How do I get a visa for México?

There are two kinds of visas – FMT and FM3 (actually there are more, but these two are all we are interested in.)

FMT is the common tourist visa that is issued as you enter the country and which you must turn in as you exit the country for the last time. You may come and go across the border while you hold the FMT. The maximum time that can be granted is 180 days (almost six months).

If you fly into México, you will be given the simple FMT visa form on the plane where you can fill it out between bumps, so you’ll have it ready for immigration when you get off the plane. The cost is included in the price of your ticket. If you walk, drive or boat into México, you will be given the FMT form at the immigration office. You will have to pay a charge of about US$20.

You should tell the immigration agent who is about the write on and stamp your FMT that you want X many days. If you don’t tell him anything, he will probably write down 30 days or so. Don’t fret if you want to stay longer, that can be taken care of in the city you are visiting. No big deal to get an extension up to a max of 180 days.

 

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, 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 at Lakeside we recommend you use the services of Ajijic Law.

Moving your stuff to México ain’t easy.

Now we can talk about a ‘menaje de casa' which you will need legal advice from either a law firm ( Ajijic Law (or your consulate in your area. The menaje is the paperwork that allows you to move your used household belongings to México without paying any import duties. (Note the word “used” defined as at least six months old.) Rules for the menaje, like the FM3, vary among the consulates; so get the instructions on your first visit to the consulate along with the FM3 instructions. Shortly you’ll see why it is important for your menaje to move along as you get the FM3.

Somewhere along the line of 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.

You can take your vehicle, but there are rules...

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.

If you are driving a motor home and towing a car, you will have two vehicles, and you cannot register both of them in your name; you will need a second person with you to get the second permit.

A trailer does not count as a vehicle, but you will need ownership papers as though it were a car.

The permit that you will get is for the temporary importation of the vehicle. You must remove it 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 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.

Here's what you'll need:

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: There will be a charge of about $20 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 Mexico, 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.

An FMT is good for a maximum of 180 days not 6 months, but days. After that time, you must return to the border to get a new one, but your car has to leave the country and stay out for the next 6 months. This rule was ignored for a long time, and people were allowed to bring their cars right back in with new FMTs. The government is, reportedly, now enforcing the 180-days-of-the-country rule. So if you are planning to spend more than 6 months with your car, it will probably be wise to get an FM3.

8. Insurance is optional, 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!! Also, be sure the insurance policy includes bail bond. If you have a bodily injury accident without a bail bond, you probably will be held in jail even though you have insurance. This is a very serious issue, so have a bail bond clause in your policy. There is more on this subject on the Living in Mexico page.

9. You can drive your car in and out of México without changing your permit so long as your FMT or FM3 is valid. When you leave México for the last time, it is VERY important that you 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! If, for what ever reason, you fail to turn in the permit when you exit the country, there is a procedure for clearing the record. You will need to prepare a sworn affidavit stating that the car is presently in the USA (or your country). Take this affidavit and the permit paper to your area Mexican Consulate. The Consulate, for a fee, will prepare the necessary paperwork for you to take with you to México to clear the records and remove the reference to the old permit. This is the only way you will be allowed to bring another car into México.

Ajijic Law advises:

Does an individual that entered Mexico on an FMT (tourist visa) and then applied and received an FM3 have to go to the border to re-register the vehicle under the FM3? No. As long as your migratory status (other than an FMT) is current the vehicle remains legal even if the permit is expired. When an individual finishes one 5 year FM3, then receives a new book renewal, does this person need to return to the border to renew the permit? No, the same rules apply; just keep your migratory status current. These same rules apply to FM2 holders as well. This is all stated in Article 106 of the Customs Law. Can an individual that has been granted Inmigrado status in Mexico drive a foreign plated vehicle? No, they must take their foreign plated vehicle out of Mexico.