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LEGALTICA GUIDE

Retiring in Mexico: which residency you need and how much money

Mexico has no separate retirement visa. In 2026 a retiree qualifies for permanent residency with a net pension of more than MXN 133,733.40 a month (about USD 7,120) or savings averaging MXN 5,378,663.50 (about USD 286,400), and for temporary residency with a pension of more than MXN 79,770.80 a month (about USD 4,250) or savings averaging MXN 1,344,372.60 (about USD 71,600). You apply at a Mexican consulate before you move, and temporary residency becomes permanent after four years.

The rest of Legaltica is in Spanish.

Legaltica editorial team
12 FIRMS
10 OFFICIAL SOURCES

THE GUIDE · FULL READ

Which route fits you

01 Pension above about USD 7,120 a month, or savings of about USD 286,400 for a year permanent residency as a pensioner, indefinite from day one.
02 Pension between about USD 4,250 and USD 7,120, or savings of about USD 71,600 for a year temporary residency through economic solvency, permanent after four years.
03 Not yet drawing a pension but living on savings or a salary temporary residency (only a pension counts for the permanent pensioner route).
04 Married to a Mexican, or with Mexican children by birth family routes, with no income threshold for the tie.
05 Below every threshold visitor stays of up to 180 days, without residency, which don’t count towards anything.

How much you need in 2026

Since the visa guidelines of 25 July 2025 the thresholds are set in days of UMA, MXN 117.31 a day from 1 February 2026. Each consulate converts them into its own currency; these conversions use the European Central Bank rates of 23 October 2026:

MXN 133,733.40 Permanent residency, pensionmore than 1,140 days of UMA a month, free of taxes, for each of the last six months: MXN 133,733.40, about USD 7,120 or EUR 6,361.
MXN 5,378,663.50 Permanent residency, savingsan average monthly balance of 45,850 days of UMA for the last twelve months: MXN 5,378,663.50, about USD 286,400.
MXN 79,770.80 Temporary residency, pension or salarymore than 680 days of UMA a month for the last six months: MXN 79,770.80, about USD 4,248.
MXN 1,344,372.60 Temporary residency, savingsan average monthly balance of 11,460 days of UMA for the last twelve months: MXN 1,344,372.60, about USD 71,600.
MXN 25,808.20 Each dependent spouse or relative220 days of UMA more, MXN 25,808.20 (about USD 1,374).

Worked example: a couple, one with a US pension of USD 6,000 a month net (about MXN 112,700) and a spouse without income. For permanent residency they need 1,360 days of UMA, MXN 159,541.60: not enough. For temporary residency they need 900 days, MXN 105,579: they qualify, with a margin of about MXN 7,100 a month. If both spouses have their own pension above MXN 79,770.80, each can apply in their own right.

The UMA goes up every February, and so do the thresholds. A pension paid in dollars or euros can fall below the line if the peso strengthens, so leave a margin.

Immigration lawyers in Mexico who speak English

Tell a firm about your plans 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
    LANGUAGES
    ES · EN · FR · ZH

    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

    CITY
    Xalapa-Enríquez
    LANGUAGES
    ES · EN

    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

    CITY
    Boca del Río
    LANGUAGES
    ES · CA · GL · EU · EN · FR · DE · IT · PT · AR · ZH · RU · RO · PL · UK · NL · SV · JA · HI

    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 …

The process step by step

  1. Choose the route and gather the documents: the award letter from the pension body and the statements where the pension is paid for the last six months, or bank and investment statements for each of the last twelve months.
  2. Book an appointment at a Mexican consulate in your country of nationality or legal residence. Both spouses attend the interview. The consulate has up to 10 working days to issue the visa.
  3. Enter Mexico within 180 days of issue with the resident visa and hand in the immigration form (FMM) at the border.
  4. Within 30 calendar days, exchange the visa for your resident card at the National Migration Institute (INM).
  5. From then on, report any change of address, civil status, nationality or workplace to the INM within 90 days, and, as a temporary resident, renew in the 30 days before the card expires.

Fees in 2026

MXN 990.79 Consular visaper person, in local currency (USD 54 in Houston, USD 56 in New York), not refunded if refused.
MXN 13,578.96 Permanent resident card(about USD 723).
MXN 11,140.74 Temporary resident cardfor one year, MXN 16,693.36 for two, MXN 21,142.58 for three, MXN 25,057.82 for four.
MXN 1,847.13 Change from temporary to permanent after four yearsplus the permanent card.
· Family unitythe spouse who comes as a family member pays 50% of the card fee.

Documents checklist

  • Passport valid for the whole process, and proof of legal residence if you apply outside your country of nationality.
  • Pension: an original letter from the Social Security Administration or the paying institution stating your benefit, plus six months of certified statements showing the deposits (Houston consulate list).
  • Savings: statements for each of the last twelve months, certified by the bank, or a hand-signed bank letter listing every month-end balance.
  • Spouse: marriage certificate, apostilled if issued outside Mexico and the United States, with an official translation if not in Spanish or English.
  • A recent passport photo on a white background, and the consulate’s application form.

Buying a home near the coast or the border

The Constitution bars foreigners from owning land directly within 100 km of the borders and 50 km of the coast (art. 27-I), which covers many retirement favourites. For a home there you buy through a bank trust (fideicomiso): a Mexican bank holds title with a permit from the Foreign Ministry and you hold the rights to use it, rent it out and keep what it earns, for up to 50 years, renewable (Foreign Investment Law arts. 11 to 14). Outside that zone you can own directly after signing the standard agreement with the Foreign Ministry not to invoke your own government’s protection (art. 10-A).

Notaries must check your immigration status for property deals (Migration Law art. 65). Property worth more than 91,710 days of UMA (MXN 10,758,500, about USD 572,800) can itself qualify you for temporary residency.

Where retirees go wrong

  • Arriving as a tourist and trying to get residency in Mexico: visitors can’t change to resident inside the country unless they have a family tie with a Mexican or a resident (Migration Law art. 53).
  • Using figures from old guides that quote minimum wages; the rules changed in July 2025.
  • Counting gross pension when the rule asks for income free of taxes.
  • Statements missing a month, or savings that dip below the average.
  • Missing the 30-day deadline at the INM after you arrive.
  • Letting a temporary card lapse, which breaks the four years towards permanent residency.
  • Buying in the restricted zone without a trust, or paying a seller before the notary has checked title.

If you are refused, or already in Mexico

A consular refusal isn’t final: you can apply again once you meet the requirements (Migration Law art. 43), though the fee isn’t refunded. If you are already in Mexico as a temporary resident and your pension now reaches the permanent threshold, you can ask the INM to change you to permanent residency without waiting four years (Regulation art. 141-VI-b).

INM refusals can be appealed within 15 working days (recurso de revisión) or taken to the Federal Administrative Court within 30 working days.

When you should talk to an immigration lawyer

A retiree with a pension well above the line can usually do the consulate stage alone. A lawyer in Mexico is worth it in these cases:

Pension close to the threshold, paid in dollars or euros, or from several sources: an exchange-rate dip can turn a qualifying month into a refusal.

A couple where only one spouse has income: the dependant’s documents and the 220-day uplift must be right.

Buying a property: the trust, the title search and the notary’s checks protect a large sum.

Already in Mexico on a tourist entry: the only in-country routes are family ties or humanitarian grounds.

Switching to permanent early because your pension went up, or after four years with a gap.

The INM procedures in Spanish: card exchange, renewals and the change of status, where a missed window costs the residency.

The firms below help retirees and say they speak English.

Talk to a lawyer who speaks English

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Immigration lawyers in Mexico who speak English

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Frequently asked questions

Not a separate one. Retirees apply for permanent residency as pensioners if they meet the higher threshold, or for temporary residency through economic solvency.

For residency: more than MXN 133,733.40 a month net pension (about USD 7,120) for permanent, or more than MXN 79,770.80 (about USD 4,250) for temporary, in both cases for each of the last six months. Savings alternatives: MXN 5,378,663.50 or MXN 1,344,372.60 averaged over twelve months.

Not with residency based on that income alone: it is below the temporary line of about USD 4,250. You would need savings averaging about USD 71,600 over twelve months, or a family tie with a Mexican.

Yes: an average monthly balance of MXN 5,378,663.50 over twelve months for permanent residency, or MXN 1,344,372.60 for temporary residency.

Yes, as a family member, if your income or balance covers an extra 220 days of UMA (MXN 25,808.20), or on their own if they meet the threshold. Both attend the consulate interview.

In general, no. Visitors can’t become residents from inside Mexico unless they have a family tie with a Mexican or a legal resident. Apply at a consulate before you move.

Yes, through a bank trust (fideicomiso) that lasts up to 50 years and can be renewed. Within 50 km of the coast and 100 km of the borders, foreigners can’t hold the land directly.

The Migration Law sets no minimum stay for permanent residents. Temporary residents must renew on time, and a card that expires while you are abroad can only be used to re-enter within 55 days.

Official sources

Lineamientos Generales para la expedición de visas (DOF 25-07-2025), Trámites 5 y 7 SEGOB y SRE, copia del Consulado de México en Houston · checked
Ley de Migración, arts. 43, 52, 53, 54, 59, 63 y 65 (última reforma DOF 15-01-2026) Cámara de Diputados · checked
Reglamento de la Ley de Migración, arts. 102, 112, 141, 156 y 160 Cámara de Diputados · checked
Ley Federal de Derechos, arts. 8, 9 y 22 (cantidades actualizadas por la RMF, DOF 28-12-2025) Cámara de Diputados · checked
Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, art. 27, fracción I Cámara de Diputados · checked
Ley de Inversión Extranjera, arts. 10, 10 A y 11-14 Cámara de Diputados · checked
Unidad de Medida y Actualización 2026 (comunicado 1/26) INEGI · checked
Visa de residente temporal por solvencia económica (v.2025.10.27) Consulado General de México en Houston · checked
Visa de residente temporal Consulado General de México en Nueva York · 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.