If you did not receive Mexican citizenship by birth, you can become a citizen of this country only after obtaining a residence permit and living for a certain number of years. Let's imagine that the purpose of your move to Mexico — prepare your Mexican passport. In this publication we will talk about the validity period of resident cards and after how many years you are allowed to apply for Mexican citizenship.
You can purchase a residence permit in Mexico for various reasons, all of them are described in our publications. After living as a resident for a certain number of years, you are allowed to apply for naturalization. The citizenship procedure is a process in which Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs tests, among other things, knowledge of the country's history and culture, as well as the Spanish language. The result is that the applicant is provided with a so-called letter of naturalization, which confirms that he is now considered a citizen of Mexico. Based on this letter, you can purchase an IFE voter card — the main identification document within the state, and in addition to this, a citizen’s passport (foreign passport) and in general begin to enjoy all the benefits that Mexico opens to its citizens.
Here we will only talk about the deadlines before filing for naturalization. The naturalization process itself can take up to a year, although passing the exam usually takes a month. The process of issuing a letter of naturalization takes the longest time because the Mexican Foreign Ministry is experiencing a large influx of applicants for citizenship. It will not be difficult to complete the remaining documents of a Mexican citizen, and after issuing a letter of naturalization, it usually takes a maximum of a couple of weeks.
The date of receipt of resident status is the date of approval of the application for such status by the National Institute of Migration. This is not the date of issue of the resident card.
How many years after acquiring Mexican resident status can I apply for naturalization?
Naturalization after 5 years
For those who have spent 5 years in Mexico as a resident and are not listed in the cases below. The countdown begins from the moment you purchase a resident card for the first time. This period most often applies to those who began by obtaining a temporary residence permit in Mexico and are not related to a citizen of this state. Typically, you will need to live in Mexico for 4 years as a temporary resident, then obtain permanent residence, and after a year you can apply for naturalization.
Acquiring citizenship after 2 years
Foreign citizens who:
- gave birth to a child in Mexico,
- married a Mexican citizen. In fact, the period before filing for naturalization will be slightly longer, below we will explain why,
- are considered a direct descendant of a Mexican citizen by birth. This applies to adult foreigners born outside of Mexico whose parents acquired Mexican citizenship by birth. Minors can immediately obtain citizenship
- are immigrants (citizens) from Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America or the Iberian Peninsula (Spain),
- are figures in sports, science or art, in other words, they have received resident status for special skills or achievements. Typically, each case of acquiring a residence permit in this category is individual.
Acquiring citizenship after 1 year
Rare cases of naturalization a year after obtaining a residence permit are possible for foreigners who are considered adopted children of a Mexican by birth or descendants up to the second generation (grandchildren), subject to the guardianship of the Mexican over them. Moreover, they can be either minors or adults.
After how many years can naturalization begin in Mexico?
Residence permit for work — in 5 years. A temporary resident card upon invitation to work is issued for a period of 1, 2, 3 or 4 years, depending on the duration of your work contract. Common practice — conclude a contract for a period of 1 year, and then extend it. Accordingly, a temporary resident card will be issued for a year, and it will have to be renewed annually. At the end of the fourth year, you should apply for permanent residence. Permanent residence does not have an expiration date, and it is only necessary to renew a permanent resident card in rare cases.
The countdown begins from the moment you receive your resident card for the first time. When 5 years have passed since the card was issued, it is allowed to begin the naturalization process.
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Residence permit for studies -?This is the only residence permit under which you cannot directly apply for permanent residence or undergo naturalization. A residence permit for studies is given only for the duration of your studies. Validity period of a temporary resident card for studies — always 1 year, then it must be renewed for the next academic year. Exception — you get your doctorate and you know you'll be in the country longer. If under other residence permits you can apply for permanent residence after 4 years, then here you cannot.
Usually students do this. While in temporary resident status for studies, students request permission to work in Mexico. Then, in the last year of study, they look for an employer and change their status to a residence permit based on an invitation to work. Or they get married, give birth to a child and change their status to residence permit by marriage or permanent residence by birth of a child. Residence permits of all these types provide the prospect of moving towards naturalization. Each of them is described below.
We would like to add that the period in the status of a temporary resident for study is not included in the total period before the start of naturalization.
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Residence permit by marriage — in 2 years. Upon marriage to a Mexican citizen, the foreign spouse first obtains temporary residence. The Mexican Temporary Resident Card is issued for a period of 2 years. The countdown of 2 years to citizenship begins from the moment the migration service is notified of the marriage, in other words, most often from the date of issue of the resident card. After these two years, the spouse has a choice: apply for naturalization in order to obtain citizenship, extend the residence permit for another 2 years, or obtain permanent residence. We presented the last 2 options as possibilities, because the majority want to immediately obtain citizenship.
But you won’t be able to apply for citizenship right away. By law, when submitting papers for naturalization, you are required to provide the original current migration document, the validity of which expires at least 6 months after submitting the documents. But your residence permit card, issued for just those 2 years, has already expired. For this reason, you should first renew your residence permit or obtain permanent residence and a permanent resident card, in other words, obtain a new migration document, and then submit a request for naturalization.
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Residence permit based on family ties — in 5 years. If your close relative — temporary resident of Mexico, you will also receive temporary resident status in Mexico. This status can be achieved by minors and unmarried children, spouses, and, in addition, parents. Previous and next generation — grandmothers, grandfathers, grandchildren and granddaughters, as well as brothers and sisters — are able to acquire a residence permit only after their related link has received the residence permit, and in the case of brothers and sisters — their parents.
You will be issued a temporary resident card with a validity period of 1 year, and it must be renewed annually. After 4 years, you are allowed to acquire permanent resident status.
When 5 years have passed since the acquisition of the residence permit, it is allowed to begin the naturalization process.
Read more aboutResidence permit by relatives. connections
Residence permit for economic solvency — in 5 years.Here we include those whose active income, pension or financial savings allowed them to obtain a residence permit in Mexico, but was not sufficient to obtain permanent residence.
As in the previous case, a temporary resident card will be issued for 1 year with a possibility of renewal; after 4 years you can obtain permanent residence, and after 5 years from the date of acquisition of the temporary resident card you can apply for naturalization.
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Residence permit for owning real estate or company — in 5 years. Completely similar to the previous case. Residence permit card for 1 year, permanent residence — after 4 years, and after 5 years from the date of registration of temporary resident status, it is possible to begin naturalization.
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Permanent residence upon birth of a child — in 2 years. Permanent resident status can be obtained by parents, minor siblings, and also grandparents of a child born in Mexico. As we said, permanent resident status in Mexico does not expire. The permanent resident card is also issued without an expiration date, but in some cases requires renewal. Everything else is simple. After the birth of the child and 2 years after receiving the resident card for the first time, the child's parents are able to begin the naturalization process.
The remaining relatives of the Mexican child have the right to apply for citizenship after 5 years. At the same time, we know of cases of acquisition of citizenship after 2 years by grandparents over 65 years of age.
It should be clarified that if the child’s parents first received a Mexican temporary resident card and then gave birth to a child, 2 years until citizenship is granted is not counted from the date of birth of the child, but from the date of acquisition of the resident card for the first time. If the parent already had a resident card issued on any other basis, and 2 years have passed since its registration, and then the child was born, the parent is able to begin the naturalization procedure immediately after completing the paperwork on the birth of the child.
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Permanent residence based on family ties — in 2 — 5 years.If a Mexican citizen acquired citizenship by birth, his minor children born abroad have the opportunity to avoid having to apply for permanent residence and immediately prepare for Mexican citizenship. Adults have the right to apply for naturalization 2 years after acquiring permanent residence.
For all other close relatives the situation is as follows. Permanent residence in Mexico can be obtained by minor children and parents of a permanent resident. Parents of a Mexican citizen have the opportunity to obtain permanent residence in Mexico. We wrote above about the children of a citizen by birth; children of a naturalized citizen who were not born in Mexico, in addition, you should go through obtaining permanent residence, and your spouse will only receive a residence permit.
Previous and next generation — grandmothers, grandfathers, grandchildren and granddaughters, and in addition brothers and sisters — are able to obtain permanent residence only after permanent residence is received by their related link, and provided that they have brothers and sisters — their parents.
Close relatives, except children, have the right to begin the naturalization process 5 years after registration of Mexican resident status.
Read more aboutPermanent residence by relatives connections
Permanent residence based on economic viability — in 5 years. If you are of retirement age (over 60 years old) and your pension or bank balance exceeds a certain level, you are eligible to become a permanent resident in Mexico. Accordingly, you will be issued a permanent resident card, which in most cases does not expire.
The naturalization process in Mexico can begin 5 years after receiving permanent residence.
Read more aboutPermanent residence in economy solvency
Permanent residence for refugees — in 5 years. Persons granted refugee status in Mexico become permanent residents. As in previous cases, you can begin naturalization 5 years after you have lived in the country as a permanent resident.
There are some nuances regarding refugees. For example, humanitarian refugees can be given a residence permit for 1 year, and after a year it can be decided whether they can return to their country and whether their residency status will be extended. But if they have lived in Mexico for 5 years as a resident, temporary or permanent, they can begin the naturalization process.
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Citizens of Latin America and Spain — in 2 years. Immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries of Latin America and Spain do not have to wait 5 years before naturalization, when this is determined according to their type of residence permit or permanent residence, but begin the process of obtaining citizenship after 2 years.
Let us add that during the last 2 years before the start of the naturalization procedure to obtain citizenship, you can be absent from the country for no more than 6 months in total. The period of absence is calculated by day, and you will be asked to write an affidavit, where you indicate the number of entries and exits and the period of absence. This information is verified.
Confirmation of Mexican citizenship by naturalization is a letter of naturalization. Typically, from the beginning of the stages of naturalization and successful passing of exams to the acquisition of a letter, it takes about8 months, sometimes 1 year. This deadline must be added to the deadlines specified above in the publication. Once you receive your naturalization letter, you can immediately apply for an INE voting card (Internal Passport) and a Mexican passport to travel abroad.
The publication indicates the minimum time frame within which it is possible to apply for citizenship after purchasing a residence visa. You can live in Mexico for at least 10 years as a permanent resident, and then decide to obtain citizenship, observing the principle of the last 2 years.