Countries › Mexico › Guide › 8. Immigration › Business visitors to Mexico: meetings, paid short stays, long term visitor visas, USMCA business persons and the APEC card

Business visitors to Mexico: meetings, paid short stays, long term visitor visas, USMCA business persons and the APEC card

Last verified: 2026-10-26 · Status: Stable

A foreigner coming to Mexico for meetings, negotiations or inspections without being paid in Mexico enters as a visitor without permission for paid activities, for up to 180 days, with a visa only where the nationality requires one. Any pay from a Mexican source during a short stay needs the separate visitor condition with permission for paid activities, which a Mexican employer or host requests from the National Migration Institute (INM) on the basis of a job offer, and the 2026 fee is MXN 4,341. Frequent travellers and executives of affiliated companies can get visitor visas valid up to ten years, USMCA citizens have treaty rights to enter as business visitors, investors, intra company transferees and professionals, and APEC Business Travel Card holders pay MXN 5,339 for the card.

USD conversions use MXN 18.6638 per US dollar, the US Federal Reserve H.10 noon buying rate in New York for 23 October 2026 (FRED series DEXMXUS), the latest observation available when this page was verified. Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Maximum uninterrupted stay as a visitor	180 daysLey de Migración art. 52 sections I and II, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Maximum validity of a multiple entry visitor visa for frequent travellers and affiliate executives	10 yearsReglamento de la Ley de Migración art. 103, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Visitor without permission for paid activities, 2026 fee	983 MXNLFD art. 8 section I; RMF 2026 Annex 4, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Visitor with permission for paid activities, 2026 fee	4341 MXNLFD art. 8 section II; RMF 2026 Annex 4, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
INM authorization of a visa for a job offer or family unity, 2026 fee	248 MXNLFD art. 14 Bis; RMF 2026 Annex 4, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
APEC Business Travel Card, 2026 fee	5339 MXNLFD art. 15; RMF 2026 Annex 4, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Deadline for a consulate to decide a visa application	10 business daysLey de Migración art. 129, as of 2026-10-26 · in force

The rule

1. Visitor without permission for paid activities: up to 180 days, no Mexican pay. Foreigners entering Mexico must show a valid passport and, where required, a valid visa. No visa is needed by nationals of countries with a visa waiver agreement or a unilateral Mexican exemption, by holders of a residence card or other listed documents, and by crew members under Mexico's international commitments. The visitor without permission for paid activities may transit or stay up to 180 uninterrupted days from entry and may not carry out activities paid in Mexico. Under the Migration Regulation, the consulate grants this visa to applicants who show ties to return home, economic solvency for lodging and living costs, or an invitation from an organization or public or private institution to take part in an unpaid activity. A visitor cannot change condition of stay from inside Mexico (except humanitarian cases and family ties to Mexicans or residents) and must leave when the authorized period ends.
Cost to do it: Visitor without permission for paid activities: MXN 983 (USD 52.67), collected by the airline in the ticket for air arrivals; land arrivals staying up to seven days pay nothing (LFD arts. 8 section I and 11 section II). Ordinary consular visa where a visa is required: MXN 990.79 under LFD art. 22 section III d), charged in local currency abroad; the Consulate General in San Diego lists USD 56 and Houston USD 54.
Example: A Chilean sales director flying in for three days of meetings with a Mexican distributor, paid only by the Chilean employer, enters as a visitor without permission for paid activities; the MXN 983 fee is already in the air ticket. / Visitor fee about USD 53 at 18.6638; consular visa fee USD 54 to 56 where a visa is needed.Ley de Migración, DOF 25 May 2011 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 15 January 2026); Reglamento de la Ley de Migración, DOF 28 September 2012 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 23 May 2014), Ley de Migración arts. 37, 40 section I, 52 section I and 53; Reglamento arts. 104 and 129, 2011-05-25 official text · verified 2026-10-26

2. Long term visitor visa valid up to ten years. A consulate may issue the visitor visa without permission for paid activities valid for up to ten years when the applicant shows sufficient economic solvency, is a frequent traveller, is a prominent researcher, scientist, artist, sportsperson or journalist, is a close relative of a Mexican or of a temporary or permanent resident who does not plan to live in Mexico, or is a supervisor of a foreign company with a subsidiary in Mexico or an executive of a subsidiary or commercial office of a Mexican company abroad. The holder may request the same visa for a spouse or partner and minor children. Each stay is still limited to 180 days and to unpaid activities.
Cost to do it: Long duration visitor visa: MXN 647.96 (Annex 4 rounded amount MXN 650, USD 34.83) under LFD art. 22 section III f), half when the service is provided in Mexico.
Example: A German group's regional supervisor who visits the Mexican subsidiary every quarter applies at the consulate for a ten year visitor visa, citing the supervisor category, and avoids a new visa application before each trip. / About USD 35 for the long duration visa at 18.6638, compared with about USD 53 for an ordinary visa each time.Reglamento de la Ley de Migración, DOF 28 September 2012 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 23 May 2014); Ley Federal de Derechos art. 22 section III f), Reglamento art. 103; LFD art. 22 section III f), 2012-09-28 official text · verified 2026-10-26

3. Visitor with permission for paid activities: short paid jobs need an INM authorization first. A foreigner with a job offer, or an invitation from an authority or an academic, artistic, sports or cultural institution that pays in Mexico, or a seasonal worker under an interinstitutional agreement, may stay up to 180 uninterrupted days as a visitor with permission for paid activities. The visa cannot be requested directly at the consulate: the individual or company established in Mexico that makes the offer files the visa authorization with INM, proving that it holds an employer registration certificate and giving the worker's name and nationality, occupation, pay, required duration, place of work and an undertaking to pay the worker's trip. INM authorizes the visitor visa with permission or a temporary residence visa according to the length of the offer, and the consulate then issues it. No visa or card allows paid work unless it says so explicitly.
Cost to do it: INM visa authorization for a job offer: MXN 248 (LFD art. 14 Bis). Visitor with permission for paid activities: MXN 4,341 (LFD art. 8 section II). Employer registration certificate: MXN 391 (LFD art. 13 section V). Consular visa fee charged abroad as in the previous rules.
Example: A Mexican auto parts plant hires a Japanese specialist for an eight week line installation paid by the Mexican company: the plant files the job offer visa with INM (MXN 248), the specialist collects the visa at the consulate in Tokyo, and the condition of visitor with permission costs MXN 4,341. / About USD 13 for the INM authorization plus about USD 233 for the condition of stay at 18.6638, before the consular fee.Ley de Migración, DOF 25 May 2011 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 15 January 2026); Reglamento de la Ley de Migración, DOF 28 September 2012 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 23 May 2014), Ley de Migración arts. 40 sections II and final paragraphs, 41 and 52 section II; Reglamento arts. 105, 115, 117 and 131, 2011-05-25 official text · verified 2026-10-26

4. USMCA business persons. Under Chapter 16 of the USMCA, in force since 1 July 2020, Mexico must grant temporary entry to US and Canadian citizens who are business visitors carrying out the activities in Appendix 1 (without an employment authorization, if the main source of pay and principal place of business remain outside Mexico), traders and investors in a supervisory, executive or essential skills role, intra company transferees in a managerial, executive or specialized knowledge capacity (a party may require one year of continuous employment in the prior three years), and professionals in the professions listed in Appendix 2. Mexico may not require labor certification tests or numerical limits for these categories, and may not require prior approval or petitions for business visitors and professionals, although a visa may be required. Entry is still documented under the conditions of stay of the Mexican Migration Law, and the treaty itself says the business person must otherwise comply with Mexico's measures on temporary entry.
Cost to do it: No treaty fee; Mexican migration fees apply as in the rules above (MXN 983 for an unpaid visitor, MXN 4,341 for a paid visitor).
Example: A US engineer employed and paid by a US equipment maker enters to give after sales service under a warranty contract: an Appendix 1 business visitor activity, with no Mexican work authorization needed while pay and profits stay in the US. / Visitor fee about USD 53 at 18.6638; no labor market test.United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA, T-MEC), signed 30 November 2018, in force 1 July 2020, Chapter 16, arts. 16.1 to 16.4; Annex 16-A Sections A to D and Appendices 1 and 2, 2020-07-01 official text · verified 2026-10-26

5. APEC Business Travel Card and regional visitors. The Federal Duties Law charges a fee for the study, processing and issue of the APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC), the multi economy business travel card of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and the same fee for a replacement. Separately, nationals or residents of neighbouring countries may obtain a regional visitor card valid up to five years for stays of up to three days each visit in the border regions, and nationals of neighbouring countries with a job offer may obtain a border worker card valid one year, with permission to work in the states set by the Interior Ministry.
Cost to do it: APEC Business Travel Card: MXN 5,339 (USD 286), same fee for replacement (LFD art. 15). Border worker card: MXN 581 (USD 31.13) (LFD art. 8 section IV).
Example: A Guatemalan technician hired by a coffee processor in Chiapas obtains a one year border worker card at the land border crossing (MXN 581) instead of a residence visa. / APEC card about USD 286 and border worker card about USD 31 at 18.6638.Ley Federal de Derechos (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 7 November 2025); Annex 4 of the Resolución Miscelánea Fiscal para 2026, DOF 28 December 2025; Ley de Migración, DOF 25 May 2011 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 15 January 2026); Reglamento de la Ley de Migración, DOF 28 September 2012 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 23 May 2014), LFD arts. 8 section IV and 15; Ley de Migración art. 52 sections III and IV; Reglamento arts. 132 to 136, 154 and 155, 2025-11-07 official text · verified 2026-10-26

Trip	Status	Who files	2026 government fee
Meetings, negotiations, trade fairs, paid only from abroad	Visitor without permission for paid activities (visa only if the nationality requires one)	Traveller, at the consulate if a visa is needed	MXN 983 (USD 53), in the air ticket
Frequent business trips over several years	Visitor visa without permission valid up to 10 years	Traveller, at the consulate	MXN 650 (USD 35) consular fee
Paid job or paid performance in Mexico up to 180 days	Visitor with permission for paid activities	Mexican employer or host, at INM, then consulate	MXN 248 (USD 13) authorization plus MXN 4,341 (USD 233)
Paid assignment longer than 180 days	Temporary resident with work permit	Mexican employer, at INM, then consulate	See the work permits page
US or Canadian business visitor under Appendix 1	Visitor without permission, USMCA terms	Traveller	MXN 983 (USD 53)

Which short stay status fits which business trip (Ley de Migración arts. 40 and 52; Reglamento arts. 103 to 105; LFD arts. 8, 14 Bis and 15; USD at 18.6638).

Worked example

A Canadian software company sends two staff to Mexico City: a sales executive for a week of client meetings and an engineer for a 10 week paid implementation contracted and paid by the Mexican client.
The sales executive needs no Mexican visa as a Canadian and enters as a visitor without permission for paid activities; the MXN 983 fee (about USD 53 at 18.6638) is in the air ticket.
The engineer will be paid by a Mexican client, so the client, after obtaining its INM employer certificate (MXN 391), files a job offer visa authorization with INM (MXN 248) for a visitor with permission for paid activities (MXN 4,341). Total government fees about MXN 4,980 (about USD 267).
If instead the engineer stays employed and paid only by the Canadian company for after sales service under its contract, the USMCA business visitor rules allow entry without a Mexican work authorization.

Step by step

1. Map each trip by who pays: pay only from abroad points to a visitor without permission; any Mexican payer points to a paid visitor or residence condition.
2. Check whether the traveller's nationality needs a visa: consulates state that holders of a valid visa or permanent residence of the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom or the Schengen Area do not need a Mexican visa for tourism, business or transit stays of up to 180 days.
3. For paid short stays, have the Mexican host obtain its employer registration certificate and file the job offer visa authorization with INM; allow about 20 business days for INM after a complete filing and up to 10 business days at the consulate.
4. For frequent travellers, apply once for a visitor visa valid up to ten years under the supervisor, executive or frequent traveller categories.
5. Keep the entry record: the authorized number of days is set at entry and stays may not exceed 180 days.
6. Recheck this page before travel; fees change each 1 January.

Common traps

Paying a visitor locally. A visitor without permission for paid activities may receive no pay in Mexico, and no visa allows paid work unless it says so (Ley de Migración arts. 40 and 52 section I).
Trying to convert a visitor into a resident inside Mexico. Visitors generally cannot change condition and must leave at the end of the authorized stay (Ley de Migración art. 53).
Applying for a paid visitor visa at the consulate. The visa for a job offer must first be authorized by INM at the request of the Mexican employer (Reglamento arts. 105 and 118).
Assuming USMCA status replaces Mexican documents. The treaty bars labor tests and quotas but allows a visa requirement and requires compliance with Mexican entry measures (USMCA Annex 16-A).
Reading the long term visa as a long stay. A ten year visitor visa allows repeated entries, but each stay remains capped at 180 days (Reglamento arts. 103 and 104).

Sources

← Moving people to Mexico: visitor, temporary and permanent residence, work permits, employer registration and the 2026 feesWork permits in Mexico: the job offer route, permits for residents, students and the self employed, quotas, the 10 percent cap and regulated professions →