General program requirements

The financial criteria required to qualify for a legal residency permit in Mexico vary depending on what type of residency permit type the applicant wants to acquire; temporary or permanent. Permanent residence permits are available immediately upon approval for those who can demonstrate a higher income. Temporary residence permits are issued initially for 1 year, while subsequent ones have a validity periods of up to 4 years.

Ways to qualify include:

Proven monthly income based on the Unidad de Medida y Actualización (UMA):

$1,415 (UMA) per month for temporary residence;
$2,358 (UMA) per month for permanent residence;
$472 (UMA) proof of income per month per dependent, including spouse and children under 18.

Proven Savings (cash or investments):

$23,584 (UMA) for temporary residence;
$94,337 (UMA) for permanent residence;
$472 (UMA) proof of income per month per dependent, including spouse and children under 18.

The applicant must demonstrate a minimum monthly balance over the last 12 months.

Real Estate Investment

$188,674 investment which cannot have any debt, charges or mortgage attached. The investment only allows for a temporary residency permit;
$472 (UMA) proof of income per month per dependent, including spouse and children under 18.

Capital Investment:

$100,000 investment into private Mexican-owned company or a company or companies listed on the Mexican stock exchange;
$472 (UMA) proof of income per month per dependent, including spouse and children under 18.

Application fees depend on the visa you obtain:

$260 Permanent residency;
$240 Temporary residency 1 year;
$320 Temporary residency 2 year;
$400 Temporary residency 3 year;
$480 Temporary residency 4 year.

Program benefits

• No investment or donation requirement;
• Path to citizenship;
• Permits dual/multiple citizenship;
• Lower cost of living;
• Warm climate;
• Enhanced business access to large economies;
• Short processing time

Requirements to qualify for citizenship

If the applicant has resided in Mexico for 5 years continuously he may apply for citizenship through naturalization. For naturalization, the applicant must have been physically present in Mexico for eat least 180 days a year during each of the preceding five years.

The applicant will need to ensure they have a good knowledge of Mexican culture and history, as there is an exam required. There is an exam to test comprehension of Spanish language. Minors, those over 60 years old, and refugees are exempt from the exam. 

Applications for this program may be directed to:

The National Institute of Immigration (INM)

Legislation upon which this program is based:

Migration Law 2014 Article 3

No statistics available yet for this program.