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

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

Why have the ‘economic solvency’ criteria for residency increased so much?

Mexico’s minimum wage has more than trebled since 2016—and along with it, so too did the monthly income or savings/investment balances required to qualify for residency.

UMA was introduced to create a buffer for prices and other official calculations that were tied to minimum wage before it was purposely ramped-up. UMA has also increased each year since 2016 but at a much slower pace in line with official inflation.

Mexican Consulates abroad were directed to adopt UMA for their residency qualification criteria in July 2025 —nearly a decade after UMAs were introduced— and at higher multiples than the original law stipulated, effectively rebasing the ‘economic solvency’ requirements for residency to 2025 levels.

Income —vs— savings for qualification

Mexican consulates abroad are using UMAs for their calculations.

Temporary residency

Using your monthly income: The monthly income required to qualify for Temporary Residency in Mexico when you apply at a Mexican Consulate is around US$4,400 per month in 2026.

Using your savings/investments: If your monthly income is too low to qualify, you may instead qualify for Temporary Residency in Mexico if you have savings/investments—that can include a combination of cash, 401k (or equivalent), trust funds, and some other investment funds. You need around US$74,000 in savings/investments in 2026.

Using savings/investments remains a viable route to qualify for many people who have been saving throughout their lives, or who have that amount or more in cash deposited at a bank account(s)—for example, from a recent house sale.

Permanent residency

If you intend to apply for Permanent residency right away, to qualify in 2026 you need to demonstrate around US$7,400 of monthly income or a total balance of around US$300,000 in savings/investment account(s).  Consulates only issue Permanent residency visas to people who are “retired.”

Qualifying income and savings

See our guide to financial criteria for residency in Mexico and read these FAQs for more information and rules about qualifying for residency in Mexico using your monthly income or savings/investments—including what types of income/savings qualify.

Alternatives to economic solvency

If you want to live or retire in Mexico but don’t have sufficient monthly income or savings/investments to qualify for residency under the ‘economic solvency’ rules, there are some other routes you may consider.

Marriage to a Mexican national, or foreign resident

If you are married (or are getting married) to a Mexican national, or to an existing foreign resident in Mexico, you could arrive in Mexico as a visitor and exchange your visitor permit for a residency card.  Mexican immigration law also recognizes same-sex marriages.  Learn more about residency through marriage in Mexico.

Common-law partner of a Mexican national, or foreign resident

Mexican immigration law recognizes a common-law partnership, “Concubinos,” with a Mexican national, including same sex common-law partnerships. You must inquire at a local immigration office about the criteria they ask for to prove your common-law partnership in lieu of a marriage certificate.  As with married couples, you can exchange your visitor permit in Mexico for a residency card using this route. Learn more about residency through common-law partnership in Mexico.

Defined family roots

Other than spouses/partners, defined family connections can also enable you to qualify for residency in Mexico.  This article describes them.

Your baby born in Mexico

If your child is born in Mexico, both parents become immediately eligible for legal residency in Mexico.  You don’t need to go to a consulate abroad for a visa—you can apply directly at an immigration office in Mexico.

Humanitarian grounds

Applications for residency on Humanitarian grounds are specialized and dealt with on a per-case basis. Visit your local immigration office to ask for details.

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
• Read about the financial criteria to qualify for residency in Mexico
• Learn about Family Unit routes to apply for residency in Mexico
• See our detailed summary about how to apply for residency in Mexico
• Find out the latest residency-related fees charged by Mexico’s government
• See our Mexico Immigration Guide that covers all of the essential information about visas and residency permits for 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.

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.

Differences between Temporary and Permanent residency

The most significant difference is that temporary residency permits need to be renewed at least once if you stay in Mexico more than a year, whereas permanent residency permits issued to persons aged 18 and over never need to be renewed and never expire.

Temporary residency permits

Mexico’s temporary residency permits last for between 1 and 4 years.

Your first temporary resident permit is always granted for only one year* initially and you can thereafter renew your temporary residency for 1 to 3 more years—for a maximum of 4 consecutive years.

At the end of a consecutive 4-year period of temporary residency, you can:

• apply to exchange your temporary residency status for permanent residency status within 30 days before your card’s final expiry date; or
• purposely allow the permit to expire and then enter a regularization process to restart an application for temporary residency within a specific time period; or
• leave the country and surrender your legal residency status.

*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.)

Financial criteria: The financial qualification criteria for temporary residency are lower than those needed to apply for permanent residency and, after holding four consecutive years of temporary residency, you can optionally apply to exchange your temporary residency for permanent residency, usually without the need to prove economic solvency.

Time allowed in Mexico: When you have temporary residency in Mexico, you may stay in Mexico as long as you like and enter and leave Mexico as many times as you wish during the course of each year as long as the permit is valid. There are no time limits on how long you have to remain in Mexico each year to keep your residency status, although renewals, notifications of changes, and applications to exchange temporary residency for permanent residency must be filed in person at an immigration office in Mexico—you cannot do this at a Mexican consulate abroad.

Working: Note that not all temporary residency permits carry permission to work in Mexico. Work permissions need to be requested and granted separately.

Temporary Residency for Students: If your Temporary Residency status was issued under the auspice of you being a Student, note that you can only renew these permits for one year at a time.  You may apply for Permanent Residency after four consecutive years of holding a Temporary Residency as a Student.

*Married to Mexican national or existing foreign resident? Learn more about residency through marriage or common-law partnership.

Permanent residency permits

When you apply for permanent residency on the basis of economic solvency, you don’t have to hold temporary residency before applying for and being granted permanent residency, but:

• the financial criteria to qualify for permanent residency are higher; and
• if you apply for permanent residency as a couple, the dependent spouse/partner will only be granted Temporary Residency to begin with; and
• Mexican consulates abroad now require the applicant(s) ‘to be retired’ to apply for permanent residency right away—even if they qualify economically.

Path to permanent residency: For those who don’t qualify for Permanent Residency right away, there is a path to exchange temporary residency for permanent residency—see the section below for details.

No expiry date for adults: Once permanent residency is granted, your residency card never expires and you do not have to renew your residency status as you do with temporary residency, although note that minors under the age of 18 years must renew their permanent residency cards periodically—see the next section below.

Changes & notifications: As an adult, you don’t need to renew your permanent residency card but you must notify your local immigration office of any change of address, civil status, as well as any changes in employment if you work in Mexico. These notifications must be made in person at an immigration office in Mexico.

Time allowed in Mexico: When you have permanent residency in Mexico, you may stay in Mexico as long as you like and enter and leave Mexico as many times as you wish during the course of each year. There are no time limits on how long you have to remain in Mexico each year to keep your permanent residency status; although if you intend to apply for citizenship, you will need to prove that you have been situated physically in Mexico for at least 18 months in the past two years preceding your application date.

Residency cards issued to minor children

If you have minor dependent children (aged under 18 years) in Mexico, note that special rules apply in regard to the issuance and renewal of their residency cards, thus:

• children under 3 years of age are given temporary or permanent residency cards for one year at a time, and these must be renewed in Mexico annually; and
• children between the ages of 3 and 17 years are issued with temporary or permanent residency cards for a maximum of 4 years at a time and when the card expires it must renewed in Mexico; or may be replaced with a permanent residency card if the minor has turned 18 in the interim; and further note that
• children under 18 years of age holding permanent residency cards must renew these as described above. When they turn 18, their permanent residency will become indefinite and the card will no longer expire or need to be renewed.

Exchanging temporary residency for permanent residency in Mexico

People who want to live in Mexico indefinitely but only qualify for temporary residency can apply for temporary residency to begin with and, after four consecutive years* of temporary residency can apply to automatically exchange their temporary residency status for permanent residency in Mexico.

Near the end of the four consecutive years holding temporary residency, you can apply to exchange your Residente Temporal permit for a Residente Permanente permit.

You do not need to redemonstrate your economic solvency when you have held temporary residency for four consecutive years and apply to exchange this for permanent residency.

The transfer from temporary to permanent residency is undertaken at your nearest immigration office in Mexico with an application procedure and payment of the processing fees.  Our associate can assist with the change from temporary to permanent residency.

*Married to Mexican national or existing foreign resident? Learn more about residency through marriage or common-law partnership.

Should I apply for temporary or permanent residency in Mexico?

Choosing to apply for temporary or permanent residency will depend on whether:

• you plan to live in Mexico only for a defined (temporary) period and then leave the country; or
• you are not yet decided about your longer-term plans when you apply; or
• you intend to stay in Mexico very long term (indefinitely); or
• you intend to stay very long term (indefinitely) but don’t qualify for permanent residency right away.

Temporary residency

Applying for Temporary residency is the better choice if:

• you plan to stay in Mexico for a while and then leave; or
• if you want to stay indefinitely but don’t qualify for permanent residency right away.
• If your plans evolve and you decide to stay in Mexico for longer, you can extend your temporary residency (for a maximum of 4 years) and after four consecutive years apply to exchange temporary residency for permanent residency if you want to.

Permanent residency

Applying for Permanent residency is the better choice if:

• you intend to live in Mexico indefinitely and qualify with the higher income or savings / other criteria required for permanent residency; but
• note the quirk in the rules, and application options, if you intend to apply for Permanent Residency as a couple.
• Applying for and being granted permanent residency right away negates the need for you to apply for renewals of a temporary residency permit, which translates into less processing time and less cost.

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:

• See our detailed summary about how to apply for residency in Mexico
• Learn about the principal routes to obtaining legal residency
• Read about the financial criteria to qualify for residency in Mexico
• Learn about applying for Permanent Residency as a couple
• See the latest residency-related fees charged by Mexico’s government
• See our free Mexico Immigration Guide that covers all of the essential information about visas and residency permits for Mexico.

See also: The differences between Temporary and Permanent residency.

Financial qualification requirements

If you apply for residency in Mexico as a couple using the route of “economic solvency,” the principal applicant must show the income or savings/investment amounts required for qualification, plus an additional 220x UMA for the dependent spouse/partner.  The additional amount required for the dependent spouse is the same whether you apply for Temporary or Permanent Residency.

Key points about applying for Permanent Residency in Mexico

When you apply for permanent residency on the basis of economic solvency, you don’t have to hold temporary residency before applying for and being granted permanent residency, but:

• the financial criteria to qualify for permanent residency are higher; and
• Mexican consulates abroad now require the applicant(s) “to be retired” to apply for permanent residency right away—even if they qualify economically; and
• if you apply for permanent residency as a couple, the dependent spouse/partner will only be granted Temporary Residency to begin with (as described in this article).

A dependent spouse/partner can only obtain Temporary Residency to begin with

A quirk exists in the rules when you are applying for Permanent Residency as a couple.

When you apply for Permanent Residency as a couple (married couples, common-law partners, including same-sex partnerships are all recognized by Mexican immigration law), the principal applicant will be offered Permanent Residency, but the dependent spouse/partner will only be offered Temporary Residency to begin with.

This can later be exchanged for Permanent Residency: after four years if the application is made at a Mexican consulate abroad; or after two years if the application is made at an immigration office in Mexico—as described in the sections that follow.

Options for couples who want to apply for Permanent Residency in Mexico

If you and your partner intend to seek Permanent Residency in Mexico together, these are three options to consider:

Option 1: Apply at a Mexican consulate abroad as a couple

Applying together as a couple at a Mexican consulate abroad, you will present your application with your marriage certificate, or proof of common-law partnership—check with the consulate about what evidence they require for this.

The principal applicant will need to show the income or savings/investments required for Permanent Residency plus and additional 220x UMA.

If the application is accepted, the principal applicant will be given a Permanent Residency visa and the dependent spouse will be given a Temporary Residency visa. These need to be exchanged for residency cards in Mexico.

The dependent spouse will need to renew the Temporary Residency card after one year for a further three years, and at the end of the fourth consecutive year can apply to exchange the Temporary Residency card for a Permanent Residency card.

Option 2: One partner applies for residency at the Mexican consulate, the other applies in Mexico

If one of the partners applies for Permanent Residency alone, the other partner can enter Mexico as a visitor, and afterwards apply for residency in Mexico under the Family Unit rules.

When residency is applied for this way, the immigration office in Mexico will typically grant the dependent spouse/partner up to two years of Temporary Residency and, after those two years, you can apply to exchange that for Permanent Residency.

When you go to the immigration office in Mexico to apply for your dependent spouse/partner’s residency permit, no additional proof of economic solvency requirements are usually asked for, but note that when you apply with your partner/spouse for residency in Mexico under the Family Unit rules you will need to have your marriage certificate apostilled and translated into Spanish by a certified translator in Mexico.  If you are not legally married, you need to ask the local immigration office what evidence they require to prove your common-law partnership. See also: Applying for residency via marriage or common-law partnership.

Option 3: Both partners apply separately, not as a couple

If you’re a couple seeking Permanent Residency and you each have sufficient income or savings/investments to qualify in individually named account(s), you can apply separately for Permanent Residency. You do not need to show your marriage certificate in this situation.

If your income or savings/investment accounts are in joint name accounts and you apply separately, those accounts will need to show double the income or savings/investments required, and you will need to show your marriage certificate.

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 difference between Temporary and Permanent residency in Mexico
• Learn about applying for residency via marriage or common-law partnership
• Learn about the process for applying for residency in Mexico
• Read about the financial criteria to qualify for residency in Mexico
• Read our free Mexico Immigration Guide that encapsulates essential information about visas and residency permits for Mexico
• Get assistance with applying for residency in Mexico as a couple

Continually revised & updated guide to visas and residency permits for Mexico

Guide to Mexico Immigration 2026

Our free and continuously updated guide to Mexico Visas and Immigration is an exhaustive resource that enables you to learn about Mexico’s visas and residency permits, and how to visit and/or apply for legal residency in Mexico.

This comprehensive guide helps you to navigate the rules, latest information, and processes —from applying for residency at a Mexican Consulate to managing your existing residency card— and connects to extensive knowledge and helpful resources.

Planning your visit and arrival in Mexico

Whether you plan to visit Mexico as a tourist, for business, to volunteer, or you want to apply to obtain legal residency in Mexico, this section helps you to plan for your visit and arrival in Mexico.

Applying for legal residency in Mexico

If you intend to stay in Mexico for longer, spend defined periods of time here, or intend to live in Mexico part-time or full-time, this section helps you to consider your choices, learn about qualification criteria, and make your application.

Mexico legal residency essentials

When you have obtained legal residency in Mexico, this section shares practical insights and advice about exchanging your visa for a residency card and managing your legal residency card and status in Mexico.

This article shares insights about choosing a consulate, describes how to request an appointment, outlines the format of the residency interview, and highlights certain types of document that you might need to get notarized/apostilled.

Choosing a Mexican Consulate

Most people applying for legal residency in Mexico will go to the Mexican Consulate nearest to where they live.

If the consulate nearest to you is not accepting residency applications, if their appointment availability is limited, or if there’s no Mexican Consulate in the place where you live, you may choose to apply at a different consulate.

Out of area applications: Not all Mexican consulates accept “out of area” applications. If you intend to apply at a consulate that isn’t near your usual place of residence, or isn’t situated in your state, contact the consulate to ask if it accepts applications from people who are not resident in the state or country where the consulate is situated.

Third-country applications: If you apply at a Mexican consulate outside of your home country, or country of legal residence, and/or the country where your key supporting documents, especially bank statements, are based, then you will need to get some documents notarized/apostilled, and they might also have to be translated.  See the section below about ‘key documents that might need to be apostilled’ for more details.

Requesting a residency appointment at a Mexican Consulate

The ways in which Mexican consulates schedule appointments for residency application interviews varies by location.  Typically, consulates accept requests for residency applications in one of three ways:

Online booking. Many consulates use the Mexitel online appointment scheduling system. To use this, you create an account, choose the consulate’s location where you want to schedule an appointment, select the type of service you are seeking (visas), and then select an available date using the online calendar.

By email or online form. Some consulates require you to send an email message requesting an appointment date; and some ask applicants to complete an online appointment request form. Response times vary, some consulates respond faster than others, and when the consulate writes back they will offer you available date(s) for interview at that consulate.

Walk-in dates. Some consulates operate walk-in dates, whereby applicants show up in person on the ‘walk-in date’ days and get a service token for attention that day.

To find out which method the consulate you intend to apply at uses, visit the consulate’s website.

You can contact the consulate(s) yourself and work your way through the appointment process, or you can hire our immigration assistance associates to do this work for you as an integral part of their application support services.

Lead times for appointments at Mexican Consulates

Appointment availability and lead times varies widely between different Mexican Consulates, and the situation is often in a constant state of flux—driven by varying levels of local demand vs appointment supply.

Some consulates only ‘open up’ dates once a month or so on the online calendar, others update their availability more frequently.

If the consulate nearest to you doesn’t have much availability, or has very long lead times for appointment dates, you might consider applying at a consulate that’s farther away from where you live—though not all accept out of area applications, so check before you make the appointment.

Our associate’s offer assistance services for Mexico residency applications and as part of their service, they monitor appointment availability. They know which consulates accept out of area applications, or can contact a consulate to find out/confirm.  They can help you identify a suitable consulate, and help you schedule appointments, and/or assist you in contacting a consulate to request an appointment in situations where the consulate will only accept email correspondence from applicants.

Interview process at the Mexican consulate

When you arrive for your interview at the Mexican consulate, you ought to have your application form completed, and all of your supporting documentation prepared to present to the Consulate Officer.

Interviews are usually conducted in the consular offices of the Mexican Embassy. During the interview, the consulate officer assigned to your application will:

• Review your application for accuracy and completeness.
• Check that you have all the requirements present and in order, for example, your photographs, passports, and supporting documentation.
• Take payment of the fees for your procedure. (We recommend you carry the amount needed in cash in case the consulate does not accept electronic payments.)
• Check the documentary evidence you provide to support your application, e.g. bank statements, marriage certificates.
• Conduct an interview with you (and your partner, and family as relevant) to talk about your intentions for moving to Mexico.
• The consulate will also take a digital photograph and digital fingerprints of you and any other family members who are applying with you (including minors).
• If you’re applying with dependent minors (aged under 18 years), both parents must be present at the interview to sign the application for the dependent child(ren), otherwise a notarized letter from the absent parent authorizing the application must be submitted alongside the application.

Notification of outcome, visa validity

You will be notified on the same day of the interview if your application for a residency visa is approved.

When your application is accepted, the consulate will keep your passport(s) for a short while, process your application and place a residency visa sticker inside the passport(s). They will usually issue the visa and return your passport(s) within 10 working days after your interview date.

The visa sticker is usually valid for six months from its issue date. Check the expiry date printed on the visa.  You must arrive in Mexico before the visa expires and exchange it for a residency card within 30 days of your physical arrival date in Mexico.

Important: If you allow the visa to expire, or delay the exchange more than 30 days after your arrival date in Mexico, the visa becomes void and you’ll need to restart the application at a Mexican consulate.

Key documents that might need to be apostilled

Depending on the situation, some types of key documents might need to be apostilled before you present them to the Mexican Consulate to support your application for legal residency.

Key documents include:

• Birth, marriage, divorce, and death certificates.
• Academic, professional, and corporate certificates.
• Bank statements, investment fund statements.

Some documents can be directly apostilled, whereas others must be notarized first and then apostilled.  This article describes the apostille system.

Key documents must be apostilled when:

• The document(s) was not issued in Mexico; or

• The document(s) was not issued in the country where you are making the application.

Document translations

Documents might also need to be translated, for example, if your key documents are not presented in English or Spanish, or are in a different language to the official language of the country where you apply.  If in doubt, check with the Mexican Consulate in the country where you’re applying—our associates can also help.

How to get documents notarized and apostilled

Learn about preparing key documents with apostilles where this is required for submission to a Mexican consulate by reading our detailed article about the notarization and apostille (legalization) of documents for use in Mexico.

Learn more about Mexico visas and immigration

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

• Learn about the principal routes to obtaining legal residency.
• Read a detailed summary of the application process for a Mexico residency permit.
• Our article about temporary and permanent residency describes the two main types of legal residency in Mexico.
• Our latest articles about visas and immigration keep you apprised of current situations including financial criteria for residency, fees, and managing your residency.

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.

Mexican consular fees

When you apply for a visa at a Mexican consulate abroad, the consulate will make a consular charge of $56 US dollars (or local currency equivalent if you are not in the USA) for the visa processing service.

Residente Temporal fees

When you arrive in Mexico with your residency visa, you need to exchange this within 30 days for a residency card.

The fees for exchanging a Residente Temporal visa (sticker) for a Residente Temporal card, OR renewing an existing Residente Temporal card for additional year(s) are:

*50% discount for some applicants

Residency related fees doubled in 2026, with a 50% discount if you are:

• Applying under the auspices of Family Unit (most commonly as a spouse of common-law partner of a Mexican national or existing legal foreign resident); OR
• Being sponsored by a company and your residency is tied to that formal employment contract.

First year of temporary residency

Your first Residente Temporal permit is always issued for only one year*. Renewals after the first year may grant an additional 1, 2, or 3 years of temporary residency – fees as above.

*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.)

Residente Temporal Estudiante card fees

People applying for a Residente Temporal Estudiante (temporary resident permit as a student in Mexico) are charged the consulate fee (see above) but there are no charges to exchange the visa (sticker) for a card, and there are no charges to renew the card for additional year(s). However, note that temporary residency as a student carries additional restrictions which other temporary residents do not have.

The card fee if you change your status from Residente Temporal Estudiante toResidente Temporal are as described in the table above, plus a change of status fee—see section below.

Permission to work

If you wish to apply for permission to work with your Residente Temporal status, there is a fee of $4,341 Mexican pesos.

Note: If you hold a Residente Permanente card you don’t need to pay this fee, but you must inform the immigration office about any changes to your work arrangements.

Residente Permanente fees

The fee for exchanging a Residente Permanente visa (sticker) for a Residente Permanente card is $13,579 Mexican pesos; or $6,789 Mexican pesos if you are doing this under the auspice of a Family Unit application.  This is also part of the fee when you convert a temporary residency card to a permanent residency card, see next section.

Fee for converting Residente Temporal to Residente Permanente

If after 4 consecutive years living in Mexico under the auspice of Residente Temporal or Residente Temporal Estudiante you apply to convert your temporary residency status to a permanent residency in Mexico, you will need to pay a ‘change of status fee’ of $1,847 Mexican pesos in addition to the fee for the Residente Permanente card, see previous section.

Exit/Re-entry permit fees

If you need to leave Mexico while a residency-related procedure is in-train, you will need to apply and pay for an Exit/Re-entry permit, as you will not be in possession of your residency documents while the procedure is administered. The fee for an Exit/Re-entry permit is $591 Mexican pesos.

Exit/Re-entry permits last for 60 calendar days.  You must return to Mexico within the 60-day period; if you don’t, your filing will be cancelled and become void.

Important! Note that if you are in the throes of a ‘regularization’ procedure (e.g., expired, or lost residency card—see below), you cannot get this permit and you must remain in Mexico until the regularization procedure is complete.

Residency card replacement fee

If your Temporary or Permanent residency card becomes damaged or lost, you will need to apply for a new card and pay a replacement fee.  This replacement fee is currently $1,780 Mexican pesos.

Residency card replacement procedures depend on whether you lost your card in Mexico or abroad, and you will need to enter a specific procedure depending on the circumstances to get it replaced.  Consider using our Immigration Assistance Service to help you.

Fees for change of immigration status in Mexico

If your situation allows you to exchange a Visitor Permit (FMM) for a residency permit in Mexico, you need to pay pay a ‘change of status’ fee of $1,847 Mexican pesos in addition the corresponding resident card fee listed above.  You might also have to pay a fine that will range between 20 and 100 days of UMA. (See next section.)

Situations where a FMM can be exchanged for a residency visa in-country include:

• Application for residency under Family Unit rules.
• Change from Residente Temporal Estudiante to Residente Temporal or Residente Permanente.
• Applying for residency in Mexico on Humanitarian grounds or via some other special procedure.

Fines for residency-related procedures

Fines might be charged in addition to the fee schedule (see above) if your immigration status has become ‘irregular’ and/or if you failed to notify the immigration office about changes in your status.

Fines range between 20 and 100 days of UMA. The level of fine depends on the circumstance of the situation.

‘Regularization’ procedures tend to be complex so consider using our Immigration Assistance Service to help you.

Fee for “SAM” procedure

If you are the parent or legal guardian of minor children (aged under 18 years of age) who are Mexicans and/or foreign legal residents in Mexico and the child(ren) need to leave Mexico unaccompanied by at least one parent or guardian, you must file for a permit at a local immigration office known as the SAM Procedure.  They will not be allowed to board a flight without this permit.  The fee for this permit $294 Mexican pesos.