Relokato / Destinations / Mexico
🇲🇽 Mexico
Temporary and Permanent Resident routes, the INM canje, CURP, RFC and IMSS — with deadlines and the official source for each step.
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20
Tasks in your Mexico playbook
30 d
To complete INM canje after arrival
4 yr
Temporary → Permanent residency
$0
To start your plan
One-time cost to move
$5,000–$8,000
Relokato planning estimate for a one-time move to Mexico, as of September 2026. Single person moving from the US. One-time relocation costs only — government fees, apostilles, flights, shipping, rental deposits, and any professional help you choose to use. This estimate includes any professional fees you choose to incur; it does not imply representation is required. An estimate, not a quote.
Consular visa and INM canje fees, apostilles, flights, a lighter shipping load or driving down, and a deposit that is typically one month.
Living costs are separate and depend on your lifestyle — see our cost calculator for a full breakdown.
The index behind every threshold
Mexico measures residency
in days of UMA.
The UMA is the unit Mexican residency thresholds are written in. Each threshold below is a multiple of the daily UMA, even though what you evidence is a monthly balance or monthly income. The multiple is the rule; the peso amount is a dated illustration that changes each February; a dollar amount is only a conversion.
Daily UMA
MXN 117.31 per day
The UMA (Unidad de Medida y Actualización) is set annually by INEGI and takes effect on 1 February — during January the previous year's value still applies. This value is in force from 1 February 2026 to 31 January 2027. Mexican residency thresholds are expressed as multiples of the daily UMA, even though what you evidence is a monthly balance or monthly income.
INEGI — Valor de la UMA, published in the DOF 9 January 2026 · 9 January 2026
Monthly UMA
MXN 3,566.22 per month
The monthly UMA is the daily value multiplied by 30.4.
INEGI — Valor de la UMA, published in the DOF 9 January 2026 · 9 January 2026
Annual UMA
MXN 42,794.64 per year
The annual UMA is the monthly value multiplied by twelve.
INEGI — Valor de la UMA, published in the DOF 9 January 2026 · 9 January 2026
Pick your route
Residence routes
published by INM.
Temporary Resident
Temporary Resident Visa — economic solvency
Apply at a Mexican consulate abroad. Meet either the income test or the savings test — only one of the two. Temporary residence covers stays of more than 180 days and up to four years.
Income test — employment or pension, last 6 months
680 días de UMA — MXN 79,770.80/month at the daily UMA of MXN 117.31 in force from 1 February 2026
Monthly income from employment or pension, free of encumbrances ("libres de gravámenes"), of more than this amount in each of the last six months.
Savings test — average monthly balance, last 12 months
11,460 días de UMA — MXN 1,344,372.60 at the daily UMA of MXN 117.31 in force from 1 February 2026
Average monthly balance in investments or bank accounts in each of the last twelve months. This is an average monthly balance across every one of the prior twelve months, not a balance held today.
How the two tests relate
Only one of the two tests has to be met
Legal basis: Ley de Migración arts. 40(IV), 41 and 52(VII); Reglamento arts. 102, 107 and 111–113. Temporary residence covers stays of more than 180 days and up to four years.
Permanent Resident
Permanent Resident Visa — retirees and pensioners
A consular route the Lineamientos describe as intended exclusively for retirees and pensioners. It is not a general permanent-residence option for anyone with savings.
Who this route is for
Limited to retirees and pensioners
The consular pages describe this route as "destinada exclusivamente a jubilados y/o pensionistas". It is not a general permanent-residence option for anyone with savings. At least one consulate (Portland) accepts pension or salary, which is itself an example of consular variation.
Pension test — last 6 months
1,140 días de UMA — MXN 133,733.40/month at the daily UMA of MXN 117.31 in force from 1 February 2026
Monthly pension income free of encumbrances of more than this amount in each of the last six months. The Portland consulate's own English page converts this multiple to approximately $7,500 per month; a dollar figure is a conversion, never the requirement.
Savings test — average monthly balance, last 12 months
45,850 días de UMA — MXN 5,378,663.50 at the daily UMA of MXN 117.31 in force from 1 February 2026
Average monthly balance in each of the last twelve months.
Why consular figures differ
The multiples are national; the converted amounts are consular
The multiples come from the national Lineamientos; the amount you must actually evidence comes from the current checklist of the consulate that will process your application. Consulates apply and convert the national multiples — they do not set their own. Published amounts do differ: the Houston consulate's own PDF states 11,400 días de UMA where the Spain and Barcelona pages state 11,460 días de UMA. Treat older consular PDFs quoting minimum-wage multiples or fixed dollar amounts as outdated.
From visa to card
Two clocks, and
a consular fee.
A police clearance with an apostille is a requirement some consulates set on their own checklist rather than a universal national one — check the consulate that will process your application. Driving licences are issued by each state, and the rules on driving with a foreign licence differ by state, so check the authority in the state where you will live.
Consular visa validity
180 days maximum, single entry
The consular visa is valid for a maximum of 180 days from issuance and permits one entry.
Residence card at INM
30 calendar days from entry
The residence card must be processed at INM within 30 calendar days of entry into Mexico (Ley de Migración art. 59; Reglamento art. 59). Missing it takes you outside the prescribed process and requires case-specific advice from INM.
Consular visa fee
$56 (2026)
Consular visa fee published for 2026.
After the card
Your CURP arrives
with your card.
How you get it
The CURP is generated with your residence card — there is no separate RENAPO application
The INM assigns a Número Único de Extranjero (NUE) when the migration procedure formally begins. The CURP is then generated automatically through the INM–RENAPO systems and is printed on the front of the residence card. Temporary and permanent residents receive a permanent CURP; while an application is pending, a temporary CURP constancia is available. Confirm the CURP printed on your card, and if it is missing return to the INM office that processed your residency.
What it costs
Free
The CURP carries no charge. People are nonetheless charged for it by intermediaries.
Health coverage
Residency is not
an entitlement.
How coverage arises
Coverage comes through insured employment or through voluntary enrolment — not through residency itself
Holding residency is not in itself an entitlement to IMSS coverage. The voluntary route is the Seguro de Salud para la Familia.
IMSS — Seguro de Salud para la Familia (incorporación voluntaria) · 6 September 2026
Voluntary enrolment conditions
Voluntary enrolment requires an annual fee paid in advance and calculated by age, a medical questionnaire and a CURP
Enrolment is subject to pre-existing-condition exclusions and waiting periods, and the IMSS does not refund fees. Fees were updated on 1 March 2026 — take the current amounts from the IMSS page itself rather than from any secondary summary.
IMSS — Seguro de Salud para la Familia (incorporación voluntaria) · 6 September 2026
Critical step · Canje migratorio
The residence card has its own 30-day clock.
Your consulate visa is what lets you enter Mexico. Once you have entered, the residence card must be processed at INM (Instituto Nacional de Migración) within 30 calendar days of entry, counted from your entry date. Missing it takes you outside the prescribed process and requires case-specific advice from INM.
Relokato tracks the 30-day deadline from your entry date, surfaces your local INM office, and walks you through the forms — so you don't lose months of work to a missed appointment.
30-day windowINM biometricsCURP + RFC afterResident card
Tax residency
Mexico has no
day-count test.
The primary test
Residency follows your casa habitación, not a day count
A natural person is resident in Mexico where they have established their casa habitación in Mexico. Where they also have a home in another country, they are resident in Mexico if their centre of vital interests is in national territory.
Código Fiscal de la Federación, Art. 9, fracción I, inciso a) · 6 September 2026
Centre of vital interests
More than 50% of total income sourced in Mexico
The centre of vital interests is deemed to be in national territory where, among other situations, more than 50% of the person's total income in the calendar year has its source of wealth in Mexico, or where the principal centre of their professional activities is in Mexico. Mexican tax residents are taxed on worldwide income — the trigger is this test, not a count of days.
Código Fiscal de la Federación, Art. 9, fracción I, inciso a) · 6 September 2026
Naturalisation by residence
The clock does not restart
at permanent residence.
Residence required
5 years of residence immediately preceding the application
Naturalisation by residence is available to foreigners who evidence residence in national territory with the card issued by the Secretaría de Gobernación showing either temporary resident or permanent resident status, for at least the five years immediately preceding the application. The clock does not restart at permanent residence — time as a temporary resident counts.
Student status
Residente temporal estudiante status does not generate residence rights for naturalisation
Latin America and the Iberian peninsula
2 years for nationals of Latin America or the Iberian peninsula
Ley de Nacionalidad art. 20, fracción I, inciso c).
Where you'll land
The four cities
most movers choose.
Mexico City
Capital & culture
Roma, Condesa, Polanco — biggest expat scene, world-class food, altitude, traffic. Best for jobs and community.
Mexico City data →Guadalajara
Tech & tradition
Mexico's Silicon Valley. Mariachi, tequila, lower cost than CDMX, growing remote-work hub.
Guadalajara data →Playa del Carmen
Caribbean & nomads
Riviera Maya, beach + Tulum, huge digital-nomad scene, USD-priced rentals, hot and humid year-round.
No data page yet
Mérida
Safest & calmest
Yucatán capital. Consistently rated Mexico's safest city, colonial centre, hot, slower pace, growing fast.
Mérida data →Common questions
Things people ask
before they commit.
Can I apply for residency from inside Mexico?
No. Almost all Temporary and Permanent Resident applications must start at a Mexican consulate in your country of residence. Entering on a tourist FMM and 'switching' is not a standard option — limited family-based exceptions exist.
How strict are the financial requirements?
The thresholds are set nationally by the Lineamientos generales para la expedición de visas as multiples of the daily UMA — not of the minimum wage, which the UMA replaced for these purposes. The UMA is reset by INEGI each year and takes effect on 1 February, so the peso amount moves annually. Consulates apply and convert those national multiples and publish their own amounts, which is why published figures differ between consulates. Work from the current checklist of the consulate that will process your application.
Do I need to speak Spanish?
Helpful but not required for the visa. After arrival, basic Spanish makes INM, SAT, RENAPO and IMSS appointments far easier — most are not in English, even in Mexico City.
What about my US/Canada/UK taxes?
Mexican tax residency is not a day count. Under Art. 9 of the Código Fiscal de la Federación you are resident where you have established your casa habitación in Mexico; if you also keep a home abroad, you are resident here when your centre of vital interests is in Mexico — deemed the case where more than 50% of your total income in the calendar year has its source of wealth in Mexico, or where the principal centre of your professional activities is in Mexico. Mexican tax residents are taxed on worldwide income. US citizens still file IRS returns globally. A cross-border accountant is strongly recommended.
Is Relokato a lawyer or notario?
No. Relokato is a planning tool — a personalised playbook with deadlines, official sources, and step-by-step guides. For the visa application itself and tax filings, we recommend working with a Mexican immigration lawyer or contador.
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