Congratulations! Immigrating to Mexico is an exciting adventure. While it’s easy to be swept away in the thrill of changing your life so completely, there are some extremely important things to keep in mind when it comes to ensuring your documentation is in tip top shape. Luckily, the documentation needed for immigration to Mexico isn’t too overwhelming, which means you can focus on all the other considerations of making such a major life change.
Apostille or Authentication of Documents
We know your move is probably on a tight deadline, which is why we make it a priority to help our clients authenticate their documents in a timely manner. The Legalization Service Centre can typically authenticate most documents in two business days. With that being said, it’s important to remember that any major move that deals with another government’s laws and regulations will have its own set of nuances. We’ve helped many Canadians with their move to Mexico—if you are unsure what steps need to be taken, or just want someone to talk you through the process, our experts at the Legalization Service Centre are here to help!
The Mexican immigration authorities will ask you to Apostille your Canadian documents. This is a required step to consider foreign documents to be legal and useable in Mexico. Since Canada is not a member of the Apostille Convention, the Canadian documents must undergo the authentication of documents process in Canada.
All Canadians MUST have their documents authenticated in Canada in order to be considered legal in Mexico. It will be necessary to present the Mexican authorities with your documents that are appropriately authenticated by the Canadian authorities at the time of your move. This is one step you don’t want to have to repeat as it might negatively impact your move timeline. While our experts can typically turn documents around in two business days, it’s better to start months ahead of your actual move date.
It’s absolutely crucial to remember that before the Mexican authorities will process legal documents from Canada, those documents must be notarized and authenticated by the appropriated Canadian authorities.
What you will need
Authentication of documents requirements are changing all the time, but the set of main documents you will certainly need are your birth certificate, criminal record check certificate, visa application and passport. Because permanent residence in Mexico has different requirements based on the type of residency in which you are applying for (income producing, retired, etc.) it is best to contact the Mexican immigration authorities to get the most up to date and relevant information for your specific situation.
In Canada, we are here to assist you with the authentication process for your Canadian documents so that they can be legally accepted in Mexico. We have authenticated hundreds of Canadian documents for use in Mexico. Please feel free to contact our office for more information and assistance.