The information in this publication about renewal options is no longer relevant. It is not possible to extend a travel visa.
When entering Mexico, you filled out the FMM (immigration card), the officer at passport control put a stamp on it with the date you crossed the border and wrote it in by hand permitted period of stay in Mexico as a guest of the state. Any number of days from up to 180 will be indicated there.
180 days — This is the maximum period provided for by the Mexico Immigration Law. But often the FMM will indicate a smaller number of days, say, only 30 — The immigration officer has assigned this figure at his discretion based on the period stated on your travel voucher.
FMM is your tourist visa. Is it possible for a guest of the state to extend his stay without leaving Mexico? And how to do this? The answer to these questions depends on the exact length of stay in Mexico the immigration officer determined in your FMM.
The law only specifies the maximum permitted period of stay in Mexico as a tourist — 180 days. It also says that at the end of this period you are obliged to leave the country. The only mechanism provided for extending this period is related to force majeure circumstances, as a result of which you are not able to leave Mexico on time, and even then, for no more than 60 days.
Permitted length of stay — less than 180 days
UPD. From October 2021, it is no longer possible to extend a tourist visa! Everything written in this section is not relevant.
Visit the territorial office of the National Institute of Migration (INM) and ask to be allowed to stay in Mexico longer (but not more than 180 days from the date of entry). Tell us how much you liked Mexico, how much else you would like to see here, etc. The final decision depends on the INM employee, and he is not obliged to do so, but he can accommodate you.
When visiting an INM office, you must have all the same confirmations that are required when entering the country (see. Entry rules to Mexico for tourists), but — for a longer period of stay. In addition, you have the right to ask for an electricity bill as proof of your rental property, rental contract or hotel reservation.
In addition, you should have the original FMM with you. If the decision is positive, your entry to Mexico account will be attached to the new FMM number that will be issued to you.
Formally, such an extension costs nothing, but there are no guarantees that you will receive it either.
In INM, you also have the right to say that you lost the FMM and get a new one. The period specified in the old FMM is practically impossible to check; for this reason, you have the right to be issued a new FMM for the maximum period, based on the date of entry on the stamp in your passport. The price for such stages is from without payment to 391 MXN (at the discretion of the INM mine, 2019).
In Cancún, the INM office is located at Av. Carlos J. Nader, Supermanzana 5, Centro, 77500 Q.R. Reception hours — from 9:00 to 13:00 on weekdays. .
For the coordinates of the offices of the National Institute of Migration (INM) in other states and cities of Mexico, see link.
It is very unlikely that a decision to extend the permitted period of stay in Mexico will be made on the same day. Rarely, the process can take weeks. After receiving the documents at INM, you will receive a confirmation («tram»), which gives you the right to legally stay in Mexico even without FMM. You can find out about a decision on your request either at the INM office or online, and you will receive confirmation by e-mail. This may happen on the last day of your stay in Mexico.
Permitted length of stay — 180 days
As we said, after the end of the maximum permitted period of stay, you are obliged to leave Mexico. It will not be possible to officially extend FMM through INM; the law does not provide for such a chance.
Sometimes they can offer you a live offer to buy a new FMM, which will allow you to stay in Mexico for another 180 days without leaving. This is a dubious offer, which you accept at your own peril and risk. There is no guarantee that your immigration database account will be updated, nor is there any guarantee that this will ever be detected and you will be sanctioned during immigration or departure.
Leave later than allowed
Sometimes deliberately staying in Mexico longer than allowed — also an option.
Before flying out of the country, visit the INM offices/kiosks located in all international terminals of all major airports. They work 24/7. Even if you do not have an FMM, your arrival date will be determined by the stamp in your passport. You will be given a new FMM or a fine payment stamp will be added to the existing one, and you can safely board your flight.
Typically, such a fine is equal to the amount of the guest country tax for visiting Mexico — 638 MXN ($32, for 2022). Although formally you can be fined from 1,767 to 3,534 MXN (the official fine for violating the migration regime), at Cancun airport such fines are never applied, at least to Russian-speaking travelers. In addition, we suspect that formal payment of such a fine is not always formalized with INM mines.
If you decide to leave Mexico later than the permitted period and pay a fine, try not to overstay your welcome. Please take into account: the INM from mine is loyal to you if you stay in Mexico no more than 60 days after the end of the permitted period. During this period, you can still regulate the migration situation. After these 60 days, you lose the right to settlement, become an illegal immigrant and must immediately leave the country after paying a fine.
If the violation lasts for a significant period, you expose yourself to the risk of being barred from entering the country on subsequent entries. Of course, the persuasiveness of your explanation and the decision of a particular migration service officer will also matter.