What changed in Mexico's temporary-resident income test in 2026

Mexico’s de-facto route for remote workers — the temporary resident permit via economic solvency — runs on numbers that moved twice between 2025 and 2026: the rules that set the income test were rewritten, and the underlying unit those thresholds are tied to went up. Here is what changed and what it means in practice.

New rules, thresholds tied to the UMA

New visa Lineamientos were published in Mexico’s official gazette (DOF) on 25 July 2025 and took effect 15 natural days later, around 9 August 2025. They abrogated the previous rules dated 10 October 2014 and re-based the economic-solvency thresholds on UMA-days rather than a fixed peso figure.

Under the current text, an applicant must show one of the following:

• monthly income of 680 UMA-days over the last 6 months, or
• an average balance of 11,460 UMA-days over the last 12 months,

plus 220 UMA-days per dependent applying through the family unit.

“UMA-based” means the thresholds are stated as multiples of the Unidad de Medida y Actualización (UMA), so the peso amounts move whenever the UMA changes, instead of staying at a fixed number.

What the UMA change does to the numbers

The UMA rose 3.69% to MXN 117.31 per day, effective 1 February 2026 (INEGI). Applying the current UMA, the thresholds work out to:

• income of MXN 79,770.80 per month (about EUR 3,955),
• or a balance of MXN 1,344,372.60 (about EUR 66,656),
• plus MXN 25,808.20 per dependent (about EUR 1,280).

Because these are UMA multiples, the same legal peso amounts apply at every consulate. Consulates still publish their own USD checklists and convert at their own exchange rates, so the dollar figures differ slightly: the 2026 Las Vegas checklist shows USD 4,630 per month or a USD 78,025 balance, while San Diego shows USD 4,510 per month or USD 75,950.

Fees moved too

The consular visa fee remains USD 56. Separately, INM government fees rose from 1 January 2026 under the Ley Federal de Derechos: the official 2026 INM fee table lists the 1-year temporary resident card at MXN 11,141. Law firm Clark Hill reports the 2025 figure was MXN 5,328, an increase of about 109%.

For the full requirements, the per-consulate checklists and links to the official sources, see the Mexico country guide. For how these income figures sit alongside Mexico’s tax rules, see the Mexico tax overview.