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Residency in Mexico

Residency in Mexico TL;DR

The following was true as of 2025. Solvency requirements are based on annual average income over the last 12 months at time of application. The current amounts are $ 1,394,000 MXN for temporary residency in Mexico, and $ 5,576,000 MXN for permanent residency. The US dollar amounts shown are based on an exchange rate of 20.47. The application fee is charged in US dollars. One must apply at a Mexican embassy or consulate outside of Mexico; however, it doesn’t need be the applicant’s country of origin.

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Mexico Offers Visas Apart from Residency Visas

Most people are familiar with the tourism visa. It’s what you get when you visit Cancún or Los Cabos for a week or two, although you’ll typically be granted 180 days. In addition to the temporary and permanent visas, Mexico offers the following.

  • Tourism, Transit, Business Travel, Media Correspondent, among others
  • Visitor’s visa without permission to perform paid activities – long term (10 years)
  • Visitor’s visa for adoption procedures
  • Student temporary residence visa
  • Electronic Visa (SAE), the Electronic Authorization System (acronym SAE in Spanish), allows nationals of certain countries (Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, among others) to travel to Mexico by air without the need for a traditional visa. This system simplifies the entry process, allowing travelers to get an electronic authorization instead of a physical visa.
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2025 Requirements to Obtain Residency in Mexico

The procedure to apply for a temporary resident visa or an immediate permanent resident visa in Mexico are the exact same. The only exceptions being the economic solvency requirements and the cost for the visa (not the application fee, but the cost of the visa itself).

  • Passport
  • Passport type photo
  • Visa application completed
  • Proof of economic solvency
  • Visa application fee of $53 USD (as of 2025)
  • If approved, payment of $ 5,570 MXN or $284 USD for a temporary visa or $ 6,789 MXN or $347 USD for a permanent visa (based on exchange rate of 19.58)

Two Visas for Long Term Residency in Mexico

Residency in Mexico can be had with a temporary and permanent visa. To apply for temporary or permanent residency, the applicant must visit a Mexican embassy or consulate outside of Mexico.

Residency in Mexico – Temporary Visa

The temporary residency visa in Mexico is for foreigners who want to stay in Mexico longer than 180 days. It’s good for 4 years. This is the easiest way to get long term residency in Mexico. It’s easier to qualify for a temporary visa than a permanent one. The good news is that it’s easy to convert to permanent residency after four years.

Scenarios Under Which Applicants May Qualify for Temporary Residency

The overwhelming majority of people will use “Economic solvency” to qualify but we’ll list the others.

  • Economic solvency
  • Conducting scientific research in jurisdictional waters
  • Invitation letter in Spanish from an organization that asks the foreigner to participate in an unpaid activity
  • Real estate or other investments in Mexico
Mexican girl with black and gold sombrero with back turned, holding the Mexican Flag.
Mexican girl with sombrero holding the Mexican Flag.
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Temporary Visa Initially Issued for One Year

The temporary visa in Mexico is initially granted for one year. A few weeks before the end of one year, it can be renewed for an additional 1 to 3 years with most everyone choosing the 3 years. In its totality the temporary visa is good for a maximum of 4 years. Just a few weeks before the 4 years are up, one can apply to have it converted to permanent residency, which is usually granted automatically. It’s a great feeling to get your permanent residency! You’re free to move about with unlimited departures and arrivals.

Temporary Visa Mexico

Temporary Residency in Mexico – Steps to Take at The Consulate or Embassy

  • Make an appointment at the embassy or consulate through https://citas.sre.gob.mx/. A window will pop up and you can change the language to English if you’d like. From there make sure you choose “Consular Offices”. Remember you CANNOT apply for residency in Mexico.
  • After that, another window will open in Spanish regarding their “Llave MX” portal (Spanish) that translates to:

    Your Llave MX is now available

    Your unique, agile and secure access to government services. Llave MX is your digital identity: Identify yourself online securely and access multiple portals and services of the Mexican Government.
  • You can close that pop up. Unfortunately, even if you chose “English” at the beginning, their site only renders in Spanish. I’m not sure why they bother providing the option at the beginning if they’re not going to translate the page. In any event, you need to go to “Crear Cuenta” and create an account with your email and password. Make sure to click the box accepting their “Términos y condiciones”. Oddly enough the button “Create Account” is the only thing in English.
  • From there you can fill out the visa application. Everything is in Spanish. If you ever need help, just call us or send us a message. No charge for simple questions whatsoever!
  • Make sure to have your valid passport handy.
  • Take a passport style photo. You can actually take it yourself if you want. That way you can take numerous photos and choose the best one! That’s what I did. Here are the specifications:

    Recent photo taken within the last 6 months on white background, clear face frontal view, no glasses, in color, passport size, with measurements of at least 32 mm x 26 mm and a maximum of 39 mm x 3 mm.
  • Be a national of the country where you’re applying or prove legal stay in the country you chose. For example, I applied in Guatemala City, Guatemala even though I’m American. You don’t have to apply in the United States for example if you’re American. Most people do, naturally but I was already in the Yucatán, not too far from Guatemala and figured I’d make a nice trip out of it, which it was!
  • Pay the visa application fee of $53.
  • Prove economic solvency. We went over this up above. This is what 99% of people do. The other 1% (or even less) may include:
    a) a scientist proving he or she is conducting experiments in Mexico.
    b) someone proving they have first degree family ties.
    c) proof of real estate investments of approximately $544,000 (based on forty thousand days times the minimum wage in Mexico City).
    d) proof of representing a company with assets of (twenty thousand days the minimum wage in Mexico City) or roughly $272,000.
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Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico showing stone streets, a man driving away on motorcycle and papel picada strung across the street.
Sayulita, Nayarit Mexico on the west coast.

Applying for Temporary Residence Card in Mexico

Once you’ve been granted a temporary residence visa in Mexico, you’ll get a “temporary” visa for the temporary residence card. You must process the exchange for your actual card with your photo within 30 calendar days upon entering Mexico at the National Immigration Institute.

Validity of Temporary Resident Card in Mexico

The temporary resident card is good for one year. A few weeks before the year is up, you can go back and request a 3-year renewal, thus making it a 4-year temporary residency card in all. A few weeks before the 4 years are up you can go back yet again to get your permanent residency. Now we’re talkin’!

Documents Required to Exchange Visa to a Temporary Residence Card in Mexico

  • Form requesting immigratory procedure filled out online, then printed and signed by visa holder
  • Valid passport, original and copy
  • Migratory Multiple Form (FMM), original and copy
  • “Basic Form” completed
  • Fill out the form “Payment of Rights” (Spanish) to pay for your temporary visa. Once you land on the site, you must choose between Persona Física o Persona Moral. You’ll choose Persona Física which just means an individual versus a company. Fyi, Persona Moral has nothing to do with ethics. It’s a business or non-profit organization. Fill in all fields with an asterisk. Don’t worry about CURP and RFC. You’ll get those when you get your residency card.
  • Proof of payment for temporary visa. Currently it costs $5,570 MXN or $284* (assuming an exchange rate of 19.62).
  • Three small color photographs (2.5 x 3.0 cm), two front facing shots and one right profile of the face. Photos should be on white background, with head and neck uncovered, without earrings or glasses.
  • Make the appointment online. Once landed, click on “Immigration Procedures (Online Appointment)”. It should appear in English. Create an account and fill out the appropriate fields.

* Ministers of worship or those belonging to a religious association must present the official letter issued by the General Directorate of Religious Associations of the Ministry of the Interior, in order to have discount payment accepted in accordance with article 13 section IV of the Federal Law of Rights. If it’s not presented, then the regular payment of the temporary resident visa applies.

Go to the Appointment at the National Immigration Institute

Choose which office you want to go to. The INM has 32 representative offices located throughout Mexico (Spanish). Present the above documentation to whichever office you chose. They will inform you when you must appear to hand over your photos and get fingerprinted. You should expect your card within 30 days from then. Simply swing by the office with all your docs and ID (passport) and pick it up.

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Residency in Mexico – Permanent Visa

The permanent residency visa in Mexico is for those wanting to live in Mexico for more than 4 years. This is for hardcore expats/immigrants. The requirements are a bit tougher than the temporary visa, but for those who qualify it’s well worth it. I mean why not get the “whole enchilada” (pun intended) at once?

There Are a Few Scenarios Under Which Applicants May Qualify for a Permanent Residency Visa in Mexico

  • Proof of investment or bank account balance over the last 12 months showing a monthly average balance equal or greater than 20,000 days of the minimum wage in Mexico City
  • Proof of monthly tax-free income equal or greater than 500 days of the minimum wage in Mexico City
  • Those that have had temporary residency uninterrupted for 4 years
  • Family ties (first-degree)*

* You may qualify if you have immediate family ties (parent, minor child, sibling, or cohabiting partner) with a Mexican citizen or a Permanent Resident. If applying as a spouse or common-law partner, you must first obtain a Temporary Resident visa. After two years, you may apply for a Permanent Resident card through the National Immigration Institute (INM).

Procedure is Exact Same as Applying for a Temporary Visa

As mentioned previously, the only difference between applying for a temporary visa or a permanent one is the economic solvency requirements and the slight increase in cost if approved. Long story short, applying for a permanent visa right off the bat is for people that have some wealth and can prove it. Most people acquire permanent residency after residing in Mexico with a temporary visa for 4 straight years, but hey, if you got the money, it makes sense to opt for permanent residency right out the gate.

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