Once upon a time, there was a discount card for seniors in Mexico available to all citizens and foreign residents (both temporary and permanent) called the INAPAM card.
In the past year+, however, the card has become extremely difficult for foreign residents to get. There is also a ton of misinformation out there as to who’s eligible, with government and media sources frequently contradicting one other.
Based on my research, the government IS curtailing INAPAM cards for foreign residents.
The reason given by some bureaucrats is that the government can no longer “afford” to issue them to all seniors living in Mexico.
And while it’s true that people are living much longer in Mexico than they used to, the outgoing president’s austerity measures across the federal government are also likely to blame, as numerous social programs have been drastically cut in recent years to redirect funds to AMLO’s pet priorities.
But the reality on the ground is anything but consistent. Some cities are still giving out INAPAM cards to foreigners – while others are not.
Below, I’ve attempted to make sense of this rather nonsensical situation.
What is an INAPAM Card?
The INAPAM card is an official credential issued by the Mexican government to residents aged 60 and over. It entitles cardholders to various discounts on necessities such as food, health care, transportation, travel, cultural activities, and myriad goods and services.
The discount card is administered by Mexico’s Secretariat of Social Development, with funding from the Pension Program for the Elderly. It’s intended to help older residents live better lives with less financial stress.
What are the Benefits of an INAPAM Card?
According to the government’s website, seniors with the card can enjoy discounts for:
- Doctor visits
- Medications
- Local public & long-distance buses
- Plane tickets with AeroMexico (but not if purchased via the website)
- Property taxes (predial)
- Public utilities such as water
- Supermarkets & convenience stores
- Dental work
- Services like auto repair, legal advice, plumbers, electricians, hair care, dry cleaners
- Veterinary care
- Recreational and tourist activities
- Admission to museums and cultural centers
- Myriad retail businesses
- Restaurant chains like Sanborns, Toks, and Vips
Discounts range from 10%-50% and are constantly changing, so take these examples with a grain of salt. Your mileage may vary.
To see a more comprehensive list of discounts available to INAPAM cardholders, check out this 93 page (!) government document listing participating businesses. (I cannot vouch for its accuracy)
For those living in Mexico on fixed incomes, discounts like these can really make a difference.
Where Can You Still Get an INAPAM Card in 2024 as a Foreigner?
Numerous expats I spoke to said it was no longer possible for foreigners to get the INAPAM card in Mexico. But that’s not quite right.
The sad truth is that this perk is available to some but not others — based solely on where you live.
I confirmed that foreign residents have gotten INAPAM cards in 2024 in Mexico City, Monterrey, Merida, Chapala, Huatulco, Chetumal, and Oaxaca.
One man told me he got his INAPAM card after applying for his driver’s license (in Chetumal). He hadn’t even asked for one!
In Merida, they’re still giving them out to temporary residents, in addition to permanent residents and citizens.
In Guadalajara where I live, I spoke to one expat with a Residente Permanente visa who got one in 2023, but he’s married to a Mexican and was required to provide an apostilled marriage certificate (among other things) to qualify.
Numerous other Permanent Residents in Guadalajara without citizen spouses were denied that same year, with bureaucrats telling them they were out of extranjero cards. But there is no such thing as “foreigner cards.”
The Requirements to Get an INAPAM Card
For those living in an area where the card is still issued to foreigners, it is still not a slam dunk. Dealing with the Mexican bureaucracy can be one of the most challenging things you have to deal with living here. The other one is driving, but fortunately, that’s optional.
While I’m still too young to apply for an INAPAM card (I don’t get to say that too often!), I might not apply even if I were eligible. Getting it is one of the most difficult tramites (government procedures) to complete in Mexico.
No one agrees on what’s needed, because like everything here, what you need depends on where you apply.
Below are two lists.
The first is the official list of what’s needed to get the card. The second is what expats around the country report is actually needed – beyond the official requirements.
The required credentials are:
- Valid identification proving that you’re over age 60 (such as a passport)
- Original Birth Certificate
- CURP number (an official document you can get here. Simply sharing the number printed on your visa won’t suffice.
- Proof of address no more than 3 months old (CFE or water bill are ideal)
But foreign residents I surveyed said you may also need the following items to get the card, depending on which office you visit:
- Two black & white passport-size photos
- Two color passport-size photos
- Name and number for an emergency contact
- An apostilled marriage certificate, if foreign and married to a Mexican citizen
- An in-person interview
- Blood type (I can’t make this stuff up)
- Two copies of every document (bureaucrats in Mexico love copies, even if they only throw them into the trash after you hand them over)
- Your own pen (!) to fill out forms
The “unofficial” list of requirements harkens to a longstanding tradition among Mexican bureaucrats of embellishing application requirements for a given task. I assume this helps them to assert their authority at the local level.
Curve balls like these will look familiar to anyone who’s been through the Mexican immigration process.
Like any government tramite, all forms must be completed in Spanish. The same goes for an interview, if required.
If this all sounds too confusing to follow, the government operates a helpline for INAPAM applicants (Spanish only). Inside Mexico dial 800 007 3705.
Where Do You Go to Get the INAPAM Card?
This is the website to find the closest INAPAM center near you:
http://200.188.126.49/CINAPAM.bienestar/
While it might be tempting to apply for the card in one of the cities listed above that still issue them to expats, the government’s website clearly states that you must apply in the city where you live.
All INAPAM cards are issued by a single office in CDMX and sent out to local offices. Unless the local office requests more cards, they’re not shipped to the regions.
As many offices are staffed by bureaucrats who… shall we say … take long lunches, they often fail to keep track of their card inventory.
So when the cards run out, they can be out for months, according to expats who have attempted to get them in recent years. So this effort may take a few trips. Or fail completely.
Ah, Mexican bureaucracy at its finest! For general information about INAPAM, here is the government’s website:
Seniors Can Still Get Some Discounts Without the INAPAM Card
If the above process sounds like a migraine headache, you may be thinking.. why bother?
Some older expats I know in Guadalajara simply show their regular ID (proving they’re over 60) to obtain senior discounts when shopping or traveling. Many Mexican retailers happily grant them to customers without an official INAPAM card.
It’s probably worth a try if you haven’t gotten around to applying — or live somewhere that they’re now only available to Mexican citizens.
That said, for discounts with public agencies like your property tax collector or the water utility, having an INAPAM card is almost certainly necessary to unlock whatever savings have been negotiated by the pension program.
Conclusion
For many foreigners living in Mexico, getting an INAPAM card may be impossible in 2024.
But if you live in a city where they’re still handing out INAPAM cards to foreign residents, e.g. Monterrey, Merida, Chetumal, etc., don’t delay in requesting yours as the window is likely closing.
For everyone else, if you’re over 60 and lack the card, try asking … ¿Ofrecen un descuento para personas mayores? whenever you purchase goods or services. The discount is still granted in many instances.
And even if it doesn’t work, remember that we’re all fortunate to be living in this amazing country that’s still so affordable, considering the alternatives.