Virtually all non-Mexicans need a Green Card (or FM3 as they are called) if you plan on working or retiring here. There are various other types of documents too but the FM3 is the most popular. Tourists staying for up to 6 months use a simple 1 page FMT and obviously don’t need the Green Card. You will get an FMT form on the plane.

Even in you plan on applying for an FM3 you must start with the FMT and convert it later into an FM3 (whew, that was a mouthful). Notice the words Estados Unidos Mexicanos on the FM3. Yes, you guessed it, Mexico is really named “The United States of Mexico.” We thought you might like that. Your first piece of trivia today. Did you also know that Canadians and Mexicans are both Americans? So when you see the “Hospital Americano” it is not a U.S. hospital.

There are several ways to apply for the FM3. The easiest is to prove that you have income of an absolute minimum of USD $1,050 per month if single or USD $1,550 if married (or the equivalent in another currency). These amounts are cut in half if you own an apartment or house here - and the amounts are subject to constant change. You will need to bring original copies of bank or brokerage statements showing deposits for the past 3 months and some other paperwork.

Information Taken from CancunAssist.com