Before starting the naturalization procedure — obtaining Mexican citizenship — It is important to check whether one of the main conditions is met: in the last 2 years you must not have been absent from the country for more than 180 days. Many people incorrectly interpret this as “requiring continuous living in Mexico for a year and a half.” No, you need to live exactly 2 years, of which 180 days (6 months) in total have the opportunity to be absent.
It's all about the starting point of these two years. You must be in Mexico when your two years begin. You do not have the right to come to Mexico, live continuously for 1.5 years and then apply for naturalization, although it seems that over the past 2 years you have really been absent from the country for no more than 180 days.
Let's explain with examples. Let's take a permanent resident who received his card when his child was born in Mexico. He has the right to apply for citizenship 2 years after acquiring a resident card. Coincidentally, the duration of continuous stay in the country should also be assessed over 2 years.
1. Received a resident card. He continued to live in Mexico, periodically leaving, and in 2 years he spent a total of no more than 180 days outside the country. He has the right to apply for citizenship after 2 years from the date of receipt of his resident card.
2. Received a resident card. He immediately left Mexico and returned six months later (one, two, three, etc.), that is, more than 180 days. The countdown of his two-year term will begin from the moment of re-entry. Moreover, during these 2 years he has the right to leave the country, but for no more than 180 days in total. Sometimes this is convenient if you do not want to stay in Mexico for a long time after receiving your resident card. You can return to Mexico when you decide that you can live here for 2 years to gain citizenship.
You can apply for citizenship after 2 years only on the basis of the birth of a child or marriage to a Mexican citizen. But what if you have other grounds for obtaining citizenship? In general, the following temporary norms must coincide:
- 5 years have passed since the registration of the resident card for the first time,
- Over the past 2 years, you have been absent from Mexico for no more than 180 days.
What if you left Mexico for more than 180 days? So, sit in Mexico, don’t leave anymore, count the days of absence until their total for the last 2 years after one of the entries becomes less than 180 days.
You will have to calculate the number of days of absence literally by day, and keep in mind that the day of departure and the day of entry — This is two days of absence, and years are leap years. You will then complete an attachment to Form DNN-3, which «sworn» indicate all the dates when you left and entered Mexico, and together with other documents you have the right to apply for citizenship.