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MAKING THE MOVE TO MEXICO
Destination content © Ken Luboff, used from Living Abroad in Mexico, 1st Edition.
Maps © Avalon Publishing Group, Inc.
Overview
"It is common for people living in Mexico to ask friends driving down from the States to fill their cars with goodies that are unavailable in Mexico or less expensive in the States. Although customs inspectors occasionally search cars, travelers are rarely questioned about items unless they are high-priced electronic equipment, like computers or TVs. I recommend unpacking these and most everything else so it all appears to be used. Carry the receipt along just in case an inspector insists on duty being paid."
Prime Living Locations
True Stories
Making the Move Red Tape Moving with Children Moving with Pets What to Take


VISAS AND IMMIGRATION
Tourist Visas • Non-Immigrant Residency Visas • Permanent Residency

  Having all your paperwork in order is a prerequisite for a smooth trip. If you are a non-Mexican entering Mexico either to travel or to live, you will need one of the following visas: FMT, FM3, or FM2. An FMT is the tourist visa most people receive when entering Mexico. You can get one at any Mexican consulate, at the immigration booth after you cross the border, or on any flight into the country. When you fly in, your visa will be good for 90 or 180 days and the visa entry fee is automatically added to the cost of your airline ticket. You can get a 90-day visa extended for an additional 90 days.
  If you drive in, you'll usually receive a 180-day visa at the border. If border officials give you less, ask for the full 180 days if you think you will need them. If you drive your car into Mexico, it will be noted on your visa, and you must leave with the same car. To get an FMT when driving into Mexico, you need only fill out a simple form, have a credit card, and show your passport and car registration. An FMT visa costs $20 at the border, paid by credit card. When you leave the country, you must turn in your visa.

Tourist Visas
  An FMT visa is typically given to tourists on short trips into the country, but we know people from the States who have been living in Mexico for more than 20 years on tourist visas. For one reason or another, they never got around to switching and just keep renewing their visas every six months. A tourist visa does not permit you to work in Mexico.
  With a tourist visa, the number of personal and household items that you can bring into the country is limited—although the limit isn't really specified. It is common for people living in Mexico to ask friends driving down from the States to fill their cars with goodies that are unavailable in Mexico or less expensive in the States. Although customs inspectors occasionally search cars, travelers are rarely questioned about items unless they are high-priced electronic equipment, like computers or TVs. I recommend unpacking these and most everything else so it all appears to be used. Carry the receipt along just in case an inspector insists on duty being paid.

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Non-immigrant Residency Visa
  If you are going to be living in Mexico for six months, one year, or more, in my opinion an FM3 visa is the way to go. An FM3 is a non-immigrant residency visa that is renewed only once a year. With a valid FM3, you can leave and reenter the country as often as you like and by any means of transportation that you like. If you drove your car into Mexico with an FM3, and you want to fly back to the States for your high school reunion, no sweat! Just leave the car in Mexico and go.
  With all types of FM3s (there are 10 types in all), you can work in Mexico. If you know in advance that you want to work, go to an immigration office (or consulate) and find out what documents you will need in order to apply for working papers.
  Getting an FM3 is more complicated than getting a tourist visa. You will not be able to get an FM3 at a consulate in the States unless you have a Mexico address. In other words, you must already have a home or rental in Mexico.
  In either country, you will need certain documents to apply for an FM3. These include proof, in the form of bank or investment-company statements, that you have an income equal to at least 250 times the minimum wage in Mexico City, which means about $1,000 per month if you are single, plus half that for each dependent. This amount is reduced by 50 percent if you own real estate (in which you claim to live) in Mexico. Along with proof of income, you will be asked to write a letter to the immigration office giving your name, address, and reason for wanting an FM3—something like, “I want an FM3 because I am planning to spend two years living and studying Spanish in Mexico.” You will also need your passport and your tourist visa if you have one. If you are married and your spouse wants an FM3, you will need your marriage certificate as well as a letter stating that you will be responsible for your spouse. You will then fill out a form, provide photos of yourself and your spouse, make copies of all the documents, and pay a fee of about $150.
  Sound easy? Could be, but we know people who have had to return to an immigration office in Mexico five times to complete some detail before getting their FM3s. Because of the frustrations some foreigners feel in dealing with migración, private immigration services have opened to guide people through the process. Using such a service, you may have to pay up to $200 for each FM3 but it can be well worth it. By the way, if you obtain your FM3 in the States, you must register at the nearest immigration office to your home in Mexico within 30 days of entering the country.
  Several FM3 business-visa designations have been created since the passage of NAFTA. These do not affect most people moving to Mexico or long-term visitors. These special designations include a 30-day business visitor visa, a one-year professional visa (in certain fields), and visas for intra-company transferees in managerial or executive capacities or investor/traders.

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Permanent Residency
  The U.S. State Department suggests that all U.S. citizens register with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate after arriving at their permanent residence in Mexico. They say that registration will make your presence and whereabouts known in case of an emergency.
  FM2 immigration status is for those who know they want to reside permanently in Mexico and eventually apply for Mexican citizenship. (By the way, you can now apply for citizenship after a minimum of five years with an FM3.) Years ago, FM2s were the only visas available to foreigners who wanted to work in the country. These days, the FM3 replaces the FM2 as a working visa.
  The FM2 must be renewed every year for five years, after which you can apply for immigrant status and need not renew again. During those first five years, you cannot leave the country for more than 18 months or you will lose your status and need to start over again. Once you achieve imigrante status, you will have a Mexican passport and all of the rights of a Mexican citizen, except you cannot join the Mexican army, vote, or run for office.
  The application process for an FM2 is about the same as that for an FM3, but you have to show a higher monthly income-about $1,500 if you are single and half that for each dependent. Applying also costs a bit more—about $100. As with an FM3, the monthly income requirement is reduced by 50 percent if you own Mexican real estate. Neither an FM3 nor an FM2 changes your U.S. citizenship, only your country of residence.

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