Mexico Visa Requirements & Application | Do I Need a Visa for Mexico?

What is the Mexico visa requirement if I want to apply for a visa?

·         You need to provide your personal documents

·         Pay the visa application fee

·         Submit yourself for an interview at the Mexican consulate

Applying for a Mexican visa is a straightforward process, but it involves a meticulous procedure. Read on to know more about the visa application process to enter Mexico.

Anyone who wishes to apply for a Mexican visa must fill out the application form and attach certain documents to the form for submission. Without attaching these documents, the application will be rejected by the Mexican immigration authorities.

The only category of visitors who can enter the country without a visa are nationals or foreign countries that have visa free access and can apply for a Mexico tourist card. So unless you are from a visa free country and meet the Mexico tourist visa requirements, here are the documents required

Documents

The documents you need to apply for the consular visa are as follows

·         Passport sized pictures

·         Photocopy of your passport

·         Completed visa application form

·         Valid passport

·         Return ticket

·         Proof of accommodation

·         Employment status proof

·         Visa fee

·         Cover letter

·         Additional documents

Below, we review these documents.

Visa Application Form

A consular visa application form is the first document you will need to complete to start the application process. The nearest Mexican embassy these forms, which you can pick up for free. Or better still, you can download it from their official website.

If you go the online route, you can fill it out, download it, and print it out. If you go the physical route, you can fill it by hand. The form will have fields where you have to provide your name, sex, date of birth, marital status, passport information,  information about your profession, and your reasons for wanting to travel to Mexico.

The form must be signed afterward. For minors, it should be filled out and signed on their behalf by the parent or guardian.

Valid Passport

The passport you need to process your application should be yours and valid for at least 6 months at the time you are applying for the visa. Passports issued more than ten years ago are not accepted. In addition to that, it must have blank pages where the embassy will affix the visa if it is granted.

Passport Photocopy/ Picture

They also require a photocopy of your passport with relevant pages (first and last page), including any other amendments, stamps, and previous visas. You also need to submit a passport-size picture with 35 mm x 45 mm dimensions. The pictures should be colored with a white spot-free background. Your face should face the camera with a neutral expression and no accessories or adornment, glasses, or headgear.

Note: The pictures should not be more than 6 months old; otherwise, they will be rejected.

Return Ticket

Mexico also demands proof of a return ticket to show that you have every plan to return to your country after your trip or before your visa expires. They may even request that you show proof of your travel itinerary even without booking the ticket.

This is done to protect the application from wasting money on a flight ticket in case they don’t get their application approved in the end.

Proof Of Financial Means

You need to prove that you have the financial capacity to survive in the country when you arrive and all through your stay. The documents accepted to prove this includes the following.

Bank Statement: A Bank statement showing your last three payslips along with a letter from your current employer showing your passport number, full name, nationality, how long you have worked in the organization, current position, and annual salary.

Sponsor: If your trip is sponsored by someone in Mexico, the letter must submit a letter of invitation, including a sponsor letter showing your full name, company name and registration number, and your future activities in Mexico, as well as your estimated pay.

The letter should also have a copy of the ID of the sponsor.

Note: Bank statements must cover the last 12 months.

Proof Of Accommodation

The consulate officials in conjunction with the National Migration Institute in Mexico City will want to know where you plan to stay once you arrive in the country and for as long as you remain. You will have to show proof of your hotel reservation or the house address of the friend or family where you will be staying.

If you plan to stay in an Airbnb home, you need to show evidence that you have booked the property. The most important thing is to show proof that you will not be living on the streets and constituting a social nuisance to residents.

Mexico Visa Duration

The duration or validity of a visa depends on the type of Visa in question. Different visas have different validity.

·         Tourist Visa (6 months)

·         Temporary Resident Visa (6 months – 1 year)

·         Permanent Resident Visa (1 year – 4 years)

·         Investor Visa (6 months – 4 years)

Under these categories are different Mexico visa application sub-categories. Also, note that the documents they will request of you vary, but some are constant, like a valid Visa. As long as you can meet the Mexico visa requirements, your application will be successful.