Visa
Investor visa in Mexico
Mexico has no scheme called a golden visa. Two grounds for temporary residence rest on money: owning Mexican property worth about MXN 11,000,000 (to be safe, more than MXN 11,000,000), or investing in a Mexican company about MXN 5,400,000 (to be safe, more than MXN 5,400,000). The card lasts up to four years.
- Official names
- Visa de residente temporal: inversionista (procedure 5, investor); Visa de residente temporal: bienes inmuebles (procedure 5, real estate)
Sources: Diario Oficial de la Federación (Secretaría de Gobernación and Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores), Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI), Chamber of Deputies of Mexico. Checked 16 October 2026.
Who it’s for
- Mexico has no scheme named a golden visa. The investment routes are two grounds inside the temporary resident visa (procedure 5): real estate in Mexican territory, and investor. Both lead to a stay of more than 180 days and no more than four years, applied for at a consulate before you travel.
- The May 2026 amendment adds a ground for unpaid technical assistance but leaves the real estate and investor grounds as they were.
- The Migration Law gives temporary residents permission to work for pay only with a job offer. The pages we read do not say whether an investor may draw a salary from their own company.
Sources: Diario Oficial de la Federación (Secretaría de Gobernación and Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores), Chamber of Deputies of Mexico. Checked 16 October 2026.
Money tests
- The real estate test is a public deed showing you own Mexican property worth more than 91,710 days of UMA. At about MXN 100 a day in 2026 that is about MXN 11,000,000. To be safe, have property worth more than MXN 11,000,000.
- The investor test is a capital contribution actually paid into a Mexican company above 45,850 days of UMA, about MXN 5,378,664 in 2026. To be safe, have more than MXN 5,400,000 paid in. Both amounts move each February with the UMA.
- A relative who applies at a consulate on your visa shows 220 days of UMA of their own, a monthly income or twelve-month balance of about MXN 25,800. To be safe, have more than MXN 26,000 for each relative.
Sources: Diario Oficial de la Federación (Secretaría de Gobernación and Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores), Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI). Checked 16 October 2026.
Documents
- Real estate: the original public deed, granted before a notary, showing that you hold title to the property.
- Investor: a notarised deed or a document certified by the company's administrative body showing that you hold shares in the Mexican company and the amount actually paid for them. A share purchase contract, a transfer of assets or a company statement of the amount contributed can show it.
- The investor ground also asks for proof of movable or fixed business assets above the same threshold, or documents showing business activity in Mexico: contracts, service orders, invoices, receipts, business plans, licences or an IMSS certificate showing at least three employees. The guidelines word this item loosely, so check it with your consulate.
- You also bring your original passport and, if you are not a national of the country where you apply, proof of legal stay there. Foreign public documents other than your passport need an apostille or consular legalisation and a Spanish translation.
Sources: Diario Oficial de la Federación (Secretaría de Gobernación and Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores). Checked 16 October 2026.
Timing
- The visa is issued only if the consular interview goes well, and the guidelines give the consulate up to 10 working days. It is valid for 180 days and one entry, and you then have 30 calendar days from arriving to ask INM for your residence card.
- Foreigners can buy urban property and hold bank deposits without INM's permission, within the limits of article 27 of the Constitution. The real estate ground needs the deed, so the purchase comes before the visa application.
Sources: Diario Oficial de la Federación (Secretaría de Gobernación and Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores), Chamber of Deputies of Mexico. Checked 16 October 2026.
Fees
- The law sets the consular fee for an ordinary visa in a foreign passport at MXN 990.79. San Diego prints US$56, takes cash only and does not refund it if the visa is refused.
- The residence card fee at INM is MXN 11,140.74 for up to one year, MXN 16,693.36 for two, MXN 21,142.58 for three and MXN 25,057.82 for four. The half-price rule covers only family, job-offer and unpaid-invitation stays, so it does not apply to investors.
Sources: Chamber of Deputies of Mexico, Diario Oficial de la Federación (Secretaría de Gobernación and Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores), Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego. Checked 16 October 2026.
How long it lasts and renewal
- The stay lasts no more than four years. The card stays valid for the authorised period, renewal pays the same fee as the first card, and a temporary resident may leave and re-enter freely.
- The pages we read do not say whether INM asks you to show the investment again at renewal, so ask INM before your card expires.
Sources: Chamber of Deputies of Mexico, Diario Oficial de la Federación (Secretaría de Gobernación and Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores). Checked 16 October 2026.
Path to permanent residence
- Permanent residence can be granted after four years with a temporary residence permit; changing status costs MXN 1,847.13 and the permanent card MXN 13,578.96.
Sources: Chamber of Deputies of Mexico, Diario Oficial de la Federación (Secretaría de Gobernación and Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores). Checked 16 October 2026.
Tax
- You are a Mexican tax resident if you set up your home in Mexico, and residents pay income tax on worldwide income whatever their nationality. Article 9's test is where you set up your home, not what you own.
- Mexico City and every state charge annual property taxes at widely varying rates. Mexico has no estate, gift or net wealth tax, and the general VAT rate is 16%.
Sources: Chamber of Deputies of Mexico, Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT). Checked 15 October 2026.
Your passport
If you hold a US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passport
What differs for each passport, from the same sources. A line that says there is no difference means the sources we read name none.
United States passport
- At San Diego, documents issued in the United States or Mexico need no apostille, while documents from other countries do. The US and Mexico are both in the Apostille Convention.
- US citizens abroad file US returns on worldwide income. An FBAR report is due when foreign accounts total more than US$10,000 at any point in the year. The 1992 US–Mexico convention's saving clause lets the US keep taxing its citizens, and Mexican tax can usually be taken as a credit.
Sources: Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Internal Revenue Service, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Checked 16 October 2026.
Canada passport
- Canada has been in the Apostille Convention since 11 January 2024, and a Canada–Mexico tax convention is in force. Leaving Canada can trigger a deemed sale of some property at market value.
Sources: Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Department of Finance Canada, Canada Revenue Agency. Checked 16 October 2026.
Australia passport
- Australia has been in the Apostille Convention since 16 March 1995, and the Australia–Mexico tax agreement has been in force since 31 December 2003. Australia's domicile test means a year in Mexico does not by itself end Australian tax residence.
Sources: Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Australian Treasury, Embassy of Mexico in Australia, Australian Taxation Office. Checked 16 October 2026.
New Zealand passport
- New Zealand has been in the Apostille Convention since 22 November 2001, and the New Zealand–Mexico tax agreement has been in force since 16 June 2007. You stop being a New Zealand tax resident only after more than 325 days away with no permanent place of abode there.
Sources: Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Inland Revenue (New Zealand). Checked 16 October 2026.
Other visas
Other visas in Mexico.
The country
More on Mexico.
Questions about Investor visa in Mexico.
Does Mexico have a golden visa for investors?
No scheme carries that name. Mexico's visa guidelines list two investment grounds for temporary residence: owning real estate above 91,710 days of UMA, or investing in a Mexican company above 45,850 days of UMA. Each gives a stay of up to four years.
How much property must you own for Mexico's real estate residence ground?
Property worth more than 91,710 days of UMA, about MXN 10,758,500 at the 2026 UMA. To be safe, have property worth more than MXN 11,000,000. You show it with a public deed before a notary; the amount moves each February.
How much must an investor put into a Mexican company for temporary residence?
More than 45,850 days of UMA actually paid in, about MXN 5,378,664 in 2026. To be safe, have more than MXN 5,400,000 paid in. You also show business assets or activity in Mexico, such as contracts, invoices or an IMSS certificate showing three employees.
Does investing in Mexico lead to permanent residence?
Not on its own. The investor and real estate grounds give temporary residence of up to four years. Permanent residence can be granted after four years with a temporary residence permit; a points system exists but its rules are in a separate agreement.
Do foreigners need permission to buy property in Mexico before applying for residence?
No INM permission is needed to buy urban real estate or hold bank deposits, within the limits of article 27 of the Constitution. The real estate ground then needs the public deed with your visa application at a consulate.
What government fees apply to Mexico's investor visa?
The consular visa fee is MXN 990.79 in the law; San Diego prints US$56 in cash. The residence card costs MXN 11,140.74 for up to a year, up to MXN 25,057.82 for four years. The half-price rule for family and job-offer stays does not cover investors.
Sources
Official sources we used.
Government and official pages only, each with the date we checked it.
- Temporary resident visa: economic solvency (2026 checklist), Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego. Checked 16 October 2026. San Diego consular district. Income US$4,510 a month for six months or a US$75,950 average balance for twelve; fee US$56 in cash.
- Status table: Apostille Convention of 5 October 1961, Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Checked 16 October 2026. In force for Mexico from 14 August 1995, the United States from 15 October 1981, Canada from 11 January 2024, Australia from 16 March 1995 and New Zealand from 22 November 2001.
- US citizens abroad: filing requirements, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 4 October 2026.
- Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Checked 4 October 2026.
- US–Mexico income tax convention (1992), text, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 4 October 2026. Article 4 (residence) and the saving clause read; the 2002 protocol was not reviewed.
- Foreign tax credit, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 4 October 2026.
- Tax treaties in force, Department of Finance Canada. Checked 4 October 2026. Canada–Mexico convention signed 12 September 2006.
- Leaving Canada (emigrants), Canada Revenue Agency. Checked 4 October 2026.
- Treaties in force, Australian Treasury. Checked 4 October 2026. Mexico agreement signed 9 September 2002, in force 31 December 2003.
- Australia–Mexico tax agreement (2002), text, Embassy of Mexico in Australia (copy of the Australian Treaty Series text, [2004] ATS 4). Checked 4 October 2026. Articles 4 (residence), 14 (independent services), 15 (employment) and 23 (double tax relief) read; later changes by the Multilateral Instrument not reviewed.
- Australian resident for tax purposes, Australian Taxation Office. Checked 4 October 2026. Last updated 3 June 2026.
- New Zealand–Mexico tax agreement, Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Tax Policy. Checked 4 October 2026. In force since 16 June 2007; signed 16 November 2006.
- New Zealand tax residence, Inland Revenue (New Zealand). Checked 4 October 2026.
- General guidelines for issuing visas (Lineamientos generales para la expedición de visas), Diario Oficial de la Federación (Secretaría de Gobernación and Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores). Checked 16 October 2026. Dated 14 July 2025. Procedure 5 (temporary residence visa), 7 (permanent residence visa), 8 (family visa asked for at the National Migration Institute), 10 and 11 (job-offer visa).
- The UMA values from 1 February 2026 (press release 1/26), Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI). Checked 15 October 2026. MXN 117.31 a day from 1 February 2026.
- Migration Law (Ley de Migración), articles 52 to 56, 59 and 60 (archived copy of 2 October 2026), Chamber of Deputies of Mexico (Internet Archive copy). Checked 16 October 2026. Text in force, last reform DOF 15 January 2026.
- Amendment to the general guidelines for issuing visas (13 May 2026), Diario Oficial de la Federación (Secretaría de Gobernación and Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores). Checked 16 October 2026. Dated 13 May 2026; in force the day after publication. Changes procedures 5, 10 and 11.
- Federal Law of Duties (Ley Federal de Derechos), articles 8, 9, 14 Bis and 22, Chamber of Deputies of Mexico. Checked 16 October 2026. Text in force, last reform DOF 7 November 2025; amounts in pesos as printed in the law.
- Federal Tax Code (Código Fiscal de la Federación), article 9 (archived copy of 21 September 2026), Chamber of Deputies of Mexico (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026.
- Income Tax Law (Ley del Impuesto sobre la Renta), articles 1 and 96 (archived copy of 17 September 2026), Chamber of Deputies of Mexico (Internet Archive copy). Checked 15 October 2026. Copy last reformed 1 April 2024 on the monthly payment rule; later reforms not reviewed.
- Value added tax (IVA), Servicio de Administración Tributaria (SAT). Checked 30 May 2026. General rate 16%.