Visas for Mexico
How Long Can You Stay in Mexico?
Please note that as of 1 June 2009, passports are required for return to the United States.
We are not immigration counselors. We have provided this information to familiarize you with immigration vocabulary and procedures in Mexico. If you seek an FM-2 or FM-3 visa, you will be well–served to consult an immigration professional about your particulars, not to mention consulting your financial and tax advisors.
The Tourist Card
The length of your visit to Mexico depends on the type of immigration paperwork you have. While
visas,
per se, are not required for
Americans or Canadians making visits up to six months long, Mexico issues a tourist card (the
FMT
) to track visitors' time in
country. This document can permit staying in Mexico up to 180 days. The FMT now permits
visitors to conduct business during these visits—an activity which formerly required a formal visa.
Tip: Request your Immigration Officer to kindly stamp your FMT valid for 180 days in Mexico; they sometimes stamp a shorter stay by default. The FMT costs about US $20. If you are driving in to Mexico, stop at Immigration (INM) just after crossing the border for a tourist card. If you enter Mexico by air, your tourist card is included in your airfare and is presented to you before landing in Mexico.
Tourist Card Not Required
For brief visits in Mexico's border zone or in Baja California as far south as San Quintin, no FMT is required. A brief visit is considered 72 hours; if you will stay longer, get a tourist card when you enter.
How to Stay More Than Six Months in Mexico
Many people use the services of an immigration lawyer or service company in Mexico for assistance with the following options. This is not required, but is practical for many people. Options enabling stays longer than six months include the FM-3 and FM-2 visas. Your primary consideration between these two visas is your intention to seek permanent Mexico residency or Mexican citizenship. Additional considerations are whether you will invest in Mexico or seek work. See this link if you'll survive on income from abroad.
FM-3 Visa
The FM-3 visa is a non-immigrant temporary visa for those not seeking permanent Mexico
residency or Mexican citizenship. Any type of FM-3 visa will permit staying longer than six months
in Mexico; they provide up to one year's stay. Several types of FM-3 are available.
There is one for retired persons (the FM-3
), other types
are available for persons conducting business, journalists, students, scientists, athletes,
ministers (of any religiion), or technicians and engineers.Rentista
Once you receive your FM-3, you must renew it each year, up to four times, then, at year five, you must reapply for the FM-3. An alternative to seeking an FM-3 visa is to leave Mexico, then return with a new tourist card permitting stay another six months. This procedure may be perpetually repeated in lieu of applying for the FM-3.
FM-3 Visa Requirements
The requirements to obtain an FM-3 visa include:
A signed cover letter in Spanish
Proof of residency in Mexico
for example, phone or utility bill in your name, photocopied in triplicate, or, if you rent,
proof of residency can be obtained from the Ayuntamiento in your town for about US $5
Completed form FM-1
A valid passport and three entire front cover to back cover photocopies
USA resident aliens also provide photocopies of both sides of green card
Your bank's documentation of at least US $1,500 per month income, in triplicate
income requirements may be halved by presentation of your original
escritura publica
or fideicomiso and its photocopy
Five original passport-type photos, 3 front, 2 right profile view
A completed
Solicitud de Trámite Migratorio
application formFees of about US $140 in cash
Submit this material in person to the Mexican consulate in the United States or Canada, or to INM in Mexico. Call to review with them the latest procedures, fees, and turn–around times for your visa. Many times, the visa can be ready within 24 hours. Note that from office to office, procedures and requirements may slightly vary!
FM-2 Visa
The FM-2 visa is for those seeking permanent Mexico residency, or who intend to pursue Mexican
citizenship. Applying for permanent residency or citizenship is possible after holding the FM-2 visa
for five years. If such is your desire, apply for the FM-2 visa; do not first apply for the FM-3 visa.
Your time in Mexico on an FM-3 visa will not count toward the five years required to apply for permanent
resident (i.e. resident alien
) status or citizenship.
Once you become an official resident alien, you will be issued an FM-2, which resembles a passport. You will be eligible for additional benefits from IMSS. You also get to pay taxes in Mexico, although you may not vote or hold public office.
There are time restrictions on permanent residence. Once you hold the FM-2, if you live outside Mexico for longer than two years, or more than five years total out of ten, you may lose your permanent resident status.
Otherwise, you can remain a resident alien with an FM-2. However, if you gain Mexican citizenship, you will no longer be subject to time restrictions on residence. Furthermore, Mexico does not require you to surrender your United States passport or citizenship to gain citizenship in Mexico.
Just as there are several types of FM-3 visa, there are several types of FM-2 visa. FM-2 visas are available for retired persons with threshold levels of monthly income from abroad currently set at 400 times Mexico's daily minimum wage.
Check out other available tools.
Another FM-2 visa is available for investors who will invest 26,000 times Mexico City's daily minimum wage. Other FM-2 visas are available for athletes, scientists, and other professionals. The help of an immigration attorney is recommended for those seeking an FM-2 visa. There will be tax considerations for which you need professional advice. Your Mexican consulate can tell you the latest daily minimum wage multiplier for the type of FM-2 visa that is right for you.
Car Insurance
We offer have quality car insurance for tourists and Mexico residents.
Home Insurance
We offer home insurance for free–standing homes, as well as for your condo, townhome, or townhouse in Mexico.
