I can’t believe it has been almost a year since we received our Mexican temporary residency. It is weird going through the same paperwork, the same process, and standing in line at the same INM building in Polanco. This time, however, we are much smarter: we hired a local helper to help us with the residency process. We strongly recommend it!
When we first got our Mexican temporary residency in 2023, we did the entire process ourselves. We had gotten our residency visas at the Mexican Consulate in Raleigh, NC in December 2022, but didn’t come to Mexico to complete the process until May 2023 (you only have six months to complete the process). When we arrived in Mexico, we stood in line overnight at the INM building in Polanco to get an appointment. In fact, although we arrived at the line around 8:30pm to get an appointment starting at 9pm, we ended up being the second-to-last people to get an appointment that night. In other words, we didn’t end up leaving until around 5am in the morning. It was brutal for a couple of geriatric millennials.
We had to return the following morning to get our residency at our defined appointment time. We had to navigate INM ourselves, and interestingly, for an office that solely deals with immigrants, the employees (or even the forms) do not speak English that much. Although I speak Spanish, my husband does not, so it was by pure luck that we got called up to adjacent windows. That way, I could help him out.
Mexico only initially grants one year of temporary residency to most foreigners, so that is why we have to renew already. If we were retired and had a ton of money, we possibly could have gone straight to Permanent Residency and not have to worry about renewing. Prior to 2023, if you had enough savings or income, you could also have applied for immediate Permanent Residency. But Mexico stopped offering this option in 2023, which was too late for us.
How to Renew Mexican Temporary Residency
This year, we decided to skip all of that and hire an immigration assistant. She helped us get an appointment at INM so we didn’t have to wait all night in line. As we mentioned, in Mexico City, you have to wait in line the night before to get an appointment for the next day or the day after. Skipping this part in itself is almost worth her fee.
She also assisted us with all of the paperwork, although she was not allowed actually to come in with us during the appointment. I guess if we needed help, we could point to her name and contact information on the application, and INM would then allow her to come in.
Fortunately, we didn’t need any help, and the process was far smoother this time. We completed the entire process in about 90 minutes. The first time around, it took us around four hours to complete the process, in addition to staying up all night the night before to secure the appointment. Having someone assist us was far worth our time, sleep, and sanity.

What to Know About Your Renewal Appointment
- Location: You must go to the INM office closest to your registered address in Mexico. For anyone in Mexico City, the INM office is in Polanco at Av. Ejército Nacional Méxicano 862 (view in Google Maps here). It is directly across the street from the Antara mall. If you have an appointment, enter the building off the side street of Calle Platón; don’t enter the grand main entrance off of Av. Ejército Nacional.
- Cost: It costs between MX$5,328 and MX$10,112 – between around US$295 and US$560 – depending on whether you renew for one, two, or three years. The Mexico City office accepts credit cards – including U.S. credit cards – but supposedly, not every single office does. If you can afford it, you should renew for three years so you don’t have to do this yearly. There is no difference in the paperwork besides ensuring you ask for a three-year renewal.
- We read online that some offices ask why you want a three-year renewal, which is then subject to whether the INM officer wants to grant it to you. When we went, the INM officer didn’t ask us any questions and just automatically processed a three-year renewal.
- Time: You should plan on arriving 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment (this assumes you already got an appointment on your own or through an assistant). You’ll want to budget at least 3-4 hours to be safe. However, as we mentioned above, we got done this time in around an hour and a half. But it took forever the first time around.
- What You’ll Get: At the end of the process, you’ll have paperwork showing that your Temporary Residence has been extended. You’ll also get a new ID card good for the length of your renewal.
- What You’ll Need to Bring: If you are using an Immigration Assistant, they should prepare all of the documents beforehand so you just need to show up. If you are going it on your own, look at this website from INM showing the documents you need to bring. Note that if you go it alone, don’t expect any assistance at all once you get there, and don’t expect English speakers.
- The documents aren’t hard to fill out or obtain. You can easily do it on your own – as we did when we first obtained temporary residency – as long as you can speak Spanish at an intermediate or advanced level. If you don’t speak Spanish at all, or have a very basic understanding, we strongly recommend hiring an Immigration Assistant.
Scenes from Polanco, CDMX
Polanco is one of the nicest neighborhoods in Mexico City. It is very high-class, with lots of high-end shops, restaurants, and housing. The streets are all tree-lined and lovely to walk upon. The neighborhood is also immaculate.

We wanted to stay in Polanco this time around instead of Roma Norte, where we stayed our first time. However, Polanco is just too expensive. Plus, Polanco is quite residential. We find there is a lot more going on in Roma Norte. While not as quiet as Condesa, Polanco has a couple of main business areas but otherwise is primarily residential. We want action and walkability, and Polanco isn’t quite there compared to Roma Note.

Polanco has many newer-construction buildings, so for fans of modern architecture, there is much to see. We felt there was a greater mixture of older and newer buildings in Polanco compared to Roma Norte and Condesa. Roma Norte and Condesa have a lot more older residential buildings, with only some renovated and even fewer brand new. Not to say the older buildings aren’t nice—they are lovely—but just an observation of the building’s age.

Very interesting, and waiting all those hours in line for the appt would’ve killed me. Good thing you had help this time. Polanco is very pretty, but as you said, not enough action. It’d be too quiet for me.