Special Procedure to Apply for Residency in Mexico (RNE)

Mexico’s immigration institute, the ministry responsible for managing visitor and residency permits, is offering a special ‘regularization’ procedure, available to people currently in Mexico with expired visitor permits, that enables them to ask to apply for residency at an immigration office in Mexico, without having to leave the country.

What is the ‘regularization’ offer?

Under the Mexican immigration rules, an ‘irregular’ immigration status is one where your current immigration permit has expired, or you violate one or more of the rules associated with immigration law.

This special regularization procedure offers foreigners in Mexico holding an expired visitor permit (FMM) an opportunity to ask to apply for legal residency in Mexico in-country, without having to leave Mexico and without the need to demonstrate economic solvency.

Who can apply under this special procedure?

This special procedure was originally announced by Mexico’s immigration office (the INM) in late spring of 2021.

Through this special procedure you may ask to apply for Temporary Residency in Mexico without having to leave Mexico to apply.

We are seeing in practice that the precise requirements asked for vary slightly depending on which office you attend, so we recommend you visit your local office to ask if they will accept your application if:

• You are currently situated physically in Mexico and have a Mexico Visitor Permit (FMM) that expired in or before 2023.
  OR
• You are currently situated physically in Mexico with an expired Visitor Permit (FMM) AND you have entered Mexico before this current visit as a visitor on at least one separate occasion (some offices ask to see two visits) in or before 2023.

Your entries to and exits from Mexico will be checked against electronic records.  If you have stamps in a current or previous (cancelled) passport, these can be accepted provided they match with the electronic record. If your stamped entries are present before electronic records became generally available (c.2011), then the immigration office might assess the situation on a per-case basis using your stamps if you have them—you must go to an immigration office and talk to an official there.

See also: FAQs about the RNE Procedure

How do I apply?

This special ‘regularization’ procedure can be undertaken inside Mexico without the need to leave the country and apply at a Mexican consulate abroad, as is normally required with most residency applications. Applicants using this procedure also do not need to demonstrate economic solvency—but you must pay the government fees associated with the application.

Your visitor permit (FMM) must be expired—i.e. you are past the date when you ought to have left the country. The immigration office will not receive your petition if your visitor permit (FMM) is still current.

RNE Application procedure:

• The procedure requires you to attend an immigration office in Mexico and in person with an expired visitor permit to ask for advice and guidance. If you qualify an immigration office official will interview you that day.
• After an interview, the official will advise you whether or not the immigration office will accept a ‘RNE residency application’ from you.
• If you are invited to apply, the application begins with the completion of an online form and writing a covering letter requesting the procedure.
• The immigration office might ask for additional details about the applicant’s personal situation as part of the application.
• After completing the paperwork you must return to that same immigration office in person to file the paperwork and obtain your temporary residency card, that will be issued for between one and four years—depending on how many years you want to apply for. (See more about fees, below.)
• When you are granted temporary residency under this program, you may optionally apply to exchange your temporary residency for permanent residency after holding temporary residency for four consecutive years.

See also: FAQs about the RNE Procedure

Government processing fees

All applicants must pay the government processing fees for the special procedure that consist of:

• A regularization fee of around $1,780 Mexican pesos.
• A fine of around $11,000 Mexican pesos.
• The government fees for temporary residency cards—you can choose to apply for between 1 and 4 years and pay the corresponding fee that will range between $5,550 and $12,529 Mexican pesos.

Economic solvency requirement waived

Temporary residency qualification usually carries income or savings requirements and foreigners usually need to leave Mexico to begin the residency application procedure.

However, this special procedure waives ‘economic solvency’ requirements for qualifying persons and makes it possible to ‘regularize’ your legal residency status inside Mexico, without having to apply from a consulate abroad.

How long does the offer last?

The immigration institute has not stated an end date for this special procedure; it can be altered or withdrawn at any time, without prior notice.  If you are currently situated in Mexico and qualify under the criteria described above, and you wish to apply to stay in Mexico longer term through legal residency here, it’s best to ask to apply soon after your current visitor permit (FMM) has expired.

See also: FAQs about the RNE Procedure

FAQs about Mexico’s RNE residency program

These are the most frequently-asked questions we receive about the RNE program—with answers based on our associate’s current experience of helping people to complete the paperwork for the RNE process.

Q: I think I might qualify, but I’m not sure.  Is there a way that I can find out without going to an Immigration Office in Mexico?

A: If you want to apply, you must attend an immigration office in Mexico, in person, show your expired visitor permit and passport, and ask for guidance. Mexican Consulates abroad cannot give advice or guidance about this procedure.

Q: I am currently outside of Mexico.  I think I might qualify and want to travel to Mexico to apply for residency, but I don’t want to stay long waiting for my visitor permit to expire.  Can I get fewer days on my visitor permit?

A: The number of days granted on your visitor permit is entirely at the discretion of the immigration official at the port of entry, and will not exceed 180 days.  See this article for details.  The immigration office in Mexico will not consider a request for residency using the RNE procedure unless your visitor permit is expired.

Q: I’ve visited Mexico in the past, but I don’t have the stamps in my passport and/or the stamps are in a previous passport that I don’t have anymore.  How can I prove my previous visits?

A: When you attend the immigration office in Mexico to ask if they will accept your application, they will use electronic records of your entries to and exits from Mexico to determine whether you qualify.  If your visits happened before electronic records were generally available (c.2011) then the office might accept stamps in your passport or some other evidence—you’ll need to attend the office in person and talk to an official for guidance.

Q: How long does it take to process an application for residency using the RNE procedure?  Can I leave Mexico while I am waiting for the procedure to complete?

A: If the immigration office invites you to apply, it can typically take up to four weeks to complete the processing and have your residency card issued—and it might take a little longer in some cases. We recommend you plan to be in Mexico for at least a month after you file your paperwork for residency using the RNE procedure.  You cannot leave Mexico while you are waiting for the application to be processed—if you leave Mexico your procedure will become void.

Q: Do I have to remain in Mexico for a minimum amount of time each year to retain my residency if I am granted residency under the RNE program?

A: Residency granted under the RNE program is identical to residency granted under any other route to residency and there are no minimum time limits on how long you must be physically in Mexico each year.  However, residency card renewals, notification of changes, and exchange from temporary to permanent residency must be filed in person and in Mexico.

Q: I would like to apply for the RNE program but I don’t have the money to cover the application fees.  Is there a government grant available?

A: No, all applicants must cover the procedural fees, that include a ‘regularization’ fee, a fine, and the fees for the temporary residency card—see the article above for details.

Q: Will the RNE program continue to be available in 2025?

A: The RNE program is a special procedure and can be amended or withdrawn at any time with or without notice. The criteria for qualification and the fees have already been amended since the program was first introduced in 2021. We do not know how long the program will remain current and/or whether it will continue to be offered in 2025.

Q: I think I qualify and want to begin the application process for residency in Mexico using the RNE program.  What do I do next?

A: Your first step is to attend an immigration office in Mexico (you must do this in person, it cannot be done by proxy or online) to ask if they will accept your application for residency under the RNE program.  If the immigration official invites you to apply, you can hire our associate and they will complete all of the online forms for you—and email the files so you can print them, sign them, and take them to the immigration office to file your residency application under the auspice of the RNE program.

Q: Can your associates guarantee that I will get residency using the RNE procedure if I hire them?

A: No. If you are invited to apply for residency using the RNE procedure it would be unusual for the immigration office to subsequently deny you residency after you file your paperwork—but our associates cannot fast-track applications, nor can they guarantee processing time scales or application outcomes. The immigration office retains absolute discretion about whether to accept an application, and subsequently grant or deny any application that is filed.