Mexico City - Visa Requirements

Short Visit (Tourist Visa or "FMT")
You may obtain one at a Mexican Consulate or via a travel agency. Depending on your nationality, you may also be able to have one issued at your port of entry to the country (Mexican airport, border, etc.).
You will be requested to fill a form stating your full name, nationality, birthdate, gender, destination, reason to visit, etc.

Visa Application
To apply for a job-based visa, you will need the following documents:
- Official application form named "Solicitud de Trámite Migratorio"
- Original passport
- Letter requesting to be admitted into the country, addressed to the Instituto Nacional de Migracion. The letter must state the reasons for coming to live to Mexico, as well as the specific activity and migratory status.
- You must have a job offer before you apply for permission to work. This offer must be written on the company's official letter head, include your full name, the position you will hold, the date you will begin. You may not work until you have permission, but the process of obtaining a visa may extend beyond the date on which you supposedly begin employment. Start your application process no sooner than (or no later than!) 30 days before your supposed start date of work, as visa applications are not accepted before this time period.
- A photocopy of an i.d. of the person who signed the job offer letter. If this person is a foreign him/herself, you will need a copy of his/her FM2/FM3.
- Depending on the activity of the company, you could also be requested to show some legal documents of the company, like their last tax report, their incorporation certificate, etc. Sometimes companies prefer to send those documents rather than handing them to you.

Notes:
FM3: As a NON IMMIGRANT you don't acquire residency rights, but you may leave and enter the country freely.
FM2: As an immigrant you have a restricted number of exits from the country. In the case that you leave the country for more than 18 months in a period of 5 years, you will not be able to apply for the permanent resident status. In case you stay outside the country for more than 2 years you will lose your immigrant status.
In both cases (as an IMMIGRANT or NON-IMMIGRANT) the law considers almost the same immigration qualities (Características Migratorias), being able to perform almost the same lawful activities. Both have to be renewed annually. We recommend that you renew at least 30 days before the term expires, to avoid penalties and fines.
To be sure that you are complying with the most recent Mexican laws regarding the above matters, it is strongly suggested that you contact:

Mexican Immigration Office
Homero 1832
Col. Los Morales
(Delegacion Miguel Hidalgo)