MexicoWork visa

Job offer visa in Mexico

A visa for those invited to work by a Mexican employer. The application to the migration service is filed by the company, and the future employee attends an interview at a consulate abroad. The status depends on the length of the contract: temporary visitor with permission to carry out paid activities, or temporary resident. The permit is tied to the employer and to the position named in the invitation. A temporary resident may later move to permanent residence and bring the family over.

Source: gob.mx (INM) — Preguntas frecuentes para solicitar visa por oferta de empleo

A visa for those already expected at work in Mexico

The resulting status depends on the term for which the employer is offering the work — there is a single application, but the outcome splits into two scenarios.

A contract of up to 180 days

The employer is offering temporary work for up to six months
The resulting status is visitor with permission to carry out paid activities, not resident
No separate resident card is issued under this scenario

A contract of 180 days or more

The employer is offering work for longer than six months
The resulting status is temporary resident for the period stated in the job offer
After entry a resident card is obtained inside the country

When this programme is not suitable

An application for the same visa on the same job offer has already been filed and no decision has yet been taken on it

You have to wait for the answer on the application already filed — the migration institute will not accept a parallel application on the same basis

The employer in Mexico is not yet registered with INM, or its registration has expired

The employer must first obtain or update its constancia of registration with INM — a separate chargeable procedure, without which the visa application will not be accepted

You need to bring the family with you straight away

This visa is issued to the employee alone; the spouse, children, parents and other relatives file a separate application for a family reunification visa once the employee has obtained resident status

What it costs

Examination of the application at INM and permission to attend the consular interview	248 MXN
Temporary resident card, full rate, 1 year	11 141 MXN
Temporary resident card, concession under article 8 of the law on state fees for those invited by an employer, 1 yearThe discount is not applied automatically: you have to attend in person the INM office where the application was filed and request the concessionary calculation BEFORE paying — if the full rate is paid at a bank, the difference can no longer be refunded	5 570 MXN
Temporary resident card, full rate, 2 yearsThe 50% concession is likewise available, on the same rule as for the 1-year option	+16 693 MXN
Temporary resident card, full rate, 3 yearsThe 50% concession is likewise available, on the same rule as for the 1-year option	+21 143 MXN
Temporary resident card, full rate, 4 yearsThe 50% concession is likewise available, on the same rule as for the 1-year option	+25 058 MXN
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. “Temporary resident card, full rate, 2 years” adds 16 693 MXN; “Temporary resident card, full rate, 3 years” adds 21 143 MXN; “Temporary resident card, full rate, 4 years” adds 25 058 MXN; the “Temporary resident card, concession under article 8 of the law on state fees for those invited by an employer, 1 year” branch replaces the “Temporary resident card, full rate, 1 year” line — 5 818 MXN. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	11,389–74 283 MXN

Paid separately

Registration of the employer with INM (constancia of registration), 391 pesos — Paid by the employer when registration with INM is first arranged or updated — a mandatory condition for filing the application, but not part of the employee's own costs

Documents to gather

The application is filed by the employer registered in Mexico, which attaches documents in the name of the foreign employee for whom the visa is being requested:

A valid identity document of the employer — an individual, the representative of a legal entity, a state body, an embassy or a consulate; and if the employer is itself a foreign national, that employer's valid resident card
Confirmation that the applicant has no other application pending for a temporary resident visa or a visitor visa with permission to carry out paid activities on a job offer
The original job offer on letterhead stating the position under the national classification of occupations, the term, the place of work and the amount of remuneration
A copy of the employer's valid and current constancia of registration with INM
A legible copy of the applicant's passport or other valid travel document
The application form from the INM website (internacion section), completed, printed and signed

How the process runs

The order of events — from registration of the employer to receipt of the resident card after entry.

1
The employer obtains or updates its registration with INM
The employer's constancia of registration must be valid and current at the time of filing — this is a separate chargeable procedure, without which the visa application will not be accepted.
2
The employer files the application and pays for the examination
The form is completed, printed and signed from the INM website, the employer's and the applicant's documents are attached to it, and the fee for acceptance and examination of the application is paid.
3
INM determines the resulting status from the length of the contract
If the work is planned for a maximum of 180 days, the applicant receives visitor status with permission to carry out paid activities; if it is longer, temporary resident status.
4
INM gives notice of permission to attend the consular interview
the appointment must be booked no later than 30 working days after the notice
Once the application is approved the applicant obtains the right to attend an interview at a Mexican consulate abroad; that permission is valid for a limited period and must be used in time.
5
The consular interview and receipt of the visa
At the interview the applicant confirms the details of the application, after which the consulate places the visa in the passport.
6
After entry — obtaining the resident card at INM
The visa holder applies to INM and pays the fee for the resident card for the period stated (1–4 years); those invited on a job offer may request the concessionary rate under article 8 of the law on state fees on the spot — this must be done before paying.

Timelines and rights

Work

The basis is employment with a specific employer

Who you can bring with you

This visa is issued to the employee alone. Relatives of someone who has already become a temporary or permanent resident may file a separate application for a family reunification visa.

Spouse

A marriage certificate is required, in the original and a copy

Civil partner (concubina or concubino)

Proof of settled and continuous cohabitation for at least five years is required

Minor children, including the children of the spouse or partner

The child's birth certificate is required; children who are unmarried or in the applicant's care are counted

Parents

The resident's own birth certificate is required

Minor siblings

Accepted only where the person inviting them is a Mexican national or a permanent resident

Trips, renewal and the grace period

A temporary resident lives in the country for no longer than 4 years and may enter and leave as many times as they wish.

After four continuous years of temporary resident status (or with evidenced pension income sufficient to live on in the country) an application may be filed to move to permanent residence: a valid temporary resident card, the passport and documents evidencing the basis for the move will be needed. The fee is made up of a payment for examination of the application (1,847 pesos) and a payment for issue of the permanent resident card; in this particular procedure, unlike most others, the concessionary 50% rate (6,789 pesos instead of 13,579) applies automatically, without a separate approach to the INM office.

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

4 years after the temporary resident permit is issued an application for a change of status is filed with INM: 1,632 pesos for the examination, 6,226 for the card, decision in 20 working days.

Route to citizenship

After 5 years of residence with a resident card an application for the naturalisation certificate is filed with the SRE. The fee is 1,380 pesos and the decision takes 20 working days.

Frequently asked questions about Job offer visa

What happens if the contract is for less than 180 days?

Then the resulting status is not temporary resident but visitor with permission to carry out paid activities; that status is valid for up to 180 days and does not involve issue of a separate resident card.

Must I already hold a formal job offer in order to apply?

Yes. The application to INM is filed by the employer registered in Mexico, which attaches the original job offer on letterhead stating the position, the term, the place of work and the amount of remuneration — without that document the application will not be accepted.

Is a discount on the resident card available?

Yes. Holders of a job offer visa are entitled to a concessionary rate of 50% of the full price of the card under article 8 of the law on federal fees, but it has to be requested in person at the INM office where the application was filed, BEFORE payment — if the full rate is paid at a bank, the difference can no longer be refunded.

Does my family need a separate visa?

Yes, this visa is issued to the employee alone. The spouse, minor children, parents and in some cases a civil partner or minor siblings may file a separate application for a family reunification visa once the employee has obtained resident status.

Does a work permit have to be arranged and paid for separately?

The INM schedule of fees includes a separate charge for a work permit (4,341 pesos), but it relates to temporary residents and temporary resident students in general; whether it applies separately to the job offer visa is not specified in the guide — that point is worth checking directly at the INM office when the application is filed.

Other ways to move to Mexico

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Mexico.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.