To enter Mexico, you are required to obtain a visa. The types of visas for Mexico vary as per the purpose of travel to this country, such as tourist visa, visitor visa, adoption visa, business visa and more. If you want to know whether you need to apply for a Mexican visa or not, you can get in touch with our experienced lawyers. The lawyers at our law office in Mexico will provide you with comprehensive guidance in this regard.
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Mexico visa types
There are three main visa categories in Mexico: tourist, temporary residence, and permanent residence. Each type of visa has a particular set of conditions for eligibility. If you are looking to get a residence permit in Mexico, our immigration lawyers can help you apply for a suitable visa for that.
Find below the different types of visas for Mexico:
Mexico tourist visa
Among all the Mexico visa types, the first one is a tourist visa. People from eligible countries can apply for a tourist visa at their nearest Mexican embassy or consulate. This visa is applicable for a maximum stay of 180 days (6 months) and its main purposes are: tourism, short-term business or visiting a consulate in Mexico. It is important to mention that this visa requires visitors to not engage in paid activities. As per the application form, you are required to submit the following information:
- email address, residential address, and a phone number;
- current profession;
- marital status;
- birthplace;
- passport details, including place and date of issue, expiration, and passport number;
- details of previous trips to Mexico (if any);
- purpose of visit to Mexico;
- criminal record (if applicable);
- bank statement of past three months.
If you need more details about the types of visas in Mexico, you can interact with our lawyers. Our seasoned lawyers in Mexico City will provide you with detailed information in this regard.
Mexico visitor visa
Considering all the Mexico visa types, a visit visa is also offered by the authorities of this country. If you intend to visit Mexico for a short period, you can apply for a visit visa, which allows you to stay up to 180 days to carry out unpaid activities. Please keep in mind that you cannot extend a Mexican visit visa after its expiry. You need to apply in person, and the related authorities will make sure that your activities in Mexico will not receive monetary earnings at all. You are required to provide:
- an application form filled out correctly;
- passport with current availability for at least 6 months;
- evidence of financial means.
You can acquire the assistance of our attorneys in Mexico if you want to apply for a visit visa.
Mexico business visa
As you can choose from different types of visas for Mexico offered by the official authorities, for the majority of them you are not allowed to practice business or open a company in Mexico. Still, under a business visa, you have the legal permission to do so. If you have a Mexico business visa, you are allowed to conduct trading activities and engage in business matters. To obtain this permission, you may need to provide:
- proof for an official invitation letter from a Mexican entity/authority;
- proof of the financial solvency of the organization;
- evidence of your professional skills and expertise.
Adoption Visa
This visa type in Mexico addresses to foreign nationals who are planning to adopt a child from Mexico and need to visit the country in order to finalize the adoption procedures. This procedure is available for the residents of the countries which take part into the Convention on the Protection of Children. The application for adoption must be fulfilled in person at the consular office closest to the individual’s residence area in order to conduct adoption proceedings.
Temporary Resident Visa
The temporary resident visa addresses to foreign nationals who are looking to relocate to Mexico, alone or with their families. This visa is available for several motives, such as: real estate investment, education, marriage, scientific research and more. It is usually issued for 1 year with the permission to renew the visa for 3 more years if the requirements of the Mexican authorities are still approved.
General requirements of the Mexican consulate in order to apply for a temporary resident visa:
- visa application form completed, signed and printed;
- valid passport or identity document, in original form plus a photocopy;
- proving legal document of migration status (applicable only for individuals who are not Canadian citizens);
- one clear photograph framing the face and measuring 3.9cm x 3.1cm;
- proof of fees payment for visa issuance.
If you need more details and support in securing a residence permit in Mexico, our immigration lawyers can provide specialized help.
Permanent Resident Visa
In most of the cases, it is necessary to have a prior temporary resident visa and live in the country for a consecutive number of years in order to apply for a permanent visa. This type of permit has no time limitation and it is obtained for life. After being a Mexican resident with a permanent visa for at least 5 years, it is possible to apply for citizenship in Mexico.
Requirements established by the authorities:
- visa application form completed, signed and printed;
- valid passport and identity document, in original form and a photocopy;
- proving legal document of migration status (applicable only for individuals who are not Canadian citizens);
- photograph of 3.9cm x 3.4cm framing clearly the face;
- proof of paid tax at the local authorities for visa application.
Family Unit Visa
This residency visa named “Family Unit” represents the type of visa in Mexico that is applicable for individuals who wish to obtain a legal residency based on family connections with another person that already holds Mexican citizenship. This involves connections present through blood line or marriage. This type of visa is also known as Family Reunion Visa which can be temporary or permanent and it is issued for people wanting to join their families in Mexico.
If you need more details about Mexico visa types, including electronic visa, work visa, transit visa or digital nomad visa, you can get in touch with our Mexican lawyers.
Immigration statistics in Mexico
Due to the availability of different Mexico visa types, people tend to relocate to this country, which consequently is increasing the statistics of immigrants in this country; find below the immigration statistics in Mexico from (2011-2022):
- In 2011, the number of permanent residents recorded in Mexico was 114,000;
- In 2022, the number of permanent residents recorded in Mexico was 341,000;
- In 2020, there was a total of 1.2 million immigrants comprised in Mexico. Two-thirds were from the United States.
Immigration to Mexico has various procedures and options which can be supported by our specialized Mexican immigration lawyers.
Furthermore, you can also get in touch with our lawyers if you want to obtain Mexico citizenship by investment. Being a Mexican citizen grants you unrestricted access to employment, education, and social services throughout the nation. Given the country’s rich tradition, stunning scenery, wonderful cuisine, and friendly people, this is a significant benefit. Mexico offers an enormous variety of options to both visitors and inhabitants. Obtaining Mexican citizenship, on the other hand, is a difficult task. Obtaining dual citizenship in the United States and Mexico might be considerably more difficult due to pressure from both nations to give up citizenship in the other.
If you are looking for more information and professional assistance in the visa or citizenship procedures in Mexico, do not hesitate to contact our law firm in Mexico.