Temporary resident (economic solvency)

Residente Temporal — solvencia económica

Retirement and passive income

The route most long-stay arrivals use, including remote workers, since Mexico has no dedicated remote-work visa. Qualify on either documented monthly income or an average bank balance. Four years of temporary residence leads to permanent residence.

Who it is for. People who can document either sustained monthly income or a substantial twelve-month average savings balance.

Researched, not independently verifiedlow confidenceReviewed 20 September 2026

Worth knowing. Thresholds are indexed to the UMA and applied by each consulate, so published figures differ noticeably between posts — reported income requirements in 2026 range from about USD 4,200 to USD 4,500 and savings tests from about USD 70,000 to USD 76,000. The engine treats the income and savings tests as alternatives, which is how the rule works, but only the income test is marked blocking; read the two together. Always check the page of the specific consulate you will apply at.

Fact

Income required: US$4,300
Savings required: US$73,000
Investment required: None
Application fee: US$54
Processing time: 10–45 days
Permission lasts: 12 months
Permanent residence: After 4 years
Citizenship: After 5 years

Remote work allowedLocal employment not allowedFamily can join

Apply through the authority, not through us: www.gob.mx

Application checklist

Tick things off as you go. Progress is saved in this browser and nowhere else.

0 of 9 done

Documents

Valid passportPlus photocopies of the biographic page.
Consulate application formEach consulate publishes its own version — use the one for the post where you will apply.
Proof of income or savingsSix months of payslips or twelve months of bank statements, originals or bank-certified, depending on which test you rely on.
Passport photographTo the consulate’s stated specification.

Process

Consular interviewResidence visas cannot be applied for inside Mexico: you must attend a consulate abroad.

After you arrive

Exchange the visa within 30 daysFile the canje at an INM office within 30 calendar days of entry, or the visa lapses.
Obtain the residence cardINM issues the physical card after biometrics.
Get a CURP(if it applies)The national population identifier, needed for banking, utilities and healthcare.

Restrictions

Do not enter as a tourist to convertEntering on a visitor permit does not allow you to switch to residence from inside the country.

Progress is kept in this browser. It will not follow you to another device, and clearing your site data clears it.

How the process runs

Lead times are the ones the authorities publish or that applicants consistently report. Added up, they come to roughly 4 months — start with whatever takes longest.

Choose the consulate and read its checklist
≈ 7 days
Financial thresholds and document standards differ between posts. The checklist of the consulate you will attend is the authoritative one for your application.
Assemble six or twelve months of financial evidence
≈ 30 days
Six months of income documents, or twelve months of statements for the savings test. Statements usually need to come from the bank rather than an app export.
Attend the consular interview
≈ 21 days
The visa is stamped into the passport if approved. It is an entry document only.
Enter Mexico and file the canje within 30 days
≈ 30 days
This deadline is strict and missing it means restarting at a consulate.
Give biometrics and collect the card
≈ 30 days
INM issues the residence card, normally within a few weeks of the canje.

Official forms

Always download the current version from the authority. Consulates publish their own variants, and an out-of-date form is a common reason for rejection.

Solicitud de visa

paper

Consular application for a residence visa.

Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores · Spanish

Get the current form (opens in a new tab)

Worth knowing. Consulates publish their own versions and checklists.

Formato básico (canje)

paper

Exchanges the consular visa for a residence card after arrival.

Instituto Nacional de Migración · Spanish

Get the current form (opens in a new tab)

Fees

Fees for this route
Fee	Amount
Consular residence visaPayable to Mexican consulateIndicative; consulates publish their own figure in local currency.	US$54
Residence card, one yearPayable to INM, paid at a bankSet annually in the federal rights schedule; longer cards cost more.	MX$5,570

Why we say this

The wording behind the headline figures on this page.

A residence visa must be exchanged for a residence card at an INM office within 30 days of entering Mexico.

The consular visa authorises a single entry for the purpose of completing the exchange procedure (canje) before the immigration institute; the procedure must be started within 30 calendar days of entry.

Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) (opens in a new tab)

Sources

Researched, not independently verifiedlow confidenceReviewed 20 September 2026

Check this against

Consular visa requirements and the residence visa interview (opens in a new tab)Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores · Foreign ministry
INM — temporary and permanent resident cards and in-country procedures (opens in a new tab)Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) · National immigration authority
Ley de Migración and its Reglamento — resident categories and economic solvency (opens in a new tab)Cámara de Diputados · Government department