Mexican visa: requirements, cost and how to get the appointment

We are a private service. The appointment is free at citas.sre.gob.mx and you can do the procedure yourself. If you prefer our support, we charge for our service.

In short

• The Mexican visa is requested in person, at a consulate or embassy of Mexico, with an interview and the recording of biometric data (visa guidelines (Lineamientos), DOF of July 25, 2025).
• The appointment is free at citas.sre.gob.mx. The government fee for the visa in 2026 is USD 56, and USD 54 for the 10-year visitor visa (Ley Federal de Derechos 2026).
• The consulate decides within up to 10 business days. The visa does not guarantee entry: the immigration authority decides that when you arrive in Mexico.
• You do not need a visa for a visit of less than 180 days if you have a valid multiple-entry visa from the U.S., Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom or the Schengen area, or permanent residence in those countries or in Chile, Colombia or Peru.

Who needs a visa and who is exempt

It depends on your nationality. Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) publishes the list in its Régimen consular por nacionalidad, in its 2024 version. Three common cases:

• Haiti: needs a visa. The visitor visa without permission to work is free for Haitians (Embassy in Haiti, September 14, 2026); the 10-year one costs USD 54.
• Venezuela: needs a visa since January 21, 2022 (Embassy in Venezuela, updated March 24, 2026).
• Colombia: does not need one for visits of less than 180 days. It does need one to live in Mexico or to study for more than 180 days (Embassy in Colombia, updated August 8, 2025).

Whatever your nationality, you do not need a visa for a visit of less than 180 days, without working, if you have one of these documents (Embassy in Haiti, accessed September 21, 2026):

• a valid multiple-entry visa from the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom or the Schengen area;
• a permanent resident card from those countries or from Chile, Colombia or Peru.

A temporary permit, such as Colombia’s PPT, does not exempt you (Colombia guide, in Spanish). And these exemptions only apply to visits, not to residence.

The electronic visa is only for people from Brazil traveling by air, since February 5, 2026 (DOF September 11, 2025). People from Russia, Turkey and Ukraine can use the INM electronic authorization (SAE, checked October 4, 2026). All other nationalities apply for the visa in person.

Visa types and how they appear in MiConsulado

Source: visa guidelines (Lineamientos), items Noveno and Décimo (ninth and tenth).

How long it lasts and whether it can be renewed

• Visitor: the visa is valid for up to 180 days from the day it is issued, with multiple entries during that time (Lineamientos, procedure 1).
• Long-term visitor: 10 years, with multiple entries. It is for people with ample financial means, frequent travelers or the spouse of a Mexican citizen or of a resident, among other cases (procedure 2).
• The stay is a different thing. Each time you enter, the immigration officer decides how many days you can stay, never more than 180.
• It is not renewed. The Lineamientos have no visa renewal procedure: when it expires, you apply for a new one, with an appointment and all the requirements. What is renewed is the resident card, which is handled in Mexico with the INM.

At citas.sre.gob.mx visas are scheduled in two groups. This is what they are called in Haiti (Embassy, September 14, 2026); at other offices the name may vary:

• “Visas sin autorización del INM” (visas without INM authorization): the ones you request directly at the consulate, like the visitor visa or the student visa.
• “Visas con autorización del INM” (visas with INM authorization): the ones that start with a NUT. The system asks you for that number.

The NUT (Número Único de Trámite) is the number of the official letter with which the INM authorizes your interview at the consulate. It is requested in Mexico by a relative who is Mexican or a resident, or by an employer registered with the INM. In 2026 the authorization costs MXN 248 and is free for humanitarian reasons. The INM decides within up to 20 business days (INM, 2026 fees).

The rule gives the NUT a validity of 30 business days (Lineamientos). The Embassy in Haiti gives 6 months for the interview (Embassy in Haiti, August 7, 2026). Time limits and extraordinary appointments are in the guide to the visa with INM authorization.

Government fees in 2026: what is paid to the consulate

Source: Excerpt from the Ley Federal de Derechos 2026, arts. 22-III and 8-II, in force since January 1, 2026. The exemption for Haitians is published by the Embassy in Haiti (September 14, 2026).

• For Haitians, only the visitor visa without permission to work is free. The 10-year one costs USD 54, and the other types, USD 56.
• The law also exempts victims, relatives of disappeared persons and people with humanitarian causes from paying for the visitor visa (art. 22-III).
• The amounts are in dollars and can be charged in local currency, at the exchange rate authorized by Hacienda, Mexico’s finance ministry. In Haiti they are paid in cash and in dollars on the day of the appointment. In Bogotá they are paid before the appointment, at Banco de Occidente, and they are not refundable (Embassy page, 2025).
• With a resident visa, when you arrive in Mexico you exchange it for an INM card within 30 calendar days (DOF, May 15, 2026). In 2026 the temporary resident card for 1 year costs MXN 11,141 and the permanent resident card costs MXN 13,579 (INM, 2026 fees). There is a 50% fee for some cases, which is requested at the INM before paying (NUT guide).

Financial solvency in 2026: how much money you must show

Since the 2025 Lineamientos, financial solvency is measured in UMA. In 2026 the UMA is worth MXN 117.31 per day, from February 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027 (DOF, January 9, 2026).

Source: visa guidelines (Lineamientos), procedures 1 and 5, with the 2026 UMA.

• The figures change every February 1, with the new UMA.
• Each consulate publishes its own figure. Compare the figures above with the one on its page. The Embassy in Caracas already uses these amounts (Embassy in Venezuela). The one in Haiti still calculates with the minimum wage (Haiti guide).
• Financial solvency is not the only route. In Haiti and in Caracas, ties (arraigo) or an invitation from an institution are also accepted. In Caracas, people over 65 who travel for tourism do not need to prove financial solvency.

If you apply outside your country

You can apply for the visa at a consulate of Mexico in another country if you have legal stay there. That day you present the original of the document that proves your legal stay: an immigration document or a valid visa from that country (Lineamientos).

In Bogotá, for example, the entry stamp of less than 90 days, a visa, the cédula de extranjería (foreigner ID card) or the PPT are accepted (Embassy in Colombia, updated August 8, 2025). If your permit is of another type, confirm with the consulate that it accepts it before you get the appointment.

If you are from Venezuela or from Haiti and you live in another country, also check the Venezuela guide (in Spanish) or the Haiti guide.

How to get the appointment yourself

1. Check whether you need a visa with the exemptions above.
2. Choose the type of visa. If it is with INM authorization, wait until you have the official letter with your NUT.
3. Choose the office: the one in your country or the one in the country where you have legal stay.
4. Read the page of that embassy or consulate. Each office opens appointments according to its capacity and publishes its rules. In Haiti they open once a month and the Embassy announces the day and the time on Facebook and on X (@EmbamexHaiti). In Bogotá they open once a month, with no fixed date or time, and they run out the same day (Embassy in Colombia, updated August 8, 2025).
5. Get the appointment at citas.sre.gob.mx. It is free. Choose the exact procedure and write your name exactly as it appears on your passport. In Bogotá, anyone who is not Mexican chooses “AGREGAR MANUALMENTE” (add manually), because they do not have a CURP.
6. One appointment per person. Each family member needs their own.
7. Go in person with your documents. There is an interview and the recording of biometric data. In Caracas there is a 15-minute tolerance; if you miss the appointment, you need a new one (Embassy in Venezuela).
8. Pay the government fees as your office indicates.
9. Wait for the decision: up to 10 business days. If a requirement is missing, the consulate must let you know so that you can complete it. In Bogotá, if everything is in order, the visa is delivered the same day (Embassy page, 2025).

What usually goes wrong

Only what the embassies themselves document:

• The wrong type of appointment. In Bogotá the application is “rechazada automáticamente” (automatically rejected). In Haiti, anyone who arrives with an appointment for another procedure is not seen.
• A name different from the one on the passport. In Bogotá you cannot enter if the name on the appointment does not match the one on the passport.
• NUT details that do not match the passport. The consulate cancels the procedure and it has to be started again before the INM.
• One appointment for the whole family. It does not work: in Caracas each member of the family needs their own appointment.
• Documents that are not legalized. In Haiti the documents must be legalized, and handwritten certificates also need the attestation of the National Archives.
• A payment that is not returned. In Bogotá the government fees are paid before the appointment and are not refundable. Check the type of visa before paying.

What the authority decides

The consulate approves or denies the visa. In Haiti, in addition, the INM has the last word:

“All visa applications… are subject to the final ruling of the National Institute of Migration in Mexico, whose decision cannot be appealed.”

Translated from the Spanish. Embassy of Mexico in Haiti, visa page updated September 14, 2026.

• A denial is not permanent. You can apply again (Lineamientos). The Embassy in Caracas writes it this way: “NO es un rechazo permanente” (it is NOT a permanent rejection).
• False documents. Anyone who presents altered or false documents does not get the visa and is placed on the immigration control lists.
• The visa does not guarantee entry. The immigration authority decides it at the point of entry into Mexico.

Guides by country

We support you with visa procedures at embassies and consulates of Mexico in any country. These guides gather the rules of some offices, as an example of how much they change from one to another:

• Haiti. A single office, in Pétion-Ville, which operates “de forma limitada” (in a limited way) and opens appointments once a month. Haiti guide, also in French.
• Venezuela. Visa required since January 21, 2022. Within the country it is processed only in Caracas. Venezuela guide (in Spanish).
• Colombia. Foreign nationals who live in Colombia apply for it in Bogotá, in person. Colombia guide (in Spanish).

If your visa is with INM authorization, also read the NUT guide. Is your country not here? Write to us: we support you too.

If you prefer our support

What it includes

• Guidance: which visa fits your case—visitor, student or with INM authorization—and what the office where you will apply asks for.
• A review of your documents before the appointment: passport, proof of financial solvency, ties or invitation, and that your name is written the same way on all of them.
• Your appointment, of the correct type and with your details exactly as they appear on your passport, with the NUT when the visa is with INM authorization. One person per appointment; we do not resell or transfer appointments.
• Preparation for the interview: what it is like, what to bring and how the government fees are paid at your office.
• Follow-up: if the authority cancels your appointment, we look for a new one at no additional cost, and we stay with you until your procedure is completed.

We never hold your passport.

What we need

• The details of the person who goes to the appointment, exactly as they appear on their passport.
• The type of visa and the office where they will apply for it.
• The NUT number, if the visa is with INM authorization.

How much it costs

• The appointment: free at citas.sre.gob.mx.
• The government fees: they are paid directly to the consulate. In 2026, USD 56 for the visa and USD 54 for the 10-year visitor visa (Ley Federal de Derechos 2026). For Haitians, the visitor visa without permission to work is free. In Haiti they are paid in cash and in dollars on the day of the appointment; in Bogotá, before the appointment, at Banco de Occidente.
• Our service: our fees vary by procedure and case. Write to us and we will give you the cost of yours before we start.

What we cannot promise

• A date or a time frame. When appointments open does not depend on us.
• That your visa will be approved. The consulate decides that and, in Haiti, the INM.
• That you will be let into Mexico. The immigration authority decides that.
• That the authority will not cancel or change the appointment. If it cancels it, we look for a new one at no additional cost.
• Any special treatment: we have no connection to the SRE, the INM or the consulates.

The interview is in person and you pay the government fees yourself, directly to the authority. What our support includes is in Services.

Documents for the day of the appointment

Each office publishes its list. Confirm it on its page before you go. In general they ask for:

• Your passport, with the same name as the appointment. In Haiti it stays at the Embassy until the ruling.
• The original of your legal stay document, if you apply for the visa outside your country.
• The NUT number, if your visa is with INM authorization.
• Proof of your profile: bank statements or proof of employment and income if you apply on financial solvency; proof of ties; or the invitation letter from an institution.
• Photo and copies. The Lineamientos provide for a digital file, but in September 2026 the embassies in Haiti and in Caracas still ask for them.
• Documents from another country, apostilled or legalized and, if they are not in Spanish, translated. The names must match on all of them.
• If it is for a minor, the signature of both parents, or the notarized authorization of the one who does not attend.
• Travel reservations, only if your office asks for them. Caracas asks for a round-trip flight reservation and a hotel reservation or invitation letter. In Bogotá the ticket is not a requirement. Haiti suggests not buying tickets before having the visa.

In Caracas you cannot enter with bags or cell phones.