Mexico has a liberal attitude toward foreign immigration. That does not mean they do not require proper documentation of persons wishing to enter the country. They just don’t sweat the small stuff to much with Americans.

While annoying and sometimes time consuming, immigration to Mexico is generally quite easy. If you understand the process, follow the steps sequentially and have all your papers in order things really do go smoothly. As with all government procedures in most countries worldwide, documentation of immigration takes time and can be frustrating or confusing. It’s really not that big of a deal in Mexico. You can even hire a lawyer to wait in line for you and do most of the paper pushing if you so desire.

There are only three types of immigration status in Mexico – Non-Immigrant and Immigrant immigrated. Non-Immigrant refers to all the tourists and those who have not applied for immigration status. These people are covered by the document FM3. Immigrants refers to those who intend to live in the country permanently and have applied for permanent residence (provided with a document FM2). Immigrating to denote a person who has been in the country of more than 5 consecutive years as an immigrant FM2 and aspires to become a Mexican citizen.

If you know you will work in Mexico, you can apply for a FM2 or FM3 work permit. Alternatively, the company that intends to hire you in Mexico must process your application with the Department of Immigration. This will require a little more documentation.

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