A guide on how to get a Mexican Visa for Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine International Students
Becoming a Temporary Student Resident of Mexico occurs in two steps:
- Obtain your Mexican Student Visa.
- “Exchange” your Mexican Visa for a Temporary Student Resident Card.
Let’s break down Step 1: Obtaining your Mexican Student Visa
This process is for US Citizens.
For the list of required Mexican Student Visa paperwork, click here.
Start the Process:
Find the closest Mexican Consulate to your residence with a quick Google search. This is mainly for ease of process. Fortunately, if for some reason your closest Mexican Consulate is not providing services (as was seen during the Covid-19 surge), many Mexican Consulates will take you even if you live outside of their “service radius”. Of course, if you have to make an appointment at a Mexican Consulate away from your place of residence, always contact them prior to scheduling your appointment to ensure they can process your information at their location.
In my case, I visited the Mexican Consulate in San Antonio, Texas. The basis of this post is made using this office as reference. However, any Mexican Consulate in the US should require the basic paperwork mentioned further on in this post.
Make an Appointment:
This step is fairly straight forward but every consulate is different. Once you have chosen the appropriate Mexican Consulate, go to the website and read the directions provided for your specific location.
In San Antonio, appointments are made via telephone at 1 (877) 639-4835 or online at MEXITEL.
In case you’re like me, a little rusty on the Spanish, this is a fair warning on use of the phone service. When I called to set up my appointment, both options (“continue in Spanish” and “press 2 for English”) took me to the same, poorly recorded Spanish phone tree for appointment setting. It was difficult getting through, but in the end I reached a live person.
The second option is online through a Mexican Government website where you set up an account on MEXITEL and from there, set your appointment. In retrospect, this would have been the easier option. You can even change the language to English if needed. Unfortunately, at the time I was going through this process, I found this option to be a bit confusing (before I found this handy dandy guide) and opted to call for an appointment.
Availability fluctuates with demand so set up your appointment ASAP once you are accepted. This way you are not questioning your ability to make it to the first day of class!
Gather your Documentation:
Your documentation is CRUCIAL for easy processing during your scheduled appointment.
Below is a list of the appropriate documents needed for your Mexican Visa application packet:
| Application Document | The Application Document is a standard form found on the Mexican Consulate website. For the English form click here. |
| Passport | Unexpired US passport |
| Copy of Passport | A copy of the MAIN PAGE of your passport. |
| Passport-size Picture | This photo needs to be a standard US Passport size photo: Dimensions are 2X2 inches with the head between 1 – 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head. Photo must be in color with a white background. No glasses or non-religious/non medical head coverings allowed (unless you have a waiver for religious/medical purposes). You can easily get these photos at a CVS or a Walgreens for around $15 USD. |
| Economic Solvency Letter or Proof of Financial Stability | In order to be issued your Mexican Visa, you need to show proof of financial stability while residing in Mexico. Many, if not most, (US Citizen) students apply for FAFSA to pay for their enrollment and living expenses as part of the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara School of Medicine International Program. If this is you, after you fill out your FAFSA, contact the school and ask for a letter of Economic Solvency. This letter will state your loan amount and your ability to support yourself financially while a temporary resident of Mexico. If you do not receive FAFSA then you will need to submit proof of financial stability. This can be either a proof of full scholarship or a financial statement from your bank/financial institution if you are over the age of 25 OR you have the additional option to submit a notarized letter that states who will cover your finances (e.g. parent/legal guardian) if you are under the age of 25. |
| Letter of Acceptance | This document will be provided by Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara. The original will be sent via mail. It must contain: – Full name as stated on your Passport – Nationality – Level of Studies – Degree – Area of Study – Course Name of Enrollment – Total Cost of Studies – Period of Studies – Signature of Official Representative – Identification Data of UAG (Educational Institution) This is a typical document from UAG and usually comes without content issues. |
| Payment | The San Antonio location charged $44 at the time I received my Visa but fees change from year to year and from consulate to consulate. When you make your appointment ask what the cost is and/or look it up at your specific Mexican Consulate’s website. To make things easy and quick during your appointment, take exact cash. |
| Note: | Documents that did not originate in the US Require an Apostille seal or legalized translation (by a professional) into Spanish. You must bring an extra copy of the document to your appointment (Copy must have the apostille seal or be the legalized translation into Spanish) |
Appointment Day:
Arrive to your appointment at least 10 minutes early. You will be directed to sit down and wait for your turn. Once called, you will turn in your packet and passport to be processed. The teller will take your photo for the Visa and give you a ticket for payment. Payment is processed at the payment desk after which you will wait for your Visa to be printed and placed in your passport.
You will leave your appointment at the Mexican Consulate with your Visa in your Passport.
Checklist…
- Application Packet. Documents listed above. Make sure to have everything together and easily accessible.
- Physical Passport in hand.
- Payment. Cash preferred.
- Dress Decently. A photo of you will be taken to place on your Visa.
What to do with your Mexican Student Visa:
Once you have your Visa in hand you have 6 months to enter Mexico. If you fail to enter Mexico within the 6 month period this process will have to be repeated.
The Visa will next be used when you pass through Customs at Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla International Airport. You will enter the Customs line for Internationals and have your filled out FMM form (fill it out online or manually prior to entering the line) and Passport open to your Mexican Student Visa. The Customs teller will review your paperwork and fill out the rest of your FMM form. They will keep the top half and return the bottom half of the form to you.
Make sure that the stub returned to you is filled out correctly! The box that says “canje” needs to be checked along with 30 days in the “temporalidad” spot. NONE of the “Visitante Actividad” boxes should be checked and “temporalidad” should NOT say 180 days.
This is extremely important; If any of the “Visitante Actividad” boxes are checked, your FMM Customs form is invalid to use for obtaining your Temporary Student Resident Card.
Hold on to the FMM Customs stub. It will be used for Step 2: “Exchange” your Mexican Visa for a Temporary Student Resident Card.
Keep in mind that you MUST make your appointment to exchange your Mexican Student Visa for a Temporary Student Resident Card within 30 Days of entering Mexico. If possible, schedule your appointment early to get the actual appointment within the 30 days.