Change from Temporary to Permanent

When you want to exchange your Temporary Residency card for Permanent Residency in Mexico, our associates can help.

Your first temporary resident permit is granted for only one year* initially and you can thereafter renew your Temporary Residency for 1 to 3 more years—for a maximum of 4 consecutive years.

If you’ve held a Temporary Residency card for 4 consecutive years —or two years if married to a Mexican national*— our associate can assist you to exchange your Temporary Residency for Permanent Residency.

*Learn more about residency through marriage or common-law partnership.

Exchanging your Temporary residency card for Permanent residency in Mexico

Our associates can help you when you are ready to exchange a Temporary residency card (Residente Temporal) for a Permanent residency card (Residente Permanente).

Temporary Residency card exchanges must be filed by the card holder at an immigration office in Mexico; they cannot be exchanged at Mexican consulates abroad and/or by proxies.
The request for exchange from temporary to permanent must be filed in the 30-day window before the expiry date printed on the current card. It cannot be filed sooner.
If your existing card has expired you might be able to file for renewal in Mexico—read this article for details—but any years you have accrued under Temporary Residency will be lost and you will not be able to file for an exchange to permanent residency at this time.

How the Tele-Assistance facilitation service works

The tele-assistance support service offered by our associates saves you time and helps avoid common mistakes made by applicants applying exchange their temporary residency card for permanent residency in Mexico. You can use tele-assistance regardless of what location you plan to move to (or are currently situated) in Mexico.

The service facilitates your application when you exchange your temporary residency card for permanent residency:

An initial consultation by phone/videocall/email/chat to understand your situation and plan a workable approach for your change of residency status from temporary to permanent.
Confirmation of the required procedures for the change of your status from temporary to permanent.
Review of your supporting documentation for accuracy and completeness.
Correct completion of the application forms and accompanying covering letter (in Spanish) that you’ll need to submit when you file for change of status from Temporary to Permanent resident.
Customized checklist of documents you’ll need to carry and present when you attend the immigration office in Mexico.
Detailed instructions/guidance about where to go and what to do when you arrive at the immigration office to file for the exchange.

Get support throughout the change from Temporary to Permanent residency

The table below describes the support offered through the process to change your status from Temporary to Permanent residency in Mexico.

Stage	Change from temporary to permanent
Initial consultation	The service begins with a personal consultation. Our associate will consult with you to understand your situation, describe the relevant qualification criteria and application procedures, and plan your change of status filing from Temporary to Permanent residency.
Preparatory work and documents review	To prepare for your procedure, our associate will send you a customized checklist of the documents you need to gather for your card renewal procedure, based in your individual situation. Our associate also provides a review of your supporting documentation to cross check them for accuracy and completeness.
Forms and letters	You will file for your change of residency status at an immigration office in Mexico. Our associate will correctly complete all the application forms and write the covering letters (in Spanish) that you will need to submit when you file for your change of status at the immigration office.
Scheduling	Our associate works with you to coordinate dates for your change from temporary to permanent residency and filing that are mutually convenient, and which meet the stipulated deadlines for the change of status procedure. Our associate will coordinate your intended renewal filing date (that must be within the 30-day window before the current card expires), and provide you with details of the address and opening hours of the immigration office you intend to file at in Mexico.
Preparing to file your application in Mexico	Our associate will brief and assist you according to your individual situation to help you fully prepare in advance of your intended filing date to exchange your temporary card for a permanent residency card. Our associate will email the files of the forms and letter for you to print out, sign, and take with you to the immigration office in Mexico. They’ll also send you a customized checklist of required accompanying documents you need to carry with you when you file your application.
Filing the application in Mexico	Our associate will give you detailed instructions and guidance about filing your change of status application at the immigration office. They’ll email you a document with detailed guidance about what to do at the immigration office in Mexico when you arrive to file for exchange to permanent residency at your intended location. Depending on the location, you will either attend the office in person to ask for an appointment and return on that date to file, or you’ll need to line up and wait for a service token to be attended that day. When your turn is called, you hand over the docket of papers our associate prepared and wait for the immigration official to review and process the application. When it’s approved, your photograph and fingerprints will be taken digitally. Your permanent residency card might be issued that same day; otherwise, you will be given a file number and be invited to return another day to pick-up your permanent residency card.
Ongoing contact and assistance	Our associate will provide you with a contact number/email in case you have questions or concerns at any time, or need to troubleshoot any issues as you work your own way through the procedures and file your application.
Leaving the immigration office	When you have completed filing your procedure, you can advise our associate about the outcome. They may ask you to send them a copy of your card/papers for review and ensure everything is in good order.

This is not a line-hopping service

Our associate assists and guides you through the procedures in good time, but cannot obtain preferential treatment for any applicant, and they cannot guarantee appointment date availability or ‘fast-track’ appointments or processing time scales at the immigration office.