Visa Requirements for Mexicans

Visa Requirements for Mexican Citizens

Visa requirements for Mexican citizens are administrative entry restrictions set by the authorities of other countries for Mexican passport holders.

The Mexican passport is considered the 24th most powerful passport in the world regarding travel freedom, according to the Henley Passport Index. Mexican passport holders are currently able to travel to around 120 states without a visa or with a visa on arrival.

Before planning a trip to a foreign country, Mexican citizens should check visa requirements to find out whether there is a need to obtain a travel document to gain entry to their destination.

Requirements vary depending on the country of destination, the period of time the traveler wishes to stay in the state, as well as the purpose of the visit, whether they need a tourist visa, student visa, business visa, work visa, transit visa, or other visa type.

Most visa-free countries for Mexican citizens permit travelers from Mexico to cross their borders using only a valid passport, for short stays for tourism, transit or business purposes. The period of stay permitted ranges from 21 days to 6 months, depending on the destination.

However, to stay in a visa not required country for longer periods or for different purposes, such as to study or work, visa requirements for Mexicans state that it is necessary for travelers to obtain a visa to travel to the destination.

It is necessary to obtain a visa to travel to any non visa-exempt country for citizens of Mexico, whether it is an electronic visa through an online application, a visa on arrival, or a consular visa from an embassy or consulate of the destination.

List of Visa Countries for Mexican Passport Holders in 2021

Travelers from Mexico who wish to visit any country not on the visa not required list for Mexicans are required to obtain a visa to do so. It is currently necessary to obtain a visa for Mexican citizens to travel to around 130 nations around the world, no matter the duration and purpose of the visit.

It is necessary to obtain a visa to travel to around 100 countries before departure from Mexico, either by applying in person for an embassy visa from the nearest consulate or through an electronic visa application online.

Many of the countries for which Mexican passport holders require an electronic visa have the option of a visa on arrival. However, it is more convenient to apply for the eVisa option as this eliminates the need to wait in long queues at the border entry checkpoint upon arrival.

Below you will find a map the countries for which Mexican passport holders need to obtain a visa or authorization for travel.

Electronic Travel Visa Authorization

An Electronic Travel Visa Authorization system for Mexican nationals allows Mexican passport holders to obtain an eVisa (electronic visa) or travel authorization through an online application. This eliminates the need to visit an embassy or queue at a border entry checkpoint to obtain a visa on arrival.

There are around 30 countries around the world that have an electronic travel visa authorization application option available for Mexican citizens.

To obtain this kind of electronic travel visa authorization, it is usually necessary to fill in a simple online form with personal and passport information, and answer a few security-related questions.

An eVisa or electronic authorization may be issued as either a single or multiple entry travel visa authorization that permits the holder to visit their destination for between 8 and 90 days, depending on the country.

Most of the electronic travel visa authorizations for Mexican citizens are electronically linked to the traveler’s passport and a copy is also sent to their email address.

Travelers are recommended to carry a physical copy of the authorization with them alongside the passport they used to complete the application form.

Find below a full list of the countries for which Mexican nationals can apply for an Electronic Travel Visa Authorization.

Visa on Arrival

A visa on arrival for Mexican passport holders is a type of travel document which can be obtained at the border entry checkpoints upon arrival in some countries.

There are currently around 30 visa on arrival countries for Mexican citizens across the world, most of them African territories.

It is usually necessary for nationals of Mexico to go directly to a border checkpoint in their destination to apply for a visa on arrival. Once there, applicants usually need to wait in a queue until an immigration officer hands them a visa on arrival application.

This application must be completed with personal and passport information about the traveler. Many countries also require Mexican travelers to pay a visa on arrival fee before the document can be approved. Many visa on arrival destinations only accept payment in cash and in the local currency.

A Visa on arrival may be issued as single or multiple entry travel document, depending on the destination, and permits a stay of between 7 days and 4 months.

Several of the roughly 30 countries who offer visas on arrival for Mexican citizens also offer travelers the option to obtain an electronic visa through an online application before departure from Mexico. This removes the need to wait in line at a border entry checkpoint.

Find below a complete list of the visa on arrival countries for Mexican nationals.

Angola
Comoros
Egypt
Gabon
Guinea-Bissau
Iran
Kyrgyzstan
Lebanon
Malawi
Maldives
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mozambique
Nepal
Palau
Rwanda
Samoa
Somalia
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tuvalu
Zambia

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Embassy Visa Required

An embassy visa for Mexican citizens is a type of travel document which nationals from Mexico need to obtain from an embassy or consulate before they visit a destination.

At the moment, there are around 100 countries for which this kind of visa is required for Mexican passport holders, no matter the purpose of their visit or the period of intended stay in their destination.

A visa from an embassy may be granted for a number of purposes, whether the traveler requires a tourist visa, work visa, study visa or business visa, and for a different range of periods of permitted stay.

Embassy visa requirements for Mexican nationals usually state it is necessary to make an appointment in advance at the nearest diplomatic embassy of the destination country. Applicants are usually required to bring a completed embassy visa application form and additional supporting documentation depending on the type of visa they require.

It may take up to 2 weeks or more for an embassy to approve a visa. Therefore, Mexican passport holders are advised to apply for an embassy visa well in advance of the intended arrival date in the destination, to ensure sufficient processing time.

Below you will find a list of the countries that Mexican passport holders can visit after obtaining an embassy visa.

Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Algeria
American Samoa
Anguilla
Antarctica
Aruba
Australia
Bangladesh
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bonaire
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Brunei Darussalam
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
China
Christmas Island
Cocos Islands
Congo
Cook Islands
Cuba
Curacao
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Gambia
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greenland
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guernsey
Guinea
Guyana
Iraq
Isle of Man
Jersey
Kiribati
Liberia
Libya
Mali
Martinique
Mayotte
Mongolia
Montserrat
Namibia
Nauru
New Caledonia
Niger
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Korea
Northern Mariana Islands
Pitcairn Islands
Puerto Rico
Reunion
Saint Barthelemy
Saint Helena
Saint Martin
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Swaziland
Syrian Arab Republic
Taiwan
Tokelau
Tonga
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
United States
United States Virgin Islands
Wallis and Futuna
Yemen

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Visa Not Required

Below you will find a list of the visa not required countries for Mexican passport holders. These are territories that have a visa policy which determines that it is not necessary to obtain a visa to gain entry to its borders for a short period of stay.

There are around 90 countries for which Mexican nationals can visit without previously obtaining a travel authorization.

Depending on their destination, visa-free countries allow Mexican passport holders to stay between 21 days up to 1 year. This list currently includes all of the European countries who have signed the Schengen Agreement.

Travelers are only be required to present a valid Mexican passport upon arrival to be able to cross the borders of these countries. Mexican nationals are normally able to travel to these countries for tourism, transit or business purposes only.

For longer periods of stay or for other purposes, such as to study or work, Mexican passport holders will need to apply for an embassy visa for the selected destination before departing from Mexico.

Below you will find a full list of the main visa-exempt countries for travelers from Mexico.

Albania
Andorra
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Austria
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Estonia
Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Kazakhstan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malta
Mauritius
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Morocco
Netherlands
Nicaragua
Norway
Palestinian Territory
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Republic of Cyprus
Romania
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
San Marino
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Uruguay
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela

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ETIAS Authorization for Mexican Citizens

Although nationals of Mexico are currently able to travel to the 26 countries in the European Schengen Area for up to 90 days without a visa or travel authorization, this will soon change.

In 2021, the shared visa policy of the Schengen passport-free zone will change, and, by the end of 2022, visa-free nationalities will be required to obtain an online travel authorization (ETIAS visa waiver) to visit the Schengen countries.

ETIAS, which stands for European Travel Information and Authorization System, is an electronic visa waiver which will allow Mexican passport holders to visit all of the Schengen zone countries for purposes of business, medical treatment, tourism, or to transit to an onward destination.

ETIAS is being implemented by the European Commission in order to pre-screen visa-exempt travelers to the Schengen Area, in order to improve the security of Europe’s external borders.

A multiple entry travel authorization, an approved ETIAS visa waiver for Mexican citizens allows the holder multiples entries to Schengen territories, for a stay of up to 90 days with each entry.

To apply for an ETIAS from Mexico, it is necessary to complete a simple form online with some personal and passport data. Applicants must also a few security-related questions to submit the application.

Once approved, an ETIAS authorization for Mexican nationals is electronically linked to the applicant’s Mexican passport. It is valid for 3 years from the date of issue, or until the associated passport expires, whichever comes first.

To visit Schengen countries for purposes of working or studying, or for longer consecutive periods than those permitted with ETIAS, citizens of Mexico will be required to apply for a visa from a government diplomatic office of the individual Schengen country they wish to visit.