Mexico Visas

Mexico's immigration system is administered by the National Migration Institute (Instituto Nacional de Migración, INM), a decentralised body of the Secretaría de Gobernación, supported by the Mexican consular network for visa issuance abroad. The country runs a relatively simple three-tier framework: Visitante (visitor), Residente Temporal (temporary resident, typically 1–4 years), and Residente Permanente (permanent resident). Almost every long-stay status starts with a Mexican consulate appointment abroad and ends with INM finishing the residence card after arrival.

Most international applicants enter as Visitantes — many nationalities can stay up to 180 days per visit by default, simply by presenting a valid passport and a Forma Migratoria Múltiple (FMM) at the airport. Those wanting to live in Mexico longer apply at a Mexican consulate for either Temporary Resident (financial-solvency, family-link, work-offer, or student grounds) or Permanent Resident (retirement-income or close-family grounds). Once approved, the applicant has 180 days to enter Mexico and 30 days from arrival to convert the consular sticker into a residence card at the local INM office.

What stands out about Mexico is the financial-solvency route. Temporary Resident applicants can qualify by demonstrating either monthly income (currently ~30x the value of the daily minimum wage in CDMX, around MX$87,000–MX$95,000 per month — verified through 6 months of bank statements) or savings (currently ~5,000x the daily minimum wage, around MX$1.5 million). Permanent Resident has higher thresholds. Each consulate publishes its own current figure in BRL/MXN/USD; the practical figure changes annually. The guides in this hub focus on the bank-statement format and the canje (in-Mexico exchange) sequence that determine whether the application clears INM cleanly.

After consular approval, the post-arrival sequence runs on a 30-day clock. Within those 30 days, you must visit the local INM office to complete the canje (exchange of consular sticker for the residence card), present proof of address, and apply for the CURP simultaneously. INM has fully digitised this through the e-Trámite portal in major cities; smaller offices may still require in-person paperwork. Renewals follow a 1+3 cadence (1-year initial, then a 3-year extension) before conversion to Permanent Resident at the 4-year mark, giving most applicants a predictable schedule of fees and document gathering.