November 24th, 2008
Fun with Visas
INM in Merida
Bruce has left the storyline of their escape to México to, as a public service, sort of, give a little primer on the visa process in México. This information was all obtained first-hand and may save you some headaches if you are seeking an FM3 or FM2 visa for residency in Mexico.
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No one would ever call the immigration process in any country fun, but in Mérida it helps immensely that the INM, Insituto Nacional de Migración, staff is professional, friendly, and patient. The visa application process is a good example of what we mean by being on “Mexican time”. The existence of what we Type A Americans refer to as the snap, snap of “real time”, with rare exceptions, doesn’t exist down here. So if you do your visa application on your own, relax, you’re on Mexican time. Enjoy the cultural experience, we did.
The FMT
, forma migratoria turista, tourist visa, as is usually the case, was our first visa. If you’re driving in, this will be issued to you at the border crossing at a cost of about $20US. We flew in, and in that case it is built into the cost of the ticket. The only document required for an FMT is a passport. Customs officials at the border or airport will scribble the number of days, typically 30, until expiration, stamp your application and voila, you have an FMT visa. We got lucky and the INM official penned the maximum of 180 days on our visas. If you’re not so lucky, no big deal, the FMT can be extended for up to 180 days at INM
Most expats who intend, as we do, to make a home here upgrade to the FM3, no inmigrante visitante, The Break-Up trailer non-immigrant visitor visa. This visa grants the following privileges: You can reside year-round, open a Mexican bank account, with a work permit you can get a job, and you can open a business. Obtaining an FM3, as with all visa processes, is done at INM which is currently in a grand building on Avenida Colon three blocks west of Calle 72, Avenida Reforma; it is rumored they may relocate near the airport. Or you can get your FM3 back in the States or Canada at your nearest Mexican consulate. If you are transshipping your household goods to México, you will need an FM3 to do so. We came down here traveling light and have since heard some real transshipping nightmares, more on that in a later post. If you do get your FM3 state-side don’t feel too smug because your FM3 process only took two or three days, because you still have to visit INM to register your visa. If you have not registered your FM3 within 30 days of issuance you will be assessed a 1500P fine. I have heard expats whine, “Nobody told me about registering my visa!” Well, consider yourself told.
When we tackled the FM3 application process it was assumed by the receptionist that we were applying for an FM3 rentista, meaning for INM purposes, we were retired. Mary and I looked at each other, we thought we were aging quite well, thank you. But we were glad that we were accidentally led down this road. If you are applying for an FM3 for business or employment purposes you will definitely want to retain the services of an abogado, attorney. Later we did discover that if you want to go to work, in the future, you can apply for a work permit to be added to your FM3 rentista at that time.
Our FM3 journey began with the first of 6 visits to INM. If you don’t like waiting in lines, get there early. INM hours are 9-1 weekdays and they are closed for every holiday you can imagine. The nice, older security guard gestured for us to sign in and then we got a number to affix to our shirts. We arrived early as recommended and had a chance to chat with others on the porch while waiting for the door to the reception area to open at the stroke of 9. Then we formed a line by order of our numbers leading to the reception desk. At the desk we asked for the requisitos para trámites migratorios para rentista, the list of docs needed for our FM3 rentista. These patient ladies speak very little English. If you speak very little Spanish you will want to enlist the aid of a local friend. If this is not possible it may well be worthwhile to retain an attorney. Your list will likely have these requirements: carta solicitud formulada por el extranjero – a formal letter, in Spanish, stating why you want an FM3 visa, original y copia del pasaporte vigente – copies of every page of your passport, plus the original, original y copia del documento migratorio vigente, copies of both sides of your FMT and the original, acreditar solvencia economica (ultimos 3 meses de cuenta bancaria) copies of your last three personal bank statements, and the original y copia del comprobante domiciliario, the original and a copy of a utility bill. The list also includes the fees involved. We ended up shelling out 444P for processing and 1172P (as of April 2008) for registration of our FM3s.
For the formal letter, we used the template available at the MELL, Mérida English Language Library
. On the bank statements they are looking for a monthly income of $1100US for an individual plus $600 for each dependent or the equivalent of a year’s worth of these dollar amounts as an average balance. These dollar figures do fluctuate and are less if you own property here. If you have concerns about qualifying, check with INM for the current income requirements. For the utility bill use your Japay, water bill, CFE – electric bill, or your Telmex bill. Oddly, these bills do not need to be in your name. They simply want them for the data entry of your rather complicated Mérida address into their computer.
You may think that armed with the above information you can forgo the initial visit to INM to get your list of required documents but it is strongly advised you make this trip because these requirements do change from time to time, and even knowing the current requirements, putting together the “perfect file” is difficult.
We compiled all our papers and visited INM again. We didn’t need any money, yet. On this visit our paperwork was closely inspected by the receptionist who acts as a document screener at this point. We were asked a couple of clarification questions, in Español, and our papers were good with the exception of our formal letter of application being addressed to the wrong guy! The head of INM that we had addressed had been sacked or moved on, but the ladies were quite accommodating. While we waited they whited out the wrong name, penned in the current guy, and started our file at their computer. We did get the correction on the MELL template. Nocturna movie download
At this point we got another number and a pink slip of paper, exited the reception area and took door number 1 on the left. There we sat down in another waiting room. It’s not a bad idea to bring a book or do as the locals do and chat with friends on your cell phone to kill time. When this number was called, we sat with one of the three processing women in the adjacent room. This very patient professional took our pink slip and entered the rest of our information into their system. Once again, we were asked some clarification questions. After about 20-25 minutes of data entry she printed out a form, the solicitude de trámite migratoria, request for migration process, and she kept our passport and FMT visa, which is a pretty creepy feeling. We found out later that if you are uncomfortable in giving up your passport you can ask them to certify the copy of it on the spot which, then again, they may or may not do. You can also come prepared with the copy already certified by a notaria publica . Our passports were returned, matter of factly, when we received our FM3 visas. At this point she gave us a bank form and she explained, in Spanish, that you take this form and the process form to any bank, pay the 444P fee, and get their receipt. She told us to return in a week with that bank receipt and the items on the new list that she gave us at that time. There are only two things on this list and this list is actually in English. Those items are passport type pictures and two personal references, Mexican citizens. For our references we used our landlord, Fernando, and our friend Nestor and we typed their names, addresses, and numbers on a plain sheet of paper. For the pictures, Mary won out over my cheapskate urge to do it ourselves and we went to a professional photographer a block away. For 50P each, he got us exactly what we needed, and had them ready the next day. To pay the 444P fee, we experienced the joy of waiting in line for about 30 minutes (which is not bad for a Mexican bank – more on Mexican banking in a later post) to present the teller with the bank form, process form, and our money.
Okay, now we have the bank receipt, the references, and pictures, and of course the process form. For the next INM visit you definitely want to be early. We weren’t and we found that at this stage of the game, INM will only process six FM3s per day. If you are number seven, like we were, you are out of luck and will have to come back another day. For some reason they told us to come back in a week, but then most everything down here happens (or not) in “about a week”.
A week later, at the front desk, the lady does a quick vetting of our main documents, gave us a number and sent us on through door number one. This time, when our number was called, we walked through the processing area, across the hall and we sat with a young uniformed INM officer who looked quite imposing. But he was quite patient and accommodating. He took our height in meters, weight in kilograms, our folks’ names, and our thumb prints. He gave us another bank form, this one is for the 1172P, and asked that we come back in …a week.
Repeated the bank visit, came back in a week. We were at the reception desk, and by this time the ladies recognized us. Mary thought they needed to review our docs again and as she dug through our thick file, our lady smiled at me conspiratorially, we were sharing a joke, and shooed us through door number one with our number. A INM official, a very pleasant heavy set gal wearing blue jeans, called our number. This day must have been casual Friday, because she and all other personnel were wearing blue jeans instead of their very official looking uniforms. We presented her with our bank receipt and the process form. She sat us down and in a short while presented us with our shiny, new FM3s. She explained the conditions, pointed out the expiration date and then, we were done! We did as most people do; we immediately went out to celebrate.
The FM3 is renewable annually in perpetuity and is the only visa most expats ever have or need. However, if immigrant status and permanent residency rights are the goal, the FM2 is the appropriate visa and application should be made immediately. An FM2 application can be made holding only an FMT visa. After holding the FM2 for the required 5 year period you can apply for full residence status giving you all the rights of citizenship save the right to vote. At this stage you can start the process towards Mexican citizenship. If you are holding an FM3 and you do decide to eventually become a citizen, convert your FM3 to an FM2 right away so the time towards the 5 year qualification period starts accruing right away.
If the idea of obtaining an FM3 or FM2 visa on your own is not your idea of fun, you can hire a local immigration lawyer, for a fee. In reality more expats than not, go this route, so don’t feel bad if the fee fits your budget and you have better things to do than make four to eight visits to INM, a couple to a bank, and several to tiendas de copias, copy stores.
Thanks for visiting gentle reader, oh excuse me did I wake you? Yes, Bruce knows this was pretty boring but for someone wondering about the visa process in México, particularly in Mérida, it might be pretty handy. Any questions are welcome and will be answered and not in “Mexican time”.
