The Mexican Government has issued me another FM-3 that can be renewed each year for five years. Yea! I can't believe that the first one was already five years old and so I had to reapply.
In spite of all the problems that we hear and read about on getting the paperwork turned in or the length of time the process takes, this was easy as can be. On February 25th we went to the man across the street from Immigration who types up the paperwork for you. While he was typing everything, he gave us the paper we needed to pay the fees at the bank and told us we could go do that and when we returned he would have the papers ready to turn in to Immigration. Unfortunately, we had other appointments that day and would not be able to return so we just waited until he finished our paperwork.
The next morning Ned went to the bank and paid the fees and then he went to Immigration to turn in the papers. But the agent told him that I needed to sign some papers or that Ned would have to get what is basically a "Power of Attorney" to sign them for me. When Ned told him that I had a broken ankle but maybe I could make it up and down the stairs in the Immigration office. The Agent told him that if I couldn't come into the building, he would come out to the car for me to sign the papers. Ned came back home after me and off we went. I was able to hobble into the Immigration office and signed the papers. They told us that the new FM3 would be ready on March 12. We went today, March 12, and the FM3 was there. A finger print or two later and I had the document from the Mexican Government allowing me to be here for another year.
I don't know why some people have so many problems or why they hire someone to do the paperwork for them. I don't know.....maybe we are just lucky.
7 comments:
Felicidades! I don't understand why so many expats have so much trouble getting their migratory documents, particularly after the initial application. The very act of learning the process and negotiating it is an important and essential step toward living in Mexico, and it's one which shouldn't be delegated to facilitators, absent some extremely compelling situation. You and Ned get my hearty congratulations for doing it yourselves.
Staring at Strangers
In the IMS office in Merida, the IMS officials type up the paperwork and look over whatever documentation you have. They then ask you to come back in a couple of days. You return on the appointed day, they issue you the bank paperwork which you take to the bank. You then return to pick up your renewed FM3. I am assuming (and there is where I am sure I will get in trouble) that getting a new FM3 is the same.
Anyway, I don't understand about the "guy across the street" is he an IMS employee? Or do you pay him?
regards,
Theresa
Theresa, he is not an IMS employee. He has a business typing up the paperwork, making photos, and copies. Isn't it interesting that although immigration is national, each region seems to have its own way of doing things.
Thanks, Jennifer. I agree it is important to do the process. If nothing else, the immigration people now know us, or at least Ned, enough to acknowledge us as repeaters.
Hola Amiga - It is very much a case by case and certainly area office by area office situation.
With some patience and a little footwork it generally can be done without total aggravation - I would certainly speculate that by the time you are after your sixth year (and second book) that it would be routine ;-)
Congrats on being legal!
Juan
Congrats on another year! Year 6, wow! I couldn't imagine some government employee coming out to the car here in the US, but, then again, elevators are everywhere and what would it look like for a government office to not be accessible!. :-)
Paul, in the USA we are so use to having handrails, elevators etc. But at the immigration office there abour 10 or 12 steps up into the building without any handrail and inside the immigration office is about the same or maybe even more very wide steps down to the office....but there are handrails on each side. In the USA we would also have a handrail down the center. There are few building standards and no OSHA. You are suppose to take care of yourself.
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