Mexico
Mexico is a large North American country bordering the United States, sharing the Spanish language and much of its cultural heritage with the rest of Latin America. The world's 11th most populous country, with more than 128 million people, it carries the layered legacy of independent pre-Columbian civilizations — Maya, Aztec, Olmec, Zapotec and others — under three centuries of Spanish colonial rule (1521-1821). Mexico City, the capital and one of the world's largest metropolitan areas, is built directly on Tenochtitlan, the former Aztec capital. Safety conditions vary significantly by state, so check current regional advisories before finalizing an itinerary.
Optional — not required for entry
Visa Requirements for Mexico
Holders of American, British, Canadian, Australian, Irish and New Zealand passports need no visa for Mexico and may stay up to 180 days, as many as the officer writes beside the entry stamp. Indian and Nigerian travellers need a Mexican visa issued before the journey, unless they hold a valid visa or residence permit of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan or a Schengen country. Longer stays, for retirement, study, work or remote work, need a temporary resident visa from a Mexican consulate.
Before you travel
Up to 180 days, as the stamp says
A visitor whose passport needs no visa is stamped in on arrival with the permitted number of days written beside the stamp, up to 180 at the officer's discretion, for tourism or business meetings but not for work. By air the paper tourist card (FMM) has been withdrawn and nothing is handed in on departure.
Land borders
At a land border, the stamp may come with a paper form to keep until leaving, and some crossings grant a shorter first term, 30 to 90 days, than the 180 visitors expect; asking politely for the full term and showing a return ticket can help.
The passport
Mexico sets no fixed number of months of passport validity beyond the stay, though airlines may apply their own rule before boarding, and a blank page is needed for the entry stamp.
Entry on a US, Canadian, UK, Japanese or Schengen visa
Travellers whose passport needs a Mexican visa, Indian and Nigerian among them, may enter without one for up to 180 days if they hold a valid visa or residence permit of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan or a Schengen country.
Where to apply
A Mexican visa is applied for at a Mexican consulate before travel, with the application form, passport, photographs, proof of funds, a hotel booking and a return ticket.
Longer stays
Stays beyond 180 days, for retirement, study, work or remote work, need a temporary resident visa from a Mexican consulate before travel, exchanged for a residence card in Mexico.
Visa types
Visa-Free Entry (tourist stamp)
For tourism or short business trips on a passport that needs no Mexican visa; a tourist permit given at the border, not technically a visa.
Entry on a US, Canadian, UK, Japanese or Schengen visa
For travellers whose passport needs a Mexican visa, Indian and Nigerian among them, who hold a valid visa or residence permit of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan or a Schengen country.
Visitor Visa (consulate application)
For passports that need a Mexican visa and hold none of the visas or permits above, applied for at a Mexican consulate.
Temporary Resident Visa (including remote work)
For stays beyond 180 days, for retirees, students, remote workers and people employed in Mexico, on proof of the income, job or place of study the consulate requires.
Guides
Mexico's terrain fractures into radically different ecological zones within short distances — tropical Caribbean coast, arid Pacific coast, a volcanic highland spine and dense southern jungle — and that fragmentation is a large part of why its ancient civilizations, colonial cities and regional cuisines diverge so sharply from one state to the next. Mexico City, built on the ruins of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, anchors the highland center with colonial Baroque architecture and world-class museums including the National Museum of Anthropology, while the Riviera Maya, Oaxaca and the Copper Canyon each represent a genuinely different Mexico.
Mexico travel guide →
The Pacific coast, Monte Albán, the silver cities, the natural-wonders calendar and the base-city route.
Money in Mexico →
The peso, bank-branch cash machines, cards in the cities and cash everywhere else.
Eating in Mexico →
Oaxaca's seven moles, mezcal beyond tequila, the immigrant origin of tacos al pastor and the rest of the regional map.
Getting around Mexico →
Domestic flights for real distance, first-class buses, the Tren Maya through the Yucatán, and the right mode for each gap.
Health & safety in Mexico →
Regional safety checked before planning, tap water and food precautions, and healthcare for visitors.
Cities & planning
Airports
Plan your trip
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Regions
Embassies & missions
- AustriaCiudad de México
- ChinaTijuana · Ciudad de México
- Dominican RepublicCiudad de México
- EgyptCiudad de México
- FranceCiudad de México
- GermanyCiudad de México
- GuatemalaCiudad de México
- IndiaCiudad de México
- Saudi ArabiaCiudad de México
- SwitzerlandCiudad de México
- ThailandCiudad de México
- United KingdomCancún · Ciudad de México
- United StatesCiudad de México
Accredited missions for Mexico
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa to visit Mexico?
Citizens of over 150 countries — including the US, Canada, the UK, EU states, Australia, New Zealand and Japan — enter visa-free for tourism and are stamped in on arrival, the permitted days written beside the stamp. Nationalities outside the exemption apply through a Mexican consulate before travel; some Latin American exemptions have been suspended in recent years, so check the current list if traveling on a Latin American passport.
Do I still get a paper tourist card (FMM) on arrival?
Not when you arrive by air: the paper Forma Migratoria Múltiple has been withdrawn for air arrivals. Immigration stamps the passport and writes the permitted days beside the stamp, and there is nothing to surrender on departure. At a land border a form may still be issued — keep whatever you are given until you leave.
How long can I stay in Mexico as a tourist?
Up to 180 days, but the exact duration is set by the immigration officer on arrival and is not guaranteed. Check the number written beside the entry stamp before you leave the border control area.
Can I enter Mexico with a valid US visa?
Yes. Travelers holding a valid visa for the United States can enter Mexico without a Mexican visa even if their nationality normally requires one — a rule that also benefits many transit and business travelers.
What if I want to stay longer than 180 days?
Longer stays — retirees, students, remote workers — run through the Temporary Resident visa, applied for at a Mexican consulate before travel. The 180-day tourist window itself is not extendable.
Planning a trip to Mexico? Check what you need to enter and apply online in minutes.
Optional — not required for entry
This overview comes from Visaja's worldwide missions database (visaja.com), checked against official government sources; for binding answers, the mission itself always has the final word.