10/09/2025
Coming to Mexico As A Resident Card Holder?
Temporary or Permanent Resident card holders entering Mexico will get a stamp on their passport from the immigration officer at the airport. Be sure that when entering Mexico, you first show your residency card to the INM immigration officer to confirm that you are a legal resident of Mexico.
The immigration agent will write either RT Or RP on your passport. That’s how you know they entered you as either a Residente Temporal or Residente Permanente.
And if you are entering Mexico through a land border as a resident card holder, we do recommend making a habit and stop by INM and register your entry.
They usually only check your ID and might not stamp your passport. And thats because not all land border agents work the same and many will tell you that you don’t need to stop by to register your entry. If that’s the case, it’s ok to carry on without a stamp on ypir passport. But I would personally make a habit of it in case they decide to start enacting the same rules they do at airports. The only exception to this is if you are going to do Canje.
If you are driving to Mexico for Canje, you MUST STOP at an INM office at a land border to get your FMM: without It, you cannot get your card and finalize the process.
If you’re entering through an airport for Canje, talk to a human agent and show them your stamp with your pre approval visa stamp from the consulate. They will register your entry as Canje. You dont get a paper FMM you get a digital fmm which you download.
Now, another important topic- Careful When Using the Automated Kiosks As A Resident (example image on this post)
These automated kiosks are popping up at international airports across Mexico like Cancun, Mexico City. They are meant to quickly register tourists coming to Mexico.
However, if you register your entry to Mexico as a tourist instead of as a resident using one of these automated kiosks, you will CANCEL your residency. DON’T USE THEM
Talk to a human agent, and make sure they mark your passport and residency stamp as Canje or Temporary/permanent resident.
In the coming years this can change.. but for now, nothing has changed. So please talk to a human agent 😀
