Mexico residency income test: temporal or permanente

You prove you can support yourself, a Mexican consulate in the US decides, and the bar is different at every consulate. Shop around before you book.

The short version

Most Americans retiring or working remotely in Mexico apply by "economic solvency" (solvencia económica): steady income or a big enough savings balance.
You apply at a Mexican consulate outside Mexico, usually in the US, then finish the process at the National Migration Institute (INM) in Mexico.
The 2026 figures vary by consulate. San Diego asks for USD 4,510 a month in income or a USD 75,950 average balance for temporary residence [1]. For permanent residence, San Diego asks for USD 7,560 a month in pension income [2], while Washington asks for MXN 139,400 a month [3].
Temporary residence suits most first-timers. Permanent residence by solvency is usually for retirees with a pension and a higher income.
Within 30 days of landing, you must go to INM to swap the visa for your resident card, the step everyone calls the canje [4].

Temporal vs permanente: which one fits

	Residente temporal	Residente permanente
Who it's for	Remote workers, early retirees, anyone testing out Mexico	Retirees with a pension, or people with a large savings cushion
Income test	Lower	Higher, usually pension income
Length	Card for one year, then renewable, up to four years in total	No renewals needed
Working in Mexico	Needs separate permission from INM	Generally allowed
After four years	Can usually switch to permanent without a new income test	Already there

The income test for permanent residence is steep, and some consulates only accept pension income (Social Security, a pension, regular retirement distributions) for it, not salary. Read the sheet for the route you're using: San Diego's permanent residence sheet, for example, is labeled for retirement and asks for income "through a pension" [2].

How consulates set the numbers

Mexico's immigration rules express the solvency test as multiples of an official daily value, not as a dollar figure. Consulates translate that into pesos or dollars and publish their own sheets, usually each January. The base value goes up every year, and exchange rates move, so the numbers shift.

Here's where it gets messy:

Some consulates publish in dollars, some in pesos. Washington's 2026 sheet gives pesos and tells you to convert at the official rate on the day of your appointment, published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación (DOF) [3].
Some update promptly, some don't. A sheet can carry last year's base value for months, or a dollar figure fixed at an exchange rate from January.
Independent trackers list different numbers. One long-running guide puts the 2026 temporary residence income test at about MXN 79,771 (about USD 4,262) a month, using the 2026 UMA of MXN 117.31, and notes that consulates usually land within 5% to 10% of that [5].

The bottom line: check the current sheet of the consulate you'll actually use. It's a no-brainer, and it can save you thousands of dollars in savings you'd otherwise have to show.

2026 figures from two consulates

Consulate	Temporary: monthly income	Temporary: savings	Permanent: monthly pension	Permanent: savings
San Diego	USD 4,510 for 6 months [1]	USD 75,950 average for 12 months [1]	USD 7,560 for 6 months [2]	USD 303,880 average for 12 months [2]
Washington	Not checked for this guide	Not checked for this guide	MXN 139,400 after tax for 6 months [3]	MXN 5,576,000 for 12 months [3]

Washington's permanent income figure works out to roughly USD 7,400, close to San Diego's. USD conversions use the Banco de México FIX rate of 18.7147 pesos per dollar (November 5, 2026) [7]. Couples should ask whether the consulate adds an amount for a spouse or dependents; some do.

What you'll need for the appointment

Every consulate's list is a little different, but San Diego's 2026 sheet is typical [1]:

Visa application form, filled out completely.
Your passport, plus a copy of the data page and any pages with stamps or visas.
One passport photo: white background, face uncovered, no glasses.
Proof of solvency: original bank or investment statements with an official bank stamp or letter, showing your full name and a street address (no P.O. boxes). Six months for income, 12 months of balances for savings.
An employer letter if your income is a salary, on letterhead, addressed to the consulate, stating your position, salary and that the company agrees you'll live in Mexico and work remotely, with a copy of the signer's ID [1].
The fee: USD 56, non-refundable, at both San Diego and Washington in 2026 [1][3]. San Diego takes cash only; Washington takes Visa or Mastercard [1][3].

San Diego also warns that documents issued outside San Diego County may be sent for extra checks, and foreign documents need an apostille and a Spanish translation [1]. If you're applying far from where you live, ask whether they'll take your case at all; many consulates only serve people in their district.

Appointments can be hard to get. Some consulates book weeks or months out, so line up your statements early. If you're retiring, have a stack of Social Security deposit statements ready: they're the cleanest proof of pension income.

The canje: finishing up at INM

Your consulate puts a visa sticker in your passport. That's not residency yet; it's permission to enter Mexico to become a resident.

Enter Mexico as a resident, not a tourist. At the airport, show the visa and make sure the officer marks your entry for the canje, not as a tourist. If you get a tourist entry by mistake, fix it before you leave the airport.
Go to INM within 30 days of entering [4]. In Mexico City, start the process online and book an appointment at the INM office that serves your address.
Pay the card fee at a bank, using the INM payment form. The fee depends on the card's length.
Give fingerprints and a photo. INM then issues your resident card (tarjeta de residente).
Pick up your card when INM calls you back. Don't leave Mexico while the process is pending unless INM gives you a travel permit.

Miss the 30-day window and you may have to start over at a consulate. That's a costly do-over, so put the date in your calendar the day you land.

The US side: what doesn't change

A Mexican residence card doesn't change anything with Uncle Sam:

You still file a US return every year on your worldwide income.
Mexican accounts count for the FBAR once your foreign accounts together top USD 10,000 at any time in the year, due April 15 with an automatic extension to October 15 [6].
Mexican tax residency can follow from having your home in Mexico, and Mexico taxes its residents on worldwide income. A US expat tax preparer can check how the two systems fit for you.
Social Security keeps paying to Mexico, and it's the most common income Americans use for the permanent residence test.

Want to know how long the canje took at a particular INM office? Ask other Americans in our community group for Americans in Mexico.

Residente temporal or permanente: how Mexico's income test really works