The Canje: Exchanging Your Mexican Residency Visa for a Resident Card

Canje means "exchange." A Mexican residency visa only lets you enter Mexico as a future resident. It is not proof of residency. Article 59 of the Migration Law says temporary and permanent residents have 30 calendar days from entering Mexico to apply to INM for their resident card, which then proves their legal status for as long as it is valid.

Everyone who receives a residency visa at a consulate goes through the canje, whatever the route: financial solvency, job offer, family unity, student, or retiree.

Refugees and asylum seekers follow a different process and receive their permanent card at the end of their case.

This is the most important moment. The residency visa is valid for one entry within 180 days of being issued.

• At immigration, show your passport with the visa and say you are entering as a resident with a visa to exchange (in Spanish, vengo a hacer mi canje).
• The officer should record your entry under your visa, not as a tourist. Check your passport stamp and any entry form before you leave the counter.
• If you are admitted as a tourist by mistake, your visa may be treated as used and you might not be able to do the canje. Ask to correct it on the spot.
• At airports with automatic e-gates (Filtros Migratorios Autónomos), use a staffed counter instead, so an officer can process your visa.

Keep your boarding pass and any entry form; INM may ask for proof of your entry date.

INM offices differ slightly, but the usual list is:

• The application form you complete on INM's website, printed and signed.
• Your passport with the visa and entry stamp, plus copies of the data page, visa, and stamp.
• Your entry record, if you received one.
• Proof that you paid the card fee.
• Photos, if your INM office asks for them (many offices now take the photo at the biometrics appointment).
• A letter or form stating your address in Mexico, and sometimes proof of that address.

For family members, bring the relationship certificates used at the consulate. Keep copies of everything.

1. Fill in the online form on INM's website for the exchange of a visa for a resident card, and print it.
2. Pay the fee. INM generates a payment form you pay at a bank. The amount depends on the type of card and, for temporary residents, how many years it covers.
3. Submit your file at the INM office for your area. You receive a case number (NUT) and a password to track your case online.
4. Wait for approval. INM may ask for more documents. Check the online status regularly.
5. Biometrics appointment. INM takes your fingerprints and photo and has you sign.
6. Collect your card.

Timing varies by office, from about two weeks to several weeks. Plan to stay in Mexico, or get an exit and return permit, during this period.

• Temporary residents: the Migration Regulation (Article 156) allows cards of 1, 2, 3, or 4 years. Many people receive a 1-year card at the canje and choose a longer period at the first renewal. Cards for children under 3 are issued for 1 year. A card based on a job offer lasts as long as the job offer.
• Permanent residents: the card has indefinite validity for adults (Article 157). Minors renew on a schedule.

See residency renewal for what happens next.

Each family member who received a residency visa must complete their own canje:

• Separate files and fees. Every person, including children, has their own application, fee, and card.
• Children. Parents or legal guardians sign for minors and usually attend the biometrics appointment with them. Bring the children's birth certificates.
• Same office, same time. Submitting the whole family's files together at one INM office can make follow-up easier.
• Short cards for young children. Under the Migration Regulation, children under 3 receive only 1-year cards and renew every year until they turn 3.

Only with permission. If you must travel while your canje is being processed, ask INM for an exit and return permit (permiso de salida y regreso, Migration Regulation, Article 161). Leaving without one can cause problems with your pending case and your re-entry. Plan international trips for after you have your card.

• CURP. Residents have the right to a CURP, Mexico's population registry number (Migration Law, Article 59). Check whether it appears on your card; if not, request it. See getting a CURP.
• Tax ID. Some banks and landlords ask for an RFC. See getting an RFC.
• Banking. See opening a bank account.
• Household goods. A residency visa lets you import household goods once under menaje de casa. See menaje de casa.
• Reporting changes. Tell INM about any change of address, workplace, marital status, or nationality within 90 days.

Applying late can lead to a fine, and INM may refuse the card. If the deadline has passed, go to INM as soon as possible and ask how to regularize your situation, or talk to a licensed Mexican immigration lawyer. Don't leave Mexico assuming you can use the visa again; it was valid for one entry.