Temporary protection: Mexico
🛰️ Varta monitors 7 official sources for this country — checked daily.
Legal basis: Ley sobre Refugiados, Protección Complementaria y Asilo Político (Refugee Law, 2011) + Ley de Migración (Migration Law, 2011). There is NO special programme for Ukrainians. • there is no single national date — refugee status has no expiry
Steps
- 1
Before flying: SAE or visa
Obtain the SAE electronic authorization on the official INM website (valid 30 days from issuance, single trip, air only) or a visitor visa at a Mexican consulate. SAE is shown to the airline at check-in and to the immigration officer on arrival.
📍 Online: inm.gob.mx/sae or a Mexican consulate⏰ Before buying tickets💳 Check the INM/consulate website - 2
Entry and immigration control
At the border the INM officer decides whether to admit you and for how long (up to 180 days). Entry is NOT guaranteed — refusals of Ukrainians have been reported. Have a return ticket, accommodation booking and funds. Keep the FMM/entry record.
📍 Arrival airport💳 Free - 3
Apply to COMAR — within the first 30 business days
If you need protection, file form FF-SGOB-06-001 in person at a COMAR office (in states without COMAR — at an INM office, which forwards it within 72 hours). If you missed the deadline, filing is still possible but you must explain the delay in writing. You receive a constancia (proof of application) — carry it with you.
▸ More details›
IMPORTANT: until the decision you must remain in the state where you applied and check in per the schedule — otherwise the case may be closed.📍 COMAR offices (8 cities) or INM⏰ 30 business days after entry💳 Free - 4
TVRH: humanitarian card, CURP and work rights
As an asylum seeker you can obtain from INM the Tarjeta de Visitante por Razones Humanitarias (TVRH) — a humanitarian visitor card. It legalizes your stay during the procedure, provides a temporary CURP (ID number) and the right to work.
📍 INM office where you stay⏰ After filing with COMAR💳 Free for asylum seekers - 5
COMAR interview and decision
COMAR interviews you about why you fled. By law the decision takes 45 business days; in practice often longer. Recognized refugees receive the permanent resident card (Residente Permanente) via INM.
📍 The COMAR office where you applied⏰ 45 business days by law (longer in practice)💳 Free - 6
Healthcare and school
Public health centres (centros de salud, IMSS-Bienestar) provide basic care regardless of status, but coverage is limited — many use private healthcare. SEP public schools are free; children are enrolled even without a full document set.
📍 Local centro de salud / school💳 Public services are free
Documents
Foreign passport
requiredA valid passport is required for SAE and air travel. For the COMAR application, missing documents do not block filing — the form has a field to explain in writing why you have none.
SAE electronic authorization or a Mexican visa
requiredSAE is issued online on the INM website, valid 30 days from issuance, for ONE trip and AIR travel only. Otherwise — a visitor visa at a Mexican consulate.
FMM form / electronic entry record
requiredCompleted on entry; the INM officer sets the length of stay (up to 180 days). Keep this document — COMAR will ask for it.
COMAR application (form FF-SGOB-06-001)
requiredFree of charge, filed IN PERSON at a COMAR office (or INM where there is no COMAR — INM forwards the claim within 72 hours).
Children’s birth certificates
if availableFamily members seeking asylum are listed in one application; all must be on Mexican territory.
Ukrainian Embassies and Consulates
Map
Document samples and how to fill them
Municipality/borough and state where you file.
First and last name in LATIN letters as in the passport. Ukrainians usually leave Segundo Apellido blank.
Nationality "Ucrania", date of birth as DD/MM/AAAA.
List your passport, SAE/FMM. If you have no documents — fill in the field explaining why (the form explicitly provides for this).
Date you left Ukraine, transit countries, date and place of entry into Mexico — matching the FMM.
List family members (name, nationality, date of birth, relationship) — all must be in Mexico. Sign the application.
❌ Filing after 30 business days without a written explanation ❌ Entry dates that do not match the FMM ❌ Family members needing protection not listed ❌ Leaving the state of filing before the decision — the case may be closed
Number, issue/expiry dates — exactly as in the passport; a mistake = invalid authorization.
SAE is valid for AIR entry only, single trip. Enter your arrival flight.
Valid 30 days from the ISSUE date — do not apply too far before departure.
Print the authorization: show it to the airline at check-in and to the INM officer on arrival.
❌ Applying more than 30 days before the flight (authorization expires) ❌ Trying to enter by land with SAE (air only) ❌ A typo in the passport number ❌ Treating SAE as an entry guarantee — the officer always decides
Benefits
State cash benefits
Mexico does NOT pay cash benefits to asylum seekers or refugees from Ukraine. Plan on your own funds and work.
How to apply: —
UNHCR and partner assistance
Asylum seekers and refugees. Legal counselling, shelters (albergues), in some cases humanitarian support. All UNHCR services are free.
How to apply: Line 800 226 8769 or WhatsApp +52 55 7005 5950
Basic healthcare and school
Public centros de salud serve people regardless of status (basic services); SEP public schools are free for all children.
How to apply: Visit the nearest facility
Wise — transfers without hidden fees
A multi-currency account and transfers between Ukraine and Europe at the real exchange rate. Handy for receiving salary and sending money to family.
Open a Wise accountThe price for you does not change; the commission supports our free guides.
Where to apply
COMAR — Mexico City office
COMAR — Guadalajara office
UNHCR (ACNUR) Mexico — helpline
Contacts
What happens after protection ends
Recognized refugees receive permanent residence (Residente Permanente) without further conditions. Other routes: temporary residence via work/study/family (through a consulate or INM). Naturalization — as a general rule after 5 years of legal residence (check with SRE; shorter terms apply to some categories).
What happens when protection ends
These are options for the future — you will need to choose ONE, and not now.
These routes are available outside temporary protection — work, study, family, business, etc.
The description below is a general scheme, similar across countries. Check exact requirements, fees and timelines via the official link in each card — they differ by country and change over time.
💼 Work-based residence — Mexico
Those with a valid employment contract in this country.
Passport; employment contract; proof of residence. Authority: COMAR — Mexico City office.
- Foreign passport
- Employment contract
- Proof of residence
- Health insurance (optional)
COMAR — Mexico City office
The employer or the applicant files; the immigration authority decides.
Before the current status or permit expires.
- Collect the card/decision
- Register address and social number
Renewable together with the contract.
Visa-free entry not guaranteed; asylum via COMAR — an individual process.
🎓 Study — Mexico
Enrolment at an accredited institution.
Acceptance letter; proof of funds; housing; insurance.
- Foreign passport
- Acceptance letter
- Proof of funds
- Health insurance (optional)
COMAR — Mexico City office
Apply via the institution or the immigration authority.
Before the semester starts.
- Register at the institution and locally
Yearly with continued studies.
Visa-free entry not guaranteed; asylum via COMAR — an individual process.
👨👩👧👦 Family reunification — Mexico
Spouse, children or relatives of a resident or citizen.
Marriage/birth certificates; housing; sponsor income.
- Foreign passport
- Marriage/birth certificate
- Sponsor income proof
- Proof of residence
COMAR — Mexico City office
The sponsor or family files; documents need apostille and translation.
Before the current status expires.
- Collect the family member card
Renewable; a path to permanent residence.
Visa-free entry not guaranteed; asylum via COMAR — an individual process.
🏢 Self-employment/business — Mexico
Company or self-employment registration; business plan or contracts.
Registration documents; tax number; funds; housing.
- Foreign passport
- Company/self-employment registration
- Business plan or contracts (optional)
- Proof of residence
COMAR — Mexico City office
Register the business, then apply for residence as an entrepreneur.
Before the current status expires.
- Tax registration and bank account
Tied to the company activity.
Visa-free entry not guaranteed; asylum via COMAR — an individual process.
🏠 Permanent residence — Mexico
Usually after 5 years of continuous legal residence.
Stable income; housing; integration/language per national rules.
- Foreign passport
- Income proof
- Proof of residence
- Language/integration certificate (optional)
COMAR — Mexico City office
Apply once the required residence period is met.
After the required residence period is met.
- Obtain permanent resident status
Permanent status; card replaced periodically.
Temporary protection time often counts towards the period (per national rules).
Opportunities: housing, jobs, grants
4 verified programmes: housing support, job portals, business grants, free courses — with direct official links and verification dates. Available with Varta.
Forms & samples (PDF)
FAQ
Do I need to do anything to keep my protection after the current period?
Mexico has no separate programme for Ukrainians — you keep whatever status INM granted you, and the main thing is to renew your card on time. WHEN TO APPLY. The application is accepted only when your card has between 1 and 30 calendar days of validity left. Earlier will not be accepted; after the expiry date will not either. Two exceptions: if the expiry date falls on a non-working day you may apply on the next working day; and if the card expired while you were abroad, it is still accepted for up to 60 calendar days after expiry. WHAT TO DO. The procedure is called "Expedición de documento migratorio por renovación". Fill in the application form (formato para solicitar trámite migratorio de estancia) electronically at inm.gob.mx, print it and sign it by hand, then file it in person at the INM oficina de atención a trámites for your place of residence or work — photographs, signature and fingerprints are taken there. In addition: • humanitarian card (visitante por razones humanitarias, valid 1 year) — a document from the competent authority confirming that the grounds on which the status was granted still subsist (if the grounds are your pending asylum case, this is a COMAR document). No fee is charged for renewing this particular card: INM expressly cites art. 16 of the Ley Federal de Derechos; • residente temporal — proof that the grounds still subsist (employer's letter on continued employment, proof of family ties, etc.) and the receipt for the derechos. Amounts change annually; check them on the INM trámites page. IF YOU HAVE BEEN IN MEXICO SINCE 2022, READ THIS. Residente temporal can be renewed only up to four years in total; beyond that renewal is not granted. If your four years are running out, "just renewing" will not work: while your card is still valid, file a different procedure — cambio de residente temporal a residente permanente (one of its grounds is precisely that four years have elapsed). RESIDENTE PERMANENTE. For adults this card is indefinite — nothing to renew. Renovación is required only for children under 18. WHO THIS DOES NOT COVER. If all you have is a 180-day visitor FMM, renovación is not available to you — that category is not in INM's list. IF YOU MISS THE WINDOW. The document expires, your status becomes irregular, and instead of a renewal you must go through "regularización por tener documento vencido o por realizar actividades no autorizadas": an interview at INM, a processing fee and a fine under art. 146 of the Migration Law (per INM's 2026 schedule, 2,346 to 11,731 pesos), plus a separate payment for the document itself. Sources: Lineamientos para trámites y procedimientos migratorios (Diario Oficial de la Federación, 08.11.2012) — arts. 5, 17(VI), ficha art. 34, art. 44, art. 49(III), art. 52; INM trámites micrositio (inm.gob.mx), sections "Expedición de Documento Migratorio" and "Regularización de Situación Migratoria". Source: https://www.inm.gob.mx/micrositio/1/docs/mj/Lin_tramites_y_procedimentos.pdf (checked 03.09.2026).
Do Ukrainians need a visa for Mexico?
Yes, you need an authorization: either the electronic SAE (online at inm.gob.mx, valid 30 days from issuance, single trip, AIR travel only) or a visitor visa at a consulate. There is no classic visa waiver for Ukraine.
Can I be refused entry even with SAE?
Yes. The final decision is made by the INM officer at the border; refusals of Ukrainians have been reported. Have a return ticket, accommodation booking, funds and a clear explanation of your trip. SAE does not guarantee entry.
Can I work while COMAR reviews my claim?
Yes — after obtaining the TVRH humanitarian card via INM, which grants work rights and a temporary CURP. Without it you cannot work legally.
I have a non-biometric passport. What should I do?
SAE requires a valid machine-readable passport; with a non-biometric document it is safer to apply for a visa at a Mexican consulate, which assesses documents individually. For the COMAR claim the passport type does not matter — you can even apply without documents, explaining their absence in writing.
How long does the asylum procedure take and what does it give?
By law COMAR must decide within 45 business days; in practice it takes longer. Until the decision you must stay in the state where you applied. Recognized refugees get permanent residence; a refusal can be appealed.
- INM — Sistema de Autorización Electrónica (SAE) ✓
- COMAR — Requisitos para solicitar refugio en México ✓
- COMAR — Directorio de oficinas ✓
- UNHCR Help Mexico — Cómo solicitar la condición de refugiado
This information is for reference only and is not legal advice.