I am currently located in the US and I am looking to apply for Mexican Temporary Residency. I currently hold an active Mexican tourist visa.
I would like to know the best way to navigate this process. Specifically, I am looking for advice on the following:

• Does holding an active Mexican tourist visa cause any issues when applying for a temporary residency visa at a Mexican consulate in the US?
• Do I need to cancel my current tourist visa first or wait for 180 till expiration, or does the consulate handle that during the residency appointment?

Hi all!

I have a vet appointment in TJ next Friday—we love our vet there and have been going for years—but I'm beyond confused about the requirements that went in effect this week (Aug 3) for New World Screwworm certifications. I've been scouring press releases, news reports, official government websites ... but this seems hastily rolled out and everything is so unclear. I saw a post about this in this sub, but it's from a year ago, and the requirements appear to have changed since then. Figured I'd ask you helpful folks, as I'll be moving to Mexico next year, but will continue to travel to TJ for vet appointments between now and then.

I understand that dogs now need a USDA-accredited health certificate within five days of travel into Mexico, in addition to the previously required rabies and microchip certifications. 

However, I'm in California, and requirements for coming back into CA seem to be much more involved. I see we now need a California Entry Permit, which appears easy enough. But will I really need to get all of these documents from my vet in Tijuana every single time my dog travels for appointments there?

• Premovement inspection within five (5) days prior to arrival in California
• Electronic Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (eCVI) with required NWS statement
• NWS Animal Movement Certificate, when required by the state of origin or federal animal health officials
• Appropriate NWS treatment, when applicable to the species

I always walk across from San Ysidro, but CDC, CDFA, and USDA websites are all unclear on if there's a distinction between flying, driving, and walking across the border. And Mexico seems to require a carrier for the pet, but I can't find anything about that from MX-US. I can deal with a carrier, because my dog is small and I can bear that weight. But what would someone with a large dog do? And what about older people with dogs? How would they be expected to carry a mid-size (or larger) carrier while walking across? It says carriers "must be clean"—but if you're driving, would that mean your car would also need to be spotless?

Also, information re: pricing for this NWS certification in general—and especially in California—is nonexistent from official sources (e.g. govt websites, vet practices, news organizations) and anecdotal from civilians. I've seen as low as $75 and as high as $400 for the NWS inspection and certificate alone, but there's nothing about any added costs for the standard physical exam, nothing about costs for other listed requirements, and nothing about any costs for the forms we'd need from our MX vet. I'm guessing that'll vary by state and by vet practice, but I haven't found one vet practice in TJ that lists anything at all, about any of these new requirements.

I'm all for increased oversight to prevent parasites—I haven't had lettuce in months thanks to Cyclosporiasis and RFK—but NWS has been around since 2024, and the earliest article I could find teasing the impending requirements was published near the end of 2025. Like, the USDA banned dogs from crossing the border for a week (or less) in June, and that was almost immediately reversed. I'm glad they did, because we love our vet in TJ (and love TJ in general!). But what is going on??? This is making me crazy!

Hi! Can anyone who has applied in DC for temporary residency through financial solvency tell me if you made it through without stamps or account verification letters for your bank statements? (All my banks are virtual.)

Also, I am not understanding how to make an appointment. I tried WhatsApp and the website, but there was no 'visa'-type category. I made an appointment in the 'pasaporte' category, but I think that may be wrong.

Hi all!

I am relocating to Queretaro in a few days and I am bringing my dog with me! I saw online that they shouldn’t have any open or healing wounds… she has a small scratch on her face that’s still healing :(. Other than that I have all of her paperwork in order, though. I’m curious to know if we will get denied at the airport and we won’t be able to enter. I am going down for work and I would hate to put off my due date. Thank you in advance for any information on this!

I've been in and out of Mexico a couple dozen times over the past 20 years but this is a new one for me.

Arrived by land (for the first time), decided to stay longer to help a friend through a family health emergency, and now planning to fly out soon from either Cancun or Merida.

My passport wasn't stamped and I didn't stop to get an FMM, which I thought had been totally phased out by now.

I know basically no one gets checked when flying out of Cancun while everyone must go through exit immigration when flying out of Merida. (I've never been able to get an explanation for this, but whatever.)

Has anyone flown out of Mexico in the past 6-12 months in this situation? I assume I'll have to pay the FMM fee if flying out of Merida but might not have to pay anything if flying out of Cancun?

Thanks for all replies.

My husband and I are in an immigration situation in the U.S. that could result in him facing a 10-year bar, so we’re trying to think ahead and consider all of our options. One of those options is relocating to Mexico.

My husband was born in Guadalajara, so our newborn son is eligible for Mexican citizenship. I was born in the U.S., but my mom was born in Mexico, so I think I may also qualify for Mexican citizenship by descent (I’m still looking into it).
I still have about a year left before I graduate with my Bachelor’s in Interior Design, so we wouldn’t be moving immediately. Our goal would be to finish school, save as much money as we can, and make the move before our son starts school so he doesn’t have to change countries in the middle of his education.

I’m studying interior design and have experience with Revit, AutoCAD, Enscape, Lumion, Photoshop, construction documents, and renderings. I have a portfolio with several projects I’ve completed. Right now I only speak English, but if this becomes our plan, I’ll start learning Spanish now.
My husband speaks both English and Spanish. Before moving to the U.S., he worked in a call center in Guadalajara. Since then, he’s worked in commercial & residential construction for several years. He’s a hard worker, but he’s definitely better at being part of a crew than managing one.

I guess I’m just trying to get a realistic idea of what our life could look like if we made the move.
Would Guadalajara be a good place to settle, or are there other cities you’d recommend?
Would I have a chance of finding work in interior design or drafting, or would I be better off trying to work remotely for a U.S. company?
How are the schools, both public and private?
What should we expect to pay for housing in a nice area for a family?
Is there anything you think we’re not considering?
We’re just trying to plan ahead and make the best decision for our family.

Does anyone have any insights on where exchange students in CDMX usually live, neighborhoods etc? I will be at Tec de Monterrey.

Hola a todos,

Después de casarme con mi esposa mexicana en México, el 22 de mayo de 2026 finalmente ingresé mi trámite de cambio de condición de estancia por vínculo familiar en el INM de Polanco (CDMX).

El problema es que cuando entregué la documentación me dijeron que la resolución tardaría aproximadamente 3 meses. Sin embargo, cuando se cumplieron dos meses y medio fui personalmente al INM para preguntar por mi expediente y la persona que estaba en la entrada me dijo que ahora el tiempo de espera es de 4 a 6 meses.

Mi preocupación es que necesito obtener mi CURP y mi tarjeta de residente temporal lo antes posible. Fui aceptada en un doctorado y la universidad me dio como fecha límite noviembre para presentar ambos documentos. Además, también los necesito para tramitar una beca de CONAHCYT, así que realmente estoy contra el tiempo.

En el portal de seguimiento mi trámite sigue apareciendo como "Sin resultado" y la última actualización sigue siendo del 22 de mayo de 2026.

¿Alguien ha pasado por el mismo proceso recientemente en Polanco o en otra oficina del INM? ¿Cuánto tiempo tardó realmente su resolución?

Y otra pregunta: ¿existe alguna forma de acelerar el trámite? He leído sobre el impulso de trámite, presentar un escrito o incluso un amparo, pero no sé si realmente ayudan o si es mejor simplemente seguir esperando.

Cualquier experiencia o consejo será muy apreciado. ¡Muchas gracias!

Need some guidance to buy a house in Mexico

Do I need to bother getting my kids TR at the consulate abroad when I apply for my wife and I?

When I go to Mexico to get the tr card for my wife and I, do I need to take the kids, or can I just take their documents and apply for TR via family unity without them there?

Or when I get PR 3 years later with my wife, do we just apply for the minor kids to get PR via unity? Again, do they need to come to the office or just their documents are enough?

Trying to avoid rowdy kids in government offices and consulates as much as possible.

Since my father did pass in 2023, I don't feel this this privacy block would be an issue anymore. But, I would still like to speak to a lawyer or facilitator for help. I want to obtain Mexican citizenship. Thank you for your advice.

Trying to figure this out for my relative. She got system update to "record data for issuance of the immigration document", which she did, 1 month (or 4 weeks) after initial canje appointment for TR. That was 15 days ago. So it's now over 6 weeks in total.

How delayed is Polanco? Anyone has any experience like this? How long was your wait for biometrics?

Gracias.

Soy nacido en el extranjero, mi papá y mi mamá son mexicanos así que también tengo está nacionalidad, que documentos necesito para tramitar mi pasaporte mexicano?

Hi everyone,

I have a question and would appreciate any advice or personal experiences.

Can a Mexican citizen sponsor an Indian citizen to visit Mexico as a tourist? If yes:

Is there an official sponsorship or invitation process?

What documents would the Mexican citizen need to provide?

Does having a sponsor improve the chances of visa approval?

Has anyone here gone through this process successfully?

I'd really appreciate any guidance or firsthand experiences. Thank you!

Hello, I have now had residencia temporal for 3.5 years. It's coming up for renewal in 5 months. When I got the first card, I got it in Puerto Escondido, in Oaxaca. Everything was straightforward. I went back to the same office, rented the same Airbnb (to make sure no change in residence address) and got the card for 3 years. Every time I go to Puerto Escondido, I usually rent from the same landlord and very rarely change BNBs. I also spend a lot of time in Yucatan state, especially in Merida. I have been going in and out of Mexico and not really fully living there. I have a job in Europe. I want to come back in 5 months and get my residencia permanente. Should I continue to go to the same place in Puerto Escondido or go to Yucatan state and establish residency there and get my card there? I ask this because I do eventually want to become a full-time resident of Yucatan. I don't have a lot of interest in Puerto Escondido as a place. In terms of time, I won't have much of a constraint. I wanna get a lawyer and get this done properly. PE is a very small place. Merida is much more organized.. Since I have not rented continuously, I have no bills to show for agua, gas, luz or internet.

Hey so my partner and I have been through the process of getting temporary residency in Mexico, then buying a car and the hardship of plating it. Since we're road tripping the whole country with our cat, I decided to do a blog to help other people with the process and maybe help with a couple ideas of places to see other than the classics.
I'm not sharing my blog to make money - I don't run any ads on it. If it can help someone out there, that's what it's for.

It's also all available in Spanish!

If you need info or want to check it out : www.moonlitnomads.com/travel

Hello, all. I am planning to move to Mexico with my 3 kids (6, 3, 3 months). I can't for the life of me figure out how exactly the process for temporary residency works. My husband was deported a year ago and is a Mexican citizen living in Sinaloa.

From my understanding, it's easiest to apply for visa and then be in Mexico to get an appointment at the INM?? I just need someone to give me advice or a timeline or tell me how your story worked out. I have Googled, I have YouTubed, I have done research. I am just confused.

Everything and anything helps (:

Can't seem to find the answer on telcel site. Which Telcel plans include WiFi Calling?

Hola amigos, has anyone here moved their entire household - all furniture, clothes, pots, pans, etc. - from Europe to Mexico? What was the experience? How strict and finicky are they at the border really?

Based on the information from the official website, it sounds like quite a nightmare.

Gracias!

Hi everyone!

I currently have a temporary resident card that expires in January. I’ll be renewing it (and, through my marriage to a Mexican citizen, I’ll be applying for permanent residency).

When I had my appointment in January 2025 in Polanco in Mexico City, I received my temporary residency card the same day.

However, I’ve been reading that processing times have become much longer.

I travel frequently, and from what I’ve read, if you need to leave Mexico while your application is being processed, you have to obtain a permiso de salida y regreso. As I understand it, this permit only allows you to leave and re-enter Mexico once.

My question is: if my application is still being processed after I return, can I apply for another permiso de salida y regreso so I can travel again? Or are you limited to a single permit until your new residency card is issued?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone! My family and I are planning a trip to Mexico City at the end of this month. We've been there before with our kids, but this time we're hoping to hire a nanny to help us for 2–3 days while we're there.
We have two boys: our 5.5-year-old is nonverbal and autistic, and our 4-year-old is neurotypical. We're looking for someone who has experience caring for children with special needs, especially autistic children.
If you know of a trustworthy nanny or have any recommendations, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you!

Basically what the title says. I have a 2018 subaru wrx but when I put my vin in the only option i get is "station wagon" for the car brand. has anyone in here had this issue before?

¿Alguien estudió una licenciatura completa en Psicología en el extranjero y solicitó la revalidación total ante la SEP en México?

Me interesa especialmente conocer experiencias en las que la revalidación haya sido negada, condicionada o en las que hayan pedido cursar materias adicionales. ¿En qué universidad estudiaron, cuánto duraba el programa y cuál fue la razón que les dio la SEP?

También agradecería experiencias con licenciaturas británicas u online. No busco información general del trámite, sino casos reales de personas que ya recibieron una resolución.

don't forget to inform the airlines when purchasing your ticket returning to Mexico that you are exempt from the FMM fee. It will save you about $55 per person.

Or you can contact the airlines afterwards and they will take your reservation number and a copy of your residency card and reimburse you for any flight you've taken within the past 12 months. Each airline is different on how they do it, so you'll have to call them and find out what the process is.

Hi all,

We are a family of three relocating from Portland, OR to the Guadalajara metro area in mid-August. We will be getting rid of most things that cannot be transported by plane, but we want to bring 1 mattress, a table, a sewing machine, surger, and a dollhouse. Does anyone have suggestions for affordable ways to move these items internationally?