Moving to Mexico from the UK: Residency, State Pension, NHS and Taxes

No. British citizens can visit Mexico as tourists or for business meetings without a visa. The immigration officer decides how many days you get, up to 180, and the stay cannot be extended. Visitors cannot be paid by Mexican sources.

Carry your return or onward ticket and accommodation details. See visiting Mexico as a tourist. To live in Mexico longer, you need residency.

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:

The embassy in London converts these into pounds at its own rate and updates the figure from time to time. Ask for its current requirement sheet, and make sure you clear the figure in every month of the review period. Use the solvency calculator and see 2026 solvency thresholds.

• In the UK: the consular section of the Embassy of Mexico in London. Check its website for booking and the requirement list.
• If you live legally in another country, apply at the Mexican consulate there. See Mexican consulates.

Documents. The UK and Mexico are both members of the Apostille Convention. The FCDO Legalisation Office apostilles UK public documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, for use in Mexico. Documents in English generally need an official Spanish translation.

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. See the canje.

• UK State Pension. You can be paid while living in Mexico. According to GOV.UK, your State Pension only increases each year if you live in the EEA, Gibraltar, Switzerland, or a country with a UK social security agreement that allows increases. If you live elsewhere, it stays at the same rate until you return to the UK. Mexico does not appear to have such an agreement with the UK; ask the International Pension Centre to confirm your case before you move.
• Workplace and private pensions can usually be paid abroad. Tax treatment depends on your residence and the UK-Mexico tax treaty.
• NHS. NHS care is based on living in the UK. If you move to Mexico, plan for other cover. See private health insurance and IMSS for foreigners.

For a broader overview, see retiring in Mexico.

• UK tax residence is decided by the Statutory Residence Test. When you leave, you can tell HMRC with form P85.
• UK-source income such as UK rental income, and in some cases pensions, may still be taxed in the UK after you leave, with relief under the UK-Mexico double taxation convention.
• 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.

See taxes for residents and get advice from a tax adviser who knows both systems.

• 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 by SENASICA on arrival.
• Driving. Visitors can generally drive on a valid UK license. Residents usually get a Mexican license from their state. Traffic drives on the right.
• Settling in. Get your CURP, RFC tax ID and a bank account.

Yes. Most applicants need 5 years of legal residence; spouses of Mexicans and people with Mexican children can qualify sooner. You must show you speak Spanish and pass an exam on Mexican history and culture. Mexico asks naturalizing applicants to renounce other nationalities; the UK allows dual nationality, and giving up British nationality requires a formal declaration to the Home Office. Get advice first. See naturalization.