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Permanent residency in Mexico: who qualifies and how to get it

Mexican permanent residency lets you live in Mexico indefinitely with permission to work. You can get it straight away at a consulate as a retiree with a net pension of more than MXN 133,733.40 a month in 2026 (about USD 7,120) or savings averaging MXN 5,378,663.50 (about USD 286,400), or with close family ties to a Mexican; otherwise you get it from inside Mexico after four consecutive years as a temporary resident, or two if your residency is based on marriage or partnership with a Mexican or a permanent resident.

The rest of Legaltica is in Spanish.

Legaltica editorial team
12 FIRMS
12 OFFICIAL SOURCES

THE GUIDE · FULL READ

Which route fits you

01 Retiree with a large pension or savings the pensioner route at a consulate, with the 2026 amounts below.
02 Already a temporary resident for four consecutive years change of status at the INM, with no new income test.
03 Married to, or the partner of, a Mexican or a permanent resident two years as a temporary resident first, then permanent if the relationship continues.
04 Parent of a Mexican child by birth, or grandparent, child or grandchild of a Mexican by birth permanent residency directly, from a consulate or as a change of status in Mexico.
05 Child of a Mexican parent born abroad you may already be Mexican by birth, which is better than any residency card.
06 Recognised refugee, asylee, person with complementary protection or stateless person permanent residency, free of INM fees.
07 Investor or property owner there is no direct permanent route. Those routes give temporary residency, which becomes permanent after four years.

What permanent residency allows

  • Living in Mexico indefinitely and entering and leaving as often as you like (Migration Law art. 52-IX).
  • Working in Mexico without a separate permit: adults with this status have work permission built in (Migration Regulation arts. 157 and 164).
  • Bringing your parents, spouse or partner, minor children and minor siblings under family unity (Migration Law art. 55).
  • A card with no expiry date for adults. Minors renew it every year until they are three, then every four years until 18 (Regulation art. 157).
  • Time that counts towards Mexican citizenship by naturalization: usually five years of residence, proven with your resident cards.

Immigration lawyers in Mexico who speak English

Tell a firm about your situation in English: they receive your message and your phone number, and you see theirs straight away. It’s free and you’re not committing to anything. Languages are taken from each firm’s profile. Firms marked “Registered with Legaltica” manage their own profile.

  1. Registered with Legaltica

    CITY
    Ciudad de México
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    Migralaw - Abogados Migratorios en México

    4.6 · 151 Google Speaks English

    MIGRALAW es una firma de abogados migratorios con sede en la colonia Granada (Av. Ejército Nacional 769, Piso 2) en Ciudad de México y presencia en Polanco, Condesa, Santa Fe, Pedregal y sedes en Monterrey, Guadalajara y Cancún. Sus áreas principales son trámites de visas, regularización migratoria y naturalización; además disponen de servicios para empresas y modalidades MigraDigital/MigraVIP. Las oficinas …

  2. Registered with Legaltica

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    Xalapa-Enríquez
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    Velarde & Caicero Asociados S.A.S. DE C.V.

    5.0 · 7 Google Speaks English

    Velarde & Caicero Asociados S.A.S. DE C.V. es una firma legal con sede en la colonia Modelo de Xalapa (C. Cándido Aguilar 73) especializada en protección integral de derechos humanos: restitución de derechos de niñas, niños y adolescentes (NNA), protección jurídica de personas adultas mayores, derecho familiar, laboral, civil, mercantil y sucesorio.

  3. Registered with Legaltica

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    Boca del Río
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    Abogado Alfredo Liceaga

    5.0 · 9 Google Speaks English

    Quien necesita un abogado familiar, sucesorio, penal o constitucional en Boca del Río encontrará al abogado Alfredo Liceaga en el Fraccionamiento Costa de Oro. Atiende asuntos de divorcio, guarda y custodia, pensiones alimenticias, juicios sucesorios, defensa penal y amparos. Atiende de lunes a viernes 24 horas; sus clientes lo valoran con 5.0 sobre 5 en 23 reseñas. Es egresado de …

How much retirees need in 2026

The visa guidelines published in the official gazette on 25 July 2025 set the thresholds in days of UMA, which is MXN 117.31 from 1 February 2026. Retirees must prove one of these:

MXN 133,733.40 Pensionmore than 1,140 days of UMA a month, free of taxes, in each of the last six months. That is more than MXN 133,733.40 a month, about USD 7,120 or EUR 6,361. It has to be a pension; a salary doesn’t count for this route.
MXN 5,378,663.50 Savings or investmentsan average monthly balance equivalent to 45,850 days of UMA over the last twelve months, MXN 5,378,663.50, about USD 286,400 or EUR 255,850.
MXN 25,808.20 Each family member who comes with you220 days of UMA more, MXN 25,808.20 (about USD 1,374), on the pension or the balance.

Worked example: a retired couple with one pension. The line is 1,140 + 220 = 1,360 days of UMA a month, that is MXN 159,541.60 net (about USD 8,495) in each of the last six months. With MXN 120,000 a month (about USD 6,390) you don’t reach it, but you clear the temporary residency line of 680 + 220 = 900 days (MXN 105,579): the usual route is temporary first and permanent four years later.

Conversions use the European Central Bank rates of 23 October 2026. Each consulate converts the peso amounts with its own rate, so figures on consulate websites differ. The UMA rises every February.

Applying from a consulate, step by step

  1. Book an appointment at a Mexican consulate in your country of nationality or legal residence. Bring the form, passport, photo and the documents for your route: pension award letter and six months of statements, twelve months of investment statements, or the birth and marriage certificates that prove the family tie.
  2. Every family member attends the interview. The consulate has up to 10 working days to issue the visa; if something is missing it asks you to complete it, and dismisses the application if you don’t.
  3. The visa allows one entry within 180 days. Show it at the border and hand in the immigration form (FMM).
  4. Within 30 calendar days of entering, apply to the National Migration Institute (INM) for your permanent resident card.

If your Mexican relative lives in Mexico and isn’t travelling with you, the family visa is started by them at the INM (fee MXN 247.96) and then issued by the consulate (Regulation arts. 113 and 114).

From temporary to permanent inside Mexico

If you already live in Mexico as a temporary resident you don’t go back to a consulate: you apply to the INM for a change of status (cambio de condición de estancia) with your valid card, the fee receipt and the requirements of your route (Regulation art. 142).

The four years must be consecutive and in regular status (Regulation art. 139-V), so renew every card on time. On the marriage route, the two years start when you got temporary residency because of that relationship, and the relationship must still exist (Regulation art. 141-I-c). A temporary resident who becomes a pensioner with enough income from abroad can also switch before the four years (art. 141-VI-b).

Fees in 2026

MXN 990.79 Consular visacharged in local currency and not refunded if refused.
MXN 13,578.96 Permanent resident card(about USD 723).
MXN 1,847.13 Change of status from temporary to permanentfor studying the application, plus the card.
MXN 6,789.48 Family unity discount50% of the card fee, MXN 6,789.48, if your residency is based on family unity (Federal Duties Law art. 8, in force since November 2025).
MXN 1,779.93 Replacement card
· Refugees, asylees, people with complementary protection and stateless people pay no INM fees (Federal Duties Law art. 16).

Example: a temporary resident switching after four years pays MXN 1,847.13 + MXN 13,578.96 = MXN 15,426.09 (about USD 820). Through the marriage route, with the discount, MXN 1,847.13 + MXN 6,789.48 = MXN 8,636.61.

Documents checklist

  • Valid passport and, if you apply outside your country of nationality, proof that you live there legally.
  • Pensioners: an original letter from the pension body stating the monthly amount, and the statements where it is paid for the last six months, or twelve months of investment statements.
  • Family routes: birth and marriage certificates, plus the Mexican relative’s proof of nationality or the resident’s card.
  • Foreign certificates: apostilled or legalised; the Houston consulate exempts only those from Mexico and the United States. Translations when they aren’t in Spanish or English.
  • In Mexico: your current card, the fee receipt and, for renewals, a signed statement that the conditions of your status still apply (Regulation art. 159).

Common reasons for refusal, and how to avoid them

  • Using amounts in minimum wages from old guides: the 2014 guidelines were repealed in July 2025.
  • Showing the gross pension when the rule asks for income free of taxes, or a pension that falls below the line in one of the six months because of the exchange rate.
  • A gap in your temporary residency, for example a card renewed late, which breaks the four consecutive years.
  • Asking for the two-year route when your temporary residency wasn’t granted because of the marriage, or after separating.
  • Missing the 30-day window to get the card, or not reporting a change of address within 90 days (fine of 20 to 100 days of UMA, MXN 2,346.20 to 11,731, Migration Law art. 158).
  • Grounds of inadmissibility: criminal records affecting public security, documents that aren’t authentic, or a prior ban (Migration Law art. 43).

If your application is refused

At a consulate, you can apply again once you meet the requirements (Migration Law art. 43). At the INM, a refused change of status must give reasons; if your temporary card is still valid you simply keep it, and if it has expired you get between 20 and 30 days to leave, regularise or challenge the decision (Regulation art. 142).

The challenges are an administrative appeal (recurso de revisión) within 15 working days, or a claim before the Federal Administrative Court within 30 working days. If the INM doesn’t answer, after three months the silence counts as a refusal you can challenge (Federal Administrative Procedure Law art. 17), unless a specific deadline applies.

Special situations

01 Divorce during the two-year marriage routethe basis of your residency disappears, so you need another route before your card expires.
02 Time abroadthe Migration Law sets no minimum stay for permanent residents and no time abroad that cancels the card. Naturalization is different: more than six months abroad in the two years before applying breaks the residence.
03 Losing the statusit is cancelled if you declare you are leaving for good, take another status, give false information or documents, or your record affects national or public security (Migration Law art. 64).
04 Points systemthe law and regulation provide for one, but the criteria haven’t been published, so it isn’t a usable route today.

When you should talk to an immigration lawyer

The consulate route is simple when the numbers are clearly above the line. These are the cases where a lawyer in Mexico is worth it, and what is at stake:

Pension close to the threshold or from several sources: one month below MXN 133,733.40 net means a refusal and a lost fee.

A late renewal or a gap in your temporary residency: it can reset the four years, and you may need to regularise first.

Separation or divorce on the marriage route: without a new basis you can fall into irregular status when your card expires.

Family documents from several countries, or names that don’t match: every certificate must be apostilled, translated and consistent.

An INM refusal or silence: 15 working days for the appeal and 30 for court.

A criminal record, previous deportation or overstay anywhere: art. 43 lets the authorities refuse, and it needs to be handled before you apply.

Planning towards citizenship: choosing the route and keeping your absences under control from day one.

The firms below handle permanent residency and say they speak English.

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Frequently asked questions

Yes, through a consulate, if you are a retiree who meets the pension or savings threshold, or if you have a qualifying family tie with a Mexican (for example a Mexican child by birth). Otherwise you start as a temporary resident.

MXN 990.79 for the consular visa plus MXN 13,578.96 for the card. If you switch from temporary residency inside Mexico, MXN 1,847.13 plus the card. With the family unity discount the card costs MXN 6,789.48.

More than MXN 133,733.40 a month free of taxes for each of the last six months in 2026 (about USD 7,120), or an average balance of MXN 5,378,663.50 over twelve months. Add MXN 25,808.20 per dependant.

No. The status and the card are indefinite for adults. Minors renew the card periodically. You must report changes of address, civil status, nationality or workplace to the INM within 90 days.

Yes. Permanent residents have permission to work without a separate permit.

The Migration Law doesn’t set a limit or a minimum stay. Absences matter for citizenship: more than six months abroad in the two years before applying breaks the residence required.

Not directly. Owning property worth more than MXN 10,758,500 or investing more than MXN 5,378,663.50 gives temporary residency; permanent residency comes after four years.

Two consecutive years as a temporary resident based on the marriage, counted from when you got that residency, as long as the marriage continues.

The two-year route requires the relationship to continue, so you lose that basis. You need another route, such as solvency, or to leave when your card expires. Get advice before the card runs out.

No renewals, built-in permission to work, and the right to bring parents, spouse, minor children and minor siblings.

Official sources

Lineamientos Generales para la expedición de visas (DOF 25-07-2025), Trámite 7 «Visa de Residencia Permanente» SEGOB y SRE, copia del Consulado de México en Houston · checked
Ley de Migración, arts. 43, 52, 54, 55, 56, 63, 64 y 158 (última reforma DOF 15-01-2026) Cámara de Diputados · checked
Reglamento de la Ley de Migración, arts. 102, 109, 112-114, 139, 141, 142, 157, 159 y 164 Cámara de Diputados · checked
Ley Federal de Derechos, arts. 8, 9, 14 Bis, 16 y 22 (cantidades actualizadas por la RMF, DOF 28-12-2025) Cámara de Diputados · checked
Ley Federal de Procedimiento Administrativo, arts. 17, 83 y 85 Cámara de Diputados · checked
Ley Federal de Procedimiento Contencioso Administrativo, art. 13 Cámara de Diputados · checked
Ley de Nacionalidad, arts. 20 y 21 Cámara de Diputados · checked
Reglamento de la Ley de Nacionalidad, art. 14 Cámara de Diputados · checked
Unidad de Medida y Actualización 2026 (comunicado 1/26) INEGI · checked
Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, artículo tercero transitorio del decreto de desindexación del salario mínimo (DOF 27-01-2016) Cámara de Diputados · checked
Visa de residente temporal por solvencia económica (v.2025.10.27) Consulado General de México en Houston · checked
Euro foreign exchange reference rates, 23-10-2026 European Central Bank · checked

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and amounts change: check the official sources below or ask a lawyer about your own situation.