Thanks for all your current updates on the processes and changes for those of us who are clueless. Next year is my target date for relocation. Considering Mexico or Ecuador. Making my final exploratory trips this year. You have been a tremendous resource and I appreciate all your work and efforts. 👍
Wow what perfect timing; I just got my permanent residency visa today from the Sacramento consulate. Heading down to Mexico next week to complete the process. Very helpful info. Thanks!
Hi Jeff, Where did you go for the Mexico INM part of the process? We are looking at having to do this very soon, and I wonder what the wait time is like. :)
@@rachelnoggle1239 Hi Rachel; I did mine in Puerto Vallarta where I live. I hired a facilitator to do all of the paperwork and make appointments. It took about 2 weeks to get an appointment. First appointment was finger prints and photos. Second appointment was to pick up my card 3 days later. I’m official now 😀
Since your video was so helpful to me in my journey of obtaining residency, I thought I would share the timing I experienced with you and your viewers: 6/1/2023 requested appointment at the Orlando consulate to receive a permanent residency visa (appointment was given for three weeks later) 6/21 granted permanent residency visa (I’m 60 and qualified based on retirement savings) 7/3 waited in line at Playa del Carmen INM office to have an appointment scheduled (appointment was given for 4 days later) 7/7 received permanent resident card at Playa (a form cover letter requesting canje was requested, and signature on a privacy notice; proof of address and photo was not required; my visa indicated canje, but my FMM didn’t indicate canje, but they were able to correct at the Playa office w/o going back to the airport; credit card was accepted and biometrics obtained and card issued same day) 7/8 got in virtual waiting line for RFC at the Playa SAT office (#604 in the line) 7/15 reached the front of the line, and via email was given an appointment about 6 weeks away. (only given 24 hours to accept appointment time) Being 60 may have qualified me for an exception to having to get in the virtual line, but was told by a PDC SAT rep that the “Adultos Mayores” exception requires the applicant to be 65; this seems to vary by office. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding my experience.
I am also interested in applying for a RFC. I have not gone to Mexico for Canje yet. Did you get your RFC? How easy/hard was the process? Did you have to bring much supporting documents? Thanks much!
I just received my residency (2 days before seeing this video) in large part due to your helpful videos. I arrived via Guadalajara airport and did not receive a paper FMM. It’s also due to the help and kindness of the INM agent who accepted me for processing even though I didn’t arrive very early, and she also went ahead and registered me in the system and printed my electronic FMM. I had the rest of my paperwork thanks to your videos and was surprised to be able to pay the fees at the office. I encourage you to keep up the good informative videos about all things Mexico. I also enjoy the Spanish lessons videos.
@Jeff good on ya, I did the same in October 2022, got my PR card the same day, and used some of the info from Paulie here. I did not use anyone to assist me just went there and line up at the INM office in GDL. Took me 4 visits but in the end got my card. I am planning to go back and set up a bank account in March which bank? don't know yet. But also want to get my RFC again the Roo man info. Then I will put some money on CETES for some passive income. By the time I move permanently to MX, I should have some pesos saved.
Thanks for the help in doing our paperwork for temporary residency in Nuevo Nayarit near Puerto Vallarta. I would like to add these comments to your info. Upon going to IMN we were told documents that are to be signed must be done in BLUE ink and not black. I would also comment they require the Formato Basico be filled out as well and signed in BLUE ink only.
30 days to get to the INM isn’t exactly correct. It’s 30 days to get them to start processing it, which will only happen when you have everything and have paid for the temporary residency. Another words to basically complete everything. That’s what the INM I went to told me anyways. Until they have you pay, the clock is ticking.
Excellent video. By the way, did you use the facilitating service that you listed. Apparently they ask for a retainer fee which is understandable but how authentic are they for me to send them a retainer fee from the USA?
Hi Paul! Thank you for all of your work in making these videos accurate and applicable. Just a thought: I wonder if land entries are going to need to continue with the paper visas to accommodate those who enter with a US Passport card (no passport stamp).
Hi Paul, I so appreciate all your videos and the time you put in to educating on varying issues. If I may ask a question I will be arriving in Mexico city next week from New Zealand with a temp residency visa in my passport - do I go through the visitor immigration line on arrival? The other question is re a visa card that can be used to pay for the one year at the INM office I am assuming they except international cards? thank you..
I just arrived at the Mexico City airport from the states 1 week ago, and I had the temp residency visa stamp in my passport as well. I had the same question, so decided originally I was going to go through the "extranjeros" line but it was so long. I had NEVER seen it that long, so I asked someone to save my spot in line while I walked over to the "Mexicanos" line. I asked the guard there: "acabo de conseguir mi visa de residencia temporal, puedo usar esta fila?" and he told me yes. So, I would chose whatever line is shorter and just ask first. :)
Hi Paul, I contacted Adriana today and she responded she doesn't work the Cancun area, and that she only does Playa Del Carmen. Do you have any other recommendations for a Cancun immigration specialist/facilitator?
I did all, but when I trying download fmmd never show. Passport was accepted, but fmmd never I can fill out or print.. I go mexico with a visa permanante
Hi i am a Canadian who has two childrens who have dual Canadian and Mexican nationality (Mexican birth certificate) is it possible in my case to apply for permanent residence directly or I have to do the temporary first ? And do i need the economic solvency? Thanks for your help :)
Hey Paul I just got my TR visa stsmp in my passport at the mexican consulste in Phoenix ! Wuestions: 1.) the consular rep in Phx said i didnt have to do an electronic Zm, that the imigration ifficer st QRO airport would simole wtite the date - does this make dende to you? Aldo, can i het a link to that gestores that services qro i think i saw a video of your on it Thx
No, you can't. There's an INM office on PV near the cruise boat terminal, and another somewhere in Nuevo. I've heard the Nuevo one is much busier than the PV one.
It is difficult to find. In more urnban areas, ypu may see it if you zoom in enough on Google maps. It is usually in red. Otherwise, you can find a list of colonias per municipalty with a google search. That may help you narrow it down.
Need clarification: I arrive CDMX in a couple of weeks to process final step of permanent residency. When I arrive, what line do I enter through and how do I ensure I get Canj 30? Thx!
You can try the line for "Mexicans". It works about 9 out of 10 times. Occasionally, you will get an INM agent that will remind you that it doesn't say "residents." If you go to the regular line, things still work out fine.
I just arrived at the Mexico City airport from the states 1 week ago, and I had the same question - which line do I go in?!?! So I decided I was going to go through the "extranjeros" line but it was so long when I arrived. I had NEVER seen it that long, so I asked someone to save my spot in line while I walked over to the "Mexicanos" line. I asked the guard there: "acabo de conseguir mi visa de residencia temporal, puedo usar esta fila?" and he told me yes. So, I would chose whatever line is shorter and just ask in spanish first. :) To make sure you get canje, make sure you hand the agent your passport opened to the page with your visa stamp, that way they know you are not entering as a regular tourist. You can say something like "acabo de conseguir mi visa de residencia temportal, creo que necesito que la marque como canje" - to be 100% sure. My immigration officer marked it only with "C" and "30" in super tiny handwriting, but when I downloaded my eFMM as this video so beautifully outlines, all was in order and it says canje. My immigration officer also wanted to know WHY I was in mexico - this part I had trouble with bc of the language and all my previous online research had never mentioned to be ready to explain why you are in Mexico at immigration at the airport, so it caught be off guard (and I was already nervous about making sure my visa got stamped correctly, as canje). She asked me if I was here for trabajo (no), estudiante (no), and I got confused and started saying canje. And she said no, that's not what I am asking you - If you don't know why you are here your visa can be cancelled. So I explained, I am here to live with my Mexican boyfriend and she said ok, entonces es una relacion familar. So just be ready...maybe if you don't have una relacion familar, you can say you are here to learn about the culture or something. Or maybe Paul can advise on this...
The INM website is bonkers ! I can not tell you how many times I had to retype the same information over and over, and how many times I uploaded my passport (at least 11 - 15 times) before the website finally accepted my information. 😵💫😵💫😵💫
i forgot on my tramite to add in the comments the documents im bringing. i filled out another tramite but now it doesn't correspond to my appointment time. i will print both copies of my tramite. do you think that will be an issue?
If I cross by land with my car will I be able to get a TIP for the same length as my 4 year Temporary residency visa? Or must Canje be completed before bringing in a car. Thank you!
Hey Paul, I found this video again and wanted to thank you for posting it. Even though it is a year old, it was perfect for what I need right now to fill out the INM application. I know facilitators are out there that charge anywhere from $200 to $500 to handle the INM appointment, but it seems so simple really. Anyway, thanks a year later...
Oye, pinche policia desde gringolandia. 😅lol. If i have a temporary visa for 4 years, and at the end of 4 i want permanent visa... Puedo sacarlo sin examen de mi Español?
Im curious about how felons are getting residency? I thought if you commit a felony in your country that's also a felony in Mexico then you aren't allowed to be a resident....specifically those convicted of gun crimes.
Hello Paul, what do you recommend, doing when you travel for CANJE and only one spouse has the Temporary Visa in the passport? Should we buy round trip tickets? We plan to reside in Playa del Carmen, where after my husband obtains his residency, he would claim me for Family Unification. Thank you very much.🙏🙏
Hi there, it doesn't look like there's been much action on this thread recently but I'll give my question a shot. I have my temporary visa in my passport. I want to finish my canje in Rosarito or Ensenada. I tried calling the offices down there but they don't answer. It was worth a try. Does anyone know how long it currently takes for the canje process in Rosarito or Ensenada? Need appointment or walk in only? Thanks
Question! How long does it take for the flight information to show up on the "generate FFM" page? I've been in Mexico for six days now (admittedly including Christmas day) and I'm still not seeing it. Is that reason for concern?
Gracias for your videos. I will be staying at a hotel for my stay for the INM canje. I will not have an address other than the hotel. Is the INM OK with a hotel address? Muchas gracias
What to do if digital FMM does not show any ingresos? We have entered 3x in past six months. It shows them for my wife who entered right next to me but none for me.
I saw in another video that you need to stress that you're coming as a temporary resident otherwise the border officer might process you as a tourist. is this true or something that anyone has encountered?
Great video managed to do it myself. Took a little over 2 hours from my appointment to walking out with my canje. Today I received my RFC which only took about an hour and 20 minutes. Everything went as smooth as frog fur
Hi there! We just got our temporary residency approved at the consulate. Our next step would be heading to PV to get our residency card. May I ask how did you get the appointment at the INM office? Is there a way to get the appt. online prior to coming to Mexico? Thank you so much for sharing your experience!
Aha! Finally! This video answered my questions. Among them: I wondered how to complete residency without having a Mexican home address. Thank you! 💜 I've heard of people bring a utility bill from an Airbnb even if the bill wasn't in their name. Wonder how common this is.
All of these residency videos have been super helpful! I am definitely going to maintain tourist status as long as it makes sense because, lord have mercy, getting into "the system" sounds like endless drama. Every time you leave the country asa residente aren't you supposed to "check out" at the airport?! It just seems like unless you really need to open a Mexican bank account, etc. all of this isn't worth the hassle.
Paul, I'm a long time Akumal person. Easy t fly into Cancun from ATL. Interested in getting tmps. Where did you go to INM? Should I consider Merida? Think I will use a facilitator.
Invaluable! Thank you so much Paul. I'm headed to SMA in two weeks to finish my residency process and this video has me feeling confident that I can do it. You've dialed down my stress level dramatically. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!
Please let me know how your appointment in SMA goes. I have to go there in April to renew my TR and understand that they are still requiring you to wait in line all hours of the night to make an appointment for that day/next day.
Can you recommend a gestores in Merida (or the area) that can help me with part 2 of the temp residency viss Ivonne, the gestores you interviewed in a previous video, doesnt handle merics, etc Thx Lane
I disagree completely. My wife and I did ours by ourselves, without speaking Spanish, and it went great. Why not try it yourself? You can always get help if you need it later. For the time we spent getting ours, I feel the facilitators charge way too much.
Hey Paul, good info. I received my permanent residency visa here in Denver tlast week. When I go to Huatulco in a few months to finish part II What should I pay a facilitator to receive my residency card and how long can I expect it to take to obtain the card as I’m not sure how long to make reservations to stay during the process. Some people say it can take two weeks ? Also is HUX paperless now or do I need to fill out the FMM form? Thanks JG
I thought I see paper FMM’s available at the airport and don’t they still hand them out on the plane? If you can get one at the airport should you use it?
Hi Paul, Thanks for all the great videos ( Liked and subscribed !) I am a Canadian Citizen and just received the TR entry Visa in my passport at the Toronto Consulate. I contacted both Adriana and Ivonne stating that I would prefer to spend only a few days for the process. Ivonne responded by stating there were no more appointments taken at INM offices in all of Mexico, and that Queretaro would be the best because they can have someone stand in line, While Adriana responded by simply stating that Mexico City is the fastest without any other explanation. Which would you believe?
I have arrived Friday by Merida Airport. I told the immigration officer that I am here to get my Residency. She put 30 days on my visa, but she didn't give me this FMM form. They passed a form in the plane everyone had to fill it. They took it from me before I left the airport
Part One is applying at a consulate outside of Mexico. I have different videos about that. Here is one that I am about to update because the financial requirements changed for 2023: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kbxBihw3jO8.html
Hi Qroo. Can you tell me which U.S. states bordering Mexico would allow me to use their consulate to handle getting my permanent residency IF I don't live in that state? Muchisimas Gracias !
It really depends on the consulate. Your best bet would be to look at a few of the individual consulate's websites and see if they accept people from out-of-state. I know Orlando and Eagle Pass do.
My computer and iPhone gave an internal error code of 500 when I click the link for fmme. Tried to copy and paste it into chrome and safari…also tried to unblock pop up windows in setting…still didn’t work. Any other ways to find the “log in” page?
Judging by comments here, I think the INM website is full of bugs, especially for uploading jpgs of things like the passport page. This is the transition period from paper to electronic, and I think they rolled it out prematurely. Typical! Just like Windows system upgrades so many times!
Hi Paul, one question I have not been able to answer: I have already received my Residency Temporal card. However if I were to drive into Mexico (Tijuana) and then return to the US within a day or two do I still need to stop at Immigration on my way into Mexico. Alternatively when I return to the US via car there is no Mexican immigration office on the road out of Mexico. Not sure how to manage this. Thanks!
Hey Paul I know you said it could take a few days before the flight reflects on the account. im moving into 2.5 weeks and its still not showing, but im definitely here and i have proof of my flight. are you aware of how to get this amended ? or of any steps to take inspite of this ? any insight you can give is appreciated.
Hi Paul I used your video to get my permanent residency confirmed down here and parts of this video are incorrect now. You don’t need to upload your photo anymore. Also the website that you recommend to use is not quite correct anymore. I found the video helpful in parts but it would be better if you reviewed it. Also a step by step guide as to how to create an account within the system would be helpful. Intuitively your video seems easy but using it and the govt website is not that easy. Just thought you might want to update it. Thank you
Thank you, Paul, for this vídeo! Once you go to the scheduled INM appointment, is there an interview? Or is the interview from the Consulate the only one?
Hi Paul, when filling out the FMM online when crossing land border. The reason for visit still tourist/recreation or do you choose other then Residente
We did the paperwork on the US side and received our temporary residency quite easily. I reached out to a friend where we're moving, who referred me to a licenciado to help finish the process in Mexico, but he responded that he only does laser visas, or Mexican immigration to US. I'm very nervous about trusting someone without a reference. We're moving to Mapastepec, Chiapas. Suggestions for finding honest help?
Hey Paul & Linda love your channel..Avid follower and always looking for your insight and take of life in Mexico. I have a Visa question if you could clarify for me please. I had a misdemeanor that was over 30 years ago and was adjudicated. One of the questions on the application states if one has a criminal record in Mexico or any other country. I'm not sure is "any other country" is asking inclusive of U.S. or "any other country" not inclusive. Can you elaborate if you have any insight. Thank you so much.
Super helpful video, Qroo Paul, Thank you ! I will be entering Mx next month to complete the process... the Mx airport uses electronic FMMs; would i be able to download a blank copy and get them to process that, instead of downloading it after Mx entry ?
I am supposed to renew mine in June, is it too early/ ok if I were to do these steps online now? Or do I need to wait until June to even do the online part?
Should the date on the last page which needs to be signed be the date i printed the application or the date i am going into INM. I didn’t do it when i originally printed it.
This was super helpful. I hired someone to help me but your directions showed that I was charged too much for the visa payment. I haven't paid them for their services as I'm still waiting for my card and I'll be deducting that out of their pay so you saved me quite a bit of money.
Thanks for the recommendation. Adriana Vela referred us to Susana Alcantara in CDMX. Susana was great and really helped us out. For some reason the immigration officials marked the electronic FMM as "Reposicion" instead of "Canje", even though they wrote "Canje" on the visa in my passport. And of course, you can't immediately see what the electronic FMM looks like at the airport. --Anyway, Susana took care of the problem and it took about 90 minutes from starting at INM to having the residence cards in my hand. I really can't say enough good things.
It's like you made this video for me. I just got my visa for Permanent residency and I'm heading back to MX Sunday. I'll use all this info. Thank you so much! Well I had my appointment and everything worked out great! My card will be here in a week or two. I'm in Puerto Peñasco, and the line is just a few people. So excited.
@Rachel Noggle Hi, it was ready the same day but never notified me. I stopped in about 5 days later and picked it up. The line is not long but some people get preferential treatment because they hired someone. All in all, it's easy to get in PP.
Can't emphasize enough how different the INM offices are. (CIC: Consistently InConsistent) Big note: If possible pay online and if not pre-print out that form you take to the bank and give the receipt to INM. Plenty of expats here get told they only take pesos and (surprise-surprise) it's way more than the published fee. I got the 3rd degree when I produced the pre-filled out bank form to INM make sure it was filled out properly. It saved me hundreds of dollars by doing that.
Thank you so much for this and all the videos that you post. My wife and I received our Visa for permanent residency at the end of November, and it was placed in our passport. The problem is that the Passport that it was placed in has expired before we were able to get to Mexico to finish the process. We have since renewed our Passport (just waiting for them to arrive) and will be heading to Playa in early May to finish the process. I'm assuming we just have to bring the old Passport (with the Visa) and the new Passport. Do you know if this will be an issue?? Thanks in advance for any insight..
Great video and it does help a lot. Please can I consider your video applicable on tourists who enter Mexico with Schengen visa? As recently Mexican embassy informed me by email that I travel to Mexico with valid Schengen visa and frankly I want to obtain temporary residence permit of Mexico while I discover Mexico in my vacation. Please can you let me know if I can apply for Mexico residence permit if I entered Mexico with Schengen visa?
Typically residency is requested at a Mexican Consulate outside of Mexico. There are exceptions that allow people to apply from within, but that is not usual for the average person entering as a tourist.
How do you know if you will get the paper copy vs needing online to complete beforehand? Can you just complete the online afterwards if you don’t get a paper copy?
If you are entering by land in the near future, a paper FMM is still the standard. Most international airports have gone to paperless. If you aren't sure, just wait and see. If you aren't given a paper FMM, you can always create an online account after.
Does it matter when I fill out the application, because I noticed it says the date that I filled out the application in the pdf, I want to print it ahead of time, or should I wait and fill it out after I get my visa and get to mexico?
Good question. You need to be approved and have your visa first so at least wait for that. I would do it just before heading to Mexico to finish the process.
