The Mexican government requires that your passport be valid during the entirety of your trip and it is not required to be valid for six months.

A tourist card is a “Forma Migratoria Multiple” (FMM) and one is not required for those under the age of two. It is required for everyone else, including the “Free Zones”, unless you are a Mexican citizen. It allows one to enter Mexico, one time, for up to 180 days but sometimes for shorter periods. The back of the form confirms it is for one entry; however, in Baja California it may be used for multiple entries. The cost is 717 pesos.

Time as a Tourist

Sometimes tourists are not being granted 180 days and in some cases as little as a week. This is especially common at the Leon and Queretaro airports.

There is an electronic FMME. It is available here. Complete the application form. Print the FMM and keep it with you to be validated where you enter Mexico. However, I do not recommend obtaining a FMM on-line. Reasons are:

1. Some web sites are fraudulent and charge as much as $200 extra.

2. A FMM is included in your airfare.

3. At airports FMM’s are no longer used.

4. At the border the FMM requires a person to stop anyways and to have it date stamped.

FMM tourist cards at the border continue. It is very important to keep the stamped portion of the FMM that corresponds to the record of entry, as this is proof of your legal entry into Mexico. It will be required when you leave the country.

Prior to your FMM expiration you return to the border. It is impossible to extend or renew a FMM tourist card from within Mexico.

At some Immigration offices there is a temporary program called regularization. Financials are not required. Your time as a tourist must be expired. You are required to prove entry into Mexico prior to 2022 and one way to do so is with a stamp in your passport. There are 3 Immigration fees. You will be issued a 4-year Temporary Resident visa.

If your time as a tourist does expire while in Mexico, and you are flying out, please go to Immigration at the airport and pay for another period of time as a tourist prior to boarding your plane. Cost is currently 687 pesos. This is not a way to extend your time as a tourist in Mexico.

​In Mexico, as a tourist, you must carry both your passport and 

1. original FMM tourist card when issued, or
2. show stamp in your passport indicating when you entered Mexico, or
3. printout from an airport scanner indicating when you entered Mexico and by when you must leave.

FMM Requirements When Entering Mexico

1. When a tourist or temporary or permanent resident card holder enters Mexico at a border crossing you will normally be issued a FMM.

2. When a tourist enters Mexico at airports with passport scanners (currently Mexico City and Cancun) the photo indicates what you will be issued. You are to retain this receipt for when you leave Mexico. Those who are temporary or permanent residents must not use these scanners or you will be a tourist with a need to start your residency process over at a Mexican consulate.

3. When a tourist enters Mexico at an airport with no passport scanner, normally you will have a stamp in your passport and in that stamp will be written the date you entered and the date by when you must leave Mexico. And, in this example the number is 180.

4. When entering Mexico with a pre-approved Temporary or Permanent resident from a Mexican consulate, you have 6 months to enter Mexico. A pre-approval is for ONLY one entry, meaning you must finalize the process once you enter Mexico or you will need to start over at a consulate. When you enter Mexico, please show your passport and pre-approved visa. When entering at a border crossing, you will be issued a FMM marked CANJE, the number 30 and your pre-approved visa from the consulate will be date stamped. When entering at an airport, you will have a date stamp in your passport and written “CANJE” and “30“ as per the photo. The 30 means you have 30 days to start your visa process in Mexico at an Immigration office. But you must start your process in Mexico prior to the pre-approved visa expiration date.

For those entering at an airport with no FMM and only date stamp, the word CANJE and the number 30 in your passport, you must scan the QR code and print out the FMM. Or, you may also access the FMM portal here. Once you have uploaded a photo of your passport and you confirmed the information is correct, select “Ingresos” and click the small ORANGE CIRCLE with a check mark. Next, select “Descargar” for the download icon. You will not be able to process your pre-approved visa at Immigration in Mexico without a FMM that has been printed and presented to INM staff. You may only download it once so please do not lose the FMM you printed. For clients, I will do this for you.

5. When a Temporary or Permanent resident leaves Mexico your passport may be stamped with date and written is your visa status and the word “SALIDA”. And, as a TR or PR, when entering Mexico, your passport may be stamped with date, visa status and the word “ENTRADA”. As a TR or PR, the number of days will be blank. You may also find that there are no longer separate lines for citizens and non-citizens.

It will now be easier for Immigration to quickly see when were your last entries in to Mexico. This will limit or reduce a quick turn around for those who repeatedly and consecutively enter Mexico while seeking 180 days each time.

6. Printing a FMM

When entering Mexico, if the number of days allowed to be in Mexico as stamped on your passport or on your FMM are not clear or should you wish to confirm how many days have been issued, there is a QR code to check as below. When you point to right-hand end the link at the bottom of the photo there is a down arrow and there it will “open link” to take you to the page to enter your data. Please, register first and then input your information. If your name is hyphenated, please leave out the hyphen and use a space. Each person entering Mexico has a FMM even if not physically issued.

All foreign visitors, regardless of their nationality, traveling to Mexico for tourism, business or in transit to another destination, are exempt from presenting a Mexican visa as long as they have a valid passport issued by any the following countries: Canada, Japan, the United States of America, the United Kingdom or any of the countries comprising the Schengen Area.

Mexico Tourist Visa Exemptions

If you are a Permanent Resident of the following countries: Canada, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, any of the countries of the Schengen Area, and any of the countries members of the “Pacific Alliance”, you do not need a visa to enter Mexico for tourism, business or transit purposes. All individuals in this category are required to present their valid and unexpired resident card along with their passports. Both documents must be valid during your entire stay in Mexico.

If you have a valid and unexpired visa for the following countries: Canada, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and any of the countries of the Schengen Area, you do not need a visa to enter Mexico for tourism, business or transit purposes. All individuals in this category are required to present their valid and unexpired visa along with their passports. Both documents must be valid during your entire stay in Mexico.

If you have a passport issued by one of the following countries, you do not need a visa to visit Mexico for tourism or business purposes for up to 180 days.

Tourist Visa Requirements

There are people who come to Mexico who must have a Mexican tourist visa to enter Mexico. This is the same as a Mexican Citizen to enter the US. These include countries such as Russia, Philipines China, Vietnam, Thailand, etc.

Foreigners entering Mexico coming from a country that requires a tourist visa from a Mexican consulate to enter Mexico to transit through an International airport in Mexico to go on to another country, must have a valid visa.

In other words, those coming from a country that requires a Mexican tourist visa to enter Mexico, who have an onward flight and are changing planes in Mexico, must have a valid tourist visa.