Visiting Mexico anytime soon? Usually, a tourist visa is not required from citizens of certain countries. What if you are part of a cruise? What if you are not a citizen but only a permanent resident?
There are two types of visas that will allow foreigners to visit and enjoy the sights and sounds of Mexico. These are the tourist visa and the cruise visa. Both visas do not allow their holders to engage in any business or work. There are, however, major differences between these two visas. Land-based exploration is very limited to visitors who have cruise visas. The cruise visa is issued only to those who take part in organized cruises and whose primary accommodations is inside the cruise ship. The tourist visa, on the other hand, will allow the visitors to plan their own itinerary and stay in Mexico hotels.
Due to beneficial international relations established by the Mexican government with other countries, some nationals are no longer required to obtain a tourist visa when visiting the country. For example, the citizens of the United States can visit and stay Mexico for up to 180 days without a tourist visa. Below are the other countries in which their citizens can visit and stay in Mexico without a tourist visa for 30 days.
Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
If your country of citizenship is not listed above but your place of legal residence is found in the list, there might be a different rule that will apply to you. For example, if you are a citizen of Belize but you are a legal resident of the United States, you can visit Mexico without a tourist visa and can stay in Mexico for a maximum period of 30 days. This rule, however, does not apply to all foreign nationals who are legal residents of the US. For example, a tourist visa is required from a Philippine citizen who is a legal resident in the US. But such a citizen can join organized cruises and visit Mexico without getting a cruise visa.
The requirements for getting a visa will differ from one country to the other. But, generally, the requirements will include a legal document that establishes identity (e.g. passport), proof of having sufficient funds to visit Mexico, and proof of a desire to go back to the country of origin (e.g. a return ticket). Details on tourist visa requirements can be found at the official website of Mexico’s National Immigration Institute (www.inm.gob.mx) (INM in Spanish). Visa applications are submitted to the nearest Mexican consulate. An alternative is to have a relative or friend living in Mexico to apply for your tourist visa at the INM. To extend your stay, the Mexican government requires you to go to any INM office and make the request for tourist visa extension. You need to present your valid passport and tourist card and pay the visa extension fee.