Quick answer: Canadians apply at their assigned Mexican consulate (Toronto, Vancouver, or Leamington). The 2026 thresholds are set in CAD by each consulate — roughly CAD $6,000/month in income or ~CAD $100,000 in savings for Temporary Residency (check your consulate for the exact figure). Since January 2024, Canadian documents are apostilled rather than legalized — a meaningful simplification.
Key takeaways
- Your consulate is assigned by your Canadian address — Toronto, Vancouver, or Leamington.
- Each consulate publishes its own CAD amounts (it converts the federal peso thresholds at its own rate) — see your consulate page.
- Canada joined the Hague Apostille Convention in January 2024, so documents now get an apostille from Global Affairs Canada or a designated provincial authority — no more consular legalization.
- Income or savings — you can't combine them.
Canada is the second-largest source of new Mexican residents, and as of 2024 the document side got noticeably simpler. This guide covers what's specific to Canadian applicants — the CAD thresholds, the consulates, the new apostille process, and how to document Canadian retirement income. To check your numbers, run the calculator.
How much you need (2026)
Mexican residency thresholds are multiples of the daily UMA (117.31 MXN/day for 2026). Each consulate converts them into CAD at its own exchange rate, so the exact figure depends on where you apply — but as a rough guide for Temporary Residency:
- Income: about CAD $6,000/month.
- Savings: about CAD $100,000.
- Permanent Residency is roughly 65–70% higher on both.
The published amounts at the three consulates with verified 2026 data:
| Consulate | Temporary — income /mo | Temporary — savings | Per dependent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leamington | CA$6,461 | CA$108,894 | — |
| Vancouver | CA$6,461 | CA$108,894 | — |
| Toronto | CA$6,915 | CA$115,238 | — |
Because consulates set their own CAD amounts, the precise number matters — open your consulate's page or run the calculator for the exact figure. As everywhere, you qualify on income or savings, not a blend: income with the last 6 months of statements, savings with the last 12.
Which consulate do you use?
You apply at the Mexican consulate with jurisdiction over your Canadian address:
- Toronto — covers Ontario and much of central/eastern Canada
- Vancouver — covers British Columbia and the west
- Leamington — southwestern Ontario
Mexico also maintains consulates in Calgary, Montreal, and Ottawa that apply the federal formula at standard exchange rates. See all consulate requirements for published amounts and statement rules.
The 2024 apostille change
This is the biggest recent improvement for Canadians. Canada acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention effective January 11, 2024. Before that, Canadian documents needed authentication followed by consular legalization — slow and multi-step. Now:
- Canadian public documents (birth/marriage certificates, etc.) receive an apostille from Global Affairs Canada or a designated provincial/territorial competent authority (Ontario, Alberta, B.C., Quebec, Saskatchewan).
- Mexico accepts the apostille directly — no extra consular legalization.
Apostilles must be on original certified documents, and most consulates want them reasonably recent. If your document was issued in a province with its own designated authority, you can usually apostille it provincially without going through Ottawa — check your province's process and turnaround before mailing anything.
Documenting Canadian retirement income
Retirees are the most common Canadian applicants, and Canadian retirement income documents map cleanly onto what consulates want:
- CPP and OAS: your benefit statements (available through My Service Canada Account) showing the monthly entitlement, plus bank statements showing the deposits arriving.
- Employer or government pensions: an annual pension statement or a benefits letter from the plan administrator stating the monthly amount.
- RRIF/RRSP withdrawals: these are better treated as part of a savings case (the account balances) than as "income," since withdrawals are discretionary — though consistent, established monthly RRIF payments plus statements can work as income at some consulates.
If you draw from multiple sources (CPP + OAS + an employer pension), document each one; the totals count. Keep the presentation simple: one statement per source, then bank statements showing everything landing.
Snowbird vs resident — don't confuse the two
Plenty of Canadians winter in Mexico on a tourist permit and assume that's a status. It isn't: entry stays are discretionary (up to 180 days), they don't renew reliably, and time on a tourist permit builds no rights. If Mexico is becoming your real base for half the year or more, Temporary Residency is the proper answer — it also starts your clock toward Permanent Residency and, eventually, citizenship. For the long-game comparison, see Temporary vs Permanent.
The appointment and what follows
Appointments are booked through MiConsulado (citas.sre.gob.mx); Toronto's slots have been competitive recently, so book before you finish assembling documents only if your file is nearly complete. The visa fee is $56 USD, the interview is short (English, French at some posts, or Spanish), and processing takes up to ten business days. Once the visa is in your passport, you have 180 days to enter Mexico and 30 days after entry to start the canje — exchanging the visa for your resident card at an INM office.
One formality note: consulates generally want complete monthly bank statements with an official bank stamp or accompanying bank letter — not app screenshots or transaction exports — showing your name and physical address.
Common questions
Can I use Canadian dollar accounts, or do I need USD? CAD accounts are exactly what your consulate expects — its thresholds are published in CAD.
Do my Canadian documents need translation? The consulates in Canada work in English/French routinely, but documents destined for INM in Mexico may need certified Spanish translation later — your consulate will tell you what it wants translated at the visa stage.
My spouse and I both retire — one application or two? Either both qualify independently, or one qualifies and the other applies as a dependent (adding roughly CAD $1,500–2,000/month to the income bar, consulate-specific). Run both setups through the calculator and pick the stronger one.
Does the 2024 apostille change apply to old documents? Yes — what matters is that the apostille itself is issued now; the underlying certified document should just be reasonably recent.
Next step
Run the free calculator to check your income or savings against your consulate's 2026 CAD amounts, then open your consulate's page for the specifics. If you're weighing Temporary vs Permanent, see that comparison; for the full process, the 2026 requirements guide.
Prefer not to piece the process together yourself? Our guided residency product walks you through the entire application end to end — a document checklist personalized to your consulate and income type, apostille and translation tracking, interview prep, and real human support along the way.