Quick answer: Applicants in Western Europe apply at their nearest Mexican consulate (Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Rome, Milan, or Vienna). For 2026, Temporary Residency needs roughly €3,550–€3,990/month in income or ~€60,000–€66,000 in savings, depending on the consulate. European consulates more often require certified Spanish translations of your documents.
Key takeaways
- Euro-zone thresholds run about €3,550–€3,990/month (Temporary income) — lower in raw euros than the US figure, because each consulate converts the peso amount at its own rate.
- Consulates: Spain (Madrid, Barcelona), Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg), Italy (Rome, Milan), Austria (Vienna).
- Spanish translation is more commonly required in Europe than at US/Canadian consulates — budget for a certified translator.
- Income or savings, not both. Check your consulate.
If you're applying from Western Europe, the economic-solvency route is the same one used everywhere — but the amounts are in euros, the consulate network is denser, and document translation comes up more often. Here's what's specific to European applicants. To check your numbers, run the calculator.
How much you need (2026)
Mexican thresholds are multiples of the daily UMA (117.31 MXN/day for 2026), and each consulate converts them to euros at its own rate. Typical 2026 Temporary figures:
| Consulate | Temporary — income /mo | Temporary — savings | Per dependent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | €3,550 | €60,000 | €1,150 |
| Madrid | €3,550 | €60,000 | €1,150 |
| Berlin | €3,943 | €65,713 | — |
| Frankfurt | €3,943 | €65,713 | — |
| Hamburg | €3,943 | €65,713 | — |
| Munich | €3,943 | €65,713 | — |
| Milan | €3,983 | €66,377 | — |
| Rome | €3,983 | €66,377 | — |
Permanent Residency is roughly 65–70% higher. Open your consulate's page for its exact published amount, or run the calculator.
The qualification is on income or savings, not a blend: income with the last 6 months of statements, savings with the last 12 months. Each dependent applying with you adds roughly €1,150/month (consulate-specific) to the income bar.
Which consulate do you use?
You apply at the Mexican consulate with jurisdiction over where you live:
- Spain: Madrid · Barcelona — both use the MiConsulado booking system; Madrid covers most of the country plus Andorra, Barcelona covers Cataluña, Aragón, Baleares, and Valencia.
- Germany: Berlin · Frankfurt · Munich · Hamburg — country-wide consistent requirements.
- Italy: Rome · Milan
- Austria: Vienna
France and other Western European countries are served by their embassies' consular sections applying the federal formula. See all consulate requirements for the published amounts and statement rules at yours. Note that jurisdiction follows your legal residence, not your citizenship — a German citizen living in Spain applies in Spain.
Documenting European income
The evidence the consulate wants maps onto standard European paperwork:
- Salaried: payslips (nómina, Gehaltsabrechnung, busta paga) for the statement window plus bank statements showing the salary arriving. If you'll keep your job remotely from Mexico, an employer letter explicitly approving remote work from Mexico answers the officer's main question up front.
- Pensions: the annual pension statement (state or private — Seguridad Social, Deutsche Rentenversicherung, INPS, etc.) plus bank deposits matching it.
- Self-employed (autónomo / Freiberufler / partita IVA): tax returns, 12 months of statements, and client contracts — the self-employed guide applies fully.
Statements should be complete monthly statements with the bank's stamp or an accompanying bank letter, showing your name and address.
The translation requirement
This is the main thing that differs from US/Canadian applications: European consulates more frequently require certified Spanish translations of your foreign-language documents (birth and marriage certificates especially). Plan for:
- A certified/sworn translator recognised for official translations — in Spain a traductor jurado, in Germany a beeidigter Übersetzer, in Italy a traduttore giurato, or a Mexican perito traductor.
- Translating the document after it's been apostilled (the apostille itself gets translated too).
- A realistic budget of tens of euros per page, and a few days' turnaround per document.
Document authentication is by apostille throughout the EU (all these countries are Hague Convention members), so there's no extra consular legalisation — just the apostille plus, where required, the certified translation. Apostille turnaround in most EU countries is days, not weeks — usually the easiest part of the file.
The appointment and what follows
Book through MiConsulado (citas.sre.gob.mx) where the consulate uses it (Spain does; others publish their own booking instructions). The visa fee is $56 USD equivalent, the interview is short (local language or Spanish), and processing takes up to ten business days. The visa is then valid 180 days for a single residency entry; once you land in Mexico you have 30 days to start the canje — exchanging the visa for the physical resident card at INM. Budget several weeks in Mexico for that stage.
Income or savings
You qualify on one route. Steady income above your consulate's monthly figure → the income route; modest income but solid assets → see how much savings you need. Savings means bank/investment balances held over 12 months — not property value.
Common questions
Why are the euro amounts lower than the US dollar ones? They're the same peso thresholds converted at different rates — €3,943 in Frankfurt and $4,510 in San Diego are the same bar, not different standards.
I'm an EU citizen living in a different EU country — where do I apply? Where you legally reside. Consulates ask for proof of residence in their jurisdiction (registration certificate, residence card).
Do Mexican consulates in Europe interview in English? Expect the local language or Spanish; larger posts handle English routinely. The interview is short and centered on your finances and plans.
Is Vienna's figure exact? Vienna's amounts are estimated from the federal formula — the consulate may publish a slightly different number, so confirm before you apply. Our Vienna page flags this.
Next step
Run the free calculator to check your income or savings against your consulate's 2026 euro amounts, then open your consulate's page for the document and translation specifics. For the full picture, see the 2026 requirements guide and Temporary vs Permanent.
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.