How To Apply For a Mexican Resident Card For The First Time

The following article outlines the necessary steps that must be taken by foreigners who intend to live in Mexico (for non-lucrative purposes) to obtain a temporary or permanent resident card for the first time.

This process starts at a Mexican Consulate and finishes in Mexico by doing something called canje (exchange in English) at the Immigration Offices. Through the canje, foreigners who hold a Mexican VISA in their passports, granted by a Mexican consulate, apply at the Immigration Institute for a resident CARD of the same characteristics as the VISA given at the Consulate.

Here is the detailed process divided in two main steps:

REQUESTING VISA AT A MEXICAN CONSULATE

Applying for the visa

Submit the following documents:

• Online form, which is available at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website www.sre.gob.mx as well as at any Mexican Consulate. This form must have the signature of the applicant. In case of minors, the person signing must be the parent or guardian.
• Original and copy of passport or other valid identity and travel document.
• One frontal picture (passport size, minimum: 3.2 cm x 2.6 and maximum: 3.9 cm x 3.1 cm) in color with white background. Applicant must not be wearing glasses or earrings in the photo and hair must be behind the ears. Pictures should be taken in a specialized photography studio. Polaroid or cellular phone pictures will not be accepted.
• Payment of the VISA fees: 44 USD.

If the foreigner is applying for a TEMPORARY RESIDENCY:

• Original and copy of statements as proof of investments or statements of bank accounts with a monthly average balance equivalent to five thousand days of general minimum wage in Mexico (141.70 MXP for 2021), approximately $35,425 USD for the past twelve months (considering a rate of exchange of 20 pesos per US dollar).
• Original and copy of bank statements with a monthly income or pension (free of liens) greater than the equivalent of three hundred days of general minimum wage in Mexico (141.70 MXP for 2021), approximately $2,125.50 USD for the past six months (considering a rate of exchange of 20 pesos per US dollar).

If the foreigner is applying for PERMANENT RESIDENCY:

• Original and copy of statements as proof of investments or statements of bank accounts with a monthly average balance equivalent to twenty thousand days of general minimum wage in Mexico (141.70 MXP for 2021), approximately $141,700 USD for the past twelve months (considering a rate of exchange of 20 pesos per US dollar).
• Original and copy of documents showing that the applicant has a pension (free of liens) greater than the equivalent of five hundred days of general minimum wage in Mexico (141.70 MXP for 2020), approximately $3,542.50 USD for the past six months (considering a rate of exchange of 20 pesos per US dollar).

It is worth mentioning that only pensioners can apply for the Permanent Resident VISA without having the Temporary Resident VISA first.

Interview  

In an interview with an officer of the Mexican Consulate, the applicant will be asked to provide information such as personal data, purpose of the trip and any other relevant.  During the interview, the officer will analyze the information and documents received and will authorize or deny the VISA.

Printing the visa in the applicant’s passport

The VISA will be issued within the following 10 working days and will be valid for 180 days and just for 1 entry to Mexico.  Once the applicant is in Mexico, he/she has 30 days to start the canje application as follows:

REQUESTING YOUR RESIDENT CARD AT THE IMMIGRATION OFFICES

Canje application

Submit the following documents:

• Online form, which is available at the Immigration Offices’ website https://www.inm.gob.mx/tramites/publico/estancia.html. This form must have the signature of the applicant. In case of minors, the person signing must be the parent or guardian.
• Letter requesting the canje of the VISA.
• Original and copy of the passport.
• FMM form, provided at the port of entry, marked as canje for 30 days.
• Formato básico (“basic form” in English), which can be downloaded here and filled out by the applicant: http://www.inm.gob.mx/complementos/FORMATO/Formato_Basico.pdf
• Payment of Immigration fees:
• TEMPORARY RESIDENT: $4,413 pesos (for one year) – The canje procedure only allows the applicant to obtain a one year resident card. The next year when the applicant renews it, he/she can request a 1, 2 or 3 years card.
• PERMANENT RESIDENT: $5,379 pesos.

NOTE: in order to make the payments, an Immigration officer will provide an E5 form to the applicant and with it the applicant can go to any bank to make the payment and then return to the Immigration office with the receipt.

Follow the procedure

Once the applicant has submitted at the Immigration Offices all the documents mentioned above, he/she will receive a document with two numbers (one is called “NUT” and other is called pieza) and a password; these numbers will help the applicant to follow up on his/her procedure online at: https://www.inm.gob.mx/tramites/publico/seguimiento-tramite.html

The applicant can follow the status of his/her application and when a note saying Registre los datos para la expedición de su documento migratorio shows, that will mean that the canje has been approved.

The time frame of this to happen is between 10 to 15 working days, starting from the day that the documents were submitted until the day of the approval.

Appointment

The applicant must go to the Immigration Offices to submit their processes. On the day of the appointment, the applicant must be at the Immigration at 8 am because it is a walk-in system.

In this appointment the applicant will sign some documents and have his/her fingerprints and pictures taken.

Resident Card ready

In most cases you will have your resident card printed on the same day.

At YES, we can advise you and/or assist you in this important process, which if done correctly, will keep you from going many times to the Immigration office and incurring additional expenses. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at our email: info@yestomex.com