Hi ,
We’re down to the last two months of 2025—can you believe it? If you’ve been putting off your Mexican residency because you weren’t sure when the right time was, now might be your best window.
So let’s talk about what might be changing with Mexican Residency in 2026—and why applying sooner rather than later could save you time, money, and stress
Lack of Appointments
If you have been trying to get an appointment at a Mexican consulate near you, and are having a really hard time securing one- you're not alone!
This year has been especially demanding on Mexican consulates with plenty of Mexican nationals processing passports, registering children, applying for dual citizenship and other bureaucratic processes.
Because of that, the consulates have been swamped with applicants and that doesn't even take into consideration the huge amount of foreigners applying for residency visas. So, what ends up happening? An all around lack of appointments for everyone.
But that doesn't mean you can't still get an appointment before the end of year! It's still possible! But you probably have to start planning like yesterday..
If you have a consulate nearby, it might be worth it to visit them in person and ask if you can make an appointment soon. This doesn't work all the time, but in a last ditch effort, you may be surprised.
If you're willing to travel, you can also consulate shop.
Which means applying at a Mexican consulate that might not be near you if they have appointments. But watchout, because not all consulates allow out of state applicants. It's important to read the consulate's visa pages and determine if they require you to live in state or have an in state ID.
If you need help scheduling your appointment at a Mexican Consulate, we recommend a few immigration facilitators that offer this service.
Some of our vetted immigration facilitators can even suggest which consulates might have the soonest availability based on what appointments they have recently scheduled.
Check out our COMPLETE Mexico Relocation Guide to access our step-by-step online course on moving to Mexico and directory of vetted and recommended contacts across Mexico.
Now, the Mexican consulates aren't the only ones suffering from an all around lack of appointments.
The National Immigration Institute in Mexico (INM) is also experiencing a huge demand for online appointments. And there have been reports of "appointment scalpers" who are booking a bunch of appointments in advance and then selling them back to the facilitators.
I know... infuriating to say the least.
Which also means, that if you are having a hard time booking an online appointment at INM to finalize the 2nd part of your residency visa process, you may be forced to work with a facilitator who can get you an appointment.
Yes, it’s tough right now—but many people are still getting appointments by planning ahead, being flexible, and working with the right facilitator. It’s absolutely doable!
Now, this is the current temp of things but what about for 2026?
Solvency Requirements Are Changing..
Every year, the income requirements to apply for a Mexican Residency tend to increase.
That's because, historically, the Mexican government uses a formula that includes Mexico's minimum wage to calculate financial solvency. And usually, minimum wage goes up every year in Mexico.
But earlier this year, the government announced they are changing the way solvency requirements are calculated. However, we don't actually know when this new "calculation" will go into effect.
Instead of minimum wage, the Mexican government wants to start using UMAs. Which, personally, I think is a win for a lot of you. UMAs don't usually increase as much every year as minimum wage does. They tend to go up at the rate of inflation instead of 15-20% hikes.
The new UMA calculation is: (assuming the exchange rates stay pretty consistent next year at about 18.40 MXN to 1 USD.) Temporary Residency (monthly income): $4,181 USD net Temporary Residency (savings/investments): $70,466 USD net over 12 months Permanent Residency (monthly income): $7,010 USD net Permanent Residency (savings/investments): $281,928 USD net over 12 months Family member add-on: $1,352 USD net monthly each"
BUT HERE'S THE THING...
These new requirements were supposed to go into effect August 2025, and yet the consulates made no changes.. So, we will have to wait and see when and if they will actually start calculating solvency based on UMAs in 2026.
So, if you would rather not risk being priced out next year because they might use minimum wage in 2026 instead of UMAs, then you may want to secure your residency now.
Just so you're aware, many immigration facilitators are currently requesting at least a month's notice from you to secure your INM appointment and help you finalize the process in Mexico.
Because they have to find an appointment for your visit, and help ensure you have all the right documents in order... So please be patient and prepared :)
Mexican Bureaucracy Changes Fast
And please keep in mind that things in Mexican Bureaucracy change fast. Like a lot faster than any other country I know of...
Now, this entire email is what is currently happening as of October 2025. But I have worked at this business long enough to know that things change FAST in Mexico (especially in the last couple of years it seems like).
So, if you happen to be reading this sometime next year or next month, it could be that things have already changed.
I try my hardest to keep you all updated on the changes I hear about and am told about from my network of contacts. And then give you all that information on this newsletter and through any blog posts.
But even then, sometimes things change that I may not be aware of until days or weeks after they change. Because they change that often.
Which is why I ENCOURAGE you to work with a reputable and trustworthy immigration facilitator that can oversee your residency visa process with you and help you ensure you know what steps are next.
The right facilitator can make a world of difference on your outcome. I have seen it time and time again. I've gotten emails from all kinds of people telling me how many mistakes they made along the way that ended up preventing them from obtaining their residency visa.
And you know what? Facilitators aren't that expensive- especially considering the importance of having a residency visa if you plan to live in Mexico at some point.
Facilitators charge ~$250-600 USD per person. The range depends on the level of hand holding, what services they will handle, their workload for your case and those kinds of things.
If you want to learn more about the role of an immigration facilitator, check out this post.
The truth is, residency in Mexico is becoming more sought-after every year, and requirements won’t get easier.
But if you take the first step now, you can lock in today’s rules, avoid next year’s uncertainty, and give yourself the freedom to enjoy your new life in Mexico without stress hanging over your head.
Because moving to Mexico will take planning on your end, but it’s absolutely worth it and doable!
With the right help, the process doesn’t have to be overwhelming. In fact, thousands of people are securing their residency successfully, and you can too.
If Mexico is where you see yourself in the near future, now’s the time to take that step.
Saludos, | ![Artstråda Magazine "We will Art your FACE OFF" [18+]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjw3ZbJnLQoI9Oe4IeaRKDZkH_dkwD9LUdzJ6f-zGLoRrg-vsSRELBtCDL6Esoil1IJLBMVGqTwAhEN1yiXJmfIx2BwaOH67juunCQmleBM0_YMXWGjJRYSPkSIw8Q1L6fKaffkmuubaYnumKjRsyBT3NL8QPi6M-yXBq9WpmL_1583YLRZmy9obICx=s800)
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