Last Updated on July 14, 2021 by Natalie
We became permanent residents of Mexico recently. Should you decide to become expats in this lovely country on the path to becoming permanent residents in Mexico, here’s what you can expect as a family going through the immigration offices in central Mexico.
Please note: This blog does not contain legal advice. Laws and processes can change quickly and without warning. If you are planning to move to Mexico on your own, it’s advisable to hire an experienced immigration attorney to help you through the process. This post explains how the process worked for us regarding the actual experiences, waiting times, and so forth.
What it’s like becoming permanent residents in Mexico
As I’ve stated before, we originally came to Mexico in 2017 on assignment for my husband’s company. Due to coming to live here with a company backing us, we have it pretty easy as far as figuring out the process. Additionally, being sponsored (so to speak) also means that visa process is slightly different than for people coming here on their own.
If you are planning to navigate Mexico’s immigration process as an individual or family, I highly recommend reading Cassie Pearce’s book “Moving to Merida” as she details the visa process in a way that makes it easy to understand.
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Beginning the visa process for living in Mexico (from the USA)
Though things were quite crazy for us in the 4 months from receiving the assignment to our move date (here’s where to read all the posts about our Mexico expat journey), there was some confusion within the company and the expat coordinator did not know my husband had accepted the assignment. He had to go to the closest Mexico Consulate Office with only a week to go before his official start date.
He had to complete the paperwork, etc. for the working visa. Once that was accepted, we proceeded with our move to Mexico! The family comes along on a vacation visa. American citizens can spend six months in Mexico. If from this point, you don’t plan to receive your temporary resident card, you will have to leave Mexico every six months to remain in good standing. I knew a woman who did this, as her husband’s company didn’t seem to be much help with helping her get the temporary resident card. As their assignment ended up being less than 2 years, this worked out okay for them. However, I think after 2020 and now 2021, this is not a good way to live in any country. I recommend highly living legally in the country you have chosen, because emergencies can happen.
Within 2 months of moving, the family received our first temporary resident cards. The company’s lawyers did all of the work for this and met us at the immigration office in San Miguel de Allende to help us with any questions/translations/etc.
Side Story
During our wait in the immigration office in San Miguel, we were witness to a man being escorted out in handcuffs, with his wife crying about whatever was happening. Their young children were also around. At the time, I spoke zero Spanish and I don’t know what happened, but it was a jostling moment to watch a family torn apart for reasons unknown.
FM3 cards
One year later, we had to get our 3 year FM3 cards. At this point, we are still temporary residents. I still cannot work at a job in Mexico unless I apply for a special visa.
Again, my husband completed the process two months earlier than the rest of the family, because his card expired first. Two months later, the kids and I go through the process. The process then involved getting fingerprinted (again) and photos, as well as the extensive paperwork the lawyers prepared in advance.
These cards are good for three years. Since our assignment was only supposed to last for 3 years and we were one year in, we weren’t sure if we would be applying for our permanent resident cards or not. We had hoped to be able to extend, but it wasn’t guaranteed.
There was a need for my husband to stay in his position, so we were able to extend the assignment for two additional years.
Permanent residents of Mexico
I’m happy to say that this year (2021), the entire family became permanent residents of Mexico! This is not the same as citizenship, however, I can now work legally in Mexico without any additional visas. I don’t plan on doing this at this point, but I like having the option. The cards for me and my husband don’t expire. Our kids’ cards are good for 5 years.
Since we now live in Queretaro state, we went to the immigration office in Queretaro. Since it’s after Covid times, the process was a little bit different and took a lot longer.
Enjoying Mexico, while overlooking the Queretaro aqueduct on a rare cloudy morning.
Our experience on the actual day of going to the immigration office
We were told to arrive at 8:30 am on the day we’d chosen to get our fingerprints done. While our law office’s representative was already in line when we arrived, the line was already pretty long. The immigration office opens at 9 am. Once they were allowing people into the building, we stepped through the gate and received a number for each person receiving their cards on that day. We had three applications, so three of us entered. We received antibacterial gel and had our temperatures taken (I have so many concerns about these practices and I wish they hadn’t become commonplace, especially the gel), and followed the line into the buildings lobby. We were told to sit on the benches there. After a short time, they allowed us to proceed upstairs to the second floor, where we were directed to different benches. We spent the next 2 hours there. You cannot use cell phones within this office.
Our lawyer’s representative could not walk into the building with us at the time we entered. I noticed later that another woman’s lawyer came in and talked to an official at some point and by the time we were finished, our lawyer’s representative was up on the second floor with us. I don’t know the exact policies in place that allowed that. I just know that we didn’t have her with us the whole time this time, though she was waiting for us nearby.
My appointment
Because I was there to receive my card, my husband ended up being the point person for our kids. I’ll go through my appointment first.
Before they were officially serving our numbers (though we were super close), an official asked if anyone was there solely for fingerprints (in Spanish, thankfully my husband knew the word for fingerprints because I didn’t). They took some of the paperwork for the three of us. I ended up getting called up first. I sat down on the chair at the window (called ventatillas), which had a white screen behind me. I had to interact a little bit – handing her the rest of my paperwork, following the instructions to take my fingerprints digitally, then remove my earrings for the photos. They take photos straight on (no smiling, ears showing), then each side.
Even while sitting at the window, the immigration official was up and down doing whatever she needed to do for my card. I did receive it same day. I believe that barring a shortage of materials or printer problems, this is the norm.
The appointments for the kids
While I was at the window for my appointment, the first kid was called up for their appointment. They had my husband come and sit at the window first. Amazingly, his window was right next to mine, so I was able to chat with him about various items related to our appointments. This was just good luck for us! He answered whatever questions that he needed to answer and provided the paperwork for our son. Then, my son came up and sat down to have his fingerprints taken digitally and then have his photos taken. For children, they are the same as for adults. One straight on, then one more for each side.
Meanwhile, I was taking out my daughter’s earrings, which was quite a process. I’d taken her to a piercing place in Ohio during our winter visit, so the earrings are a little more difficult than normal earrings for kids. Getting them out wasn’t terribly difficult (since I’d figured it out when we’d had our photos done for our permanent resident applications a few weeks prior), but I dreaded having to put them back in because it had been so difficult the first time. In retrospect, I really wish I’d waited a year to have her ears pierced.
Then, he repeated the process for my daughter. Yes, my kids were sitting alone on the benches for part of the time while my husband and I were occupied at the windows. Our kids are 8 and 9 and somehow did really incredibly well during this process. Though they weren’t as quiet as the kid on the bench in front of us, comparison is the thief of joy and it really could’ve gone much worse. We fed them both a good breakfast before coming, so they were only starting to get hungry towards the end of the process.
Tips for your appointment(s) with Mexico immigration
- You cannot use cell phones inside the immigration building, so don’t plan on that being your child’s entertainment while waiting.
- There are bathrooms.
- Waiting times will vary. My husband was in and out in about 30 minutes for his appointment. The kids and I waited two hours until we were called to the window.
- You cannot wear earrings or facial jewelry in your photos.
- Even though you submit nice photos in advance (without your jewelry), the ones they take the day of your visit are the ones that will be used on your cards.
- The above was extremely disappointing because my picture is awful.
- There are chairs at the windows and they are around 100 times more comfortable than the benches.
- We were warned in advance the process can take 2-3 hours. I planned for the longer end of this estimate. It took us 2.5 from getting in line around 8:30 am until we were walking out of the building.
Final Thoughts
Though it can feel overwhelming and seem complicated to go through the process of becoming an expat in Mexico, it’s surprisingly do-able as a citizen from the USA (and also Britain, check out Cassie Pearce’s book “Moving to Merida” has a lot of information about going through the process on your own as a British citizen). In our case, my husband’s company’s lawyers navigated the process for us and we showed up when and where we were told to complete the process. Waiting times will vary, but overall, the waiting was the worst part. Going in prepared and knowing what to expect makes it a lot easier.
Do you have experience becoming permanent residents in Mexico? The best feedback (and questions) come from readers! Please leave a comment. Thank you!
