Mexico Permanent Resident Visa

What is Mexico permanent residency visa? This is a document that

·         Allows you to enter and stay in Mexico

·         Allows you to love and work anywhere in Mexico

You can apply for a permanent resident permit at any Mexican consulate anywhere in the world or your home country. Find all you need to know about Mexico temporary resident visas and how to apply for it.

What Is a Mexico Permanent Resident Visa?

Mexico’s permanent resident visa is a travel document issued to foreign nationals who wish to visit Mexico for schooling or business or generally extended stay. The document allows you to live, work and travel within Mexico’s borders without restrictions just like a temporary resident visa.

Those who wish to visit and stay in Mexico for at least six months and above will need to apply for this document unless they are from visa free countries. Many foreigners who live and work in Mexico do so on a temporary resident visa or permanent resident visa, and a card is issued in their name to that effect.

If you have a permanent resident card, you can live and work in any state in Mexico, and you don’t have to notify the authorities about any changes to your address or employer. Here are some of the benefits of having a permanent residency permit.

Benefits of Holding A Permanent Resident Visa In Mexico

This is a document of choice for retirees and tourists who like to holiday in the country for an extended period. Here are the benefits.

Work Permit Not Required

While a temporary resident visa is only issued once you secure a work permit, you can work in Mexico without holding a work permit if you have a permanent residency visa. This visa grants your job flexibility since you will not be under any occupational constraints.

You can switch jobs easily and move from one city to another.

Free Health Insurance

Holders of Mexico permanent residency permits have access to free health insurance, which temporary resident visa holders do not have. This means that you can enjoy premium health care at any medical facility in the country at subsidized rates. If your employer has a health insurance cover, that is an added bonus that will reduce your health care costs even more.

Indefinite Access

People who have a temporary permit will tell you that the process of renewing the permit every year can be frustrating, especially if they don’t live close to an immigration office. Leaving their comfort zone at least 30 days before their current permit expires is not always an easy thing to do.

It is even worse if they are outside the country and have to rush down for the renewal since renewals cannot be done from outside Mexico.

But those with a permanent residency visa don’t have such problems. Once you get this permanent resident card, you don’t have to renew it every one or two years.

Free Entry and Exit

You can enter and leave Mexico at any time of your choosing without facing the risk of having your current status in the country invalidated. Let us explain what we mean by this.

Holders of temporary resident visas need to fill out and submit an FMM form for stamping anytime they enter the country. While doing that, they must indicate that they are not tourists but residents.

If they make the mistake of entering as a tourist, they invalidate their existing temporary residency visa. This means that they will have to leave Mexico and reapply all over again by resubmitting an application to the local immigration office or the Mexican consulate.

But permanent residents don’t face this risk. They are also free to come and go as they please with no restrictions placed on their movements.

Pathway To Citizenship

If you have been a law abiding resident and honored the conditions of your permanent residence, the pathway to obtaining Mexican citizenship by naturalization is clearer. Permanent Residency is the final step before Mexican citizenship.

How To Get Permanent Residency In Mexico

If you are interested in getting temporary and permanent residency in Mexico, these are the conditions.

Close Family Living In Mexico

If you have relatives who live in Mexico, you can apply for permanent residency. But this should only be done after you have visited and lived in the country for a significant period of time. The extent of your stay before you qualify for permanent residency varies.

You Get A Job

If an employer offers you a job in Mexico, you can apply to be a permanent resident. Working in Mexico means that you must live in the country. If you have been a temporary resident long enough the authorities will be keen to offer you permanent residency if you are law abiding and don’t have a chequered history.

You Gain Admission Into An Academic Institution

If you gain admission into an academic institution of learning in Mexico, you can apply for residency. The first one will be a temporary residency for one year, and you can continue to renew it every year until you finish your program. Should you land a job after that, you can then apply for a permanent one.

You Plan To Retire In Mexico

Like we pointed out above, many people retire and move to Mexico to enjoy the lovely weather and the culture. Retirees with proven income streams like a pension paid by their government can live in Mexico.

After 4 Years Of Temporary Residency

Regardless of why you moved to Mexico, if you have lived here for 4 years on a temporary resident visa, you can apply for a permanent one.

Foreign citizens on a permanent resident visa can apply for their family members to join them in the country, but they will not be issued a permanent but a temporary visa.

However, the permanent resident has to prove to the authorities that they can provide financially for them, and in the case of children, they must show proof of school enrollment. Most people initially get a temporary resident permit first before transitioning to a permanent visa, but under special circumstances, a permanent residency may be issued immediately.

Other Permanent Residency Visa Eligibility Requirements

Not everyone is eligible for a permanent resident visa. Here are the category of people who are qualified to apply for it.

Retirement Without Employment/Income From Mexico

Retirees who want to relocate permanently to Mexico can apply directly for a permanent residency and not a temporary one. People in this category must show proof that they are indeed retirees and earn a pension from their home governments.

Also called a Mexico retirement visa, holders can enter and exit Mexico ad often as they wish without limitations.

Mexican Step-Parents

A child or adolescent with a Mexican step-parent or a noncitizen who is already a permanent resident can apply for a permanent resident Visa. But the step-parent will have to sign the document for them and stand as their legal guardian. They must also show proof of their guardianship with legal documents.

Siblings Of Mexican Citizens/Permanent Residents

Siblings of Mexican citizens or non citizens who have permanent residency can also apply for it if they meet certain conditions.

Married To A Mexican

Those married to Mexicans and have held a temporary resident visa for the last two years can apply to make their stay permanent. Their application form must include their marriage certificate and other required documents.

Permanent visas don’t have to be renewed every year and can be held indefinitely unless the authorities revoke them, or the holder is issued Mexican citizenship, in which case the permanent visa is invalidated.

Permanent visas don’t have to be renewed every year and can be held indefinitely unless the authorities revoke them, or the holder is issued Mexican citizenship, in which case the permanent visa is invalidated.

How To Apply For A Permanent Residency Permit?

The National Immigration Institute is the body responsible for all residency permit applications in Mexico. This body Coordinates its operations with Mexico consulates all over the world. An applicant cannot apply for a residency permit for the first time while in Mexico unless they are applying for someone else.

These are the steps to take to apply for it

Set Up An Appointment

To kickstart the process, you will first need to schedule an appointment with the Mexican consulate in your country. You can do this by calling their hotlines to schedule it, sending them an email, or booking it through Mexitel. Or you can visit the consulate office yourself.

Obtain The Form

The application form can be obtained online or at the consulate. Complete the form and attach your valid passport along with other relevant documents. Make sure your information is accurate.

Submit The Form

After filling it out, submit it at the consulate and pay the application fee. Your biometrics will be taken on the day of the appointment to schedule the appointment.

After submitting the form, you will need to wait for a few days but not more than 2 weeks for your application to be processed. If it is approved, it will be attached to your passport, and you can enter Mexico with it.

Once in Mexico, you are then expected to take it to the INM office within 30 days of your arrival, where it will be converted into a Permanent Resident Card. With this card, you can stay in Mexico for as long as you want and also use it for any documentation you need while in the country.

How To Convert A Temporary Residency Into A Permanent Residency

Most foreign nationals who are permanent residents in Mexico were one temporary resident first. Very rarely do the authorities hand over a permanent permit to a foreigner unless under special conditions like in the case of minors.

So if you have been a temporary resident in Mexico for a period of 4 years, you can apply for permanent residency by submitting an application to that effect. The law states that the applicant must submit the application before or at least 30 days before the expiration of the current residency card.

The maximum processing time is between 10 – 15 working days from the day of submission. If you intend to travel out of the country, consider submitting the application at least one month before you do.

How Much Will A Permanent Resident Permit Cost?

A permanent resident permit application costs about $36, but this fee may be subject to exchange rate changes depending on the country you are applying from. You can make the payment in cash or via online transfers. However, when you want to collect the permanent resident card, the National Immigration Institute will charge 5000 Mexican Pesos or its equivalent in dollars.

Documents You Need To Request A Replacement If You Lose Or Damage Your Permanent Resident Permit Card

If you lose your resident card, the documents you need to get a new one are largely the same ones you used to apply for it in the first place. Visit the local immigration office close to where you need and fill out a replacement application form. You will also need to attach the following to your application form.

·         Valid passport – The original and a copy

·         Three pictures – two showing your front face and one showing the left face side

·         Application fee

·         The damaged resident card – if it was damaged

·         Entry visa and FMM

·         Any other additional documents

Those who lost or damaged their card abroad can visit the Mexican consulate to request a replacement.

Obtaining a Mexican Passport Through Citizenship

Mexico has one of the strongest passports in the world, with visa-free access to more than 100 countries. This allows Mexican citizens to travel to these countries without needing to go through the rigors of applying for a visa. This has made it possible for many Mexicans to have dual citizenship.

To obtain a Mexican passport, you have to be a citizen first, and getting a Mexico Permanent Resident Permit card is a pathway toward obtaining Mexican citizenship. If you have stayed in the country on a permanent Status for 5 years or more, you are qualified to file for citizenship. If you pass the culture and language test, you will be issued a certificate of naturalization, and you can then apply for a passport.