First-time temporary residency
You already have your visa stamp from a Mexican consulate. I complete the exchange, the canje, and put a resident card in your hand.
Los Cabos · Baja California Sur
Two short visits to immigration. I do the rest.
You came here to live, not to stand in line. I prepare your file, I submit it at the Instituto Nacional de Migración, and I book both of your appointments. The first visit is to show your original passport and pay the government fee. The second is for your fingerprints, your photograph and your card. I handle everything in between.
10 to 15 working daysThat is what INM Los Cabos usually takes once I file
Two visits, both shortYour passport and the fee, then your biometrics and your card
You know the price firstOne figure, in writing, before I start. No surprises later.
10–15
Working days, counted from the day I file
2
Visits you make to the immigration office
1
Person on your file, from first e-mail to card
0%
Of the paperwork left on your desk
Why it matters
If you live here, your papers should say so.
If you own a home, run a business, or simply spend most of the year in Baja, your legal status should match your life. Let me tell you what actually changes once you are a resident, and what it protects.
- Your property stands on firmer groundAs a resident you stop being a visitor who happens to own things here. You hold a legal status the law recognises, tied to what is yours.
- Banks and contracts stop being a problemThe resident card is the ID that Mexican banks, insurers and service providers actually accept. Usually nothing else works as well.
- No more counting daysNo more watching the tourist permit and leaving the country just to come back in and start the clock again.
- Bring in your things and your carTemporary residents can bring in their personal effects and, in most cases, a foreign-plated vehicle.
Let me be honest
You can do this yourself. It usually takes much longer.
Every immigration form is in Spanish, and government Spanish is a language of its own. One date that does not match, one missing stamp, one wrong box, and the file comes back. And coming back means another line, another morning, another week.
By the time you submit the file and then go back to ask how it is doing, you have spent several mornings at that office. That is exactly the part I take off your hands.
What I do
Whatever your case is, I take it from the start to the card
Whether you are exchanging a fresh consular visa for your first card, or moving from temporary to permanent after four years, the same person prepares your file, files it and follows it until the card is printed. That person is me.
Residency renewal
Temporary cards run one to three years at a time. I file your renewal before yours expires, so your status never lapses. Do not leave this for the last week.
Temporary to permanent
Four years completed, or income that already meets the permanent requirement. I handle the change of status and the new card.
Permanent residency
No renewals, no expiry date, and permission to work is included. If you already hold the consular visa, ask me about the faster route.
Family unity
Are you the spouse, parent or child of a Mexican citizen, or of a resident? You may qualify without ever visiting a consulate abroad. Tell me before you book a trip.
Regularization
Are you already in Mexico with an expired document or an irregular status? There is a legal way back. Some conditions apply, so let me look at your case.
The standard route
From the consulate to the card in your hand
Almost everyone goes through the same five steps. The first two happen in your own country. The other three happen here, and those three are mine.
Book your consulate appointment
You apply at the Mexican consulate nearest to where you live, and you attend a short interview about your finances and your plans. Before you go, make sure you know which category you are applying under.
Receive your visa stamp
If they approve you, the consulate puts a resident visa in your passport, temporary or permanent. Careful with this: that stamp is not your card. From that date you have six months to enter Mexico and start the exchange.
I file the exchange, the canje
Here is where I come in. I prepare the application, I put your documents in order, and I submit everything at the immigration office in Los Cabos for you.
First visit: your passport and the fee
I book your first appointment and you come in with me. All you do is show your original passport and pay the government fee, the derechos migratorios. Then you leave. It is short.
Second visit: biometrics and your card
I follow the file and I call you the moment immigration has it ready. On this visit they take your photograph, your fingerprints and your signature, and they hand you your resident card. From the day I file, usually ten to fifteen working days.
Do you qualify?
There is more than one door
Money in the bank is the best-known route, but it is not the only one. Most of the people who tell me they do not qualify simply have not been shown the right category yet.
Income
A steady monthly income over the last six months: a pension, a salary, or remote work. This is the most common route for retirees and for people who work online.
Savings or investments
An average balance held over the last twelve months in bank or investment accounts, at the level the authorities ask for.
Property in Mexico
If you own real estate in Mexico above a certain value, that alone can qualify you.
Family ties
Are you the spouse, the parent or the child of a Mexican citizen, or of a foreigner who already has residency here? Then this one is for you.
Job offer
A Mexican employer can apply for you and sponsor your residency.
Study
If you are enrolled in an official Mexican educational programme at an accredited institution.
One thing to watch: the numbers. The amounts for income, savings, property and
investment are set by the Mexican authorities and they are revised every year. Any figure you
read online, here or anywhere else, can be out of date within months. Before you book a
consulate appointment, ask me and I will confirm the current amounts for you at no charge.
How I work
Straight answers, one person, and a price agreed before I start
Immigration work rewards precision and it punishes guessing. What follows is not a promise about the result, because nobody honest can promise you that. It is a promise about how I handle your file.
- You deal with me, not with a call centreThe person who answers your first e-mail is the same person who walks your file through the immigration office.
- If you do not qualify, I say soIf the answer is no, or not yet, you hear it in the first conversation, not after you have paid me.
- One figure, in writing, before I beginGovernment fees go separately and at cost, with the receipt. Nothing new shows up halfway through.
- The paperwork is in Spanish, and I handle it in SpanishGovernment paperwork has its own vocabulary. Speaking Spanish well is not the same as knowing which box the notary's stamp goes in.
“Experience makes the difference between a brief application and a long, problematic one.”
Where I work
I work out of Los Cabos, and I file at INM Los Cabos
I work with Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo, the Corridor and the towns around them in Baja California Sur. If your file belongs to a different immigration office, tell me where you are and I will say honestly whether I can help you.
Questions I get every week
Before you write to me
Do I have to go to a Mexican consulate first?
For the most common route, yes. Residency normally starts with an interview at the Mexican consulate nearest to where you live, and it ends with a visa stamp in your passport. But there are exceptions: family unity and regularization, for example, are handled entirely inside Mexico. Tell me your situation and I will point you to the right one.
How long does the whole thing take?
Once I submit your file here, the immigration office in Los Cabos usually takes ten to fifteen working days. In that time you come in twice: the first visit to show your original passport and pay the government fee, the second for your photograph, your fingerprints and your card. I book both appointments and I tell you the day before each one.
What is the difference between temporary and permanent residency?
Temporary residency is issued for one to four years and you renew it. Permanent residency does not expire and it includes permission to work. A lot of people feel let down when they are granted temporary and they were hoping for permanent. I understand it, but in daily life the differences are small. Temporary is a solid first step, and after four years it converts.
How many times do I have to go to the immigration office?
Twice, always. The first visit is only to show your original passport and pay the government fee. Then I follow the file, and when immigration has it ready I call you for the second visit: photograph, fingerprints, signature, and they hand you your card. Both appointments are booked by me, and both are short.
What is the best way to reach you?
E-mail. Write to mexicovisa@yahoo.com and it comes straight to me, not to an assistant. I normally answer within one working day. If you would rather send a text message, my number is +52 624 355 4306.
Do I need to speak Spanish?
Not to work with me. Every form and every conversation at the immigration office is in Spanish, and that is exactly the part I handle. I explain everything to you in English.
Can I just do it myself?
You can, and some people do it. What it costs you is time, and patience: the forms are in government Spanish, the requirements move, and a file that comes back means starting the line over. If you would rather spend those mornings somewhere other than a waiting room, that is what I am for.
What does it cost?
It depends on which route applies to you and how many people are in the family, so I quote after a short conversation instead of publishing a number that would be wrong for most people. The quote is one figure, in writing, before any work starts. Government fees go separately and at cost. The consultation itself is free.
Do you work outside Los Cabos?
My office and my filings are in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur. If your case belongs to another immigration office I will tell you right away, instead of taking it on and slowing you down.
Free, no obligation
Tell me where you are in the process
Send me one message. I will tell you which route fits you, what documents you need, and what it will cost, before you commit to anything.
Not an e-mail person? Send a text message to +52 624 355 4306.