Along with tourists wanting to see the Mayan temples of Chichén Itzá, Mexico also attracts a number of businessmen. After all, this is the 14 th largest economy in the world. According to Goldman Sachs, it will be the 8 th largest economy in the world by 2050.
Mexico has a thriving startup ecosystem and ranks 36 th worldwide in terms of ease of setting up a business. It is not necessary for an entrepreneur to be Mexican in order to set up a business in Mexico. All one needs to work in Mexico is a Mexico business visa.
Not everyone visiting Mexico for work needs a Mexico business visa. In certain cases, a visa is not required to visit Mexico as long as the stay duration is less than 180 days. This applies to citizens and permanent residents of the following countries:
Individuals holding any type of valid visa to the USA, the UK, Canada, Japan and the Schengen countries also do not need a Mexico business visa.
In such cases, the individual must have a passport that is valid for 6 months after the intended period of stay, a confirmed return ticket or onward ticket and a Forma Migratoria Multiple, or FMM.
This is the equivalent of a visitor visa in Mexico. Forms for the same are available at Mexican airports or on airlines flying into Mexico. Visitors can also apply for the visa online and get a printed copy of the application stamped at the Mexico border.
A processing fee of approximately $22 is payable when applying for this visa. In the case of visitors flying into Mexico, this fee may be included in the ticket fare.
The FMM permits a visitor to stay in Mexico for a period of 180 days. Each time you leave and reenter the country, the 180 day period starts again. An FMM cannot be extended or renewed. Thus, to stay for a period longer than 180 days, you will need to exit and reenter the country with a fresh FMM.
There is no limit to the amount of time one must spend outside the country before reentering. The FMM must be surrendered before leaving the country.
People from countries other than the ones mentioned above need a Mexico business visa to stay and work in Mexico for up to 180 days. If the person intends on staying for more than 6 months but less than 4 years, he or she will need to apply for a Temporary Resident work visa. The process of applying for the two visas is the same.
It usually takes up to 2 working days to process a Mexico business visa for Mexico. The first step to apply for a visa is to collect the relevant documents. This includes:
In case the applicant is an entrepreneur or business owner the following must also be included:
The applicant must then make an appointment online to submit the documents at the Mexican consulate. A visa processing fee of the equivalent of USD $36 is also payable. This is non-refundable.
On the day of the consulate appointment, the applicant’s photograph and biometric details will be taken. The applicant will then be interviewed by a visa officer.
Once the application is approved, the passport and Mexico business visa can be collected from the Mexican consulate.
