Great post! Wish we had it when we were starting our process. One thing worth pointing out is that there is no guarantee that a traveler will get a 180 day FFM. That is the maximum allowable but the time granted is entirely at the discretion of the immigration official. This uncertaintly is what led us to apply for residency.
Fascinating, thanks so much for sharing that info! One of the most frustrating things about this process—and one of the reasons I spent a particularly long amount of time writing this entry—is because of stuff like this.
Thank you for this. I'm planning on marrying my mexican partner, and as a trans person I would really love the ability to escape the US if needed right now.
Congratulations! I imagine you’re already familiar with this news, but pay close attention to the expiration date for your passport. The Trump administration is deliberately trying to hurt trans people via their passports, and if at some point in the past you updated your gender identity on your passport the current administration will not return your documents to you if you send them in for renewal. So, depending on your expiration date, you may have a more limited range of time to make a decision about relocation.
The actual application process was not. The fees are set by the Mexican government and they’re low, and at no point were we asked for a bribe or anything like that. But shipping stuff to Mexico is extremely expensive and it’s extremely difficult (if not almost impossible) to bring a car here, so there are a lot of upfront costs to absorb with this type of move.
Great post and list Jacob! It's important to note that if anyone is looking to move from the U.S. that they thoroughly research the requirements of that country and find a good (read: honest, trustworthy, reputable attorney) like you did here for Mexico! In Costa Rica you can visit on a tourist visa for 90 days (which is going up to 180 days!), and in Costa Rica, to buy property you don't need residency of any kind but you will have to prove funds. There are also many countries now offering digital nomad visas which might be a way for people to explore other countries for longer periods of time than a tourist visa would provide.
Unless the rules in Mexico have changed since January 2025, you can also apply for Permanent Residency from the start. The requirements do differ from temporary.
Yeah, in order to qualify immediately for permanent residency the requirements are far more restrictive, including being married to a Mexican national, having a child with Mexican citizenship, or being officially retired with a rather high monthly income. It's so restrictive and specific that what's probably going to be helpful for most people is applying for temporary residency first and then converting to permanent after four years.
It might be helpful for your reader to know that if one is retired, one can prove economic solvency through investments like stocks, pensions, etc, or qualify, as you mentioned, with a sizeable monthly income.
True and you don't even have to be retired. You can use statements from 401k accounts or similar retirement savings at any age as long as there's enough money in them to qualify.
Great post! Wish we had it when we were starting our process. One thing worth pointing out is that there is no guarantee that a traveler will get a 180 day FFM. That is the maximum allowable but the time granted is entirely at the discretion of the immigration official. This uncertaintly is what led us to apply for residency.
Fascinating, thanks so much for sharing that info! One of the most frustrating things about this process—and one of the reasons I spent a particularly long amount of time writing this entry—is because of stuff like this.
Thank you for this. I'm planning on marrying my mexican partner, and as a trans person I would really love the ability to escape the US if needed right now.
Congratulations! I imagine you’re already familiar with this news, but pay close attention to the expiration date for your passport. The Trump administration is deliberately trying to hurt trans people via their passports, and if at some point in the past you updated your gender identity on your passport the current administration will not return your documents to you if you send them in for renewal. So, depending on your expiration date, you may have a more limited range of time to make a decision about relocation.
Hate speech is not welcome here.
Thanks so much for this thorough explanation of the process.
This info couldn’t arrive at a better time! Thank you!
Happy it’s helpful, thanks for reading!
Thank you for this!
This is awesome. Thank you so much for sharing this process!
I know now in hindsight you can say, damn I made the right choice! My question is was it costly, overall?
The actual application process was not. The fees are set by the Mexican government and they’re low, and at no point were we asked for a bribe or anything like that. But shipping stuff to Mexico is extremely expensive and it’s extremely difficult (if not almost impossible) to bring a car here, so there are a lot of upfront costs to absorb with this type of move.
Great post and list Jacob! It's important to note that if anyone is looking to move from the U.S. that they thoroughly research the requirements of that country and find a good (read: honest, trustworthy, reputable attorney) like you did here for Mexico! In Costa Rica you can visit on a tourist visa for 90 days (which is going up to 180 days!), and in Costa Rica, to buy property you don't need residency of any kind but you will have to prove funds. There are also many countries now offering digital nomad visas which might be a way for people to explore other countries for longer periods of time than a tourist visa would provide.
Unless the rules in Mexico have changed since January 2025, you can also apply for Permanent Residency from the start. The requirements do differ from temporary.
Yeah, in order to qualify immediately for permanent residency the requirements are far more restrictive, including being married to a Mexican national, having a child with Mexican citizenship, or being officially retired with a rather high monthly income. It's so restrictive and specific that what's probably going to be helpful for most people is applying for temporary residency first and then converting to permanent after four years.
It might be helpful for your reader to know that if one is retired, one can prove economic solvency through investments like stocks, pensions, etc, or qualify, as you mentioned, with a sizeable monthly income.
True and you don't even have to be retired. You can use statements from 401k accounts or similar retirement savings at any age as long as there's enough money in them to qualify.