Countries › Mexico › Guide › 8. Immigration › Bringing family to Mexico: family unity for spouses, partners, children and parents of residents and Mexicans, solvency and the 2026 fees

Bringing family to Mexico: family unity for spouses, partners, children and parents of residents and Mexicans, solvency and the 2026 fees

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

Mexican law protects family unity: temporary residents may bring a spouse or partner, minor children and parents, and permanent residents and Mexicans may also bring minor siblings, all under the same or a linked condition of stay. Family visas can be requested at a consulate when the resident accompanies the relative, or authorized by the National Migration Institute (INM) in Mexico, and the principal must show solvency for each dependant; family members get temporary residence for the principal's term and may work only with their own job offer based permit. In 2026 the INM visa authorization costs MXN 248 and residence cards based on family unity are half price, while spouses of Mexicans and permanent residents move to permanent residence after two years.

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

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
Reduction on residence card fees for stays based on a job offer from a registered employer or family unity	50 %LFD art. 8 final paragraph, added DOF 7 November 2025, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Years of temporary residence for the spouse or partner of a Mexican or permanent resident before permanent residence	2 yearsLey de Migración arts. 55 and 56, as of 2026-10-26 · in force
Average monthly balance per dependant asked by the San Diego consulate for family unity visas (2026)	1460 USDReglamento LMigra art. 112; Consulate General San Diego 2026 requirements, as of 2026-10-26 · in force

The rule

1. Who counts as family. Temporary residents may bring or later sponsor their children and their spouse's or partner's children who are minors and unmarried or under their guardianship, their spouse, their partner (concubinato or equivalent, proven under Mexican law) and their parents; these relatives reside for as long as the principal's permit, with the option of a work permit subject to a job offer. Permanent residents may bring parents, a spouse or partner (who receive temporary residence for two years first), minor children including the spouse's, and minor unmarried siblings under their legal representation. Mexicans may bring the same relatives plus children born abroad who are not Mexican under Article 30 of the Constitution. Only one spouse or partner may be sponsored even if another country's law allows more.
Cost to do it: Family member's temporary card: MXN 11,141 to MXN 25,058 depending on term, halved for family unity (LFD art. 8). Permanent card MXN 13,579, halved for family unity.
Example: A temporary resident engineer in Querétaro brings a spouse, two children aged 8 and 12 and a widowed mother, all as temporary residents for the engineer's three year term. / Each three year card about USD 1,133 full or about USD 566 with the family reduction at 18.6638.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. 52 section VII, 55 and 56; Reglamento art. 111, 2011-05-25 official text · verified 2026-10-26

2. Where to apply and solvency. A Mexican or a holder of a temporary, student or permanent residence card who is abroad and accompanies the relative may request the family visa directly at the consulate, proving the relationship and the card or Mexican nationality. Otherwise the resident or Mexican files the visa authorization with INM in Mexico, and the consulate issues the visa once authorized. Applicants for residence visas who want to bring relatives must prove solvency to support each of them; all family members attend the consular interview, and relatives' visas are issued only once the principal obtains a residence visa. The Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego (2026) asks the sponsoring foreign resident for average monthly balances of USD 1,460 over the last 12 months, or pension income of USD 1,460 a month over six months, for the dependants it lists.
Cost to do it: INM visa authorization for family unity MXN 248 (USD 13.29) (LFD art. 14 Bis); consular fee USD 56 in San Diego.
Example: A permanent resident in Mexico City whose new spouse lives in Lima files the family unity visa with INM (MXN 248); after authorization the spouse attends the consular interview in Lima. / INM authorization about USD 13 at 18.6638, plus the consular fee.Reglamento de la Ley de Migración, DOF 28 September 2012 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 23 May 2014); Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego, 2026 requirements, Reglamento arts. 112, 113, 114 and 117, 2012-09-28 official text · verified 2026-10-26

3. Change of condition and regularization through family ties. Visitors who have family ties with a Mexican or a regular resident are an exception to the rule that visitors cannot change condition inside Mexico. A visitor or temporary resident may change to permanent residence when a minor under the custody of a Mexican or permanent resident, a child of a Mexican born abroad, a spouse or partner after two years of temporary residence, a minor sibling, or a grandparent, parent, child or grandchild of a Mexican by birth. Foreigners in irregular status who are the spouse, partner, parent or child of a Mexican or of a resident have a right to regularize, paying a fine of 20 to 40 days.
Cost to do it: Change of condition MXN 1,847 (LFD art. 9); regularization MXN 1,847 (LFD art. 10); regularization fine 20 to 40 UMA, MXN 2,346.20 to MXN 4,692.40 (USD 126 to USD 251).
Example: A tourist who marries a Mexican during the visit may apply in Mexico, as the spouse of a Mexican, for temporary residence instead of leaving and applying abroad. / Change of condition about USD 99 at 18.6638.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. 53, 133 sections I and II and 145; Reglamento art. 141 section I, 2011-05-25 official text · verified 2026-10-26

4. Sham marriages are fined. A Mexican who marries a foreigner only so that the foreigner can live in Mexico under the family benefits of the law, and the foreigner who does so, are each fined 100 to 500 days, read as UMA.
Cost to do it: Fine 100 to 500 UMA, MXN 11,731 to MXN 58,655 (USD 629 to USD 3,143) at the 2026 UMA.
Example: INM may refuse or cancel a residence based on a marriage entered into only for migration purposes and fine both spouses. / About USD 629 to USD 3,143 each at 18.6638.Ley de Migración, DOF 25 May 2011 (Chamber of Deputies consolidated text, last reform DOF 15 January 2026), Ley de Migración art. 150, 2011-05-25 official text · verified 2026-10-26

Relative	Of a temporary resident	Of a permanent resident	Of a Mexican
Spouse or partner	Yes, temporary residence	Yes, temporary for 2 years then permanent	Yes, temporary for 2 years then permanent
Minor unmarried children (own or spouse's)	Yes	Yes	Yes, plus children born abroad who are not Mexican
Parents	Yes	Yes	Yes
Minor unmarried siblings under legal representation	No	Yes	Yes

Relatives each sponsor may bring to Mexico under family unity (Ley de Migración arts. 52, 55 and 56; Reglamento art. 111).

Worked example

A French executive relocates to Mexico City on a three year job offer temporary residence with a spouse and two children.
The employer files the job offer visa and, at the same consular appointment, the family applies for family unity visas, showing solvency for each dependant.
After entry each family member files for a three year card within 30 days at 50 percent of MXN 21,142.58, about MXN 10,571 each (about USD 566 at 18.6638), about MXN 42,285 for four people (about USD 2,266).
If the spouse later finds a job, the spouse needs a work permit (MXN 4,341) based on the new employer's offer.

Step by step

1. List the relatives and check each fits a family unity category.
2. Gather marriage, partnership and birth certificates, apostilled and translated as consulates require.
3. Decide whether to apply at the consulate (resident accompanying) or file with INM in Mexico.
4. Prove solvency per dependant as the consulate requires.
5. After entry, file every family member's card within 30 days and claim the 50 percent reduction.
6. For a spouse of a Mexican or permanent resident, diarise the two year date for permanent residence.

Common traps

Filing relatives before the principal. Relatives' visas are issued only once the principal obtains a residence visa (Reglamento art. 112).
Expecting dependants to work. Family members may work only with their own job offer based permit (Ley de Migración art. 52 section VII).
Sponsoring adult children. Only minor unmarried children, or adults under interdiction and legal representation, qualify (Reglamento art. 111).
Using a marriage only for migration. It carries fines of 100 to 500 UMA for both spouses (Ley de Migración art. 150).

Sources

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