Moving to Mexico Checklist (2026)

The move at a glance

The deadlines that can't slip are short: a residency visa must be used to enter Mexico within 180 days of being issued, and the canje must start within 30 days of entering. Everything else can move to fit your life.

6–12 months before: research and decide

Start with residency, not the city. Whether you can live in Mexico — and for how long — depends on qualifying for temporary or permanent residency. Put your figures into the residency calculator, then read your consulate's own requirements in the consulate comparison; published thresholds differ by hundreds of dollars a month.

Then choose a city. Compare two or three on the city guides — cost, climate, healthcare, flights — and visit your favorite in its least comfortable season: Mérida in May, Mexico City in the rainy season. A month there tells you more than any guide.

Take tax advice early. Living in Mexico can make you a Mexican tax resident, taxed on worldwide income. Decisions such as when to sell a house or move investments are easier to make before you go — see taxes for expats.

3–6 months before: documents and the visa

• Passports: renew any that expire soon before you apply — the visa sticker goes into your passport, so a new passport later means extra paperwork.
• Family documents: spouses and children applying through family unity need birth and marriage certificates; some consulates require apostilles and official Spanish translations. Order them early — they can take weeks.
• Financial proof: six months of income statements or twelve months of savings statements. Many consulates want originals or bank-stamped copies, not printouts.
• Remote workers: several consulates now ask for an employer letter approving work from Mexico — see the remote work guide.
• Household goods: if you're shipping furniture, prepare your menaje de casa inventory with the consulate before you move.

1–3 months before: money, health and logistics

• Cards: a credit card with no foreign transaction fees and a debit card that refunds ATM fees cover most needs until you open a Mexican account. Keep your home-country accounts — you'll need them for income and, for US citizens, FBAR reporting.
• Health insurance from day one: IMSS has waiting periods and exclusions, so arrange private or international cover to start on arrival — see healthcare.
• Medical records and prescriptions: bring several months of medication in original packaging and copies of your records.
• Pets: dogs flying from the US now need a USDA-accredited vet's screwworm inspection within five days before travel; check the pets guide and your airline's rules.
• Phone and mail: keep your home number alive for two-factor authentication and set up mail forwarding.
• Somewhere to land: book a furnished rental for the first month or two, so you can view long-term rentals in person.

Arrival and the first 30 days

At immigration, tell the officer you're entering with a residency visa for canje. If your entry is recorded as a tourist entry, the visa can't be exchanged and you may have to start again at a consulate — the costliest mistake in the whole process. Keep your entry record.

Within 30 days, complete INM's online form, pay the card fee and submit your documents at an INM office; the canje guide walks through each step. Meanwhile, get a local SIM, register with your embassy's traveler program, and find a doctor, a dentist and the nearest private hospital before you need them.

Months 1–6: settling in

• Residency card and CURP: your card shows your CURP, the personal ID number you'll be asked for everywhere.
• Bank account: with your card you can open a Mexican account and use SPEI transfers — see banking.
• RFC: needed for buying property, working or issuing invoices; it's free from SAT — see RFC for foreigners.
• Long-term lease: agree on a guarantor or póliza jurídica and insist on a written inventory — see renting in Mexico.
• Address changes: tell INM within 90 days whenever you move home.
• Renewal date: a first temporary card usually lasts a year; you renew in Mexico in the 30 days before it expires — see renewals.
• Children: enroll them in school and, before any trip abroad without both parents, get the SAM exit form — see moving with kids.

Documents to keep in your carry-on

Don't pack these in checked luggage or a shipping container:

• Passports with the residency visa sticker
• Original birth and marriage certificates, plus apostilles and translations
• Copies of the bank statements and letters you used for the visa
• Pet health certificates and vaccination records
• Car title and registration if you're driving in on a vehicle permit
• Your menaje de casa inventory, if you have one
• Prescriptions and medical records

Common mistakes

• Entering Mexico as a tourist with a residency visa in your passport.
• Missing the 30-day canje deadline.
• Signing a 12-month lease before living in the neighborhood.
• Assuming home-country health insurance covers you in Mexico.
• Selling assets after becoming a Mexican tax resident without advice.
• Forgetting the renewal window and letting a card expire.