Visas for Mexico
How Long Can You Stay in Mexico?
This page reflects May 2010 changes in Mexican immigration procedures. Please note that as of 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; this page does not cover every situation. If you seek an FM-2 or FM-3 visa, you will be well served to consult an immigration professional or your local Mexican consulate about your particulars, not to mention consulting your financial and tax advisors.
Mexico FMM Replaces FMT Tourist Card
The primary source for this information is the Spanish-language Diario Oficial de la Federación
of 2010-01-29. Toward that document's
bottom, the new FMM form is shown full-size, although cut into top and bottom halves. Alternatively, smaller than
life-size images of the FMM and new visa cards
are shown on the Instituto Nacional de Migración
(INM) website. Tip: To better see the
latter page, simultaneously depress your keyboard's Ctrl
and +
keys to zoom in the image.
The length of your visit to Mexico depends on the type of immigration paperwork you have. While formal, pre-arranged
visas
are not required for
Americans or Canadians (click to a complete list) making tourist, business, or informal study visits
of up to six months, Mexico issues a tourist document to track visitors' time in country. As of 2010-05-01,
the FMT is no longer used; it has
been replaced by the new muliple purpose FMM
or Formato Migratorio Múltiple
. This document can permit staying in Mexico up to 180
days for most visitors. The FMM now permits visitors to conduct business during these visits—an activity which
formerly required a formal visa. The FMM does not permit you to work, to serve as a journalist or correspondent, to enroll
in a formal course of study, or to conduct religious activities. For these activities, you must obtain a formal visa.
Tip: The new FMM form consists of two parts. The smaller right-hand tear-off exit
portion is the part
you retain (keep with your passport); it facilitates Mexico's matching of your exit from Mexico with your entrance.
On your exit, the tear–off portion must be returned to an immigration official; you may not re–enter Mexico on the
same FMM as was previously possible with the FMT. The fee for the FMM is about US $20. If you are driving
in to Mexico, stop at Immigration (INM)
just after crossing the border for the FMM 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 FMM is required. A brief visit is considered 72 hours; if you will stay longer, get your FMM when you enter Mexico.
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 can 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 religion), 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 FB
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. As of May 2010, regional consular offices no longer issue FM-2 or FM-3 visa booklets; these have been replaced by cards which are issued only in Mexico. Still, you are encouraged to call to review with your local consulate the latest procedures, fees, and turn around times for the visa you may require. In any case, you will enter Mexico with the FMM form; if you need the FM-3 or FM-2, you will have thirty days to obtain it by virtue of your FMM. Previously, from office to office, visa procedures and requirements might slightly vary, so new procedures offer online service with uniform requirements!
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 Mexico resident status.
Otherwise, you can remain a resident alien with an FM-2. If you seek and gain Mexican citizenship, you will no longer be subject to time restrictions on residence. Note that 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
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