Your Complete Guide For Getting Your Temporary Residency Card And Moving To Mexico

One of the most stressful and enjoyable experiences I’ve had since moving to Mexico is completing the process of getting my temporary residency card. Many people pay someone to help with this service but I did it all on my own. If you want to save money and are great at following instructions, the details below will guide you.

Before we get started: I am not a lawyer or expert. I am sharing my experience with how I was able to get my temporary residency card without any help.

What Are The Benefits Of Having A Temporary Residency Card In Mexico?

First you need to understand the different types of visa options. The most common ones are:

• Tourist Visa: You can only stay in Mexico for up to 6 months (180 days) and your reason for being there must be tourism, to visit a foreign embassy, or for business purposes that do not include paid activities.

• Temporary Residency Visa: You can stay in Mexico from 6 months to 4 years, but you must renew your visa each year. The purpose of your visit should be work authorized by your job, wanting to stay more than 6 months, to study here, or because you are an investor or entrepreneur. And each of these purposes have their own additional requirements that can vary based on which state consulate you go through.

• Permanent Visa: With this visa you permanently reside in Mexico so your stay has no limit. You have to be a dependent of a permanent resident, the parent or child of Mexican citizen, or moving there through your pension or retirement.

Many people start with a tourist visa because they want to get a feel for living in Mexico before committing to a big move. Others don’t want to go through what they imagine is a hassle to get their temporary residency, so they stay in Mexico for 6 months, return to the states, and come back for another 6 months. I chose to complete the temporary residency process immediately because I knew I would be here at least 12 months. Some benefits to having this card are:

• You can stay in Mexico longer than 6 months

• You’re able to travel more freely between Mexico and other countries as many times as you want

• You can get a Mexican driver’s license and bank account

• You can buy and register a car

How Do I Get Temporary Residency Permit In Mexico?

This is very, very important: the process starts OUTSIDE of Mexico. I repeat: the process starts OUTSIDE of Mexico. Below is everything I did before moving to Mexico.

Contact your Mexican Consulate Office

In Houston, Texas, this is called the Consulate General of Mexico in Houston. You need to email them at least 3 months in advance to schedule your appointment. You can try to schedule closer to your leave date but I wouldn’t chance it because there are a lot of documents you need to prepare in advance, so to avoid unnecessary stress make your appointment at least 3 months before you plan to go to Mexico. Be sure to check your promotions, junk and spam folders so you don’t miss their response. There will not be a back and forth about choosing dates that work for both parties. You will send an email saying you want to make an appointment for your temporary visa residency card, and they will reply with the date and time you need to show up. You cannot be late to this appointment and you cannot forget any documents or you’ll have to reschedule.

What To Bring To Your Appointment

What you need to bring to your appointment depends on which of the 7 reasons you chose as your reason for needing this type of visa:

• Financial Solvency

• Real Estate

• Married to Mexican National

• Spouse of a Permanent Resident of Mexico

• Invitation Letter

• Dependent of a Temporary Resident

• Studies

• Investors or Entrepreneurs

One of the more popular reasons and the one I chose was financial solvency, so that’s the steps I’ll explain in greater detail.

• Financial Solvency: Before you keep reading, know that the income requirements for moving to Mexico under financial solvency have changed as of 2023. You can watch this video to learn more about those changes. As of today, if you choose option B on the Mexican Consulate website, you must have at least 100 days of the current general minimum wage in Mexico City during each of the previous 3 months. This equals about $860 USD per month. That means if your appointment is scheduled for August, you would need to show that May, June and July you had income of at least $860 per month. To be sure there were no issues, I would also include the month of your appointment. You can prove your income in three ways. First, you can get a letter from Social Security or the entity who provides your pension. Second, you can get a verification letter from your employer that’s signed by hand plus your paystubs. Lastly, if you’re a student you can get verification of enrollment from your university. For pension and employment, you’ll need bank statements for the last 3 months. I like to over prepare so I printed 6 months of bank statements and paystubs.

• Application: I watched this video to help me complete the application. The application is in Spanish and you want to bring 3 copies with you to your appointment.

• Passport: Bring your original and 2 color copies.

• Passport Photo: I went to Walgreens to get my photo taken and asked for 3 copies.

How Much Does It Cost To Get Temporary Residency In Mexico?

Your state’s Mexican Consulate website will tell you the price for getting your temporary residency card. In Houston, Texas the cost is $48.00 USD. They also share disclaimers on their website.

My Interview At The Mexican Consulate

I brought all my documents in a folder and arrived for my interview about 30 minutes early. I received a number and waited about 20-25 minutes before I was called into someone’s office. The woman took my folder and asked me why I wanted temporary residency. I told her I want to learn Spanish. She did not ask for more details. Although I brought passport size photos which she used, she also had to take pictures of me in her office and collect my fingerprints.

The only issue that came up was the name on my bank statement for my direct deposits from work did not exactly match the name of the organization I worked for, and I explained to her that is because there is a separate HR department that handles our money. She had me write down the name of my organization on every line item on my bank statements where there was a deposit and that resolved the issue.

She gave me a ticket to take downstairs and pay my $48 USD fee. When I returned to her office, she asked me if I wanted to complete the import of household goods paperwork and I told her I did not because I would not be taking any household goods to Mexico. However, if you know you’re moving a lot of things including appliances, furniture, etc. you will want to review this information.

She placed the residency stamp in my passport, returned it back to me, and that was it! Most people say they have to leave their passport and return to pick it up in a few days, so I’d like to think I got lucky.

There Are More Steps Once You Enter Mexico

Everything above was just part 1 of the process of getting your temporary residency card. At this point, you do not have a temporary residency card. All you have is the stamp in your passport. You must complete all the steps above before moving on to the steps below. From the time you get that residency stamp in your passport at the Mexican Consulate, you have 180 days to go to Mexico and complete these next steps. And once you enter Mexico, you only have 30 days to complete these steps. Do not confuse those two timelines, and if you have any questions, leave me a comment below.

Get the CANJE Stamp While At The Airport

Remember that temporary visa stamp you got in the states? When you arrive in Mexico and are asked for your passport, you must tell them you need your CANJE (KAHN-HEY). They will write something in your passport that INM will review. Do not forget this step.

Get Your FMM

The Multiple Immigration Form, known as the FMM, is needed for you appointment the with National Institute of Migration Office, or INM. This used to be a paper form given when you entered Mexico but it is now electronic. I did not know this when I went to INM and could not be seen without it. The challenging part is you need a Mexican address to complete the form. It’s easier to secure your accommodations first (yes, within your first 30 days of being in Mexico) then go to the INM office because then you avoid having to complete a change of address later. Trust me, you’ll want to go to INM in a few trips as possible.

To get your electronic FMM, go to this website and create your user account. Login and complete the steps which include uploading your passport and proof of address. Download and print 3 copies of this form. You will also be given a QR code that you’ll save and present to INM.

Complete Your Tramites Migratorios Form

The Tramites Migratorios form tells INM why you want to enter their building and registers you into their system. Click here and scroll down to the section titled procedure request. Read the instructions (they are in English and if not you can set your computer setting to your desired language) in this section then hover over the image which will take you to the Tramites Migratorios form. Once you complete this form, you’ll need to download and print 3 copies. Your comment section of the form should not be left blank. It must look exactly like the example you saw under the procedure request section of the previous page where you clicked on the image.

Passport and Visa Stamp

Bring your passport to INM. Your visa stamp is already in your passport because you got that at your Mexican Consulate in the states. Make a color copy of both your passport picture page and the visa stamp page.

Formata Básico

Click here to download, print and complete your formata básico. How many copies? You guessed it- print 3. I think you only need 1 but I always bring extra copies just to be safe. Use blank into to complete the form.

Proof of Payment

This is another step where people overlook. The temporary residency card that you get at INM costs $5,108 MXN (right now that is $278 USD) but you don’t pay for it at the INM office. You have to go to the bank to pay and you can’t go to the bank without your Pago de Derechos form. Fill in the information and the website will create a PDF for you. Save it to your computer and print 2 copies. Not sure where to print in Mexico? Email all the documents to yourself then get on your phone, Google “copias” and go to the one closest to you. When you go to the bank you have to pay, in pesos, for your temporary residency card. They will not accept USD, credit or debit cards. Once the bank gives you a receipt, make 3 copies of it.

3 Childlike Photos

When I had my appointment, INM took photos of me in office and did not ask for the ones I brought. However, if I were you I’d bring them anyway. The photos must be size 2.5 X 3.0 cm and follow these rules:

• 2 photos from the front and 1 from the right profile of the face

• White background only

• Forehead and ears uncovered

• No earrings

• No glasses

• Instant photographs are not accepted

• Color recommended

Making An Appointment At INM

Now you’re ready to go to INM with all your paperwork and make your life in Mexico official. Post-pandemic, INM stopped taking appointments and people just had to line up first come-first serve to get in their office. It took me three tries before I got inside so let me help you avoid my mistakes. The first time I went to INM I was excited because I just knew I had all my documents ready. I arrived around noon and saw people sitting under a canopy outside but didn’t know why. I walked up to the door with my folder and was let in and directed to the information desk. They explained they weren’t taking anymore people. An American outside under the canopy said I would need to come back and get in line in the middle of the night to ensure I got into INM. Another gentleman suggested I arrive at 4:00AM.

I tried again the next day and got in line at 5:00AM even though INM doesn’t open until 8:00AM. An officer came out around 7:30AM and organizes the line based on who needs what. When he came to me and reviewed my documents, he put me in the information line. After 2-3 more hours of waiting, I got inside the office and had a representative review my documents only to tell me I did not have my electronic FMM. I had to return another day.

Third time was a charm because I waited a few days then returned at 8:00AM. Even within a few days, INM had changed their process for how to get people through the line. I stood in line for about 3 hours, then sat under the canopy for another 3-3.5 hours. By the time I made it inside, INM was about to close. I was actually one of the last people they saw that day. Once inside I handed over all my documents. They were quickly reviewed then my picture and fingerprints were taken. After that I waited about 10 minutes then received my official temporary residency card. Here’s a picture of me trying to practice patience while under the canopy:

Is There Another Way To Get Your Temporary Residency Card?

After my second time going up to INM and getting rejected, I considered hiring someone to assist. There are plenty of expat services who can do everything for you and all you have to do is show up day of at INM. You can even pay someone to stand and save you a spot in line. But since saving money was important to me, I didn’t want to go that route. I also know how I am. I know I am very organized. I always double and triple check things and I’m very detail oriented when it comes to these kind of processes. If trying to pull all these documents together sounds frustrating to you, you may want to hire someone.

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