Work permits for Mexico are more the employer’s job than the employee’s, which comes as a relief to most applicants. To earn a living there, you need a work visa or a permanent residence visa that allows paid activity, and your company handles most of the process.

Remote workers and freelancers fall outside this system, because there’s no Mexican employer to sponsor them. Most enter on a visitor permit for short stays, or take the temporary residence route on economic solvency if they want to settle in for longer.

Work visas in Mexico

Stamped passport with visa approval by Nataliya Vaitkevich

To be granted a work visa in Mexico, an expat must have a job offer in place. This is because Mexican companies need permission to employ foreign workers. Expats may first enter Mexico on a tourist visa to familiarise themselves with the job market, network, and find employment. Alternatively, expats can find a job in Mexico from their home country.

 Before they can sponsor anyone, the company itself must be on the National Migration Institute’s register of employers, the Constancia de Empleador. A firm that has never hired a foreigner may need to sort that out first, which adds time.

Once they have received and accepted an offer of employment, the employer in Mexico will apply to the National Migration Institute to get permission to hire a non-Mexican employee. The process is not in the hands of the expat, so they must wait until the application has been confirmed.

Once the application is authorised, the expat must apply for a work visa, which is similar to a temporary residence permit but with permission to engage in professional activities and receive remuneration. Expats must have a passport that will be valid for six or more months.

They will also need to submit a slew of documents, including a signed letter of authorisation from the Mexican Immigration Office with the Unique Processing Number (NUT) and an offer letter. Additionally, expats must submit the Letter of Notification of Authorisation of Visa, which is received by the Mexican employer.

A work visa is a temporary resident visa, so it is meant for stays of more than 180 days. Your first card is valid for one year; after that, you renew for one, two, or three years at a time, up to four years in all.

Once you’re on the payroll, two more registrations come next: your employer signs you up for social security (IMSS), and you register with the tax authority (SAT) for a tax number. Expats entering Mexico must visit the nearest immigration office within 30 days with their visa and necessary documents to receive a residence card.

Finding a Job and Working in Mexico
Visas and Residency in Mexico

Useful links

Visa regulations are subject to change at short notice, and expats should contact their respective embassy or consulate for the latest details.

What do expats say about Mexican visa processes?

"I would never take on the visa paperwork myself! It was all handled by the expert admin team aboard ship. I have seen the forms, and heard people talk of the process, and I would not go about trying it on my own."

For more from South African expat Rudi who lived in Cabo, read our expat interview about moving to Mexico. 

Further reading

►Read more on Visas for Mexico

►Need further guidance with the immigration process? See Relocation Companies in Mexico.

Photo credit: Stamped passport with visa approval by Nataliya Vaitkevich from Pexels.

Are you an expat living in Mexico?

Expat Arrivals is looking for locals to contribute to this guide, and answer forum questions from others planning their move to Mexico. Please contact us if you'd like to contribute, or fill in our expat interview form to be featured.