Mexico is one of the rare countries that allow people to stay up to 180 days or less without a visa. You can check the full list of countries that don’t need visas here.
Since 2020, many digital nomads and travelers decided to travel to Mexico for two main reasons:
- There are no travel restrictions.
- You can get up to 180 days without a visa.
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In this post, we’ll discuss what the FMM is, and you can get your tourist permit for Mexico and what to do to ensure you get your full 180 days at immigration.
I’ll also share my experience at immigration (I last entered Mexico in October 2021).
What Is AN FMM?
FMM is the short abbreviation that refers to the immigration form officially called: Forma Migratoria Multiple.
How To Get Your Tourist Permit For Mexico?
There are two main ways to get your FMM permit. You can get it in person when arriving in Mexico, or you can apply for it online.
In-Person
When you fly to Mexico, you’ll receive a form in which you’ll need to enter your personal information as well as flight information.
When you reach the immigration, the agent will keep the larger part of the form, and you’ll get the bottom part. You’ll need to keep it during your stay until the moment you leave the country. On this form, you’ll find a stamp including your length of stay.
Now, it’s important to know that these days, the immigration officers don’t necessarily give the 180 automatically. Keep reading to find more information about this if you’re planning on staying long-term.
You’ll find the FMM form at the airport or at any port of entry on the land borders. So, if you do not get it on the plane, don’t worry.
Online
Another way to get your FMM is to apply online prior to your arrival. Now, it’s important to know that when you arrive by flight, the fee is already included in your flight ticket (around USD 25).
When applying online, you’ll need to pay the fee, fill up the form, print out the form, and get it stamped at the border.
It’s the best way to ensure you’ll get 180 days – which is why many nomads and travelers prefer to fill up the form online. You can fill the form here.
Latest News On Lenght Of Stay
Lately, immigration officers don’t necessarily give you 180 days automatically. At the border, they will ask for information about your stay and if you say that you’re planning on staying for three months, they’ll give you 3 months.
We recommend you show your return flight ticket to the officer to make sure you get enough days.
We had booked flexible flight tickets when we entered Mexico, but our original idea was to stay three months. We wanted to get the 180 days in case we wanted to stay longer, but when we told the agent we were staying three months, he gave us 100 days.
The same story happened to other travelers and nomads lately – so it seems like they don’t give out 180 automatically anymore.
Many expats have reported that they got fewer days than they asked for. And this still happens in 2022.
It’s very important that you check the number of days while you’re with the immigration officer. I repeat: do not leave until you check which number you have.
Many expats and digital nomads have recommended using the online form to ensure you get 180 days at the border.
What To Do If You Lose Your FMM?
If you lost your FMM form at any point during your stay, you will need to head to an immigration office, pay a fee and apply for a new one.
That said, I strongly suggest that you keep it in a safe space to avoid any troubles later.
Final Thoughts On FMM Mexico
As mentioned above, it’s easy to get your Mexico tourist permit as long as you are from a country that doesn’t require a visa.
Not on the list of visa-free countries? Make sure to check this website to apply for an online visa.
If you need 180 days and want to make sure to get it, you could apply online prior to your arrival. Make sure to check how many days you have before you leave the immigration officer.
Once you leave the office, you won’t be able to change your length of stay and it could cost you more if you need to leave and re-enter Mexico.
Heading to Mexico soon? Read one of the following blog posts:
