LIFE IN MEXICO: Insurance, Money, and the Legal System

[losguerra]

Experts - Can offer your advice on these or any other issues related to this topic?

What are our options for medical/dental/other insurance in Mexico?

Do we pay taxes in the US even when we don't live or work there anymore?

How do we get money from the US into Mexico or vice versa?

What should I know about the legal system in Mexico?


Have questions or advice about a different topic related to life in Mexico? Check the master list (http://immigrate2us.net/forum/showpost.php?p=148907&postcount=1) for all the threads about life in Mexico!

[nineten]

Thanks for being so very helpful!

[losguerra]

No matter what, you should definitely maintain a US bank account. It can make it much easier for paying bills and handling business in the US. Paying immigration fees, receiving IRS refunds electronically deposited, there are plenty of reasons to keep a US account.

Meanwhile, on the Mexico end, it is easiest to get a bank account in your Mexican spouse's name. If the US Citizen is present in Mexico only on an FMT (Tourist) visa, the most common and most feasible way to be here, it will be legally impossible to open a bank account, so you'll need to do it through the Mexican citizen.

After you have accounts in both countries set up, you will need to figure out how to move money back and forth between your US and Mexican accounts.

US/Mexico Banking Pairs
Citibank is the US branch of Banamex, who basically dominates the financial sector in Mexico. Here is a page for Banamex USA/Citibank (http://www.ccbusa.com/int_web/eng/e_who_we_are.htm#6). I don't currently bank with them, but I'm starting to think it would be a good idea. I've heard from US citizens teaching English in Mexico that this can be a very good way to go. At the very least, it will allow you to use your ATM/Debit card take money out of your US account from a Mexican ATM without any extra fees.

There is a similar alliance between Bank of America (http://www.bankofamerica.com/) and Scotiabank (http://www.scotiabank.com.mx/default.htm), another big player in the Mexican banking sector.

Sending $$ from the US to Mexico
If someone in the US wants to send you money, one option is to have the money wired, especially through the above-mentioned banks. The fees are reportedly quite low.

Otherwise, they can do like millions of people are doing in the US already, and use a money transfer service like Western Union (http://www.westernunion.com/) to send the money to your location and have you pick it up. The only downside is that the fees are sometimes pretty steep.

Finally, below is the explanation for using PayPal to transfer money between accounts, a method that comes highly recommended by those who have been doing this for awhile.

Transferring $$ from Mexico to the US
This is a bit trickier. If you deposit money into a Mexican bank account, you can have the bank do an international bank wire transaction to send it to your US bank account. This usually involves a fee, although you might check and see if the fee is lower or even waived if you're transferring money between the banking pairs I mentioned above.

A method that many have found to work well and very cheaply is Paypal (https://www.paypal.com/).
You set up your Paypal account (you need an email address to do this), and you link that account to your US bank account. Then you set a different Paypal account (requiring a different email address), and link it to your Mexican account. To transfer money between accounts, you simply tell Paypal you want to send $_____ to the other email address/Paypal account. Then you check that email address, accept the Paypal payment, and the money has been transferred to your bank account! The transaction fee is about 3% of the amount you're sending, which makes this by far the cheapest way to send money internationally.

Another option is Western Union (http://www.westernunion.com/), although I'm under the impression this means somebody has to be on the receiving end in the US to pick up the money. Also, transaction fees can sometimes be pretty steep. If you're frequently sending money to a specific person, like a relative, it might be more cost-effective to get them put onto your US bank account as a joint account holder, have the bank issue them their own ATM card, and then they can freely go to the bank and withdraw money every time you transfer it from Mexico.

[Family]

In Mexico, the medical in Guerrero was pretty good. Our daugher was ill a couple of times. We went to the local Centro de Salud. It cost 30 pesos to see the doctor, $3.00. The medicine was free.

While pregnant in Mexico, the OB that I saw was free from the Centro de Salud. I had to pay a private clinic to take my blood and pay for ultrasounds. It cost about 200 pesos for my bloodwork and 300 for each ultrasound. Not bad! I returned to the US for the labor, so I am not sure of that cost.

I don't think it would be worth buying insurance unless you are in a big city. Most employers in Guerrero, bigger companies, offer insurance. Our family was covered also under my husbands insurance. We never used it!

[pistolera]

What are our options for medical/dental/other insurance in Mexico?If you're employed in Mexico and your employer offers insurance its usually thru IMSS, Intituto Mexicano Del Seguro Social, covorage is as fallows, a Male spouse can get covarage for children, wife, his mother and father if the father is a Senior citizen or has a disability. Females can get insurance for her children and mother, for the husband its only available if he has a disability or he's a senior citizen. the reason males cant get get insurance thru a females is because they believe he ca aquire it on his own means.

for the uninsured employee there exists a Seguro popular only usable at state operated hospitals and they do have a small fee depending on the illness i ha blood test done for 80 pesos and a ultrsound for 200. My sister was charged 4000 pesos for labor services that included delivery and 1 night stay.

How do we get money from the US into Mexico or vice versa?
I've used Banorte, the're afilliated with bank of america. i'm not sure of the fee for send money to mexico but they dont charge to send money tranfer to US

What should I know about the legal system in Mexico?
in Mexico you are guilty until proven innocent. some cops are as currupt as they make them out to be but not all.

OK im finished posting tonight I was having trouble sleeping, too much stuff to think about an i was just trying to clear it of all the legal stuff thats there by funneling the information i have.