EVERYTHING You Need to Know to Apply for Mexican Residency [Temporary v Permanent Visa + Benefits]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 พ.ย. 2024
- For everything you need to know about moving to Mexico and applying for Mexican residency, this is your video! As two Americans living in Mexico, we cover the two types of Mexican visas most expats apply for in order to obtain Mexican residency: the (1) temporary resident visa and the (2) permanent resident visa. We also highlight the benefits of each visa, and why we chose to apply for the permanent resident visa. In addition, we explain the financial requirements, costs, and exactly how to apply for your temporary or permanent resident visa. If you’re thinking about an extended stay in Mexico or moving to Mexico as an expat, then don’t miss this must watch video and important information on how to live in Mexico legally!
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ABOUT US: We're Andy and Trai, a gay couple living in Mexico with our rescue jackhuahua, Pattie. After meeting in San Francisco and later moving to Chicago, we decided to quit our jobs in 2021, sell everything, and become two gay expats. Since then, we've been traveling the world and documenting our adventures on TH-cam and our travel blog. Tulum, Mexico is currently our home base-it's where we got married and decided to build a house. Subscribe for the next chapter in our story. We hope our adventures inspire your travels and show you what places are really like if you are thinking about living, working, or retiring abroad.
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Hey guys 👋 if you have any questions or comments, please drop them below, and we’ll respond ASAP! And if you found this video entertaining and/or helpful, why not buy us a coffee to say thanks? Every little bit helps support our efforts to keep traveling and creating quality content for you! As always, thanks for watching and liking our videos and subscribing to our channel! We appreciate you! 🙏❤️ -Andy + Trai
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Thank you so much Andy and Trai for the most step by step informative videos!
My wife and I wouldn’t be able to get our permanent residency in Mexico this year if she didn’t accidentally found your channel and followed your journey and advice, we would still most likely be searching for a visa appointment!
We wasted several months being on Citas daily trying to secure the appointment with no luck!
Orlando consulate was a top notch in its efficiency, friendliness and helpfulness!
Thanks again! 👍
First, congrats!!! And thanks so much for sharing! Our pleasure!!!!! ❤️
I'm a Nomad Capitalist fan too! Listening to Andrew Henderson talk about "go where you're treated best" really changed my perspective on a lot of things. Thanks, you two, for putting out great content on the residency process!
Thanks for sharing! I know Andrew repeats himself a lot, but I can’t get enough of go where you’re treated best! Glad you’re a fan too!!
I watched your video a couple months ago and you offered some excellent information. We live in Florida so we also went to the Orlando Consulate and it was just as you said. They could not have been more friendly, and as long as you have everything you need the process was relatively quick and painless, and we left with our permanent visa!! We did use a service to help us make the appointment and give us a list of exactly what was needed which gave us a lot of peace of mind. We move to Puerto Vallarta in September and will take the next step of getting our card once we arrive. Thanks again for your great videos :-)
Our pleasure! We're glad it was just as easy for you as it was for us! Congrats, and welcome to Mexico! 🇲🇽
Greetings guys from the Bay Islands, Honduras. 30+ year resident here. Welcome to the hood!
Thank you! We also would love to explore further south too!! Belize, Guatemala, Honduras are all on the list!
Enjoy your next chapter; life in Mexico. Cheers!
Thank you so much! 🙏❤️🙌🌈
Great videos, guys. Love your adventures. My husband and I (gay) are applying for permanent residency in Mexico soon. We are based in Philly, but the local Philly consulate says you must be "officially retired" with a legal document from Social Security stating this. We are in our 50s and are NOT officially retired; we still do freelance projects online. How did you end up choosing the Orlando consulate? I know every Mexican consulate in the US has different rules/standards. Any other consulates in the US you recommend trying?
Thanks, Stan! We had similar concerns and Orlando was the favorable option we found for our situation. We do not know firsthand of any other option, but you could reach out to other Consulates near you to ask what their requirements are? Each consulate is empowered to make their own decisions from our understanding. Hope that helps! Best of luck on this exciting next step!
Hey guys, your videos are full of great information. I am planning on applying for temporary residency in December and will be in orlando at that time so I will try and make an appointment at that consulate. A couple of questions: 1. I couldn’t find a email contact for the orlando consulate, can you share how to communicated with them? 2. For making appointments, did you use the online appointment site or another channel? 3. For financial records, all the information I see it states they need original copies of your banking statements from the bank, no print outs. What was your experience? Thanks very much.
Thanks! You have to make appointments online unless things have changed. The email is visas@conorlando.net. They can provide all answers to your questions. We only needed one set of copies, but again, please confirm specifics by email in case anything has changed. Good luck! 👍
@@TwoGayExpats thanks very much
Since your video was so helpful to me in my journey of obtaining residency, I thought I would share the timing I experienced with you and your viewers:
6/1/2023 requested appointment at the Orlando consulate to receive a permanent residency visa (appointment was given for three weeks later)
6/21 granted permanent residency visa (I’m 60 and qualified based on retirement savings)
7/3 waited in line at Playa del Carmen INM office to have an appointment scheduled (appointment was given for 4 days later) (unfortunately Ciao Bella is no longer next to INM office)
7/7 received permanent resident card at Playa (a form cover letter requesting canje was requested, and signature on a privacy notice; proof of address and photo was not required; my visa indicated canje, but my FMM didn’t indicate canje, but they were able to correct at the Playa office w/o going back to the airport; credit card was accepted and biometrics obtained and card issued same day)
7/8 got in virtual waiting line for RFC at the Playa SAT office (#604 in the line)
7/15 reached the front of the line, and via email was given an appointment about 6 weeks away. (only given 24 hours to accept appointment time)
Being 60 may have qualified me for an exception to having to get in the virtual line, but was told by a PDC SAT rep that the “Adultos Mayores” exception requires the applicant to be 65; this seems to vary by office.
Please let me know if you have any questions regarding my experience.
Thank you for sharing! Super helpful! We’re so glad it was nearly the same as our experience ❤️🙏 also, welcome to Mexico 🇲🇽
Congratulations! Well done!
Thank you!
Great video!
Do you know if you have to stay a certain amount of days on Mexico to obtain permanent residency?
I am thinking of buying a property and eventually spend as much time as possible there. However currently we would only spend approximately 1 month a year in Mexico.
Gracias
Mexico, unlike many countries, does not currently require you to stay a minimum number of days in order to retain your residency status.
@@TwoGayExpats gracias
Very helpful video! Were you able to use IRA accounts or are non-IRA accounts required. I have read most consulates won't accept IRAs. Also were you joking about needing 1900 pages of documents? Thanks for any insight you can share and keep up the good work!
Our pleasure! And we were way over-prepared. Each Consulate has different rules, so we highly recommend emailing the one you make an appointment at for final clarification. And then print that email to be safe!
Thank you!
I'm so excited for you guys! I'm planning on becoming a Mexican citizen since my father is originally from Mexico and I plan to retire in Morelia Michoacan. However I still want to buy property somewhere else...maybe Puerto Vallarta? ha! ha! ha!
Thank you!! And super exciting for you as well! ❤️
Love your videos, helpful and hopeful! Have a question. I got this response from the local consulate: “To apply for permanent residency, you need to be fully retired receiving a pension of at least $4,199.00 USD for the last 6 months, or be over 62 years of age and have in your savings, investments or retirement account at least $167,998.00 USD.” I’m only 54 and working for a non-profit but wishing to move to Mexico that is more affordable. Are you guys fully retired?
Yes, fully retired but each Consulate has the authority to be flexible. For example, Orlando did not require a social security check only enough savings to support your application!
Gentlemen: You made separate appointments at the Orlando consulate? You applied as a married couple, though, right? Being married, were the criteria different? Or did you each have to meet the asset requirements individually? Asking because I've read some information on different consulate websites that says that one spouse must meet the asset or income requirements, but with the addition of the other spouse, it is not double, but just about 25% or so more. My husband and I are planning to apply for residency later this year. We'd love to jump right into permanent, but will go with temporary if we have to.
Hi David! Yes, definitely make two appointments. We asked via email ahead of time if the Orlando Mexican Consulate preferred that we apply separately or together (we had required 12-months of documentation both ways) and they said together. We found two appointments at 10am and 11am after weeks if not months of searching. When we arrived, the Orlando Mexican Consulate processed us together, thankfully (and we were done before the second appointment too!). Since we were flying from Mexico for this appointment, we made sure we had all the paperwork to qualify for economic solvency both separately and together. We would definitely confirm with the Consulate you plan to apply to their requirements, but we believe it was 50% to add a spouse. If you would like to apply for permanent, we would mark the 'definitive' versus '180 days-4 years' box on the visa application. The answer is always no unless you ask! Good luck! And let us know how it goes!
@@TwoGayExpats Thanks, guys! We've got an email out to the Chicago consulate (where we live) so we'll see what they say.
@@TwoGayExpats We had an appointment with the Chicago consulate this past Saturday which we made via emailing them directly. They made one appointment for both of us. We both applied for temporary residency based on income. I had a copy of our apostilled marriage certificate but they said since we were applying under our own individual incomes, it wasn't necessary. They did process us together. We were in and out in 25 minutes. They did not issue the visa the same day. They said they'd call us back within 10 business days to return with our passports so they could affix the visas to them. We'll go down to Mexico in mid-February to stay a few months for the canje process.
Thanks for sharing! And congrats on your residency! You’ll likely also have to return to collect your residency card after your canje appointment (but some receive same day! Patience is always needed!!) Welcome (almost) to Mexico 🇲🇽
Thanks forvthe great video Boys! Im retiring to central Mexico ( just turned 62 yesterday- Hello early social security !) 😎🇲🇽 Ill have to go through the temp residency route to eventually get my PR. Come visit me in San Miguel de Allende sometime next year - we boys gotta stick together!
Best
Lane
Hi Lane, thanks for sharing! SMA is a beautiful, friendly city! Congrats on the early retirement and good luck with your residency! Hopefully, it will go smoothly for you! And thanks for the invite!!
Great content! Much appreciated. We're the both of you allowed to use IRAs as part of your economic solvency total?
Thank you, and yes! 🙌 But ask each office by email as each has different rules!
Fantastic! I'll be using the same office as you (after confirming with the Orlando office of course) as I am a relatively new Florida resident.@@TwoGayExpats
Another great video love the Intro
Thank you!! ❤️
Hi guys! Thanks for sharing all the great info on getting residency. I know the Orlando consulate states they release appointments at the end of the month and they confirmed that to me via email that August appointments would open at the end of July. Any tips or insight on your experience as to when appointments became available online for you?
Just keep checking every day or two and at different times of day as cancellations happen and don’t hesitate to look 2-3 months out. We found our appointments on March 15th for the end of May. It was also a lot of effort to navigate the appointment website, but it was well worth the effort! There are quite a few folks looking to move to Mexico! Good luck!
Thanks for the great information. I am looking for some help on what specifically is acceptable documentation regarding monthly investment statements to prove financial solvency. In their written requirements the Orlando Consulate says bank statements must be “original” and with “Official Bank Stamp” (I have also seen reference to “certified” statements and or “wet signed” statements as being required by some Consulates). In my case my assets are in a Fidelity retirement brokerage account (versus bank account) and so I am wondering what exactly I need to provide? For example if I print color copies of my monthly statements on a good quality printer (I do not receive mailed originals) and bring those with me for the most recent 12 months, will that be acceptable as original investment statements to document solvency? Or will I need to pursue something more from Fidelity regarding some sort of stamp or signature on those monthly statements? Would really appreciate hearing others experience on this question (especially with the Orlando Consulate where I plan to apply). Thanks!
The printed color copies of taxable brokerage and/or IRA statements worked for us! It’s really chill once you get there! Very nice and helpful team working in Orlando from our experience and rainbow safe space flags on every service window! Good luck!
We own a home in FLorida valued at about $280,000. I still work and make about $60K a year before taxes and he is getting $2500 month on social security. Would this meet the requirements?
Each Consulate uses their own methodology so we recommend reaching out to one or more to confirm. Also it’s based on assets OR income not a mix so pick which is easiest and go that route. Even retirement accounts work! Best of luck!
Great video guys! So I'm in the process of applying for Temp status and watched your video and thought wow I'll take that route instead. Going through Pheonix because I'm currently in California. When I asked the consulate about Perm they said that this is only for retired individuals. Below is what they sent me:
Permanent (only for retired persons)
The most recent 6 months of bank statements with a monthly income of over $4,216.34 USD - per person
Stating you can apply for permanent only if you have proof of retirement. Social security or pension, a letter, etc.
So I'm confused about how you guys went about it. I would love to see more deets on what you did.
Thank you 🙏 yes, this was exactly our concern as well, but we are ‘retired’ albeit not with social security etc. it’s an income OR asset based test for perm, so you can pick which one you apply for if you can substantiate the income or assets (~180K) with 12 months of bank statements. It doesn’t mean we can’t ever work again, but we qualify now for perm at least according to the Orlando consulate. Perhaps, Phoenix is more strict. Again, you could fly to Orlando or press a little harder with Phoenix (ie if I have x in the bank, will that qualify for perm? And then print out the email for your appointment). Hope that helps! Like we said in the video, each office has the authority to make their own decisions!
@@TwoGayExpats Yes that makes total sense! I spoke to someone yesterday, as I said, I'm going in under a temp status and they suggested that sometimes the person at the consulate will just randomly change your status to perm if you're super excited and your goal is to live there full-time and if they like you lol. Well, I'm going in super excited and my contact at the Phx consulate has been extremely nice and helpful so my fingers are crossed who knows!
@@DeepBlueandBeyond yes exactly! We knew ours could get changed by the consulate, but we checked the box on the application for permanent and crossed our fingers 🤞Good luck to you!!!
What do you guys know about "Derecho de Piso" and how much of a problem it is throughout Mexico? A recent episode from the TH-cam channel "Two Expats Mexico" discussed it and how it discouraged him from starting a business in Mexico.
Hey, thanks for your question! We saw that interesting video as well! We’re not working or planning to work in Mexico, so honestly not sure? QRoo Paul is a great resource, so we would trust his judgment on this one!
The relatively high economic solvency requirements to obtain permanent residency would be a barrier for many would be expats? Would the $4,300 a monthly income or $172,000 savings apply for a couple like yourselves?
Agreed, the Mexican government also offers a temporary residency visa with much lower thresholds. As an example, the Tucson consulate posts their thresholds online for economic solvency: consulmex.sre.gob.mx/tucson/index.php/serv-extranj/visas. We recommend reaching out to one or more consulates for latest requirements, as they can change at any time.
@@TwoGayExpats so Tucson is the one you chose? I meet the financial requirement, but consulate don't allow me to apply for the permanent one because they state I am too young to retire(age is 28)
@@reocam8918 Hi! We answer these questions in our video! We state which Consulate we chose and why given we also are not of retirement age! Good luck in your residency journey!
Must legal residents pay Mexican income tax on their US income? Thank you.
We cannot provide tax advice as everyone’s facts and circumstances are so different. We highly recommend consulting a tax advisor like MexTax to answer all of your tax questions. They charge a very reasonable consult fee for an hour of questions, and we highly recommend!
My husband and I are in the process of acquiring his green card, but I'm growing more and more worried about gay rights here in the US. With him being a Mexican citizen, would the process be different for me to gain residency?
We feel your concerns. And yes, the process would be different if you are legally married in Mexico? We have a great immigration attorney we can refer you to who has been incredibly helpful to us. Let us know, and best of luck to you both! ❤️
@@TwoGayExpats appreciate the resource, though we are not quite ready to make that move just yet. We are legally married here in the us, but haven't been to Mexico together due to his legal status. It's hard to even think about as we have just bought our first home last year and the thought of totally uprooting everything rn seems like a lot when we have come so far... 😕
@@CreepyWhiteKid totally understand! Makes total sense!!
You would only need to have temporary residente for 2 years before can apply for permanent
A big shoutout from Canada. Congrats on your new home in Tulum. I am also looking to move to Mexico. Do you mind if I ask why you choose Tulum? I heard Puerto Vallarta is a better place to live for the LGBTQ+ community. Keep up the awesome work! I enjoy watching your videos.
Thank you so much!!! Much appreciated! We love Puerto Vallarta, but it’s crazy expensive to buy there! Condos for $700K-$1M+ in the Romantic Zone. We love the relaxed vibe in Tulum, and can’t get enough of the Caribbean blue water. You’ll also find affordable housing options to fit all budgets. In Tulum, you can build a house with a pool in town that is walking distance to amazing restaurants and biking distance to the beach for under $400k. That was our budget. And that’s for top of the line luxury, including underground electricity and fiber for blazing fast wifi, city water, proper sewers to protect the underground water supply, solar panels, roof deck, gated parking, community events and charity work, etc). We have lived in condos our entire adult lives so we wanted to give home ownership a try. And we have multiple gay and lesbian couples and allies in our neighborhood! It also comes with a beach club. We were sold! We’ll definitely do a video on this, owning real estate in Mexico, building a home, our home tour, and more very soon!
@@TwoGayExpats THANKS!!!!!
@@TwoGayExpats How wonderful. What about hurricanes and mosquitoes?
@@genxx2724 both of those exist on both coasts of Mexico and where I’m from in SC so 🤷♂️ maybe CDMX or Querétaro or San Miguel is best if you don’t want those!
@@TwoGayExpats Thank you!
I have tourist visa can i Get this card i have already 6 months visa of Mexico so can I apply to get temporary residency card .
You can only apply for temporary or permanent residency at a Mexican consulate in your home country, unless you qualify for the indemnity program. It’s best to reach out to INM for specific instructions related to your individual circumstances. Best of luck!
Very nice
Thank you!! 🙏
How did you guys get your permanent residency - what qualifications did you need?
It’s all in this video! The biggest hurdle for most people is proving your economic solvency. We walk you through the process and qualifications/documentation requirements in the video!
@@TwoGayExpats I thought you had to do your temporary residency before you get permanent? Is that correct or no?
@@sonnyscott2553 nope, you can go straight to permanent which saves on fees!!
@@TwoGayExpats I had no idea! Great I have my appointment tomorrow and applying for Temporary. I’ll ask then about permanent. I thought you had to have your temporary for 4 years then apply for permanent.
So I can't drive and keep my American car in Mexico?
Tourists and temporary residents can bring a car to Mexico 🇲🇽
@@TwoGayExpats Thank you for the clarification.
I bet you never saw the requirements nor the cost for US residency 🤭 that's expensive!
We have friends who have become US citizens, and it’s much more time consuming and costly for sure. We can’t change the rules, but happy to explain how to navigate them and share our experience in case it helps others.
@@TwoGayExpats 😆😆 one can only wish!
100% 😉
Do you know where I can find form for permanent reisidente? I see the temporary but not permanent
There is only one visa application form. The Consulate sent it to us when we emailed them for current requirements. On the form, the official will check visa type (residencia temporal or residencia permanente or one of the several other visa types). We’re not lawyers, but we would make sure the type of visa you want lines up with the length of stay question (e.g. a permanente visa application would be to check the ‘definitive’ box and temporal would be to check ‘more than 180 days but less than 4 years’ box. Hope that helps!