Immigration in Mazatlan and Mexico

When you arrive to Mexico as a tourist you will be given an FM-T visa which is the official name for a tourist visa. The FM-T allows you to stay in Mexico for up to 6 months starting from your entry date, without having to cross the border to renew your visa. When leaving Mexico you turn in your FM-T to Mexican Immigration, so you must leave the country before your FM-T expires.

Visitors who plan on staying in Mexico for more than 6 months at a time, without having to make the semi-annual trip to the border will need to apply for “non immigrant status” which was previously known as an FM-3. Non immigrant status is a renewable long term visa that gives non-immigrant temporary residency status to the visa holder. Your non immigrant card must be renewed annually if you wish to continue living in Mexico. 

Obtaining non-immigrant status is pretty simple in most cases! There are different categories of non immigrant status such as working, going to school, retired etc. and each category requires different documents for obtaining your non immigrant card.  Generally the required documents to apply for non immigrant status include:

- Your original tourist visa (it cannot be expired)
- Current passport
- Proof of address in Mexico (electrical or water bill)                   
- Copies of each of the above documents

If you are seeking permanent residence and/or wanting to obtain Mexican citizenship in the future then you would applicable for “immigrant status” previously known as the FM-2.

Once you have had “immigrant status” for 5 years you are then eligible to apply to be a Mexican citizen. In order to become a Mexican citizen you must prove that you have been living in Mexico for the past 5 years and prove that you have basic knowledge of Mexican history and that you are able to speak the Spanish language. There are other situations in which you are eligible for citizenship which include marrying a Mexican National, having children who are born in Mexico or if you make a significant contribution to Mexico that would be recognized by the Secretary of Government.

Immigration laws and regulations do tend to change often so for more information about tourist visas, non immigrant status, immigrant status or Mexican citizenship please visit your local immigration office.

Visit http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/pagina_principal/en.html