Apply for your Mexico Sistema de Autorización Electrónica online

No. If you hold a valid, unexpired visa for the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, or any of the Schengen Area countries, or if you are a permanent resident of those countries, you do not need an SAE or a Mexican visa to enter for tourism.

You will receive your Electronic Authorization as a PDF document via email. Important: Unlike some digital forms, the Mexican government requires you to present a physical, printed copy of the SAE. Digital versions on a smartphone are often rejected by airlines and immigration authorities. However, if you’ve applied through iVisa, and you need to access your travel authorization digitally, you can always find a copy in your dashboard.

The SAE allows for a maximum stay of up to 180 days.

• The 180-day limit is the maximum allowed by law for tourists, but the specific number of days granted is at the sole discretion of the immigration officer at the port of entry.
• The SAE itself is valid for 30 days from the date of issuance. You must enter Mexico within this 30-day window.

Yes. Every individual traveler, regardless of age, must have their own Electronic Authorization. For minors traveling alone or with one parent, it is also highly recommended to carry a notarized authorization letter (SAM form) to comply with Mexican minor protection laws.

You can use iVisa’s "Add another person" feature to easily manage applications for the whole family in one session, saving time and effort.

If your SAE is denied, you cannot board your flight. You will need to apply for a traditional visitor visa at a Mexican Consulate or Embassy. Denials usually occur due to errors in the application form or if the system flags a previous immigration issue. iVisa reviews every application before submitting it to the government, to avoid common errors. We also offer optional denial protection.

No. In most cases, the Mexico SAE and the visitor permit (FMM) granted upon arrival cannot be extended or renewed beyond the number of days the immigration officer originally wrote on your form.