Profile

Temporary Resident Student Visa

Route status

Active as of 2026-06-17[1][5]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)Visa de Residente Temporal Estudiante as of 2026-06-17[1][5]
Lineamientos Trámite 6; stay condition "Residente Temporal Estudiante" (Ley art. 52 fr. VIII)
Official name (English)Temporary Resident Student Visa as of 2026-06-17[1]
Translation; no official English name is published
Legal basisLey de Migración art. 52 fr. VIII; Reglamento de la Ley de Migración arts. 108, 111, 112, 159, 164 y 165; Lineamientos Generales para la expedición de visas (DOF 25-07-2025), Trámite 6 as of 2026-01-15[3][5][6]

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this routeNot applicable
No supranational free-movement bloc applies; the route is open to all foreign nationals
Criminal-record conditionNo as of 2026-01-15[3][5]
No criminal-record certificate is required by the Ley, the Reglamento or the Lineamientos. Ley art. 43 lets the authority refuse a visa where the applicant’s antecedents in Mexico or abroad compromise national or public security, but that is a discretionary ground of refusal, not a documentary clean-record condition

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial durationNot established from a qualifying source[3][6]
Ley art. 52 fr. VIII authorises stay "por el tiempo que duren los cursos, estudios, proyectos de investigación o formación … hasta la obtención del certificado, constancia, diploma, título o grado", with annual renewal. Neither the Ley, the Reglamento nor the Lineamientos fixes a card validity for this condition (Reglamento art. 156 governs the residente temporal card only)
RenewableYes as of 2026-01-15[3][6]
"deberá renovarse anualmente, para lo cual el extranjero acreditará que subsisten las condiciones requeridas para la expedición de la autorización inicial" (Ley art. 52 fr. VIII); renewal requires a letter from the educational institution (Reglamento art. 159 fr. I c)
Renewal duration1 year as of 2026-01-15[3][6]
Annual renewal cycle (Ley art. 52 fr. VIII)
Maximum total durationNot applicable[3]
No cap: the condition runs for the duration of the studies until the qualification is obtained (Ley art. 52 fr. VIII)
Work rightsauthorisation required as of 2026-01-15[3][6]
The card does not itself authorise work. Remunerated activity is possible only at higher-education, postgraduate and research levels, and only on a separate INM authorisation requiring a letter of conformity from the educational institution and a job offer in activities related to the field of study (Ley art. 52 fr. VIII; Reglamento arts. 164, 165). The application must be filed directly with INM (Lineamientos Trámite 6)

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residenceNot established from a qualifying source[3][6]

Requirements

Requirements
Enrolment status requiredadmitted as of 2026-06-17[1][5][6]
A "carta de aceptación" from an institution belonging to the Sistema Educativo Nacional, stating the applicant’s full name, the level, grade and field of study, the course name, its start and end dates, the tuition cost and the institution’s identifying data (Trámite 6, III a.1). Acceptance, not prior enrolment, is what is documented
Means requirement220 × Measure and Update Unit (UMA), daily value (a daily figure), assessed monthly measured over 3 months as of 2026-06-17[1][5]
Savings alternative2,290 × Measure and Update Unit (UMA), daily value one-off measured over 3 months as of 2026-06-17[1][5]
Alternative to means_requirement: investments or bank accounts with an average monthly balance equivalent to 2,290 UMA-days over the last three months (Trámite 6, III a.2.ii). Corroborated by the Barcelona consulate's EUR-denominated pricing of both alternatives.
Work-hours capNot applicable[3][6]
No weekly hours cap exists. Work is instead restricted by level of study (higher education, postgraduate, research only) and by relatedness to the field of study, and requires a separate INM authorisation (Ley art. 52 fr. VIII; Reglamento arts. 164, 165)
Post-study route existsNo as of 2026-01-15[3][6]
No graduate or job-search permit exists. Ley art. 52 enumerates the condiciones de estancia exhaustively and none is a post-study category. A student may change to residente temporal at any time (Reglamento art. 141 fr. VII), and to residente permanente on the general grounds of art. 141 fr. VI, but neither is a post-study route

Process

Process
Where to apply fromfrom abroad only as of 2025-07-25[5][6]
Explicit: "La persona extranjera cuyo único propósito sea el de realizar estudios en México deberá contar con esta visa, ya que en territorio nacional no podrá realizar un cambio para obtener la condición de estancia de Residente temporal Estudiante" (Lineamientos Trámite 6). The visa covers courses longer than 180 days (Reglamento art. 108)
Statutory processing time10 days as of 2026-06-17[1][5]
"10 días hábiles" (working days) maximum for the consular decision; the visa is valid 180 days for one entry and the resident card must be requested from INM within 30 calendar days of entry (Reglamento art. 108)
Fees
    • Kind: application
    • Amount: MXN 990.79 as of 2025-11-07[4][5]
      Consular visa fee, LFD art. 22 fr. III d). Foreign students may be exempt from consular legalisation fees where their country grants reciprocity (LFD art. 24 fr. I c)
    • Charged per: applicant
    • Kind: card
    • Amount: Not established from a qualifying source[3][4]
    • Charged per: applicant
    • Kind: other
    • Amount: MXN 4,340.77 as of 2025-11-07[4]
      Authorisation to carry out remunerated activities for a Residente Temporal or Residente Temporal estudiante (LFD art. 13 fr. III). No fee is payable where the authorisation is granted under an international mobility instrument or an international cooperation agreement on reciprocity grounds (LFD art. 13, final paragraph)
    • Charged per: applicant
Quota
  • Quota exists: No as of 2026-01-15[3][5]
    No quota or cap applies to this route. Where the visa is issued under an international mobility instrument the number of visas authorised by that instrument itself must not be exhausted (Lineamientos Trámite 6, criterio 5)

Physical presence

Physical presence
none statedto keep the permit as of 2026-01-15[3]
No minimum-presence rule stated; the condition carries the right to enter and leave the country as often as desired (Ley art. 52 fr. VIII)

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be includedYes as of 2026-01-15[3][5]
"El Residente Temporal Estudiante tiene derecho a la Unidad Familiar de conformidad con el artículo 112 del Reglamento, por lo que sus familiares podrán solicitar la visa de Residente Temporal de conformidad con el trámite 5" (Lineamientos Trámite 6); Ley art. 52 fr. VIII imports the family list of fr. VII
Eligible relationsspouse, unmarried partner, minor child, parent as of 2026-01-15[3][5]
Ley art. 52 fr. VII a)-d): minor children (incl. the spouse’s/partner’s minor children), children of any age under guardianship, spouse, concubine/equivalent, and the resident’s father or mother
Family may apply at the same timeYes as of 2026-01-15[3][5]
"podrá ingresar con o solicitar posteriormente el ingreso" (Ley art. 52 fr. VIII)
Family members' work rightsnone as of 2026-01-15[3]
Family members are admitted as residente temporal; work only with an INM permit subject to a job offer. Where the sponsor is a student, renewal of the dependants’ status requires proof that the student is continuing their studies (Lineamientos Trámite 5, III e.3.iii)
Additional means per family member
    • Relation: spouse
    • Amount: 220 × Measure and Update Unit (UMA), daily value (a daily figure), assessed monthly as of 2026-06-17[2][5]
      Per family member: income >220 UMA-days/month over the last 6 months, OR an average monthly balance of 220 UMA-days over the last 12 months (Lineamientos Trámite 5, req. III e). Required on the consular unidad-familiar path; no solvency threshold is stated for the INM path (Trámite 8) or where the sponsor already holds the residence card (Trámite 5, III e.3)
    • Relation: unmarried partner
    • Amount: 220 × Measure and Update Unit (UMA), daily value (a daily figure), assessed monthly as of 2026-06-17[2][5]
      Per family member: income >220 UMA-days/month over the last 6 months, OR an average monthly balance of 220 UMA-days over the last 12 months (Lineamientos Trámite 5, req. III e). Required on the consular unidad-familiar path; no solvency threshold is stated for the INM path (Trámite 8) or where the sponsor already holds the residence card (Trámite 5, III e.3)
    • Relation: minor child
    • Amount: 220 × Measure and Update Unit (UMA), daily value (a daily figure), assessed monthly as of 2026-06-17[2][5]
      Per family member: income >220 UMA-days/month over the last 6 months, OR an average monthly balance of 220 UMA-days over the last 12 months (Lineamientos Trámite 5, req. III e). Required on the consular unidad-familiar path; no solvency threshold is stated for the INM path (Trámite 8) or where the sponsor already holds the residence card (Trámite 5, III e.3)
    • Relation: parent
    • Amount: 220 × Measure and Update Unit (UMA), daily value (a daily figure), assessed monthly as of 2026-06-17[2][5]
      Per family member: income >220 UMA-days/month over the last 6 months, OR an average monthly balance of 220 UMA-days over the last 12 months (Lineamientos Trámite 5, req. III e). Required on the consular unidad-familiar path; no solvency threshold is stated for the INM path (Trámite 8) or where the sponsor already holds the residence card (Trámite 5, III e.3)

Your next step

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited6
of which official (tier 1)6
Oldest as-of date2025-07-25
Newest as-of date2026-06-17
Reviewed on2026-08-11
Schema version1.1

Sources

  1. [1] Visa de residente temporal para estudiante — requisitos
    Consulado de México en Barcelona (SRE) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-17 · Accessed 2026-08-04
  2. [2] Residente temporal por unidad familiar — requisitos
    Consulado de México en Barcelona (SRE) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-17 · Accessed 2026-08-04
  3. [3] Ley de Migración (texto vigente, última reforma DOF 15-01-2026)
    Cámara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Unión · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-01-15 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  4. [4] Ley Federal de Derechos, arts. 8 y 22 (cuotas migratorias y consulares; última reforma DOF 07-11-2025)
    Cámara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Unión · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Published 2025-11-07 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy
  5. [5] Lineamientos Generales para la expedición de visas que emiten las secretarías de Gobernación y de Relaciones Exteriores (DOF 25-07-2025)
    Diario Oficial de la Federación (SEGOB/SRE) · gazette · Tier 1 · Published 2025-07-25 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy · Amended by mx-dof-reforma-lineamientos-2026
  6. [6] Reglamento de la Ley de Migración (última reforma DOF 23-05-2014)
    Cámara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Unión · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2014-05-23 · Accessed 2026-08-04 · Archived copy

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