Questions about Moving to Mexico

[fernandez's]

Ok so we will be moving to
Mexico probably in about a year and a half but i had a few questions i thought you guys could help me with
1. What do we need to do to get me and our daughter visas or whatever it is we need?
2. Can we take all our stuff with us (furniture etc.)?
3. How do we get our truck registered in mexico?

I am sure as time goes on i will have a ton more questions but for now this is it. Thank You


Edit:
also we have been saving money for when we have to move down there how much do you think we should save up to get us started down there (we already have a place to live)

[dnatej]

I dont have any answers for you, but I want to wish you the best of luck with all this!

[brezarenee]

Well, I'm in this process right now (we move on Friday- yikes!) and I can tell you it is definitely goo to be planning ahead! To try to answer your questions.

1) What kind of visa you need depends on how long you plan on staying there and where you want to live/work. If you live on the border you could probably just have a tourist visa and return to the US to renew it every month. You could also do this if you lived further in the interior of Mexico, but it would be more costly. The easiest thing for your daughter would be to apply for dual nationality at the Mexican consulate nearest you. Not very expensive to do and then she would never need to worry about any sort of visa. For you if you wanted to stay longer without having to leave the country every 6 months, then you'd need to try and get a FM-3 visa. This is much more difficult to get and includes proving a certain income level and even being sponsored by a company within Mexico. I'd suggest googling FM-3 to find out more about this - there's tons out there and lots of info on Mexexperience.

2) Yes, you can take your stuff with you, but it is expensive. I'd say the transportation is probably the most expensive part and then you'll be hit with import taxes on the border. Not sure how exactly that works. I will be doing this next Monday, so I will stay in touch and let everyone know how it goes for us! Some people recommend just buying everything new in Mexico and saving the hassle, but I'm hard headed :wink:.

3) Finally, you cannot legalize your car down there, but your husband can. You just have to follow the rules for importations. The current law it that you can only import American cars that are 1998 models. This will hopefully change within the next year or so as these restrictions are let up some due to NAFTA. There are lots of agents in border cities that can help you get this all together. We are using one in Laredo to help us legalize our car and cross. I'll keep you updated as to what happens and as to whether or not I will recommend them or not!!

[Arabonita]

Hi there!
1. What do we need to do to get me and our daughter visas or whatever it is we need?
Your child won't need visa if underage, just proof of being the child of a mexican citizen, you will need a permit, here's the link:
http://www.inami.gob.mx/index.php?page/VISITAR_MXICO_PARA_RESIDIR_FAMILIAR

2. Can we take all our stuff with us (furniture etc.)?
Yes, you can take all of your stuff to Mexico but you need to request a "menaje de casa", here's the link with the info:
http://www.paisano.gob.mx/guia.html?index=26

3. How do we get our truck registered in mexico?
In this link there's info about the temporary permit
http://www.banjercito.com.mx/site/imagenes/iitv/instruccionesIITV_ing.html
http://www.banjercito.com.mx/site/iitv.jsp

how much do you think we should save up to get us started down there (we already have a place to live)
Depending on where you are going to live and what lifestyle you want
:family: :family: :family:

[fernandez's]

you guys are helpful....we will be living in puerta vallarta i don't know how long it depends on how our case goes but i want to say a couple of years maybe.

[dnatej]

3) Finally, you cannot legalize your car down there, but your husband can. You just have to follow the rules for importations. The current law it that you can only import American cars that are 1998 models. This will hopefully change within the next year or so as these restrictions are let up some due to NAFTA. There are lots of agents in border cities that can help you get this all together. We are using one in Laredo to help us legalize our car and cross. I'll keep you updated as to what happens and as to whether or not I will recommend them or not!!

I believe for "cars" it does have to be a 1998, but as far as trucks go, if I remember correctly as long as its 1999 or older.

We just got back from legalizing a 1996 Chevy we took hubby last month, and we did not pay extra fees to anyone, we just went straight to the office that does everything in Laredo (on the Mx side), and it costs us close to 800 dollars (I believe they go on size and weight of the vehicle).

[fernandez's]

our truck is a 1998 so i guess we are ok

[brezarenee]

our truck is a 1998 so i guess we are ok

Well actually, the current rule is cars that are exactly 1998 and trucks that are 1998 and older, so you should be good!

As dnatej said, yes you can do it all yourself on the border too. I've just heard some stories of things going wrong and it taking a couple days. If you use an agent you pay them an extra fee, but they do all of the legwork for you and help to avoid any of those kinds of problems (I hope, I hope, I hope!!!)

[Lachulagreeneyes]

Good luck!

[losguerra]

Also check out our "Life in Mexico" thread, it's in red in my signature. Lots of members have posted about their tips and experiences there!

[Murillo79]

[QUOTE=brezarenee;288785] The easiest thing for your daughter would be to apply for dual nationality at the Mexican consulate nearest you. Not very expensive to do and then she would never need to worry about any sort of visa. QUOTE]

So if a child has both a Mexican parent/Us parent they can apply for dual nationality? Can I do this at the Mexican Consulate in Detroit, MI? Please let me know, I'm very interested in doing this.

Also if my hubby adopts my two oldest daughters in the future can they also apply for Mexican Nationality?

Thanks!

[brezarenee]

[QUOTE=brezarenee;288785] The easiest thing for your daughter would be to apply for dual nationality at the Mexican consulate nearest you. Not very expensive to do and then she would never need to worry about any sort of visa. QUOTE]

So if a child has both a Mexican parent/Us parent they can apply for dual nationality? Can I do this at the Mexican Consulate in Detroit, MI? Please let me know, I'm very interested in doing this.

Also if my hubby adopts my two oldest daughters in the future can they also apply for Mexican Nationality?

Thanks!

I actually processed my visa through Detroit, so I can confirm for you that, yes you can proces dual nationality at the consulate in Detroit. I'm not sure of the cost because we were moving out of state and didn't have enough time to process is when we were there and found out about that option. But I remember it being somewhere around $100 or so, needing apostilled and translated birth and marriage certificates, and them saying it would take about 15 days to process.

I would imagine you could get the dual nationality if your husband adopts your other children too, but I'm not sure about this. I would call and ask.

[sinfronteras]

Actually we went to that office today to try to get my FM-2 or 3. It is not that hard as I was thinking it would be. Well, I am telling you about what the lady at the info, counter explained me.She gave me some papers and applicattions that are at the bedroom right now. And my hubby is sleeping. So i will check them & explain you later about it. We gotta go back next Wed. to that office.

Now, something that I suggest is to get an appostile of your Marriage Certificate & yours & the kids certificate before you move. You can do this at the country clerk of the city that you were born & or the city where you married.
Edit:
I want to post this link.. It is from NYC, but it explains you better the procedure to get a Marriage Record for foreign

http://www.cityclerk.nyc.gov/html/marriage/records.shtml

And this one explains you What is an "Apostille" or "Authentication?"

http://www.dos.state.ny.us/corp/apostile.htm

Probably, the process is a bit different in your state.So, I suggest you google your state county clerk's office or government.
Edit:
Mexexperience.

2) Yes, you can take your stuff with you, but it is expensive. I'd say the transportation is probably the most expensive part and then you'll be hit with import taxes on the border. Not sure how exactly that works. I will be doing this next Monday, so I will stay in touch and let everyone know how it goes for us! Some people recommend just buying everything new in Mexico and saving the hassle, but I'm hard headed :wink:.


I think that mexicans who had been living in the USA for 2 years or more do not need to pay taxes when they move their stuff to Mexico.

Check the links below with some info about it.

http://www.consulmexchicago.com/

http://www.consulmexchicago.com/

http://portal.sre.gob.mx/chicago/popups/articleswindow.php?id=79

[losguerra]

sinfronteras, if you find some way to get an FM3 with work authorization without having an employer lined up in Mexico, please let me know. I failed badly on getting it in Mexico and if it's actually possible somehow from the US, I'd love to find out about that miracle.

Otherwise, I'm guessing the only visa they'd issue from this end is the non-working spouse visa....

[brezarenee]

sinfronteras, if you find some way to get an FM3 with work authorization without having an employer lined up in Mexico, please let me know. I failed badly on getting it in Mexico and if it's actually possible somehow from the US, I'd love to find out about that miracle.

Otherwise, I'm guessing the only visa they'd issue from this end is the non-working spouse visa....

There are many different categories of FM-3 from what I understand they are fairly easy to get if you can prove continued income of more than $1000USD a month and don't intend to work in Mexico. So basically, if you are retired and on pension. If you want to work in Mexico I think it is really difficult to get the FM-3 without having a sponsor in Mexico. I doubt I would have been able to get mine without having a sponsor.
Edit:


I think that mexicans who had been living in the USA for 2 years or more do not need to pay taxes when they move their stuff to Mexico.

Check the links below with some info about it.

http://www.consulmexchicago.com/

http://www.consulmexchicago.com/

http://portal.sre.gob.mx/chicago/popups/articleswindow.php?id=79

Yep, this is what we are trying to do. It's called Menage de Casa. Some consulates issue an actual certificate, some don't. Ours didn't and just told us to show up at the border with all of the requirements. We have the itemized list all ready, proof of address in Mexico, IDs for my husband (passport, matricula, cartilla militar) and the last thing we need is proof that he has been in the US for at least 2 years. What they need is 2 years of utilities in my husband's name - so 24 months of bills. I'm worried this is going to be our achilles heel though because we didn't have any utilities in his name (they all asked for US ID in our area) so the only proof I have is bank statements and car insurance - both of which are in both of our names. I'd think those would work, but we'll see.

Anyway, as I said, I will update everyone on how this all works for us. But at this point I'd recommend anyone thinking about doing this to start collecting record of the Mexican national spouses presence in the US for 2 years.

[fernandez's]

to prove my husband has been here for 2 years does it have to be a utility bill because his name isn't on those what about pay stubs or our lease agreement his name isn't even on our car insurance because he doesn't have a license

[jessi]

wouldn't taxes be good because obviously if he made like 30,000 then he had to be here the whole time!

[fernandez's]

We moved recently and i can't remember what form it is to fill out to change our address. Plus anyone have an idea on what i should do about sending in our ds-230 if i don't get it truned in by Dec. i have to let them no so we don't have to pay all the fees again but if i turn it in i am afraid they will give us an appt. before we are really ready to leave(have enough saved mostly) so should i send it in and just see if i can change the appt. they give us or try to get ahold of someone to get an extension on turning in the ds-230> also thank you to everyone you guys are all sooooo helpful
Edit:
:sos: :anyone: :please: