Mexico visas

Mexico is a beautiful country in the Southern part of North America. In the North, It reaches the United States, and its southern borders are shared with Belize and Guatemala. Mexico welcomes many visitors every year. Therefore, the Mexican government authorized Mexican tourist visas for foreigners for tourism, business, visit, and cultural events. This article explains the Mexico visa types, how to apply, and their requirements.

Who should get a Mexico visa?

Depending on:

• Your nationality
• The duration of your stay
• Purpose of your visit to Mexico

Mexican laws determine if you need a visa.

Citizens or permanent residents of specific countries can benefit from Mexico visa exemptions and travel to Mexico without a visa. Nationals of nearly 170 countries are eligible to apply for an e-Visa for business or tourism-related purposes.

The other nationalities that are not on the visa exception list need to apply for Mexico visas for the following purposes:

• Tourism
• Studying short term courses
• Visiting friends or family

They can stay in Mexico for up to 180 days if they can obtain the related visa. All travelers who plan to stay more than 180 days have to apply for a temporary Mexico visa.

What are Mexico visa types?

Mexico offers visas for different purposes. Here is a list of different types of Mexico visas for world nations:

• Short-stay visas
• Temporary residence visas

Short stay visas

Here is a list of different types of short-stay visas that the Mexican government offers:

Mexico Family Visa

Suppose you have a family member in Mexico who you wish to visit, and you are a national from countries that benefit from Mexico visa exemption. In that case, you can enter Mexico for 180 days and reunite with your family members. However, if you are from another country, you need to apply for a Mexico family visa.

Mexico Student Visa

Students from countries with Mexico visa exemption can move to Mexico for study-related reasons. They can stay in Mexico for 180 days. This method is ideal for students who want to study for short-time courses. If you are a student from another country, you need to submit a Mexico student visa application.

Mexico Tourist Visa

Travelers who are looking for a good experience and like to enjoy the natural sights of Mexico can use this method to enter and visit the historical places of Mexico. However, these tourists can only stay in Mexico for 180 days. If you are from a country not on the visa exemption list, you need to apply for a Mexico tourist visa.

Temporary residence visas

Here is a list of Temporary visas that the Mexican government offers for several travel purposes:

Mexico Family Visa

If you have a child, parent, step-child, step-parent, spouse, or partner who is a resident or Mexican citizen, you can apply for a Mexico Family Visa to unite with your family member. You need to apply for a permanent residence visa within 30 days from your arrival date when you travel.

Mexico Student Visa

International students who plan to chase their educational goals in Mexico need to receive a Mexico student visa for studying in Mexico for more than 180 days. When you enter Mexico as a student, You have 30 days to submit an application for a Mexico Temporary visa upon your arrival. If you want to work while you are in Mexico, you must find an employer and ask them to apply for a Mexico work visa on your behalf.

Mexico Tourist Visa

Mexico welcomes many tourists every year. Therefore, the Mexican government authorized Mexico tourist visas to foreigners to visit and enjoy Mexico’s cultural events and historical places. This method allows you to stay for 180 days. However, if you wish to enjoy Mexico more, you need to apply for a Temporary Mexico visa in 30 days since you arrive in Mexico.

Mexico Permanent Visa

Mexico Temporary visa is usually for one year. However, it can be extended to four years. After your four-year stay is over, you are qualified to request the Mexican government for a Mexico  Permanent visa. This visa allows you to work, own property, open a bank account in your name, etc.

Mexico visa requirements

You need to collect some required documents for your visa application process:

A Mexico Visa Application Form

You can go to a Mexican embassy in person and get this form and complete it. Or you can complete it online on the Mexican embassy website.

A valid passport with one blank page

The Mexican government requires your passport to have at least six months of validity or be valid for the duration of the stay in Mexico. Your passport must also have blank pages because your visa needs to be attached to it.

A copy of the traveler’s passport

A photocopy of your passport is necessary. You need to present it to Mexican authorities.

Picture

You need a colored picture of yourself in passport sizes with a white background, no headgear, and no glasses. Your picture must belong to the past six months.

A completed Multiple Migratory Form

The Multiple Migratory Form (FMM) or tourist card is given to you at the Mexico airport or from the cabin crew of your flight (its price will be added to your ticket price). Therefore, keep it in a safe place because you will need it for your departure.

Reserved round-trip travel ticket

They don’t necessarily need to be purchased, but you need to reserve them at least to show you have intentions to leave Mexico.

Evidence of accommodation

For student and family visas, you need to provide some evidence about your temporarily living place.

Employment status documents

You will need these documents for your Mexico work visa application. There are some documents you have to prepare, and there are some documents that your employer has to provide to the Mexican embassy.

Cover letter

A cover letter addressed to The National Institute of Migration (INM) o Mecixo embassy, depending on the nature of your visit to Mexico.

A statement of a paid Mexico visa fee

There is a visa fee you have to pay for the type of visa you are requesting. In addition, there is a visa fee for a Temporary residence visa (if you are staying more than 180 days) and its renewal. There is also a third visa for Permanent visa application.

Evidence of sufficient financial means

You need to prove to the Mexican government that you have adequate financial means to pay for your entire stay in Mexico.

What is the Mexico visa application process?

There are several steps for acquiring Mexican visas. Applicants must complete all the steps to get their visas at the end.

Set a time for an appointment at the embassy

You must contact the Mexican embassy and set a time to go there in person.

Fill out the Mexico Visa Application Form

This form is also accessible from the website of the embassy. You need to complete this form with your information such as your name, birthday, sex, marital status, etc.

Gather the required documents

There is a list of documents you need to collect for your application process. This list will be handed to you by the Mexican authorities.

Set another appointment at the embassy

You must go to the embassy again and submit the documents, application forms there. You also must pay the visa fee. You might have an interview there as well.

Wait for the embassy to complete the visa process

There is no need to contact the embassy anymore. All you need to do is wait and let the embassy reach its final decision regarding your application.

Take their passport to the embassy

If your application is approved, you must take your passport to the Mexican embassy and have them attach your visa to your passport.

How long is a Mexico visa valid?

Your visa validity depends on the type of visa you want to obtain. For example, If you use visa exemption or don’t apply for a temporary visa, you can only stay for 180 days. If you apply for a Mexico temporary visa after your initial 180 days, you will be allowed to stay for one year. You can renew this temporary visa 30 days before its expiration date and extend it for four years.

Let’s sum up…

The Mexican government provides several types of visas for nationals of different countries. In this article, we explained short-term, temporary, and permanent visa types. We also covered the general steps of applying for these visas and their overall requirements.

If you wish to learn more about Mexico visas, check out the left sidebar and read about each visa type in detail.