4 essential things you should consider before getting a Mexican visa

1.     See if you need a visa

 

If the purpose of your visit is to explore business opportunities, such as meeting with potential customers or partners, interview consultants, look for office space or the like, and you plan to stay less than 180 days in Mexico, you will likely only need a visitor visa.

 

Many nationalities are exempt from the visa requirement, such as Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, USA, UK. See this link of the National Institute of Immigration to see if you are exempt. 

 

If your plan is to stay longer than 180 days or work in Mexico you will need a resident visa, even if exempt.  

 

2.     Prepare ahead of time

 

Start making arrangements at least 3 months in advance to your planned trip. Because the time for securing a visa depends on the schedule and policies of your nearest consulate, you should talk to them to ask about their waiting times. See next item. 

 

3.     Visit a Mexican consulate

 

Visit your nearest consular office to learn particular aspects of the visa process in your local office. Note that even thou the immigration rules apply to all consular offices worldwide, each local office has different policies, business hours and other specific traits. It will also be a little different from what you find online. 

 

If you cannot visit a consulate then you should check their website and call them to ask about their appointment policies. Although all consular appointments are typically done through the MiConsulado website, your local office may have different or additional appointment requirements, so be sure to double check these. 

 

If you are not able to get anyone on the phone, send them an email. They will always reply and provide useful information. 

 

4.     Organize your documents and paperwork

 

Most consulate websites will tell you the minimum requirements of what you should bring to your interview. Bring additional supporting documents to the information that they require. For example, if the consulate asks for proof of employment, bring such along with a presentation from your company, name and contacts of its directors or managers. 

 

The consulate will verify the information that you provide them, so the more you give them the easier it will be for them to validate the data. 

Mink Global, S.C., Counsel
3 October, 2023
Share this post
Sign in to leave a comment