Moving to Mexico from Canada: Residency, Snowbird Rules, CPP and OAS

No. Canadian citizens can visit Mexico as tourists or for business meetings without a visa. The immigration officer decides how many days to grant, up to 180, and the stay cannot be extended. Visitors cannot earn money from Mexican sources.

Many Canadians spend winters in Mexico as visitors. This works if each stay fits within the days you are granted and you really live in Canada. If you plan to spend most of the year in Mexico, apply for residency instead. See visiting Mexico as a tourist.

Mexico has no separate digital nomad visa; remote workers use the solvency route. After 4 years as a temporary resident you can switch to permanent residency.

The tests are set in days of UMA, updated every February. For 2026 (UMA of 117.31 pesos):

Consulates in Canada convert these amounts into Canadian dollars at their own rate. For temporary residency, the Vancouver consulate's 2026 figures are CAD 6,461 a month or CAD 108,894 in savings. Other consulates may show slightly different numbers, and figures change when the UMA or the exchange rate changes.

Check your numbers with the solvency calculator.

Apply in person at the Mexican office that serves where you live in Canada:

• Embassy of Mexico in Ottawa (consular section)
• Consulates in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Leamington

Booking methods differ; some offices use online booking and others ask you to email your documents first. Canadian permanent residents and people with valid Canadian permits can also apply at the office for their area. See the list of Mexican consulates.

After the visa is issued, enter Mexico within 180 days and apply for your residence card at the National Migration Institute (INM) within 30 days.

Documents: Canada joined the Apostille Convention in 2024, so Canadian public documents such as birth and marriage certificates can now be apostilled for use in Mexico instead of going through consular legalization.

• Canada Pension Plan (CPP). CPP is paid to you wherever you live, including Mexico.
• Old Age Security (OAS). OAS keeps being paid abroad only if you lived in Canada for at least 20 years after age 18. Otherwise it stops after you have been outside Canada for 6 months in a row. The Canada-Mexico social security agreement can help some people qualify by counting time in both countries.
• Non-resident tax. If you become a non-resident of Canada, tax is usually withheld from Canadian pensions and investment income; the Canada-Mexico tax treaty can reduce the rate.
• Provincial health insurance. Each province requires you to be physically present for a large part of the year. Long stays in Mexico can end your coverage, and travel insurance usually does not cover people living abroad. See private health insurance and IMSS for foreigners.

For a broader overview, see retiring in Mexico.

Canada taxes based on residence, not citizenship:

• Leaving Canada. If you cut your residential ties, you may become a non-resident for tax purposes. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) looks at your home, spouse, dependants and other ties. You can ask the CRA for an opinion with Form NR73.
• Departure tax. When you become a non-resident, Canada may treat some assets as sold at market value.
• Mexican tax residency. Once your home is in Mexico, you may be a Mexican tax resident, taxed on worldwide income with credits for foreign tax. The tax treaty settles cases where both countries claim you.

See taxes for residents and get advice from a cross-border tax professional before you move.

• Your car. Temporary residents can keep a Canadian-plated car on a temporary import permit. Permanent residents cannot. See temporary vehicle import permits.
• Household goods. New residents can bring used household goods once, without import taxes, with a consulate certificate: permanent residents import them definitively, and temporary residents bring them in under a temporary import for their stay. See menaje de casa.
• Pets. Dogs and cats are inspected on arrival; keep vaccination records for your return.
• Settling in. Get your CURP, RFC tax ID, bank account and phone line.

Yes. Most applicants need 5 years of legal residence; spouses of Mexicans and people with Mexican children can qualify sooner. Mexico asks naturalizing applicants to renounce their other nationality. Canada allows multiple citizenship, and renouncing Canadian citizenship requires a formal application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Get advice before applying. See naturalization.