Mexico Temporary Residency: How the Residente Temporal Visa Works

Temporary residency is one of Mexico's three main immigration statuses, along with visitor and permanent resident. Under Article 52 of Mexico's Migration Law (Ley de Migración), a temporary resident can stay in Mexico for up to 4 years, leave and return as often as they like, and bring close family members.

Getting it is a two-stage process:

1. The visa. You apply at a Mexican consulate outside Mexico. If approved, the consulate puts a residency visa in your passport. It is valid for one entry within 180 days.
2. The card. Within 30 calendar days of entering Mexico, you go to an office of the National Migration Institute (INM, Instituto Nacional de Migración) and exchange the visa for a temporary resident card. This step is called the canje.

The card, not the visa, is what proves your legal status inside Mexico. It also lets you get a CURP, Mexico's population registry number. See how to get a CURP.

Temporary residency is different from a tourist stay. Visitors can stay up to 180 days and cannot extend. If you want to live in Mexico longer, temporary residency is the usual starting point. See visiting Mexico as a tourist.

Mexico's visa guidelines list several reasons a consulate can issue a temporary resident visa. The most common ones are:

Most people who move on their own, without a Mexican employer or family, use the financial solvency route.

Since August 9, 2025, the thresholds are set in days of UMA (Unidad de Medida y Actualización), a reference unit updated every February. The 2026 UMA is 117.31 pesos a day. You meet one of these tests:

Each consulate converts these into local currency at its own exchange rate, so the dollar figure depends on where you apply. For example, 2026 requirement sheets list about US$4,630 a month or US$78,025 in savings at the Las Vegas consulate, and US$4,510 or US$75,950 at the San Diego consulate. The Vancouver consulate lists CAD 6,461 a month or CAD 108,894.

Check your numbers with the solvency calculator and read 2026 solvency thresholds for the full math.

You apply at a Mexican embassy or consulate outside Mexico. In general, you cannot start temporary residency as a tourist inside Mexico (see change of status for the exceptions).

• Which consulate: most consulates serve people who live in their district. If you are not a citizen of the country where you apply, you must show you live there legally (for example, a US green card, a US visa and I-94, or a Canadian permit).
• Booking: US consulates use the MiConsulado system (citas.sre.gob.mx, or by phone or WhatsApp at +1 424 309 0009). Some consulates use email instead; the Montreal consulate, for example, asks applicants to email their documents to request an appointment.
• The appointment: you attend in person. The officer reviews your originals, interviews you, and takes your fingerprints and photo.
• Decision time: the guidelines give consulates up to 10 business days. Many issue the visa sooner, some on the same day.

See the list of Mexican consulates for how each one handles appointments.

Enter Mexico within 180 days of the visa being issued. At immigration, tell the officer you are entering with a residency visa so they record your entry for the canje, not as a tourist.

Then, within 30 calendar days, apply at INM for your card (Migration Law, Article 59). You fill out an online form, pay the card fee, and attend an appointment for fingerprints and a photo. Many people receive a 1-year card first. Before it expires, you can renew for 1, 2, or 3 more years, up to 4 years in total. See renewing your residency.

While you hold the card, you must tell INM about any change of address, marital status, nationality, or workplace within 90 days (Article 63).

• Live in Mexico for the length of your card and leave and return as often as you like.
• Bring family. Your spouse or partner, minor children, and parents can join you under family unity.
• Open accounts and sign leases. A resident card makes banking and renting easier. See opening a bank account.
• Bring your household goods under the menaje de casa rules: temporary residents import them temporarily for the length of their stay, while permanent residents get a one-time, duty-free definitive import. See menaje de casa.
• Work for a Mexican employer only if INM adds work permission to your card. See work permits for residents.

Remote work for a foreign employer is handled differently by different consulates. The Houston consulate's visa page says the temporary resident visa allows work as long as the salary is paid from abroad. The San Diego consulate asks remote workers for an employer letter that explicitly agrees to them living in Mexico. Tax is a separate question. See remote work and digital nomads and taxes for residents.

There are two government fees:

• Consular visa fee. It is set by Mexico's Federal Duties Law and charged in local currency. In 2026, the San Diego, New York, and Chicago consulates list it as US$56, and the Toronto consulate listed CAD 82 in July 2026. It is not refunded if the visa is refused.
• INM card fee. You pay it in Mexico when you apply for the card. The amount depends on how many years the card covers and is updated each January. INM publishes the current fees.

You may also pay for apostilles, certified translations, and photos.

Yes. After 4 years as a temporary resident, you can ask INM to change you to permanent residency. Spouses and partners of Mexicans or of permanent residents can switch after 2 years. Retirees with enough pension income can switch earlier. See temporary to permanent residency.

If you already meet the higher retiree threshold, you can apply for permanent residency as a retiree at the consulate from the start.