The short version
- To move to Mexico from the US, you apply for a resident visa at a Mexican consulate in the US. In Mexico, you swap it for a resident card.
- Temporary residence covers more than 180 days and up to 4 years. Permanent residence has no end date.
- You qualify through income, savings, a pension, property, study or family. Each consulate sets its own dollar figures, and they change.
- If your mother or father is Mexican, you may already be Mexican by birth.
How do you move to Mexico from the US?
You apply for a resident visa at a Mexican consulate in the US, enter Mexico with it, then swap it for a resident card. Mexico's visa rules name its consulates as the place to apply, and the Saint Paul consulate says every visa needs an interview.
The steps, in order:
- Pick the route. Temporary or permanent residence, based on what you can show: income, savings, a pension, property, a place at a school or a family link.
- Book the right consulate. The Calexico consulate asks you to apply in person at the consulate nearest to where you live.
- Go to the interview. Bring the form, your passport, a photo, the fee and your proof. Saint Paul says applications can take up to 10 working days.
- Enter Mexico. The visa is good for one entry within 6 months. A visa does not promise entry: the migration officer at the border makes the final call.
- Get your card. Go to an office of the National Migration Institute (INM) in Mexico for your resident card.
This guide covers living in Mexico. Short visits follow their own rules and are not covered here.
How is temporary residency different from permanent?
Mostly by time. Temporary residence lets you live in Mexico for more than 180 days and up to 4 years. Permanent residence lets you stay with no end date. Both come from Mexico's Migration Law.
| Rule | Temporary | Permanent |
|---|---|---|
| How long | More than 180 days, up to 4 years | No end date |
| Main ways in | Income or savings, property, a company, study, family | Retirees and pensioners, family, temporary residents after 4 years |
| Leaving and coming back | As often as you like | As often as you like |
Two rules worth knowing. After 4 years as a temporary resident, the law lets you get permanent residence. And on temporary residence, a permit to work for pay in Mexico depends on a job offer.
How much money do you need to move to Mexico?
It depends on the visa and the consulate. Mexico's visa guidelines set the amounts in days of the minimum wage, not in pesos or dollars. Each consulate turns that into its own dollar figure, so the number differs from place to place and changes over time.
These are the figures on the consulate pages we read on 12 October 2026:
| Consulate | Visa | Monthly income | Or savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Paul | Permanent | USD 7,350 net pension | USD 367,650 |
| Calexico (2025) | Permanent | Over USD 6,797 net pension | USD 271,868 |
| New York (2026) | Temporary | USD 4,200 from a job | USD 71,500 |
Savings means the balance in your bank or investment accounts, shown month by month over the last 12 months. Income means pay slips or pension statements, usually for the last 6 months.
The gap between Saint Paul and Calexico shows why the consulate matters. One simple setup is to read your own consulate's page the week you book, and to bring statements that clear its figure with room to spare.
How much does a Mexican resident visa cost?
About USD 54 to 56 at the consulates we read, paid when you apply. The card you collect in Mexico has its own fee, which these consulate pages do not list.
| Consulate | Visa | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Saint Paul | Permanent | USD 54 |
| Calexico (2025) | Permanent | USD 54 |
| New York (2026) | Temporary | USD 56 |
The fee is set by Mexico's Federal Duties Law, and each consulate charges it in local money, so it can change. New York says the fee is not refunded if the visa is refused.
Can you retire to Mexico?
Yes. Mexico has a permanent resident visa for retirees and pensioners, and it leads straight to a permanent resident card. You show a pension or Social Security income, or savings, at the level your consulate sets.
At the Saint Paul consulate, that is a net pension of USD 7,350 a month, or a balance of at least USD 367,650 every month for the last year. The fee is USD 54, and its list sets no age limit.
Mexico's Migration Law names retirees and pensioners as one of the groups who can get permanent residence. Compare the figures and the other rules on the Mexico retirement visa page.
Can remote workers get residency in Mexico?
Yes. The New York consulate lists remote work as one way to show you can support yourself on a temporary resident visa. You bring a letter from your employer saying you may work from abroad, plus your last 6 months of pay slips showing at least USD 4,200 a month.
The same sheet says this visa is for people with no job offer in Mexico. Working for a Mexican employer is a different case, because on temporary residence a work permit depends on a job offer. Savings work too: New York accepts a balance of at least USD 71,500 over the last 12 months instead. Read the full list on the New York consulate's temporary resident sheet.
Tax is its own question and is not covered here. If you do not earn online yet, start with how to earn money online before you move.
Can you get residency by buying property in Mexico?
Yes, temporary residence. Mexico's visa guidelines let you qualify if a public deed shows you own property in Mexico worth more than 40,000 days of the minimum wage.
The same guidelines have a route for investors in a company. You show money you have actually paid in for a stake in a Mexican company, worth more than 20,000 days of the minimum wage. You also show proof of the business, such as its assets, or its activity in Mexico. One example the guidelines give is a social security record showing at least 3 workers.
The guidelines give no peso or dollar figure, so ask the consulate what it uses. Since this is temporary residence, the 4-year path to permanent residence applies. The routes are side by side on the Mexico residence by investment page.
Can you study in Mexico?
Yes, with a temporary resident student visa, for a course of more than 180 days at a school in Mexico's national education system. You need an acceptance letter that names the course, its dates and its fee, and proof you can pay for tuition, housing and living costs.
The consulate sheet we read adds three rules:
- Get it before you go. You cannot switch to student status from inside Mexico.
- Swap it quickly. You have 30 days after you arrive to swap the visa for a student card.
- Ask before you work. Paid work needs permission from the INM.
Money, work and stay rules are on the Mexico student visa page.
Are you already Mexican through a parent?
You may be. Mexico's Constitution says a person born abroad to a Mexican mother or father is Mexican by birth. Since a change in May 2021, the text no longer says where that parent had to be born.
To use it, you register your birth at a Mexican consulate. The San Diego consulate says the registration is free and does not affect your US nationality. Its March 2026 sheet still describes a parent born in Mexico, so if your parent was born abroad, ask your consulate first.
A grandparent works differently. The Constitution does not name grandparents. But Mexico's nationality law cuts the residence needed for naturalisation from 5 years to 2 for a direct descendant of a Mexican by birth. Work through your own family line with the Mexican citizenship by descent checker.