work in Mexico you’ll need to apply for Temporary Residency first. After four consecutive years of temporary residency (or two years if you are married to a Mexican national), you can apply to exchange your Temporary residency for Permanent residency.

Residency permit via job offer in Mexico

If you have a job offer in Mexico, the company offering you the job must apply for your residency permit at the immigration offices in Mexico. When the permit is approved, you must visit a Mexican Consulate abroad where the visa sticker will be placed into your passport.

Self-employment in Mexico

Applications for legal residency in Mexico based on self-employment are complex.  If you intend to move to Mexico and work independently, we strongly recommend you talk to our immigration assistance partners who can assess your intentions and recommend an approach that will give you the best chance of a successful application.

When you plan to acquire Mexican citizenship

If your long term intention is to acquire Mexican Citizenship, also known as Naturalization, you must:

• Have held legal residency in Mexico for at least five consecutive years under the auspice of Temporary and/or Permanent Residency; and
• Before you can apply for citizenship, and you must prove that you have been situated physically in Mexico for at least 18 months in the past two years preceding your application date.
• There are other requirements as part of the application process and you can read more about those on our article about Naturalization (see link in the box below).

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
• Detailed outline about how to apply for residency in Mexico
• The financial criteria required to qualify for residency in Mexico
• The difference between Temporary and Permanent residency
• Rights & obligations of legal residents in Mexico

Until recently, all of Mexico’s immigration offices accepted residency filings without applicants routinely demonstrating their proof of address in Mexico. Only in cases where the filing was unclear or suspect in some way would evidence of an address be sought as part of additional information requested at the time of filing.

Proof of residency now routinely required at some immigration offices

Our immigration associates are advising us that several immigration offices are now routinely asking applicants to show proof of a residential address in Mexico when filing for the following procedures:

• Exchanging a residency visa for a residency card.
• Renewal of an existing residency card.
• Applying for a change from temporary residency to permanent residency.
• Notifications of a change of address.
• Applying for replacement of a lost/damaged residency card.

Office locations requiring proof of address

Any immigration office may ask any applicant for proof of address when they file, but immigration offices in some locations are now routinely asking for proof of address.

At present, we know the following offices are routinely asking applicants for this:

• Immigration offices in the State of Oaxaca including Oaxaca City and Puerto Escondido.
• Immigration offices in the State of Quintana Roo, including Cancún, Chetumal, Playa del Carmen, and the island of Cozumel.

If you intend to file at an office in one of these States, be prepared to show evidence of your proof of address in Mexico.

We do not know if or when immigration offices in other Mexican states will routinely ask for proof of address when filing residency-related procedures.

Immigration offices in other Mexican states/locations not listed above might also ask for proof of address ad-hoc, and you should be prepared to show the evidence if they they ask for it (see next section).

We’ll keep this article updated as new information becomes available.

Type of evidence required

If the immigration office you attend asks for proof of address when you file your application, they will indicate what forms of evidence are acceptable.

Most typically evidence is accepted through presentation of at least one of the following documents:

• A utility bill—electricity, water, or fixed-line telephone bill. It must be current; issued within the last two months.
• A home rental contract that must be current with the tenant’s name matching the applicant’s, signed by the property owner and the tenant, and the document might have to be notarized.
• Proof of residential property ownership in Mexico; document might have to be notarized.
• A bank statement from a bank account held in Mexico, in the name of the applicant, showing the applicant’s full address.

Most typically, a Utility bill may suffice, but our associates have dealt with cases where a Utility bill and a rental contract or proof of property ownership is requested.  Be prepared to provide additional evidence if it’s called for.

Learn more about Mexico visas and residency

Mexperience publishes extensive information about visas and immigration to Mexico, including:

• Time limits on Mexico visitor visas and residency permits
• Discover the principal routes for obtaining legal residency in Mexico
• Our free and regularly-updated Guide to Mexico Immigration encapsulates detailed information about applying for visas and residency permits
• Read our latest articles about residency and visas in Mexico

Multi-purpose paper arrivals form

In addition to being a visitor’s permit, the form is also used by those arriving with visa stickers in their passport issued by Mexican consulates abroad, particularly residency visas.

The half of the paper form that is stamped and given to you for safe keeping is used by visitors to exit the country, or as part of the process when you are apply to exchange your residency visa to a residency card.

The FMM form is sometimes issued to passengers by airlines, and they are also available at ports of entry.  If you apply for a FMM online, the current procedure requires you to print a paper copy and carry this with you when you come to Mexico.

Mexico’s paper FMM forms being phased out

Beginning the summer of 2022, Mexico started to phase out the paper version of the FMM forms.  As of now, many ports of entry across Mexico no longer use them.

However: the immigration rules, procedures, and time scales —for example the number of days you can stay in Mexico as a visitor, and the need to exchange a residency visa for a residency card— have not changed.

The phasing out of the FMM paper forms is happening on graduated basis.

If you are not issued with a a paper FMM when you arrive in Mexico, or asked to complete a paper FMM form when you’re resident in Mexico and leave the country, the immigration official will place a stamp in your passport, instead.

Whether a paper FMM is stamped and the visitor half given back to you, or whether you have no paper to deal with and a stamp is placed in your passport will depend on which Mexican port you enter or exit through—the changes are being rolled out on a gradual basis.

Eventually, all paper FMMs will be phased out and everyone will be given a stamp in their passport instead.

How to navigate the transition period

We are still learning about the changes taking place are updating this article as additional information becomes available.  Meanwhile:

If you arrive in Mexico as a visitor

• Continue to complete a paper FMM form if it’s available at the port of entry.
• If you apply online for a FMM, continue to follow the procedures stated on the online system.
• If a paper version of the FMM is stamped and given back to you at the port of entry, keep this safe—you’ll need it to exit Mexico when you leave.
• If you don’t get a paper version of the FMM, the immigration official will place a stamp in your passport instead, in lieu of the paper FMM. This will also be marked to show how many days you have been granted to stay as a visitor. You’ll need to show this page when you leave Mexico.

If you arrive with a residency visa in your passport

• If you arrive in Mexico with a residency visa sticker, continue to complete a paper FMM form if it’s available at the port of entry.
• If a paper version of the FMM is stamped and given back to you, keep this safe. You will need to give this to the immigration office when you are exchanging a residency visa for a residency card.
• If you are not issued with a paper FMM when you arrive in Mexico with a residency visa sticker, the immigration official will place a stamp in your passport instead, in lieu of the paper FMM, and will mark this with the word “Canje.” Show this page to the immigration office when you go to exchange your visa for a residency card.

If you’re already resident in Mexico with a card

• If you are already resident in Mexico and have your residency card remember that you need to register your departure at the port of exit before you leave.
• Many ports are now stamping passports instead of using paper FMM forms to register residents’ departures and returns.
• Continue to attend the immigration kiosk at the port of exit to register your departures and follow the guidance given by the immigration official at the port.

Immigration rules and time scales unchanged

Remember that the immigration rules and time scales remain unchanged, for example:

• The official at the port of entry will stipulate how many days stay in Mexico you have if you arrive as a visitor. This number will be written in your stamped passport instead of the on the FMM paper and will not exceed 180 days.
• If you come with a residency visa in your passport, you have 30 days from the date of your arrival in Mexico to exchange your residency visa for a residency card.

Learn more about Mexico visas and immigration

Mexperience publishes extensive information about visas and immigration to Mexico, including:

• Learn about Mexico’s visitor permit, the FMM.
• Read the FAQs related to Mexico’s FMM
• Learn about the exchange procedure when you have a residency visa sticker in your passport
• Learn about the entry and exit procedures at Mexican ports.
• Discover the principal routes for obtaining legal residency in Mexico

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.

This article describes the typical time scales you ought to take into account when you intend to apply for a Mexico residency permit starting at a Mexican consulate abroad, as well as for residency-related procedures from within Mexico.

Principal factors that influence time scales

There are four principal factors that will influence the time scales involved in your application for residency in Mexico: from the initial application to receipt of your residency card. These are:

Supporting documentation: How long it takes you to gather the documentation required to support your application. The documentation varies depending on your situation, and may include official certificates, bank statements, investment account balances, letters of reference, etc.

Consulate appointments: If your application involves an appointment at a Mexican consulate abroad, the second factor that influences time scales is the availability of consulate appointments for your residency interview.  Availability varies by consulate and by season.  Some (but not all) consulates accept out of area applications, so if your nearest consulate has limited appointment availability, and you’re willing to travel to a consulate outside your area, you might be able to get an appointment sooner.  Our immigration associate can advise about consulates and help with appointment-making as part of their first time applicant support service.

Your arrival date in Mexico: When you have a residency visa stamp placed in your passport by a Mexican consulate abroad, you must arrive in Mexico and exchange your visa for a card before the visa’s expiry date.  Visas are typically valid for six months from the date of issue, but check the visa you are issued to be sure.

Immigration office procedures: The fourth principal factor that determines the time scales to complete your residency application is appointment availability at immigration offices in Mexico, and then the amount of time the local immigration office you file at takes to process your filing.  Some processes are completed the same day as the appointment, but can take between a few working days and 3-4 weeks to process applications at immigration offices in Mexico.  Time scales vary by location and the current workloads at that office.

More details about consulate appointments and immigration office timescales are described below.

Typical time scales at the Mexican consulate

Residency applications from outside of Mexico must begin with an appointment at a Mexican consulate.

Consulate appointments: It can take between a week and several weeks (and in some places, months) to secure an appointment for residency applications at a Mexican consulate. Lead times vary widely by location.

Procedures for consulate appointments: The procedures for booking appointments at Mexican consulates abroad varies by location:

• some consulates use an online booking system;
• others require an email request to be sent by the applicant; and
• others have walk-in dates.

Our associate can assist you with appointment scheduling as part of their application support service and in accordance with the policy and process in place at the consulate you apply at. They cannot ‘fast-track’ or get preferential treatment for any applicants.

Consulate visa time scales: Once you attend your interview at the consulate and file your paperwork, the consulate usually issues the visa sticker within 10 working days after your appointment date, if your application is successful.

Time scales at Mexico immigration offices

Mexico’s immigration offices use an online booking system for most (but not all) procedures.  Online booking is available for the most common procedures including visa-to-card exchanges and residency card renewals.

Visa-to-residency-card exchange: Although some visa-to-residency-card exchanges are processed the same day as the appointment, the ones which are not processed the same day are typically taking between 5-10 working days and may take up to four weeks in some cases to complete the visa-to-card exchange process (“canje“) in Mexico. Some offices might process the exchange the same day as your appointment, and some offices might also issue the card on the same day too—but we recommend that you allow between 5-10 working days and up to four weeks wait as part of your schedule planning, based on our associates’ recent experiences of helping others to process their visa exchange. Read more details about visa-to-card exchange time scales.

Other procedures: Time scales for other procedures, e.g. residency card renewals, vary by office location: 1-3 weeks appears to be typical at the moment; and as with visa-to-card exchanges, some offices might issue cards or complete the procedures on the same day as your appointment, but we recommend you build flexibility into your plans and scheduling as not all procedures are completed on the appointment date.

Leaving Mexico during the process

If you need to leave Mexico while you are waiting for your residency card(s) to be (re)issued, you can apply for an exit/re-entry permit after you have submitted your paperwork for the procedure and have a reference number for your filing.  There is an application form and a fee to pay for this permit.

Note that you cannot apply for this exit/re-entry permit before you have filed your paperwork at the local immigration office and been issued with a file reference number—known as a “Pieza.”  Also, you cannot apply for an exit/re-entry permit if your procedure is classified as a ‘regularization’ process.  You must also return to Mexico within 60 days or your process becomes void.

Learn more about Mexico visas and residency

Mexperience publishes extensive information about visas and immigration to Mexico, including:

• Our free and regularly-updated Guide to Mexico Immigration Guide encapsulates detailed information about applying for visas and residency permits
• Learn about exchanging your residency visa for a residency card
• Discover the principal routes for obtaining legal residency in Mexico
• Read our latest articles about residency and visas in Mexico

Requesting appointments for residency at Mexican consulates

The ways in which Mexican consulates schedule appointments for residency application interviews varies by location, and lead times for appointments also varies.

For full details: see our related article about making residency applications at a Mexican consulate and learn more about how appointments are made, typical leads times, and the interview process.

Requesting appointments at Mexico’s immigration offices

Most immigration offices in Mexico use an online appointment system to book-in applicants; for example, to exchange a residency visa sticker for a residency card, or to renew an existing residency card, or some other residency-related matter, e.g. filing change notifications.

For full details: see our related article about online appointments at Mexico’s immigration offices and learn about the online appointment system, the types of procedures that can be booked online, typical lead times, and the booking process.

Self-service or Assistance for appointments

The online appointment-booking systems can be accessed directly by applicants and you can go through the entire booking process yourself.

If you would like assistance with your residency application, visa exchange or other residency-related procedure, our associates offer assistance services and all of their service options include assistance with appointment-making at Mexican consulates and/or Mexico immigration offices—as appropriate for your situation.

Learn more about Mexico visas and immigration

Mexperience publishes extensive information about visas, immigration and residency in Mexico, including:

• The residency application appointment at Mexican consulates
• Making appointments at Mexico’s immigration offices
• Read a detailed summary of the application process for a Mexico residency permit.
• Our latest articles about visas and immigration keep you apprised of current situations including financial criteria for residency, fees, and managing your residency.

Replacing lost or damaged residency cards

To show that you’re legally resident in Mexico, you need to present your residency card, either Residente Temporal or Residente Permanente.

Many foreign residents in Mexico use this card as a form of official ID on a day-to-day basis, and the card must be presented in situations where you are asked to prove your residency status for some official reason—for example, when you open a bank account.

The card also needs to be presented at the border just before you leave Mexico and again when you return.  If you fail to show your residency card when you enter the country and instead get admitted as a tourist/visitor this may jeopardize your residency status altogether.

For these reasons, a lost residency card needs to be attended to in short order.  How you go about doing this depends on whether you are in Mexico when you discover the loss, or traveling outside of Mexico.

Procedure varies depending on whether you’re in Mexico or outside of Mexico

The procedures for replacing a card vary depending on whether you are in Mexico or abroad.

• If you’re in Mexico, you can attend your local immigration office and file for a replacement card;
• If you’re outside of Mexico, you must first visit a Mexican consulate before you return to Mexico to get a visa sticker in your passport and exchange that sticker for a replacement card when you return to Mexico.

Replacing a lost card when you are in Mexico

If you discover that your residency card is lost, or becomes damaged to the point of being unusable, when you’re in Mexico, you will need to attend your local INM office to get it replaced.  If you are outside of Mexico when you discover the loss, see the next section about replacing a lost card from outside of Mexico.

This section describes the procedures.

Damaged card only

If the card is damaged and you still have the card, you’ll need to hand it in as part of the card replacement process.  The process is identical to the lost card process (see below), except that you won’t need a police report.

Lost/stolen residency card

If the card is lost, you will need to enter a specific process to get your card replaced.

• First, you must report the loss at the local Ministerio Público, or local police, and get an office report reference number for the loss.  After filing the loss, you’ll get a stamped copy of the report on paper, which you will need to take with you to the INM office.
• The replacement request process begins online, using an electronic form, which you also download and print out, sign on paper, and take with you in person to your local immigration office.
• You also need to write a letter requesting a card replacement and explaining the loss, referencing the official loss report and its file number.
• You’ll need to take the original and copies of your passport and, if you have them, copies of the front and back of the residency card you lost/damaged.
• There is a card replacement fee to pay.  Most immigration offices accept payment by bank cards; if your local office doesn’t, or you don’t have a bank card, you’ll need to pay this in cash at a local bank instead.
• The officer at the immigration office will probably interview you to ask more about the circumstances surrounding the loss of the card(s).  If they don’t issue the replacement card the same day, they will give you a receipt and the system will send you an email when the replacement card is ready to pick-up—this can take 1-4 weeks.
• You cannot leave Mexico while this replacement process is in train.  You must stay until your card is replaced.

Replacing a lost card when you are outside of Mexico

If you are abroad when your residency card is lost or damaged beyond use, you will need to enter into a process to begin to get it replaced before you return to Mexico.

If you are abroad, there is a two-stage process that begins at a Mexican consulate abroad and completes when you return to Mexico.

• Report the loss to the local police and get a report number.
• Visit or make an appointment at your nearest Mexican consulate.  (Most consulates can issue a visa for a residency card replacement, but not all, and you might have to travel to the nearest one that does.)
• The consulate will ask you for details about the loss, ask you to complete some paperwork, and you’ll need to pay a consular fee for a replacement visa sticker.  Be sure to have the police report with you.
• You will need to leave your passport with the consulate so that they can place a residency visa sticker in the passport. It can take up to two weeks to get the visa.
• You will use this visa to re-enter Mexico and afterwards request a new card via your local INM office when you return to Mexico.
• When you arrive in Mexico, you must present this sticker to the border official.  Do not enter Mexico as a visitor/tourist.
• You must then attend the local INM office where you are registered (before the visa’s expiry date, usually 30 days after its issue date) and begin the card replacement process, that is similar to the process for exchanging a visa for a residency card.

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:

• Dealing with expired Mexico residency cards
• Renewing your Temporary Residency card in Mexico
• Find the latest residency-related fees charged by Mexico’s government
• Learn about the principal routes to obtaining legal residency
• Our free Mexico Immigration Guide encapsulates essential information about visas and residency permits for Mexico.