The local, state and central offices of the National Immigration Institute (Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM)), under the Ministry of the Interior (Secretaría de Gobernación), hold the power to authorize visas for work, renewals, and notifications of changes of address, nationality, marital status and place of work, among other processes. Mainly, it issues resident cards, which serve to evidence foreign citizens' immigration status in Mexico.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores) is responsible for granting citizenship through the naturalization process, as well as all communication between the INM and Mexican embassies and general consulates. Embassies and the general consulates issue all kinds of visas and authorizations to enter the country.