--- title: "Moving to Mexico from the US: Visas, Steps and Costs (2026)" description: "How Americans move to Mexico legally: why a tourist permit is not a plan, which residency visa fits, your consulate, the documents and your first 30 days." url: "https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us" canonical: "https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us" og_type: "website" og_title: "Moving to Mexico from the US: Visas, Steps and Costs (2026)" og_description: "How Americans move to Mexico legally: why a tourist permit is not a plan, which residency visa fits, your consulate, the documents and your first 30 days." og_image: "https://getmexicovisa.com/og-home.jpg" twitter_card: "summary_large_image" crawl_date: 2026-09-22 last_modified: 2026-09-22 language: "en-US" author: "Camila Araujo Mota's legal team" author_credential: "OAB/CE 50.065, licensed in Brazil" author_profile: "https://getmexicovisa.com/about#legal-team" publisher: "GetMexicoVisa" source: "https://getmexicovisa.com, build-time prerender" --- Last updated: September 22, 2026 # Moving to Mexico from the US: the residency visa, the steps and what it costs Two completely different answers hide behind one question. Whether you need a visa depends entirely on whether you are visiting Mexico or moving there. Quick answer US citizens need **no visa to visit** Mexico and are admitted for up to **180 days** at the officer's discretion. To **live** in Mexico you need a residency visa from a Mexican consulate, usually **one in the United States**, before you travel: Residente Temporal on income above **MXN 79,771 a month** (about USD 4,700), or Residente Permanente for retirees above **MXN 133,733** (about USD 7,900). ![Camila Araujo Mota, OAB-licensed immigration lawyer in Brazil](https://getmexicovisa.com/camila-headshot.webp) Written by [Camila Araujo Mota's legal team](https://getmexicovisa.com/about#legal-team) OAB-licensed immigration lawyer, Brazil · [OAB/CE 50.065](https://cna.oab.org.br/) ## Visiting and living are different questions Almost everyone searching this phrase wants one of two things, and the answers have nothing in common. | | Visiting | Living in Mexico | | --- | --- | --- | | Visa needed before travel | No | Yes, from a Mexican consulate | | What you show | A valid passport | Six or twelve months of financial evidence | | How long | Up to 180 days, at the officer's discretion | One year to indefinite | | Where you apply | Nowhere, you just arrive | Any Mexican consulate; some ask for proof that you live in their district | | Cost | None | About USD 712 to 856 in government fees | The rest of this page covers both, starting with the shorter answer. ## Visiting: no visa, and 180 days is a ceiling An American arriving in Mexico for tourism needs a passport valid for the trip and nothing else. No visa, no fee, no advance application. What has changed is the length of stay actually granted. The **180 days is a maximum, not an entitlement**, and since 2021 officers have routinely written shorter periods, sometimes 30 or 60 days, based on the traveller's answers about their plans and their onward ticket. The number written on your entry is the number that governs, and overstaying it is a fine and a problem on the way out. The trap for people who half-move Living in Mexico on repeated tourist entries has become the least reliable way to be there. Every arrival is a fresh discretionary decision by an officer who can see your travel history, and a shorter stamp than you planned for is not appealable. If Mexico is where you live rather than where you holiday, residency turns a recurring risk into a card in your wallet. ## Living: the two visas, and what Americans need to show The financial test is national, so an American faces exactly the same thresholds as a Canadian or anyone else. They are multiples of the UMA, MXN 117.31 a day in 2026. | | Temporary residency | Permanent residency | | --- | --- | --- | | Monthly income, last 6 months | MXN 79,771 (about USD 4,700) | MXN 133,733 (about USD 7,900) | | Or average balance, last 12 months | MXN 1,344,373 (about USD 79,200) | MXN 5,378,664 (about USD 316,900) | | Each dependent adds | MXN 25,808 a month | MXN 25,808 a month | | First card | 1 year, up to 4 in total | Indefinite | | Government fees | About USD 712 | About USD 856 | Which one applies to you is worth getting right before you book anything, and it is the whole subject of the [temporary residency guide](https://getmexicovisa.com/mexico-temporary-resident-visa) and the [permanent residency guide](https://getmexicovisa.com/mexico-permanent-resident-visa). Retirees in particular should read the [retirement page](https://getmexicovisa.com/retire-in-mexico-visa) before assuming they need the temporary route. You can also run your own figures through the [calculator](https://getmexicovisa.com/mexico-residency-income-calculator). ## Which consulate to use, and how to book it There are around fifty Mexican consulates in the United States. Each has a district for the services it gives Mexican nationals, but a residency visa is not tied to it: the Lineamientos say a visa is applied for **at any consular office**, and SRE's own visa FAQ tells applicants they can book another post that suits them. The New York consulate's sheets even warn people travelling to New York to apply that a decision takes up to ten working days. What varies is the post. Some ask for proof that you live in their district, and their pages are not equally current: New York's requirement sheets are dated March 2025, before the reform, and still show USD 4,200 a month and USD 70,000 in savings, below today's national figures. Read the page of the post you intend to use, and prepare to the national peso figure where the two differ. Four United States posts have their own dated pages here, read from the consulates' own sites: [Houston](https://getmexicovisa.com/mexican-consulate-requirements-by-city/houston), [Las Vegas](https://getmexicovisa.com/mexican-consulate-requirements-by-city/las-vegas), [San Diego](https://getmexicovisa.com/mexican-consulate-requirements-by-city/san-diego) and [Phoenix](https://getmexicovisa.com/mexican-consulate-requirements-by-city/phoenix). The [consulate tracker](https://getmexicovisa.com/mexican-consulate-requirements-by-city) compares every post read so far. Appointments are booked through **MiConsulado**, SRE's system: online at citas.sre.gob.mx with an email account, through the WhatsApp booking that page offers to applicants in the United States and Canada, or by phone on +1 (424) 309 0009, the number the New York consulate publishes. Waits vary sharply by post: two months is normal, and Miami has been reported at three to six. Book first and assemble the file while you wait, rather than the other way round. Nobody can shorten the queue A United States consulate has publicly warned about people reselling appointment slots. Booking is free and takes minutes. We do not book, resell or secure appointments, and anyone charging you for one is selling something they do not control. ## The American documents that work, and the ones that do not | Your situation | What to bring | How it reads | | --- | --- | --- | | Retired on Social Security | The SSA benefit or award letter, plus six months of statements | Strongest. Names you, states the amount | | Employer or union pension | The scheme's award letter and statements | Strong | | Salaried, working remotely | Employment letter, pay slips, six months of statements | Strong, if the deposits are regular | | Self-employed or freelance | Contracts, invoices, IRS return or transcript, statements | Workable, and needs the most assembly | | Drawing on a 401(k) or IRA | Account statements and the withdrawal schedule | Weakest as income. Often read as savings instead | | Living on investments | Brokerage statements for twelve months | Works on the savings route | Two rules cut across all of it. Statements must be **issued and stamped by the bank**, not printed from online banking. That is a real problem for Americans who bank only with an online institution, and it is worth establishing months ahead whether yours will produce one. And the account should be in **your own name**, matching the passport, because joint accounts are read differently from post to post. United States posts are reported to take English-language statements and letters on these routes, although the Lineamientos ask for a Spanish translation of documents in another language, so check your post's list. Apostilles belong mainly to family cases. At the INM stage in Mexico, immigration lawyers reported in August 2026 that some offices now ask for recent bank statements with a certified Spanish translation. ## The process, from an American address 1. Work out which status your figures support, and on which route. 2. Choose the consulate, and read its page for any proof of residence it wants. 3. Book through MiConsulado, online, by WhatsApp or by phone. Expect two to six months. 4. Assemble the file to that post's published list while you wait. 5. Attend the interview, about twenty minutes, in English. Pay the USD 56 fee, and allow up to 10 working days for the decision. 6. Collect the visa sticker, valid for **one entry within 180 days**. 7. Enter Mexico and ask to be admitted for the [canje](https://getmexicovisa.com/canje-stamp-mexico), not as a tourist. A tourist stamp spends the visa. 8. File with INM within **30 calendar days**, attend biometrics, collect the card. Three to five months end to end for a well prepared file. The consulate queue is most of it, and nothing shortens it. ## United States tax obligations do not end at the border US citizens owe US tax on their worldwide income no matter where they live. Moving to Mexico does not end your filing obligation, and it is one of the few countries that works this way. What exists to prevent double taxation is the tax treaty between the two countries, along with the foreign tax credit and, for earned income, the foreign earned income exclusion. There are also reporting rules for foreign financial accounts once balances pass certain thresholds, which matter the moment you open a Mexican bank account with your new CURP. Separately, Mexico may treat you as a tax resident based on where your home and centre of vital interests are, which is not decided by your visa. The [183 day rule page](https://getmexicovisa.com/mexico-183-day-rule-tax-residency) explains the Mexican side. We are not tax advisers and nothing here is advice. The point is only that this is a question to put to a cross border accountant **before** you move, because some of it is far easier to arrange in advance. ## Medicare, which is the expensive assumption Medicare pays for essentially nothing outside the United States. There are a few narrow exceptions and living abroad is not one of them. This is the single costliest thing an American retiree can assume incorrectly on the way to Mexico. Mexican residency does not replace it. A resident can enrol voluntarily in **IMSS**, the public system, for an annual contribution, with waiting periods that exclude a list of pre-existing conditions for the first years. In practice most American retirees use private insurance, pay privately for routine care at a fraction of United States prices, or keep a policy at home for serious events and travel back. Whether to keep paying Medicare Part B while living in Mexico is a real decision with a late-enrolment penalty attached on the other side. Work it out before you go. ## Dual nationals and Americans with Mexican family If you already hold Mexican nationality, none of this applies to you: a Mexican citizen enters Mexico as a Mexican and needs no visa or residency. Mexico expects its nationals to enter on a Mexican passport, so an American who is also Mexican should travel with both. If you are the spouse, parent or child of a Mexican citizen, you are on the [family unity route](https://getmexicovisa.com/mexico-family-unity-visa) instead, which has **no financial test at all**. That is a far easier path than the solvency route and it is regularly missed by people who qualify for it. Naturalization, much later, is where Mexico's own rule bites: a foreigner who naturalizes is asked to renounce their other nationality before the certificate is issued, under Articles 17 and 19 of the Ley de Nacionalidad. Mexico's 1998 rule on keeping two nationalities protects Mexicans by birth, not naturalized ones. The United States does not treat that declaration by itself as giving up US citizenship, but it is a step to understand before you take it. ## What Americans get wrong most often 1. **Trusting a consulate's own figure without checking its date.** New York's sheets still show USD 4,200 a month from March 2025; the national figure is MXN 79,771, about USD 4,700. 2. **Visiting first, then trying to convert.** There is no in-country path on these routes. You go home and apply. 3. **Printouts instead of stamped statements.** The most reported cause of trouble for applicants whose money was never in doubt. 4. **Applying permanent on a temporary pension.** A refusal, where the temporary route would have been an approval and reaches the same status in four years. 5. **Budgeting from a 2025 guide.** Card fees doubled on 1 January 2026. 6. **Assuming Medicare travels.** It does not. 7. **The tourist stamp at the border.** Not a refusal, and just as final. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do US citizens need a visa for Mexico? Not to visit. An American arriving as a tourist needs a valid passport and is admitted for up to 180 days, at the officer's discretion. A visa is needed to live in Mexico, which means applying for Residente Temporal or Residente Permanente at a Mexican consulate in the United States before you go. ### How long can a US citizen stay in Mexico without a visa? Up to 180 days per entry, and 180 is a maximum rather than an entitlement. Since 2021 officers have routinely written shorter periods, sometimes 30 or 60 days, based on what the traveller says about their plans. The number written on your entry is what governs, not the maximum you read about. ### What income do Americans need for Mexican residency in 2026? The same thresholds as everyone else, because the test is national rather than by nationality. Temporary residency needs net income above 680 UMA a month, MXN 79,771 or roughly USD 4,700. Permanent residency on the retiree route needs above 1,140 UMA a month, MXN 133,733 or roughly USD 7,900. ### Which Mexican consulate do I apply to? Any Mexican consulate can take a residency visa application: the Lineamientos say a visa is applied for at any consular office, and SRE's own visa FAQ tells applicants they can book another post that suits them. Some of the roughly fifty posts in the United States ask for proof that you live in their district, so read the post's page before booking, and prepare to the national peso figure even where a post's sheet shows less. ### Can I apply for Mexican residency while I am already in Mexico? No, not on the solvency or pension routes. Both are consular applications made outside Mexico. An American who visits, likes it and decides to stay has to leave, apply at a Mexican consulate, and re-enter on the visa. The exception is family: the spouse or parent of a Mexican can change status at INM without leaving. ### Does my Social Security count toward the Mexican income requirement? Yes, and the award letter is among the strongest documents you can bring. It names you and states the monthly amount, which is exactly what a consulate wants to see, and it pairs with six months of bank statements showing the payments arriving. You can continue to receive Social Security while living in Mexico. ### Do I still have to file US taxes if I live in Mexico? Yes. US citizens owe US tax on their worldwide income no matter where they live, so a move to Mexico does not end your filing obligation. There is a tax treaty between the two countries that prevents the same income being taxed twice, and reporting rules for foreign accounts. This is a question for a cross border accountant rather than for an immigration page. ### Will Medicare cover me in Mexico? Essentially not at all. Medicare pays for care outside the United States only in a few narrow circumstances, which do not include living abroad. Mexican residency does not come with public healthcare either, though residents can enrol voluntarily in IMSS subject to waiting periods. Most American retirees use private cover or pay privately. ### How much does Mexican residency cost an American? Government fees of about MXN 12,054, roughly USD 712, for a one year temporary card, or about MXN 14,492, roughly USD 856, for permanent residency, with the consular part paid as USD 56. Card fees doubled on 1 January 2026, so older guides show about half. Neither figure depends on your nationality. ### Can I keep my US citizenship if I become a Mexican citizen later? In practice, usually yes, but not because Mexico lets you keep it. Mexico asks a naturalizing foreigner to renounce their other nationality before the naturalization certificate is issued, under Articles 17 and 19 of the Ley de Nacionalidad; its 1998 rule on keeping two nationalities protects Mexicans by birth. The United States does not treat that declaration by itself as giving up US citizenship. Naturalization is a long way down the road: five years of legal residence, or two if you are married to a Mexican national or have a Mexican-born child. ### Do I need to speak Spanish to get Mexican residency? No. Consular interviews at United States posts are conducted in English, and there is no language requirement for either residency status. Spanish becomes relevant at the INM stage inside Mexico, where the forms and the paperwork are Spanish only, and again for naturalization, which does test the language. ### Can I drive my American car to Mexico as a resident? You can bring a foreign-plated vehicle on a temporary import permit while you hold temporary residency, and the permit is tied to that status. Permanent residents generally cannot keep a foreign-plated car in Mexico and are expected to nationalize it or sell it. Plan for this before you drive down, because it is easier to decide at the border than afterwards. ## Sources Primary texts read on September 22, 2026. Where a figure could not be confirmed in a primary source, the page says so in the sentence that uses it. - [Lineamientos Generales para la expedición de visas, DOF 25 July 2025](https://www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5763837&fecha=25/07/2025) the national solvency formula that applies to every nationality. - [INEGI, Unidad de Medida y Actualización](https://www.inegi.org.mx/temas/uma/) UMA 2026 of MXN 117.31 a day. - [Ley de Migración, Articles 52 and 54](https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LMigra.pdf) the two residency statuses and their limits. - [Ley Federal de Derechos, Articles 8 and 22](https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LFD.pdf) the 2026 card and consular fees. - [MiConsulado, the SRE appointment system](https://citas.sre.gob.mx) online booking with an email account, and WhatsApp booking for applicants in the United States and Canada. - [SRE, Portal Visas Mexicanas, frequently asked questions](https://www.miconsulado.sre.gob.mx/visasmexicanas/preguntas-frecuentes/) the USD 56 fee, a decision within ten working days, and booking at another consular office. - [Consulado General de México en Nueva York, Visas for Foreigners](https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/nuevayork/index.php/en/visas-foreigners) read on 22 September 2026: booking by phone on +1 (424) 309 0009 or online, and requirement sheets dated March 2025. - [Ley de Nacionalidad, Articles 17, 19 and 20](https://www.diputados.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/LNal.pdf) the renunciation made on naturalizing, and the residence periods. - [Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores](https://www.gob.mx/sre) the directory of Mexican consulates. - [Banco de México, FIX exchange rate](https://www.banxico.org.mx/tipcamb/tipCamMIAction.do) 16.9722 pesos to the dollar on 10 September 2026. ## If you are moving rather than visiting Full Service is **USD 599, paid once**: the route decision, the file built to your own consulate's list, the entry briefing before you fly, the canje filing in Spanish, and someone with you at INM until the card is in your hand. Get your Mexican residency handled end to end Full Service: **$599** in one payment at signing, through to the resident card. Ask on WhatsAppSee what's included Read next: [what it costs](https://getmexicovisa.com/mexico-residency-cost), [the canje stamp](https://getmexicovisa.com/canje-stamp-mexico), [moving from Canada](https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-canada), or [who runs GetMexicoVisa](https://getmexicovisa.com/about). **General information about Mexican residency, not legal advice.** What this page says was correct on the date shown and is written for readers in general. No one at GetMexicoVisa has looked at your case, and reading the page does not make you our client. INM and the Mexican consulates change fees, forms and timelines, often without announcing it, and each consulate applies the rules in its own way. Before you act on a figure here, check it against the DOF, SRE or INM text it cites, or send us your question first. 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The exception is family: the spouse or parent of a Mexican can change status at INM without leaving."}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#faq-6","name":"Does my Social Security count toward the Mexican income requirement?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, and the award letter is among the strongest documents you can bring. It names you and states the monthly amount, which is exactly what a consulate wants to see, and it pairs with six months of bank statements showing the payments arriving. You can continue to receive Social Security while living in Mexico."}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#faq-7","name":"Do I still have to file US taxes if I live in Mexico?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes. US citizens owe US tax on their worldwide income no matter where they live, so a move to Mexico does not end your filing obligation. There is a tax treaty between the two countries that prevents the same income being taxed twice, and reporting rules for foreign accounts. This is a question for a cross border accountant rather than for an immigration page."}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#faq-8","name":"Will Medicare cover me in Mexico?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Essentially not at all. Medicare pays for care outside the United States only in a few narrow circumstances, which do not include living abroad. Mexican residency does not come with public healthcare either, though residents can enrol voluntarily in IMSS subject to waiting periods. Most American retirees use private cover or pay privately."}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#faq-9","name":"How much does Mexican residency cost an American?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Government fees of about MXN 12,054, roughly USD 712, for a one year temporary card, or about MXN 14,492, roughly USD 856, for permanent residency, with the consular part paid as USD 56. Card fees doubled on 1 January 2026, so older guides show about half. Neither figure depends on your nationality."}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#faq-10","name":"Can I keep my US citizenship if I become a Mexican citizen later?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"In practice, usually yes, but not because Mexico lets you keep it. Mexico asks a naturalizing foreigner to renounce their other nationality before the naturalization certificate is issued, under Articles 17 and 19 of the Ley de Nacionalidad; its 1998 rule on keeping two nationalities protects Mexicans by birth. The United States does not treat that declaration by itself as giving up US citizenship. Naturalization is a long way down the road: five years of legal residence, or two if you are married to a Mexican national or have a Mexican-born child."}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#faq-11","name":"Do I need to speak Spanish to get Mexican residency?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No. Consular interviews at United States posts are conducted in English, and there is no language requirement for either residency status. Spanish becomes relevant at the INM stage inside Mexico, where the forms and the paperwork are Spanish only, and again for naturalization, which does test the language."}},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#faq-12","name":"Can I drive my American car to Mexico as a resident?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"You can bring a foreign-plated vehicle on a temporary import permit while you hold temporary residency, and the permit is tied to that status. Permanent residents generally cannot keep a foreign-plated car in Mexico and are expected to nationalize it or sell it. Plan for this before you drive down, because it is easier to decide at the border than afterwards."}}]},{"@type":"ItemList","@id":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#toc","name":"On this page","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Visit or live","url":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#visit-vs-live"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Visiting","url":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#tourist-entry"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Residency","url":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#residency"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Your consulate","url":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#which-consulate"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"US documents","url":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#us-documents"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":6,"name":"The process","url":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#process"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":7,"name":"US taxes","url":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#taxes"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":8,"name":"Medicare","url":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#medicare"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":9,"name":"Dual nationals","url":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#dual-nationals"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":10,"name":"Common mistakes","url":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#mistakes"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":11,"name":"FAQ","url":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#faq"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":12,"name":"Sources","url":"https://getmexicovisa.com/moving-to-mexico-from-the-us#sources"}]}]} ```