Mexico's SHOCKING Residency Fee Hike & What Expats Need to Know

Moving Abroad Resources:

👉 Moving Abroad Relocation Roadmap Guidebook that walks you through the five phases of moving abroad ($27): https://www.entrepreneurexpat.com/relocate

👉 Moving Abroad Relocation Blueprint Course which offers step by step guidance on everything from choosing the right country to immigration to taxes and everything in between: https://www.entrepreneurexpat.com/blueprint

👉 Want us to handle the details of your move abroad? Apply for our white-glove relocation services here: https://www.entrepreneurexpat.com/consult

👉 Free Moving to Mexico Guide: https://www.entrepreneurexpat.com/mexico

👉 Free Moving Abroad Checklist: https://www.entrepreneurexpat.com/abroad 

Remote Work and Online Income Resources:

👉 Expat Income Accelerator course which shows you the multiple ways you can make money globally based on our 15+ years of experience in online business, investing internationally and living in multiple countries: https://www.entrepreneurexpat.com/income

👉 Get Your First High Paying Client Online Bootcamp which walks you through the first four foundational steps of creating and monetizing an online business based on 15+ years of experience in online business: https://www.entrepreneurexpat.com/firstclient-yt

👉 YouTube Mastery Workshop which shows you how we’ve built two YouTube channels that bring clients and passive income from digital course sales (including turning Entrepreneur Expat into a six-figure business in six months): https://www.YouTubeMasteryWorkshop.com

👉LinkedIn Mastery Workshop which shows you how to use LinkedIn to find remote work, clients and connect with recruiters based on Justin’s experience building a six-figure business and finding remote work on LinkedIn: https://www.entrepreneurexpat.com/linkedin

👉 Free Make Money From Anywhere Guide: https://www.entrepreneurexpat.com/money-guide 

V I D E O S    T O    W A T C H    N E X T :


Online Business Tips to Working and Traveling In Mexico: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zGH0voCyOc&list=PLh3xKhkMgH_IA6s3KvB_g9Cc9Ze1eji8j&index=2

Moving to Mexico: 10 Reasons Why We Chose to Live in Guadalajara https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK23vD8_xjc&list=PLh3xKhkMgH_LAY7UV78YMgms-f2e1UcwN&index=23

Tips for Moving Overseas: Top 5 Remote Work Skills That Make Money: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFzjCrlNAL8&list=PLh3xKhkMgH_IA6s3KvB_g9Cc9Ze1eji8j


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Inquiries: community@entrepreneurexpat.com


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Disclaimer: The information in this video should not be considered tax, financial, investment, or any kind of professional advice. Only a professional diagnosis of your specific situation can determine which strategies are appropriate for your needs. Entrepreneur Expat can and does not provide advice unless/until engaged by you.   

Transcript

Speaker: 0:36

Mexico just dropped a shockwave into the expat world. Immigration fees are doubling in 2026. A one year temporary residence that used to cost just over$300. Next year it's pushing$650. A four year residency that was around$700. Now it's nearly$1,500 just in government fees. This isn't random. Mexico is signaling something big, and if you understand what's happening, then you can still get ahead of these changes, but only if you move right now. I am Justin Keltner from Entrepreneur Expat, where we help freedom minded entrepreneurs build global lives without sacrificing comfort, income, or stability. Today we're breaking down exactly what Mexico changed, why these fees doubled almost overnight, and the moves you absolutely wanna make before these Hit your wallet in 2026. If you're interested in more content about moving and building the life of your dreams abroad, including things to do with business, making money, online residency, taxes, legality, immigration process, moving your stuff and your family and so much more, then you're definitely gonna wanna subscribe to this channel and hit that notification bell so that you don't miss any content we're coming up with. We're coming out with multiple videos every single week where we're addressing topics, not just that are in the news about what's going on in the expat world, but also videos where we help you understand exactly what you need to do to prepare yourself and to become geographically diverse. We've also got some really exciting bootcamps coming out next year in just the next 30. To 40 days from the time this video is published where we're gonna be talking about how you can build a relocation independent business. So make sure you subscribe to learn more about that, And also make sure you check out our relocate abroad checklist at Entrepreneur expat.com/abroad. That'll get you on our email list as well, and you're gonna find out about all of the upcoming events and workshops and even some really cool local events that we're doing coming up very soon here in February, 2026. So make sure you get on our email list, subscribe, and then hit that like button as. Well. So here are the temporary residence costs for Mexico in approximate US dollars and how they've changed a one year temporary residency that was$313 is now approximately 655. Two year. That was 470 is approximately 982. A three year. That was 5 95 has gone up to 1244. A four year, that was 7 0 5 has gone up to 1474 and for permanent residency, if you're getting that right off the bat, then that goes up from$382 us to 799. there are also slightly increased fees for things like a visitor visa, if you need. A visa without work authorization and don't come from a country like the US where you do not need a visa, and that's gone up from 51 to$58. But all the fees that affect expats the most and people actually getting residency here have gone up a lot. It's close to 110% on average. There is a new option of up to a 50% reduction. But it only applies to very specific cases, including family unity, a registered employer, job offer, or an official unpaid invitation. Most expats in digital nomads will not qualify. For those. Now we're gonna touch a little bit on why Mexico decided to do this. Why do they double the fees? So, number one, Mexico's economy is rising. The peso is strong, and we're seeing it because our investments have been going up here in pesos. And not only are they going up by 15, 16, 17% a year. But they're also going up by another couple percent. Now, every month, depending on the month, just because of the strength of the peso, because we have almost all of our investments now in peso. So the peso is very strong compared to the US dollar, the wages are up, and Mexico is frankly no longer positioning itself as a quote cheap option. Number two is INM, which regulates all of the immigration here in Mexico. That's their, they're just overwhelmed. There's more tourists coming every single year. There's more long-term residents. There's more digital nomads and processing demand has absolutely exploded. Number three. They're rebalancing who pays. Instead of Mexican taxpayers subsidizing immigration, foreigners are now covering the true administrative cost. And fourth and finally, this aligns with the global trend. Countries offering lifestyle freedom and stability are tightening their requirements and raising costs. Mexico is simply stepping in to that new. Global reality. So the hidden consequences of this are that the cost of waiting just went way up. If you delay applying, if there's even still a chance that by the time you see this, you're still in 2025 and you can still get a spot, well, if you don't do it now, if you don't act now, the prices are going to double. Now, there's obviously even better reasons to act now. As we talk about in another video, it looks like the minimum financial requirements are going up significantly as well. So by as much as nearly 15%, depending on what the final approvals for those requirements will be. So not only are you gonna end up paying double fees, you're also going to have to face more stringent financial requirements and burden of proof to show that you actually have a lot. To bring to Mexico in terms of finances. So you're gonna pay more and you may not even qualify at all. Minimum wages also keep rising, and every increase of those minimum wages pushes a lot of those requirements even higher. And digital nomads relying on tourist visas will feel even more pressure because there's gonna be more checks, more questioning, and fewer border run success stories. We're reading this in expat Facebook groups every single day where they're saying that either themselves or their friends came to Mexico. Perhaps they only had a, an initial hotel stay booked for 12 days, but they plan on just kind of vague bonding around and, you know, figuring it out. And they thought they would get that six month automatic visa, Nope. Denied. They, they simply wrote, uh, 12 days on their passport that they could prove that they had a stay for. And that was it. They had to buy new tickets and leave the country after 12 days. Mexico is also becoming more selective. It's not hostile, it's just a lot more clearer. They're saying, we welcome you, but you must bring financial stability and long-term value. People who do act now lock in to today's rules, but people who wait are going to face tomorrow's prices and tomorrow's requirements as well. So as an entrepreneur expat who perhaps is planning on making the move to Mexico, or even getting your Mexican residency as a quote, back pocket residency, what should you do? Well, if you qualify today, absolutely apply If you. Possibly can before 2026. You're gonna save hundreds of dollars immediately and secure your residency before thresholds rise again. Check if maybe you qualify for the 50% reduction. This mainly is for spouses and children of Mexicans, people with registered employer job offers, or those coming for unpaid official activities. But if you do fit into one of those categories, then perhaps you can save a little bit of money. And this is really important, guys. We've said it before and people didn't believe us. They said, you know what? They're just gonna keep giving the Visa stamps for, for, uh, 180 days. And it turns out, you know. We were right and they're not anymore. Hi Daisy. but stop relying on the tourist visas if you actually live here. This is the time to stabilize your legal status and protect your quality of life. Now, reassess your income strategy as well. So residency is becoming increasingly tied to financial confidence. Your income must travel with you. We've got a lot of resources for that, including our Make Money From Anywhere Guide, which you can find information about below this video where we talk about ways to actually. Build a location, independent income stream. We've actually got a course on that as well, which you should be able to find somewhere around this video called the Expat Income Accelerator. So if you don't have remote income already, or maybe you don't have retirement income or anything like that, you're trying to figure out how to convert what you know from a corporate world or other endeavors that were based. In a particular location or with a particular employer, then that course is a great deal for you because it'll help you actually figure out how to build that income stream that's not tied to any one location. And last but not least, don't guess. Create a real plan. That's one of the things that our Reallocation Roadmap Blueprint course can help with. You can find the information for that below as well, will actually help you create that plan. The era of just kind of spontaneously winging it in Mexico is totally. Over. So overall, Mexico is not really closing its doors, it's just raising its standards as it has every single right to do. Countries that offer lifestyle freedom, stability, and opportunity are all getting more selective. And when you recognize the pattern, you stop being reactive, you start making sovereign decisions, and you start building a global life That's based on clarity, not on. Fear, Mexico just made it more expensive to wait. So if you want residency here or you want the option to stay long term, the smartest move is to act now, not next year. If you're ready to build a relocation plan that covers your residency strategy, tax considerations, neighborhood selection, and remote income, apply for a free consultation@entrepreneurexpat.com slash consult. If Mexico is your primary destination, you can also grab our Free Mexico guide@entrepreneurexpat.com slash Mexico. Link below this video as well move with clarity, move with sovereignty, and I will see you again in the next video.