Mexico Residence Permit

How Mexico residence works

Temporary residence is granted for up to 4 years: the first card is usually for 1 year, then it is renewed for 1 to 3 years until 4 years are reached in total. After that you can apply for permanent residence. The status allows you to live in Mexico, enter and leave any number of times, open accounts and buy a car and property. With temporary residence on solvency grounds you may not take a job without a separate work permit.

Grounds for temporary residence

The thresholds follow the 2026 requirements of the Mexican consulate in Las Vegas. Other consulates convert them by their own method, so we check the amounts for your country before booking.

Income requirements in 2026

For the economic solvency basis there are two options. The first is bank statements for the last 6 months with monthly income above $4,630 and documents on its source: an employment letter, pension or client contracts. The second is statements of accounts or investments for the last 12 months with an average monthly balance from $78,025. About $1,498 of income or balance is added for each family member. Statements must be split by month and accompanied by a bank letter confirming their authenticity.

What it costs

Card fees rose from 1 January 2026 and change every year. Pesos are converted at about 18.3 pesos per dollar and rounded up.

Documents and where to get them

• A passport valid for the visa term and a photo.
• A completed visa application form.
• Account statements for 6 or 12 months, split by month, and a bank letter confirming their authenticity.
• Proof of the source of income: an employment letter, pension documents, client contracts, a lease if income comes from renting out property.
• For family, original marriage and children's birth certificates, apostilled if needed.
• For property or investment, notarial documents on ownership or participation in a Mexican company.

Who it suits and who it does not

Temporary residence on solvency grounds suits those with stable income from abroad or large savings: remote specialists, owners of businesses abroad, pensioners and families who want to live in Latin America with a clear path to permanent status. It does not suit those whose income is below the consulate's threshold or irregular, or those who want to join a Mexican company straight away without an employer's offer.

Family

A spouse, children and other family members receive temporary residence as the applicant's family members. About $1,498 per person is added to the required income or balance, and original marriage and birth certificates are attached. If one spouse already has residence, the others can apply on family grounds, and then a change of status inside the country is allowed. Children attend local or international schools, and a place is best booked before the move.

Life with a resident card

Together with the temporary resident card a foreigner receives a unique national population registry code, which banks, clinics and state bodies ask for. Dealing with the tax authority and issuing invoices requires a separate tax number. Many choose Mexico City, Mérida, Guadalajara, Querétaro or the Caribbean coast to live; safety varies noticeably between states, so we check the area before renting. The resident card replaces a visa for re-entry, so you travel with it and your passport, and if it is lost you order a duplicate from the migration institute straight away.

Step by step and timelines

1. Choosing the basis and checking statements, about a week.
2. Collecting documents and bank letters, 2-4 weeks.
3. Booking a Mexican consulate and the interview; at some consulates the decision comes 1 to 10 business days after the appointment.
4. Entry to Mexico on the resident visa within its validity.
5. Within 30 days of entry, applying to the National Migration Institute to exchange the visa for a card, giving fingerprints and collecting the card.
6. Renewing the card before expiry until 4 years are reached in total.

Switching from tourist status to residence inside Mexico is generally not possible, with exceptions mainly for families of citizens and residents. So we obtain the resident visa at a consulate before the trip.

Why applications are refused

• Income or balance below the consulate's threshold in at least one month.
• Statements without a bank letter or not split by month.
• The source of income is not proven: no employment letter, pension or contracts.
• The 30-day deadline to exchange the visa for a card after entry was missed.
• The applicant arrived as a tourist and tries to obtain status inside the country without a family basis.

Before booking the consulate we check every statement month by month so that no month falls below the threshold.

Taxes for residents

Mexican tax residence depends not on the number of days but on housing: if you have a home in Mexico and your centre of vital interests is here, you become resident and pay tax on worldwide income on a scale up to 35%. VAT is 16%. A residence permit by itself does not make you tax resident, so we calculate taxes in Mexico and your country of citizenship before the move. Mexico has a double tax treaty with Russia, which helps credit tax paid in one of the countries.

Work and business

Temporary residence on economic solvency grounds does not allow employment. To work you need an offer from a Mexican employer and a separate work permit. Remote work for a foreign company or clients without a Mexican employer is common in practice, but we check the tax consequences of such work separately. For business in Mexico there is a basis for investment in a Mexican company.

The path to permanent residence and citizenship

After 4 years of temporary residence you can apply for permanent residence. Mexican citizenship by naturalization is granted after 5 years of residence, or after 2 years for spouses of citizens and parents of Mexican children. A Spanish and history exam and a renunciation of previous citizenship on application are required. See Mexican citizenship.

What changes in 2026

From 1 January 2026 state fees for migration procedures, including resident cards, went up. Consulates review income thresholds along with the minimum reference values, so we check the amounts against the specific consulate's requirements before filing.

Alternatives in Latin America

Mexico requires higher income but gives full residence with a clear path to permanent status and a passport.

Where to start

Send us in the chat statements for the last 6 or 12 months, a description of the source of income and your family composition. We will match the amounts against the thresholds of the most convenient consulate, tell you which form of proof is better, income or savings, and draw up a document list. If your income does not qualify yet, we suggest a nomad visa in Panama, Costa Rica or Colombia as a first step.

What we do

Murblz specialists choose the basis, check statements against the consulate's thresholds, prepare documents and bank letters, and support the consulate interview, the visa-to-card exchange and renewals up to permanent residence. A consultant will calculate the cost in the chat, and we fix the estimate in writing before work starts.

Benefits of the Mexico Residence Permit

How to get a Mexico Residence Permit

FAQ