Our two Mexican Residency service options include the following:

• Full legal support 24/7 throughout the entire application period.
• Compilation, compliance review, and due diligence of all necessary documentation, in addition to handling all appointments and communication with immigration and consular officials.
• Concierge services at INM offices (transportation and accommodation, consulting and legal representation, and legal translation services).
• About the RESICO package: RESICO consultation and setup.

If you purchase any of the residency packages, you will have access to the following additional services:

• Full setup of the RESICO Tax Regime: $500 USD
• Residential property scouting, compliance verification, negotiation, and closing: $650
• Rental property search. This includes in-person negotiations and legal representation with landlords, as well as the drafting and review of rental contracts: $350
• Annual personal income tax return in Mexico: $400 per tax return
• Legal representation for landlord-tenant disputes: $300 per day
• Legal form completion: $180
• Legal document review: $25 per page
• Residency renewal: $700
• FMM regularization: $2,000
• Citizenship acquisition: Due to the complexity and variety of individual cases and circumstances, citizenship application services are priced based on the estimated number of hours required to complete the process at a rate of $55 per hour. Please contact us for an individual quote.

If you require personalized services (for example, renewing a residency for a short period and then applying for citizenship), we can create a custom package that includes a discount on the services listed above.

Yes! We offer a $200 discount for annual members of the Settee Community and for dependents.

Mexico is a country with low bureaucratic efficiency and high levels of corruption.
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We have heard reports of people who tried to handle the process on their own and still did not receive their documents after a year.
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On the other hand, the fact that residency is so easy to obtain and has such low requirements has attracted many wealthy foreigners who want a physical residency card for compliance purposes.
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Because of this, most immigration firms have raised their prices—it is common to see residency offers ranging from $4,000 to $8,000 USD.
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Settee offers you the best of both worlds. We and our partners charge a fair price, well below the market average.
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Furthermore, we have the inside connections and will guide you through the entire process to ensure your application is fast and successful.

Yes, you must go to Mexico once to complete the immigration process.

It is possible to regularize an expired FMM if you fall into one of these cases:

1. You do not have documentation proving your legal stay in the country;
2. Your documentation has been expired for no more than 60 calendar days;
3. You have failed to meet the requirements for your permitted stay.

General documentation requirements:

1. Original and a copy of your passport.
2. Payment of the US$ 85 fee.
3. Payment of a fine between US$ 230 and US$ 1,140, determined based on specific criteria.

Once regularized, the person can apply for temporary residency by following the standard requirements.

After applying for your resident card in Mexico, you must wait in the country until the card is issued, which can take up to four weeks. Once you have your resident card, you can come and go as you please.

No. After obtaining temporary residency, you only need to come to the country before the expiration date to renew it or convert it to permanent residency when you are eligible.
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If you have permanent residency, it does not need to be renewed.

Legal residency is a residence permit. It gives you the right to live in the country, stay as long as you like, come and go, apply for a driver's license, open bank accounts, and (if you have a work permit) apply for a job.

With a residence permit, you are already counting time toward naturalization and obtaining Mexican citizenship.

To keep your legal residency active, you cannot let your temporary residency expire, so you must return to renew it before the expiration date.

Tax residency is the obligation to pay taxes in the country (or not, if all your income is from foreign sources). This also gives you the right to request a tax residency certificate. You obtain it by:

• By maintaining a presence in the country for more than 183 days during the year.
• Establishing residency in Mexico. If an individual has residency in another country, their residency will be determined by the country where their center of vital interests is located.
  ○ In Mexico, the center of vital interests is considered to be in Mexico if (i) more than 50% of the person's income comes from Mexican sources in a calendar year, or (ii) Mexico is the primary location for the person's professional activities.

There are several advantages to obtaining Mexican residency, even if you remain in your current country of residence.

• It begins counting time toward permanent residency and future citizenship by naturalization in Mexico
• It allows for the opening of accounts at Mexican banks and credit unions
• It facilitates investing and doing business in Mexico
• It allows you to obtain a Mexican tax identification number to open accounts at international banks, brokerages, and exchanges. This has two advantages:
  ○ Brokers exchange information with the reported country of tax residency.
  ○ Some banks and financial platforms restrict the use of their platforms to residents of certain countries. By verifying your account as a resident of Mexico, you will be able to access these platforms.
• It allows you to obtain a Mexican driver's license to drive in other countries.
• If you decide to move to Mexico at some point, you already have all the documents in hand—you just go.

Yes, Mexico is generally not seen as a tax haven. Income tax rates are quite high and can reach up to 35%.

This is why no country has Mexico on their blacklists, and typically, no one will bat an eye if you have residency in Mexico.

However, Mexico has a secret trick: the RESICO regime. If you are an independent professional or have rental income of less than $200,000 per year, Mexico can be a true tax haven, with only 1% to 2.5% tax on your gross income.

No. You only become a tax resident of Mexico if you stay in the country for more than 183 days per year or if you establish a residence. In any case, Mexico has an extensive network of double taxation agreements for a Latin American country.

Simply having residency does not mean you are required to file tax returns in Mexico.
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If you become a tax resident, you will have to file returns in Mexico.

If you become a legal resident but not a tax resident, you do not need to file a return unless you have local income-generating assets.

Yes, the step-by-step process is as follows:

1. Temporary residency. This service covers your first step in Mexico: temporary residency.
2. Permanent residency. After 4 years of temporary residency, you can apply for PR. Alternatively, you can apply directly if you meet the requirements.
3. Citizenship and passport. After 5 years of residency (2 years for those with Mexican, Latin American, or Spanish children, parents, or spouses), you can apply for Mexican citizenship. As a Mexican citizen, you can obtain a Mexican passport.

The Mexican Simplified Trust Regime (or RESICO) is a special tax regime available since 2021.

RESICO allows every self-employed professional to pay between 1% and 2.5% in taxes on gross annual revenue of up to 3.5 million MXN. As of 01/17/2024, this is equivalent to just over ~$200,000 USD.

The tax rates are:

• Up to 300,000.00 MXN: 1.00%
• Up to 600,000.00 MXN: 1.10%
• Up to 1,000,000.00 MXN: 1.50%
• Up to 2,500,000.00 MXN: 2.00%
• Up to 3,500,000.00 MXN: 2.50%

The 1% to 2.5% tax rates apply to the following types of income:

• Independent professional services (contractor work is allowed, but full-time employment is not)
• Rentals
• Agricultural, livestock, fishing, or forestry activities

The requirements to apply are:

• You cannot be a shareholder of a Mexican company (however, you may be a participant in a real estate trust)
• You are only permitted to receive Mexican-sourced income through rentals or independent professional services. Employment is not allowed.
• Your tax domicile must be exclusively in Mexico

There are no restrictions regarding the types of visas or residency permits eligible to apply for RESICO. However, if you do not have a Mexican work permit, you cannot work for Mexican clients. Fortunately, working as an independent contractor for foreign clients does not require a work permit.

If you are considered a shareholder of a foreign company, you will be taxed on dividend income at the rate specified by applicable tax treaties; otherwise, the standard income tax rate applies.

Profits from U.S. LLCs and other pass-through entities are considered direct personal income and are taxed according to general personal income tax rates.

The RESICO application must be made in person. Once you have submitted your application, it takes between 2 to 3 weeks and 1.5 months to obtain RESICO status, depending on the office.

Yes, the tourist visa is issued upon entry into Mexico after completing the Multiple Migration Form (FMM). Forms can be found at airlines or ports of entry and must be completed for both land and air entries into Mexico when leaving the "free border zone."

Tourist visas are typically issued on the same day after all supporting documentation is submitted. Once issued, the tourist visa is valid for a maximum period of 180 days, allows for multiple entries into Mexico, and cannot be renewed. Once it expires, you must leave Mexico.

If you belong to one of the following groups, you are EXEMPT from applying for a tourist visa before your trip to Mexico:

• American, Japanese, British, and Canadian citizens.
• Citizens of Schengen Area countries.
• International travelers with a valid US resident card OR a multiple-entry US visa.
• Most Latin American citizens, with a few exceptions such as Honduras and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The complete list of nationalities that must apply for a visitor visa can be found here.