Mexican residency guides
Find the answer for your stage of the process
Current guidance organized by what you need to do next—from checking the 2026 requirements to completing your canje and settling in Mexico.
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Mexico Residency Requirements 2026: Documents & Process
The full Mexican residency process for 2026: choosing your route, the documents consulates expect, how the appointment works, and the 30-day INM canje.
Eligibility and financial requirements
Start here to compare Temporary and Permanent Residency, income, savings, dependents, and costs.
- Read guideEligibility7 min read
2026 financial requirements
Temporary Residency needs about $4,350/month or $72,900 savings in 2026; Permanent is about $7,250/month or $292,000. Exact amounts vary by consulate — see what counts.
- Read guideEligibility11 min read
Income requirements
Temporary needs ~$4,350 USD/month in 2026, Permanent ~$7,250. See consulate figures and how Social Security, pensions, 401(k)s, rental income, and self-employment count.
- Read guideEligibility6 min read
Savings and investment requirements
Some consulates average 12 months of balances; others check every month-end. What their sheets say, what counts as savings, and the buffer to hold.
- Read guideEligibility8 min read
Permanent Residency requirements
Mexico Permanent Residency requirements for 2026: about $7,250/month income or $292,000 savings, consulate differences, family routes, and 4-year conversion.
- Read guideEligibility6 min read
Temporary vs. Permanent
Permanent means no renewals and one fee, but you can't keep a foreign-plated car. Temporary is a lower bar and 4 years of renewals. The 2026 numbers, compared.
- Read guideEligibility5 min read
Costs and government fees
About $700 for a first Temporary card: a ~$56 consular fee plus $11,141 MXN at INM. Fees doubled in 2026, and Temporary costs more over time than Permanent.
Consulates and where to apply
Compare consulate thresholds and read the country-specific guidance for where you plan to apply.
- Read guideConsulates14 min read
Compare Mexican consulates
Compare 2026 residency thresholds, jurisdiction, paperwork, and appointment considerations across Mexican consulates. Start with the post assigned to your address.
- Read guideConsulates6 min read
The 17% consulate threshold gap
Official 2026 figures run from $4,081/month in San Francisco to $4,786 in Del Rio, a 17% spread on one federal rule. Every consulate's number, compared.
- Read guideConsulates7 min read
Applying from the United States
Which consulate Americans apply at, why US certificates need no apostille there, the FBI check you can skip, and the steps from appointment to resident card.
- Read guideConsulates8 min read
Applying from Canada
Canadians need roughly CAD $6,000-$7,000/month or CAD $100,000+ saved for Temporary Residency. Compare Toronto, Vancouver and other consulates.
- Read guideConsulates5 min read
Applying from the United Kingdom
British applicants use the Mexican Embassy's consular section in London. The 2026 thresholds in GBP, and why UK-issued documents need no apostille.
- Read guideConsulates5 min read
Applying from Europe
Thresholds in euros for Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Frankfurt, Rome and Vienna, plus which documents need apostilling when you apply from inside the EU.
Documents and special situations
What income counts, how to prepare harder-to-document cases, and which records need authentication.
- Read guideDocuments5 min read
Self-employed applicants
The same ~$4,350/month threshold as everyone else, but the proof is harder. How to document freelance, contractor and business income so a consulate takes it.
- Read guideDocuments5 min read
Married couples applying together
Apply independently, as main applicant plus dependent spouse, or through family unity. One income can carry both. Which structure is cheapest and fastest.
- Read guideDocuments6 min read
Married to a Mexican citizen
Married to a Mexican citizen? Apply through family unity without income or savings proof. Get Temporary Residency first, then Permanent after 2 years.
- Read guideDocuments8 min read
Apostilles for US documents
Documents issued in the country where you're applying need no apostille. You need one only for third-country documents, or anything you file inside Mexico.
- Read guideDocuments6 min read
Do you need an FBI background check?
An apostilled FBI background check has never been required for a Mexican residency visa, Temporary or Permanent. What the DOF lineamientos actually say.
Guides by applicant type
Advice for retirees, remote workers, and applicants deciding whether their lifestyle fits the rules.
- Read guideGuides by applicant type6 min read
Residency for retirees
Which letter proves Social Security or a pension, how consulates read the deposits, when a retiree should go straight to Permanent, and how couples apply.
- Read guideGuides by applicant type6 min read
Remote workers (no nomad visa)
Mexico has no digital nomad visa. Remote workers use a tourist stay or Temporary Residency (about $4,350/month) and keep working for foreign clients.
- Read guideGuides by applicant type4 min read
Cost of living vs. the income requirement
Residency asks ~$4,350/month; a comfortable expat budget in most of Mexico runs well under half that. Why the bar sits where it does, and what it means.
- Read guideGuides by applicant type8 min read
Citizenship by investment?
Mexico does not sell citizenship or a passport through investment. Investment may support Temporary Residency, but citizenship normally requires legal residence and naturalization.
After approval and settling in
Complete the canje, receive your card, and handle the practical first steps of living in Mexico.
- Read guideAfter approval9 min read
Complete your canje at INM
Complete your Mexico residency canje at INM: the 30-day deadline, entry rules, documents, appointment steps, 2026 fees, and mistakes that void your visa.
- Read guideAfter approval5 min read
Your first 30 days in Mexico
Your consulate visa is a 180-day ticket to the canje, not residency. Start at INM within 30 days of entry, then CURP, RFC and a bank account, in that order.
- Read guideAfter approval5 min read
Get your CURP and RFC
CURP is your population ID and RFC your tax ID. See which one Mexican residents receive, when you need an RFC, and how to get both.
- Read guideAfter approval5 min read
Open a bank account in Mexico
To open a full account you need your resident card, CURP, passport and proof of address. Which banks are easiest, and what to keep open back home.
- Read guideAfter approval4 min read
Healthcare for new residents
Three layers: pay cash at a fraction of US prices, private insurance, or voluntary IMSS enrolment. What each costs, and what to arrange before you land.
- Read guideAfter approval13 min read
Bringing a foreign-plated car
Temporary residents can drive a US- or Canadian-plated car in Mexico with a TIP; permanent residents cannot. See 2026 permit, deposit and import rules.
More guides
- Read guideMore guidance6 min read
Online-Only Bank? Proving Funds for Mexican Residency (2026)
Some Mexican consulates want stamped, original bank statements in your full passport name. An online-only bank has no branch to stamp anything. What to ask, and when.
- Read guideMore guidance4 min read
What Waiting Does to a Mexico Residency Application
You already qualify for Mexican residency. Waiting does not freeze the file: the statement window rolls, slow documents stay unordered, and a slot booked early is a slot you give back.
- Read guideMore guidance10 min read
How to Book a Mexican Residency Appointment (MiConsulado 2026)
Book a residency visa slot in MiConsulado: which calendar to pick, PDF size limits, pending validation, empty calendars, and the CAPTCHA/account fixes that stall bookings.