Visa policy of Mexico

A Mexican visa is a document issued by the National Institute of Migration, dependent on the Secretariat of the Interior, with the stated goal of regulating and facilitating migratory flows into the country.

A foreign national wishing to enter Mexico must obtain a visa unless they are the citizen of one of the 68 eligible visa-exempt countries or one of the 3 Electronic Authorization System-eligible countries.

All visitors entering by land should obtain a document - the Multiple Immigration Form - to present at checkpoints within the country.

In 2016, Mexico introduced an electronic version of the form - the “Multiple Immigration Form” or “FMM” (Spanish: Forma Migratoria Múltiple Electrónica, o FMME) - which can be obtained online, costing 40 USD or 687 MXN.

Visa exemption
Nationals of the following countries and jurisdictions holding normal passports do not require a visa to enter Mexico as tourists, visitors in transit or business visitors. Tourists and business visitors can stay in Mexico for up to 180 days. Visitors in transit can stay for up to 30 days.

1 - Including residents of French overseas departments and territories, Danish territories and Dutch Caribbean territories. 2 - For British nationals, only holders of British citizen, British National (Overseas), British Overseas Territory Bermudan and British Virgin Islands Passport Holders, and British subject passports are eligible for visa-free entry. Including permanent residents or valid visa holders of the United Kingdom. 3 - Including permanent residents or valid visa holders of countries that comprise the Schengen area. 4 - Including citizens of Australia and New Zealand residing in Australian territories and New Zealand territories. 5 - Including holders of Permanent Resident Cards or valid visas issued by Canada. 6 - Including holders of permanent residence permits issued by Chile. 7 - Including holders of permanent residence permits issued by Colombia. 8 - Including holders of Permanent Residence Card, Permanent Re-entry Permit or valid visas issued by Japan. 9 - Including holders of valid US visas or Green Cards.

Non-ordinary passports


Holders of diplomatic or service category passports issued by (Visa-Exempt Countries listed), Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, China, Cuba, Guatemala, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Serbia, Thailand, Tunisia and of diplomatic passports only of issued by Andorra, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Benin, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, Honduras, Hungary, Kuwait, Lithuania, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, United States do not require a visa.

Holders of diplomatic or service category passports of Australia, Bahamas, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City require a visa. Holders of service category passports by Andorra and United States require a visa. In addition, Holders of non-Diplomatic special passports issued by the United States require a visa.

APEC Business Travel Card
Holders of passports issued by the following countries who possess an APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) containing the "MEX" code on the reverse that it is valid for travel to Mexico can enter visa-free for business trips for up to 180 days.

ABTCs are issued to nationals of:

Substitute visa
Nationals of any countries for which there is a visa requirement are exempt from it if they have any of the following:
 * Valid visa for:
 * 🇨🇦 Canada
 * 🇪🇺 Any of the countries that make up the Schengen Area
 * 🇯🇵 Japan
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
 * 🇺🇸 United States
 * Permanent residence of:
 * 🇨🇦 Canada
 * 🇨🇱 Chile
 * 🇨🇴 Colombia
 * 🇪🇺 Any of the countries that make up the Schengen Area
 * 🇯🇵 Japan
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
 * 🇺🇸 United States

Note: temporary residence permits on a stand-alone paper or card from any of the above countries are NOT accepted (such as temporary residency card from an EU country, U.S. I-20, Canadian work permit).

Only visas physically stamped in the passport or permanent residence cards are recognized for substituting Mexican visas.

Electronic Authorization System
The Electronic Authorization System (Sistema de Autorización Electrónica, SAE) is an online system, which allows citizens of the eligible countries travelling by air to obtain an electronic authorization to travel to Mexico for transit, tourism or business purposes without a consular visa. It is valid for 30 days and a single entry. Upon arrival, visitors are authorized to stay in Mexico as tourists for up to 180 days. SAE does not apply to travelers entering Mexico by land or sea, or those who are travelling on a non-participating airline, and they must hold a valid Mexican visa or an applicable visa issued by a third country.

Eligible countries are:

Transit within Mexico
As of 22 October 2023, all foreign travelers whose passport of citizenship require a visa to enter Mexico; must obtain a transit visa from a Mexican diplomatic mission prior to boarding a flight to Mexico, regardless if the traveler will not be entering Mexico. Exceptions are for those foreign nationals who:


 * Carry a document that proves their permanent residence in Canada, United States, Japan, United Kingdom, any of the countries that make up the Schengen Area, as well as the member countries of the Pacific alliance.
 * Persons holding a valid and current visa for Canada, United States, Japan, United Kingdom or any of the countries that make up the Schengen Area.

Controversy
The Colombian chancellery in 2021 also spoke about Colombians who had suffered human rights violations in Mexico, and the chancellor Claudia Blum sent a letter to the chancellor of Mexico regarding concern about the repeated non-admissions of Colombians arriving in Mexico, in 2019 5,935 Colombians were not allowed to enter Mexican territory, while in 2020 with Colombia being closed for 7 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 3,721 Colombians where inadmissible in the 5 months remaining. In October 2019, a 17-year old autistic child was selected to join a drawing competition in Mexico City, and arriving into Mexico he was interviewed by some people who, according to the minor, were yelling at him and telling him that he was not welcome in their country. They took away his cell phone, his drawing book and put him in a room that the minor describes as a prison., an interview by Colombian newspaper Semana describes that arriving into Mexico is like "landing in hell".

In November 2021, Mexico cancelled visa-free access to citizens from Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela