Area: 1,972,550 km²
Residents: 124,574,795 (July 2017, CIA estimate)
Population density: 63 E / km² Form of
Government: Federal Republic of
Government: Presidential democracy
Neighboring countries: USA, Belize, Guatemala
Capital: Mexico City National
language: Spanish
Religions:
87% Catholic,
7.5% Protestant,
0.6% Jehovah’s Witnesses
Currency: Mexican Peso (MXN)
1 Peso = 100 Centavos
Exchange rates:
1 EUR = 24.83 MXN
100 MXN = 4.02 EUR
1 CHF = 22.53 MXN
100 MXN = 4.44 CHF
(rate from 25.02.2021)
Telephone area code: +52
Time zone: UTC −6 to −8
Mains voltage: 110/120 V,
60 Hz;
American two-pin flat plug, adapter required
In 2020, 527 Germans officially emigrated to Mexico and 1,100 returned to their homeland. Within the 10 years from 2010 to 2019, 8,426 Germans officially emigrated to Mexico and 9,132 moved back to Germany. 80,000 to 90,000 German speakers live in Mexico.
According to allcitycodes, the population of Mexico is made up of 60% mestizos, around 10% indigenous peoples (Maya, Nahua and others) and around 30% of European descent (mostly Spaniards). In addition to Spanish (which about 85% of the population speak), 62 indigenous languages are recognized as official national languages. Immigrants also speak English, French, German, Mandarin, Arabic, and Quechua. The Mennonites (e.g. in Chihuahua) speak Plautdietsch.
Mexico is known to tourists primarily through the Yucatan peninsula, Playa del Carmen, Cancun and the Riviera Maya. Due to a mixed climate, hot and dry and rain in winter, the best time to travel is from October to May.
The landscape is very diverse. In the north canyons alternate with deserts, the middle is characterized by high mountains and plains with table mountains and partially still active volcanoes, whereas in the humid south the evergreen rainforest predominates.
Mexico has a very diverse flora and fauna (200,000 different species, about 10 to 12% of all species occurring worldwide). No country is home to so many species of reptiles (763 known species). Also noteworthy are 448 species of mammals and 290 species of amphibians. Many of these animals can be seen in the 68 national parks.
Travel and Visa
Changed travel regulations during and after the corona pandemic
The Mexican health authorities currently do not require a certificate of health or test results. Quarantine measures are not provided. However, fevers are increasingly being recorded and travelers may need to undergo an examination if they show symptoms. Travelers are required to fill out the “ cuestionario de pasajero ” (questionnaire to identify risk factors).
Restrictions are to be expected when entering by land. The northern border is not yet reopened for normal travel. At the southern border there may be disruptions and longer waiting times.
Source: Federal Foreign Office on July 24th, 2021
General provisions for travel and residence (until the corona pandemic)
Travelers can stay in Mexico for up to 180 days without a visa. It does not matter whether you are entering the country as tourists, business people, interns, volunteers, students or technicians, as long as you do not work for a fee. The stay can be extended. The application must be made at the Mexican embassy. The processing time for this is usually 10 working days from receipt of the documents (costs for the extension or the visa: € 30).
Immigration – temporary or permanent
The ” Residente Temporal ” allows you to stay for more than 180 days but less than 4 years. To do this, an appointment must be made beforehand in the consular department, the MEXITEL system – available at the following link: mexitel.sre.gob.mx
On the day of your appointment, you must present the following documents:
- Passport or ID and travel document that is valid according to international law and valid in original and copy (a validity of more than 6 months is strongly recommended)
- A photo with a visible face and without glasses in color and passport size, the dimensions of which must be a minimum of 32.0 millimeters x 26 millimeters and a maximum of 39.0 millimeters x 31.0 millimeters, with a white background and a white front
- Original and copy of the document showing legal residence if the foreign person is not a citizen of the country in which the visa is being applied for
The documents must provide the following information:
- Original and copy of evidence of investments or bank accounts with an average monthly balance equal to five thousand days of the general minimum wage in Mexico City (here, the minimum wage amounts in Mexico) for the past twelve months; or
- Original and copy of the documents showing that you have a job or a pension with a monthly income that is free from encumbrances equal to three hundred days of the general minimum wage in Mexico City (here the minimum wage amounts in Mexico) in the last six months.
Furthermore, the following must be proven:
- Payment of fees for issuing a visa under the Federal Law on Rights, except in cases where there is an agreement or unilateral declaration of gratification with the country of which the foreign person is a national.
Fees will be paid in US dollars on the day of your appointment (marked, battered, stained, or torn bills will not be accepted).
As of January 1, 2021, the provisions of federal law in Article 22 Section III apply to ordinary visa applications:
For receiving, studying the application and, if necessary, approving ordinary visas in foreign passports: $ 44.00 dollars.
Once the requirements have been fully met and approved, the issuance of the visa will require two to three working days, except in special cases.
