Visa stamping in Mexico as a TCN (2023)



The main intention of this small blog is to just share information regarding my experience with visa stamping in Mexico as a TCN. I am an H1B employee and have been to Mexico twice for visa stamping. The first time was for my H1B renewal and the second time was for my daughter’s H4 renewal. Unfortunately the first time when I went due to her school schedule I wasnt able to take her with me and I had to travel alone. 


H1B renewal in Monterrey, Mexico


I was lucky to have found this agency which pretty much helped with anything and everything for the visa stamping in Mexico. Here are all the steps that I followed


  1. Contacted the agency via whatsapp
  2. Once all the details about the stamping were given to them, made the visa fee payment to them via Zelle.
  3. Receipt was received and shared over whatsapp.
  4. I started looking for appointments convenient as per my schedule. You can always ask them for booking the appointment as well if you have a time frame in mind. You also have the option to keep looking yourself. The caveat is if you keep checking the website too many times you get locked out for 24hrs. I would also recommend taking their help figuring out which locations are better as per your case and since they have more idea about the processing times etc
  5. After the appointment was booked, i took the agency’s package for hotel accommodation and transportation. I highly recommend going for this. The hotel they choose is super convenient, in a safe area and also very budget friendly. Along with that the hotels they have in their package are also close from restaurants which makes it super easy to get lunch and dinner without having to travel much. 
  6. I booked the flights once the appointment was confirmed. I would recommend flying in the day before the biometrics appointment.
  7. As a TCN there is no dropbox option. The appointment is booked for two things, Biometrics and Interview. These are on 2 separate days and you cannot get it for the same day. 


**Make sure when you fill out your DS160 the location on the form is the city that you have scheduled your visa appointment in. If for any reason the DS160 city doesnt match the city where your interview is scheduled you would need to fill out the DS160 again with the correct city and update the DS160 number on the site.  



  1. To travel to Mexico you do need one of these : valid US visa OR Mexico Visa OR Schengen Visa. If you are not able to get either of these before your travel the agency has a way to get you the FMM in which case you would have to travel to a US Mexico border and cross it via car. Please check with the agency for more details. 
  2. I had Schengen Visa and I traveled to Monterrey on Monday since my appointment was on Tuesday. Make sure when you enter Mexico they stamp your passport and be aware of the amount of days they give you permission to stay in Mexico.
  3. Tuesday morning had my biometrics appointment which took about an hour. The driver who was assigned to me picked me up from the hotel, took me to the ASC center, waited there the whole time till my appointment was done and then dropped me back off at the hotel
  4. Wednesday I had my interview at 10am. It takes anywhere from 2-4hrs for the whole process depending on that day’s rush. The process is very straight forward. Make sure you carry all your documents before going to the interview. I have listed down all the documents that I took at the end of this blog. 
  5. After that you just have to wait. You will get a slip if your visa is approved and it says on that, that it takes anywhere from 5-7 days to get the passport back. 
  6. Your visa status will show as APPROVED and will then change to ISSUED. You will receive an email from the consulate once the passport is ready for pickup and to schedule a pick up appointment.
  7. The people at the agency will tell you this but still stating it here. After your receive the email you can only schedule an appointment for the next day but if you have a flight ticket booked for the same day you can go to the consulate and request them for give you the passport the same day. 
  8. In Monterrey no processing happens on Saturday and Sunday. I got my passport back on Monday which was exactly 2 business days after the interview. I had booked my refundable flight tickets beforehand for the same day so i was able to collect my passport in the morning and fly back the same day


Hope this information helps you. The process for my daughter’s visa renewal was pretty much the same except for we got an appointment in Mexico City. 



Documents for the Interview (**Please check the site as well)


  1. Appointment Confirmation Letter
  2. Passport
  3. Passport copy (**Make sure if your last visa is in an older passport you carry that as well)
  4. i797 original 
  5. i797 copy
  6. i40 if you have this approved
  7. Employment verification letter
  8. Bank statements for 3 months
  9. Payslips for 3 months


Monterrey vs Mexico City


  1. Mexico city is a much bigger city with a lot of traffic. Getting to nearby places takes around 1 to 1.5hrs easily. Monterrey being a smaller city I was able to get around much easily
  2. Being a bigger city there is a lot more to see in Mexico city depending on how long you are there. 
  3. Food was great in both the cities. Just be aware of the water in Mexico City. We only had bottled water and avoided ice in our drinks. There is a high possibility of stomach issues when in Mexico City
  4. I highly recommend touring around when you are in Mexico. The agency can take care of this as well. 


AGENCY

https://usvisastampinginmexico.com



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