Wealthy retirees are able to obtain permanent residence in Mexico in two ways available only to them. They have the opportunity to contact the diplomatic mission of Mexico, purchase a resident visa, enter Mexico with this visa, and here exchange the visa for a permanent resident card. The second method looks more complicated, but requires a much lower level of wealth. First, they need to obtain a residence permit in Mexico in any of the possible ways, and only then confirm their solvency with the migration service and obtain permanent residence.
Permanent residence in Mexico is affordableonlypensioners. This means that foreigners aged 65 years and older (sometimes 63 years old, depending on the consulate) or those who retired earlier and are able to confirm this, for example, with a certificate from the Pension Fund, can receive it. Anyone who is younger or not retired is given only temporary residence due to their wealth.
By purchasing a visa at the consulate
The mechanism for acquiring permanent residence in Mexico through a resident visa based on economic viability is described in detail in thispublications.
- Contact the consulate, confirm your income (pension) or savings (account balance) and obtain a resident visa.
- Enter Mexico with this visa.
- Contact the migration service and exchange your visa for a Mexican permanent resident card.
This method has a drawback: rather high conditions for the size of the pension or the state of the bank account. According to the criteria for assessing economic viability for 2025, to obtain permanent residence in Mexico, you must have a pension of at least $6,800 per month or a monthly account balance of at least $272,000.
Through registration of a residence permit
The second way to acquire permanent residence in Mexico for wealthy retirees is that you must first acquire temporary residence in the country using any of the methods available to you. Let's say, there is an opportunity to obtain a residence permit in Mexico based on kinship with a resident (and there was an opportunity under the settlement program). Another such method is to obtain a resident visa, and then a temporary resident card based on economic solvency, but according to lower criteria, according to which they give not permanent, but temporary resident status. For 2025, the following criteria have been established for this: income or pension — at least $4100 per month for the last 6 months or bank account balance — at least $71,000 per month for the last 12 months.
We received a temporary resident card — You can immediately apply for a replacement residence permit for permanent residence for wealthy pensioners. To do this, you need to provide the migration service with documentation confirming (2025 criteria):
- your pension was at least 56,570 MXN (approximately $3,000) during the last 6 months, or
- Your bank account balance has been at least 2,282,500 MXN (approximately $149,000) during the last 12 months.
In contrast to the calculation of solvency criteria at consulates, in the offices of the migration service in Mexico the calculation is based on a completely different, lower scale. If at the consulate a pensioner would have to show $272,000 in his account to acquire permanent residence, then at the migration service — $149,000, which is almost half that.
But unlike the requirements for consulates, the documentation you submit to the immigration office in Mexican territory must be apostilled (more precisely, notarized, and the notary's signature certified by an apostille) and then translated into Spanish by an official translator in Mexico. In addition, it is recommended to have official confirmation of your pension status, also with an apostille.
The possibility for pensioners to change their temporary residence to a permanent one, having confirmed their economic solvency, is described on the official website of the Mexican Migration Service. However, we do want to make one caveat: not all immigration offices agree to issue a permanent resident card until the temporary resident card expires. Especially «harmful» Migration Service offices in the state of Quintana Roo (Cancun and Playa del Carmen). If your temporary resident card was received in this state, you have the right to notify the migration service about the transfer of the address to another, more loyal state, and then apply in that state to replace the temporary resident card with a permanent resident card based on wealth.