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Last updated 25 September 2008 |
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I have put together some things that I wish I had known when I set out to move to México, and some of the adventures I had while doing it. I've divided the story into four parts: How do I get a visa for México?
Moving your stuff to México ain't easy. |
More useful information can be found on these websites: http://mexconnect.com paid registration required, well worth the small cost. You should plan to spend a lot of time there learning about living in México.
http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/categories.cfm?catid=17 Definition: NoB = north of the border = USA and Canada |
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How
do I get a visa for México?
The immigration office usually goes by the initials INM (Institución Nacional de Migración). Occasionally you may see INAMI which is the old name. It was changed to INM a number of years ago, but some offices have never gotten around to changing their signs.
FM3: If you plan to stay in
México for something more than six months up to the rest of your life,
you want an FM3. It’s a
little harder to come by and costs more than an FMT, but it is good more or less
forever – renewed each year in the city where you live with a nuisance
amount of paperwork, but you don’t have to go to the border.
You will be issued a little passport-like book that really
becomes your passport for México.
Useful in opening a bank account, signing up for utility
services, proving to cops that you really are a dumb gringo who can’t
speak Spanish, as well as going in/out of the country. To get an FM3, you will have to visit your area Mexican consulate in person; phone calls, letters and e-mails don’t work. You will meet with someone who handles FM3s and menaje de casa (more about that next). There you will learn about the application form and fee (near $200) and exactly what other paperwork you need to get your FM3. Here is a list of Mexican consulates with address and website URLs: Mexican consulates world-wide. Phone calls and e-mails are almost never answered, so plan to go to the consulate for all your dealings -- even just gathering information. Strange as it may sound, each Consulate has the freedom to make the rules as they wish. And they do. Some will grant an FM3 only to retired people of at least 55 years; others have no age limit. One thing all consulates require is proof of financial responsibility to be sure that you are not going to become a burden on México. BUT the income required varies from one Consulate to another -- usually $1000 to $2000 per month with 50% more for a dependent -- spouse or kid. Some require a police check – a letter from your police department saying you have (or have not) a clean record – but some do not require the check. Etc. So you must go to your consulate to find out their rules. Then go home and gather up the stuff and go back again. If everything is in order, you need go back only one more time to pick up your FM3 booklet. There will be a fee to pay – near US$200 – but it changes from time to time. You can also get your FM3 in México. Details here Before you apply for your FM3, you need to consider the time line (and limits) imposed by the Mexican regulations. Your FM3 is not activated until you cross into México for the first time, and the immigration folks stamp it. (Oh, how they love to stamp things in México.) You must do this within the first 90 days after you receive the FM3, or it will be invalidated. So you will have to make a quickie trip to México for this chore unless you are ready to make your move within the first 90 days. Once you have crossed the border and had your FM3 stamped, you have only 30 more days to register yourself at the INM (immigration) office serving the city/town where you will be living. If you fail to meet this 30-day deadline, you will be fined $3,000 pesos. This rule has two practical consequences: 1) You really should be ready to make the move when you get your FM3. 2) You cannot get your FM3 and then go touring around México trying to decide where you want to live.
Make your exploratory visits with an FMT; then when you have selected a
city to live in, go for the FM3. I emphasize this because I have
heard from several people who didn't understand the need to register
within the 30-day period and were very upset when hit with a big fine. Your FM3 comes with a couple of other time limits. You have a time window of six months in which to get your menaje de casa approved. Then you have a 90-day window in which you must complete your move. These things are subject to change, so be sure to ask when you go to get info for your FM3. Update Feb 2005: I have recently heard from two people dealing with different consulates who have reported that they were told that they must complete their move within six months -- the old rule of 6 months + 90 days is no longer true. Be sure to get current instruction from your consulate. Moving
your stuff to México ain’t easy
Before I got my FM3 I knew exactly where I would be living -- Lerdo, Durango. So I studied the ways in which I might move my household to Lerdo. I wanted to avoid the expense of a moving company. My idea was to rent a U-Haul truck to take my things to El Paso, and there transfer them to a truck owned by a Mexican friend (actually a friend of a friend). I learned that no rental trucks are allowed to cross into México, and my Mexican contact could not bring his truck into the USA, so that idea went down the drain. Then, I thought I would U-haul to a storage place in El Paso, so I could take things across in my pickup, making several trips to my friend's big truck. But that idea was shot down when I learned that the rules say everything on the menaje must cross the border in only one shipment. Foiled again! I did not explore the idea of U-Hauling to El Paso and then hiring a Mexican commercial company to complete the move. My information search did not turn up that option. Since then I have heard from several people who have done this successfully. Strom Moving has a warehouse in Laredo where you can deposit your shipment, and Storm will then move it through customs and to your new home in México. MexiCo Forwarding, Inc in Harlingen, Texas offers a similar service. Movingtomexicoguy.com offers a door-to-door service moving your household from your home in the USA or Canada to any place in México. They can also expedite getting your FM3 as well as doing your menaje. Their rates are reported to be very attractive. San Miguel Moving offers door-to-door moving to or from México. Their website has an online estimating form. I have learned that taking your menaje stuff across the border yourself is not as easy as it sounds even after you have solved the transportation problems. You can pull a trailer behind a pickup or van, so it is possible to bring quite a bit of stuff. If you do, you'll have to engage the services of a customs broker to walk the paper work through Mexican Customs. I’ve talked to some people who have been through this, and their experiences vary from a minor nuisance to a major hassle. I recommend this do-it-yourself approach only to the stout-hearted. (If you use a trailer, it will be treated like a vehicle; you'll need papers for it.) After several weeks of
phone calls and internet searches, I gave up on the do-it-myself idea
and started interviewing moving companies.
I selected United Van Lines because their agent seemed, more than
the others, to know what she was talking about.
A couple of the agents were less informed than I was. You may find a different ‘best’ mover in your city.
Talk to all you can find because the prices, services and
experience do vary. Having worked out all
the mechanics of the move and having most of my menaje done, I was
finally ready to make the application for the FM3.
I planned to have everything in place to complete the move within the first
90-day time window, so I would only have to make one trip to the border
– the real trip. I
completed my menaje a couple of weeks after I got the FM3.
Then I was ready to go. Now, preparing the menaje and getting ready for the movers is where the real nightmare begins. It’s almost a catch 22. You must have your belongings packed in boxes, and the boxes must be numbered and inventoried for the menaje. My living room was my box room But you also have to keep on living in your house while doing all this. Some things you can’t box until the day of the move unless you want to move into a motel or with family or friends. I solved this problem by packing those things for the inventory and box numbering, and then unpacking them for continued use until moving day. I also attached labels to each box listing contents in both Spanish and English. This was a big help when it came time to unpack 54 boxes. All this inventory and
box numbering has to get turned into the menaje de casa, which, sigh,
must be in Spanish -- an original and five copies to be submitted to the
Consulate for approval and stamping. There is a fee of around
$150. At the top and the bottom of this page,
there are links to
my menaje with side-by-side English and Spanish to help you
translate. I had help offers from several of my Latino friends --
some from México, some from other Latin American countries. I
quickly learned that even simple things are not always called by the
same word in various Latin countries. I came to rely only on the
Mexicans. I had trouble finding names for some less common
items. I never did find the word for 'wind chime' -- girnalda,
I learned after I moved. On my menaje I called it 'music by the
wind.' Then there is the
matter of who packs the boxes. The
moving company must prepare a manifest which the Mexican Customs folks
can use to compare with your menaje.
The moving company can’t (won’t?) list the contents of the
boxes you pack – their manifest will say “owner packed.”
I was told that this would increase the chances of the boxes
being inspected. I was
completely honest in what I packed and listed, but I wanted to avoid the
time delay of a protracted inspection.
I also was told that if an inspection is triggered, the
authorities would find something to charge duty on to pay for their
time. A thought that I find
believable. So we agreed
that I could pack the boxes and leave them unsealed so the movers could
verify the contents and then seal the boxes.
They charged me an additional $160 to seal the boxes.
$160 for 54 boxes = $3.00 per box.
Banditos! But in the end, it all
went well. The head of the
moving crew is from Gomez Palacio the town next to Lerdo, where I was
moving to. He was so
surprised, and asked, like so many others, Why?
We had a nice chat. Two copies of my approved menaje were attached to the mover’s manifest, and my stuff was loaded on the truck and taken away. The trailer part of the truck was loaded on a train and taken to Laredo where it was attached to a Mexican company’s rig and taken through customs and on to my new home in México. The move went off without a hitch, and my stuff arrived a couple of days early and with only one minor cracked glass. The bill was $8,000. I discovered to my chagrin that United (and others) will not accept a credit card for an international move. $8,000 was actually only $3,000 more than I had calculated would be the cost of doing it myself – helpers on both ends, U-Haul, gas, motels, Mexican truck, etc. In retrospect, I’m glad I used a moving company. If you choose the moving company route, your cost might well be different than mine. As you can see from my menaje, I brought umpteen boxes of books, kitchen cabinets, file cabinets, two refrigerators, even the kitchen sink, and other heavy items. The cost was about $1.00 per pound, so some of my decisions were based on the simple question “Can I replace this item for a dollar per pound?” I now wish I had brought several things that I decided I could do without. I also brought stuff I have no use for – wine glasses, fancy serving bowels and platters, etc. Somewhere along the planning for a move to México, one really should carefully address the question of moving the household furnishings vs. having a giant garage sale, move to México with personal items and a few treasures that will fit in your vehicle, and buy all new for a new life in a new land. What you save by not doing the big move + the yard sale could very well furnish a house here. You might even rent a furnished apartment or house for a while. I chose to bring a lot of stuff because the move would be cheaper than replacing my stereo recording system and my graphics-enhanced computer system – replacing them in México would cost more than $8,000. So I brought everything that would fit in my new house and then some. If it were not for those big ticket items, I think I would have come with no more than would fit in my pickup. About your dog or cat: If you are bringing a pet, you'll need an international health certificate and a current rabbis certificate showing a shot within the year. The health certificate is supposed to be no more than 5 days old when you cross the border, although this rule is generally ignored. You may bring only two. Here is a government website with the rules: Pet papers Finding a hotel in México that will accept your dog is not easy. Here is a website that has searched out a few places where Fido is welcome: http://gringodog.home.comcast.net/pet-friendly.htm I'm sorry that I can't help with your other animals -- bird, alligator, mother-in-law, etc You can take your vehicle, but there are rules... The following information applies only to mainland México. The rules for Baja are different. Vehicle permits are not required in Baja. Foreign license plates must be kept current in Baja. Before we talk about the paperwork requirements, let consider a frequently asked question: Should I bring my USA car or should I buy a Mexican car after I arrive. There is no universal answer to the question, so here are some pros and cons to consider:
Vehicle means car, pickup, motor home and trailer. You can import only one vehicle in your name. If you have a spouse, or of-age children, each of them can register a car. The car does not have to be in the name of the person registering it, but the actual owner must be present or you must have a letter of permission from the owner -- more about this in item #1 below. There is an exception to the one vehicle rule. If you are driving an RV motorhome and towing a car, you will be allowed to register both in the same name; you no longer will need a second person to register the car. You can also get a 10-year permit for the motorhome. This new rule does not apply to pickup campers. A trailer does not count as a vehicle, but you will need ownership papers as though it were a car. If you have motorcycles, ATVs, and other types of single passenger vehicles being carried in your truck or being towed, these may be registered as part of the vehicle carrying/towing them. There are restrictions, look here. The permit that you will get is for the temporary importation of the vehicle. You must remove the vehicle when you leave permanently. You can leave it behind if you are leaving temporality and returning before the permit expires. You cannot sell it in México. If you leave México permanently, or when the permit expires (FMT), be sure to stop at the car office at the border to turn in your permit and to allow them (not you!) to scrape the sticker off your windshield. Be damn sure to get a receipt showing that you turned in your permit. Keep that receipt, and bring it with you if you ever bring another car back to México, because if their computer says you still have a car in México, you will not be allow to bring in another, and you will be in trouble for having a car in country with an expired permit. Show them the receipt if you have a problem. If you really do have a car still in México, you'll be in a bunch of trouble. The Mexican government is very gung-ho on the car thing. Imported car tracking is completely computerized across the country and connected to a central data base. See note #9 below for more on returning the car permit. It is now possible to get your registration/permit papers and windshield sticker sent to you by express before you make your trip. This allows you to skip the car registration process at the border. You must allow at least 10 days for the material to be sent to you by UPS (hence street address is required, no post office boxes). To learn more about this option, click here. It is also possible to do the complete registration and get your paper and windshield sticker at some Mexican Consulates in the USA. To learn more about this option, click here. Here's what you'll need if you register at the border:
1. Proof of ownership: The Mexican authorities want to be sure that you own the vehicle, so bring your title or registration papers. If the vehicle is not paid for, you must have a notarized letter from your lien-holder (bank, finance company, etc) granting you permission to bring the vehicle into México. There should be a copy of the title, or the VIN number should be included in the letter. If the car is owned by someone else, or jointly owned by you and someone else, who is not with you, you will need a notarized letter from him/her granting you permission to bring the car into México; include the VIN in the letter. 2. Drivers license: must be valid and non-Mexican 3. A credit card or check/debit card: The card must be in the name of the person registering the car -- read this sentence again to be sure you understand this iron-clad rule. There will be a charge of about US$27 made to your card for the permit. If you don’t have a card, you can post a refundable cash bond of something like $400 – there is a sliding scale determined by the age of the vehicle. There is a persistent myth that your credit card acts as a bond that you will take your car out of México, and that if you don't, your card will be charged. This is just not true. 4. Passport or birth certificate. If you have an FM3, you will also have a passport (required). 5. FMT or FM3 6. You will need two Xerox copies of the ownership and license as well as the picture pages of your passport and FM3 or FMT. 7. Your permit is for temporary use of your car in México. The permit is good as long as your FMT or FM3 is valid. That includes renewals of your FM3. Information about renewals is given on the page Living in México. An FMT is good for a maximum of 180 days. After that time, you must return to the border to get a new one, but there is a small chance that you will not be allow to bring a car back into the country for the next 6 months. There is a largely ignored rule that you can have a car in México for only 180 days out of 360. If you have a spouse or someone else who can register the car for the next 6 months, you can continue to use your car in country. It is not the car that is forbidden to return; it is you who cannot bring a car for the next 180 days. Put this low on your worry list. If you enter México with an FMT and while in country convert to an FM3, you will NOT be required to get a new car permit. Your original registration continues to be valid so long as your FM3 is valid. You will need to tell Aduana (Customs) of your changed status. Look here for instructions. Look here to see the actual law that says your registration permit is valid so long as your visa is valid. Article 106 It also tells who can drive your car. 8. Liability insurance is not required, but you’d be crazy to drive in México without it. If you have an accident in México without insurance, the damage to your car is likely to be the least of your problems as you sit in jail – no matter who was at fault – while the authorities sort out what happened, and until you and the other party come to an agreement on damages and injuries. This could take days. Get insurance!! There is more on this subject on the Automobile Insurance page. 9. There has been a rule change effective in November 2006. You can no longer drive your car in and out of México without changing your permit. Under the new rule, any time you drive out of México, you must stop at the car office at the border to turn in your car permit and to allow them to scrape the sticker off your windshield. DO NOT remove the sticker yourself! Be very sure to get a receipt showing that you turned in the permit, and bring it with you when you return in case the computer doesn't show that you turned it in. You will need to get a new permit when you return, so be sure to take the ownership papers with you. If, for what ever reason, you fail to turn in the permit when you exit the country, you will have to return to the border in that car with the sticker still in place to get it off the computer record. You don't have to do it right away; it can be the next time you visit México. There is, at this time in 2004, no fine or other hassle. But you must return in the same car with the sticker still on the windshield. There is more information about living in México with your car in the page Living in México. The Mexican government is very strict about the car rules. Don't expect to squeak by if you have not followed all the rules..
If you get your FM3 in México, you don't have to register it; that's done automatically. You will still have 6 months to go back the old country to get your menaje which can only be issued by the consulate where you used to live; it cannot be done from within México. Your car permit which you got with your FMT will still be valid. You will not be required to get a new car permit at that time. Your original registration continues to be valid so long as your FM3 is valid. However, if you ever drive out of México, at the border you are asked to turn in your FMT-issued car permit and get a new one tied to your FM3. You are not breaking the law by driving with the old permit, but at the border they will want you to correct the disconnect. More on car things on the Living in México page.
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