At a glance
Mexico lets citizens of about 60 countries and territories, including the US, Canada, the UK, the EU, Japan, Australia and most of South America's Southern Cone, visit visa-free for up to 180 days; most other nationalities need a consular visa. Anyone, of any nationality, who holds a valid US, Canadian, Japanese, UK or Schengen visa, or permanent residence there or in Chile, Colombia or Peru, can usually enter as a visitor without a Mexican visa. Brazilians, Russians, Turks and Ukrainians flying in can use an online electronic visa instead. Since 2021 Mexico has reintroduced visas for Ecuador, Brazil, Venezuela and Peru. The immigration officer at the border always decides whether to admit you and for how many days.
No visa needed (61 nationalities)
Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay.
Electronic visa available (4 nationalities)
Brazil, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine.
Visa required (128 nationalities)
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Comoros, Cuba, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Macedonia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Check with an embassy (1 nationalities)
Kosovo.
Arriving: the FMM visitor record
The FMM (Forma Migratoria Múltiple) is Mexico's visitor record. Arriving by air you no longer fill in a paper or online FMM: the officer stamps your passport with your permitted stay and you can download the digital FMM (FMMd) once, during your stay, via the QR code at the airport or the INM portal. Arriving by land you still complete a paper FMM.
Passport validity
INM requires a passport (or identity and travel document) that is valid under international law and in force; consular pages say it must be valid for your whole stay in Mexico. INM's general entry pages set no 6-month rule, though the Embassy in Ukraine's electronic-visa page asks for 6 months.
If you hold a visa or residence permit of another country
Instead of a Mexican visa, foreigners of any nationality may show: a valid visa of Canada, the USA, Japan, the UK or any Schengen country; or proof of permanent residence in Canada, the USA, Japan, the UK, any Schengen country, or a Pacific Alliance country (Chile, Colombia, Peru); an APEC Business Travel Card approved by Mexico (air, business trips only); or aircrew/seafarer documents. This lets you enter as a visitor without permission to work (tourism, business, transit), up to 180 days.
The electronic visa
The Sistema de Autorización Electrónica (SAE), now run as an SRE 'visa electrónica' at visaelectronica.sre.gob.mx, is available to citizens of Russia, Turkey and Ukraine, and since 5 Feb 2026 to citizens of Brazil. It is for air arrivals only, single entry, for visitors without permission to work, and the airline checks it at boarding. Official pages differ on its validity (30 vs 180 days from issue) and fee (free for Russia/Turkey/Ukraine per two pages; USD 10 for Brazil per the São Paulo consulate).
Applying at an embassy or consulate
Visa-required travellers apply in person at a Mexican consulate or embassy after booking an appointment at citas.sre.gob.mx. They attend an interview, give biometrics, and show a valid passport, proof of legal stay if not a national of the country where they apply, and evidence of ties or means (property, stable job, funds, or frequent travel). The visitor visa without permission to work is multiple-entry, valid up to 180 days, and the official maximum to decide is 10 working days. Fees under the Ley Federal de Derechos 2026: USD 56 for an ordinary visa, USD 54 for a long-duration visitor visa (up to 10 years), USD 321 for a visitor visa with permission to work. Some nationalities get the visitor visa free under agreements.
Recent changes and notes
Since 22 Oct 2023, nationals who need a visa must hold it even to change planes at a Mexican airport; airlines will not board them without it (SRE).
Both INM country lists are dated 1 Mar 2024 and do not reflect the visa reintroduced for Peru in 2024. They also omit Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela, which are covered by separate decrees.
Bolivia appears on both INM lists; the 2021 DOF decree and the Embassy in Bolivia confirm it is visa-free.
Entry is never guaranteed: the INM officer may ask for a hotel booking, return or onward ticket, an itinerary, proof of funds, or an invitation letter, and sets the number of days (maximum 180).
A visitor stay cannot exceed 180 days (INM); the Embassy in Bolivia adds that it cannot be extended or changed. Paid work requires a different visa.
Mexican dual nationals must enter Mexico on their Mexican passport (Consulate in Rio de Janeiro).
Not verified here: the amount of the non-resident migration fee (derecho de no residente) that INM charges visitors.
Official sources
Checked 6 November 2026:
INM: Países y regiones que requieren visa para viajar a México (published 1 Mar 2024; includes the US/Canada/Japan/UK/Schengen visa-or-residence alternatives): https://www.inm.gob.mx/gobmx/word/index.php/paises-requieren-visa-para-mexico/
INM: Países y regiones que No requieren visa para viajar a México (published 1 Mar 2024; country list is the infographic on the page): https://www.inm.gob.mx/gobmx/word/index.php/paises-no-requieren-visa-para-mexico/
DOF: Lineamientos Generales para la expedición de visas que emiten las secretarías de Gobernación y de Relaciones Exteriores (signed 14 Jul 2025; visa types, fees by reference, 180-day cap, 10-working-day maximum, electronic visa): https://dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle_popup.php?codigo=5763837
SRE press release, 21 Oct 2023: Información para personas extranjeras en tránsito por México (visa needed even for airport transit from 22 Oct 2023): https://www.gob.mx/sre/prensa/informacion-para-personas-extranjeras-en-transito-por-mexico-349304
INM: Forma Migratoria Múltiple Digital (FMMd): https://www.gob.mx/inm/articulos/forma-migratoria-multiple-digital-fmmd
Consulate General of Mexico in Rio de Janeiro: Visas (passport valid for the whole stay; last updated 14 Jul 2026): https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/riodejaneiro/index.php/es/visas
Ley Federal de Derechos 2026, consular fees in USD (art. 22), as published by the Consulate of Mexico in San José: https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/sanjose/images/PDFs/2026/LFD_2026.pdf
INM: Sistema de Autorización Electrónica (SAE) for Russian, Turkish and Ukrainian nationals: https://www.gob.mx/inm/acciones-y-programas/sistema-de-autorizacion-electronica-sae
Embassy of Mexico in Italy: electronic visas for Brazilian, Russian, Turkish and Ukrainian citizens (last updated 10 Feb 2026): https://embamex.sre.gob.mx/italia/index.php/es/seccion-consular/231-visti-elettronici-per-cittadini-russi-turchi-e-ucraini
Embassy of Mexico in Ukraine: Visa electrónica / Sistema de Autorización Electrónica: https://embamex.sre.gob.mx/ucrania/index.php/servicios-consulares/visa-electronica
gob.mx Ventanilla Única (Secretaría de Economía), procedure 336, step 'Obtener visa electrónica' (SRE; page modified 14 Nov 2025): https://ventanillaunica.economia.gob.mx/procedure/336/step/479?l=en
SRE press release, 8 Feb 2026: Visa electrónica para nacionales de Brasil: https://www.gob.mx/sre/prensa/visa-electronica-para-nacionales-de-brasil?idiom=es-MX