NoVaDamer

We stayed at the Las Hadas resort in February (my write-up linked). We had an AirBnB, but there is also a hotel (and other options). All have access to a group of waterfront restaurants, pools, beaches, and some clubs (we didn't visit the latter). Views from the Santiago peninsula are amazing. http://pat-the-expat.com/2022/02/10/manzanillo-colima/

Just to be clear, upwards of 80% of Dengue cases are mild or asymptomatic (no symptoms at all). This data was verified in numerous international studies including testing blood from donors and asking them if they ever felt sick/thought they had Dengue fever. Also, there are four strains of Dengue fever, so you can catch Dengue four different times. Here's a great link: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue

I have used the download version (for the reasons Mostlylost mentioned) for decades, including the last five years here in Mexico. I only download directly from TurboTax or from my bank (USAA). Never had a problem. Here are some possible issues you could be experiencing: -- Out of date MS Windows operating system -- Poor internet connection making the download sites "drop out" -- Pay issues (using a Mexican credit card with a US site or vice versa) -- VPN issues (I turn mine off for download). I hope this helps; good luck!

I strongly suggest checking out irs.gov, the authoritative website. The answers you seek are there, and remember, your tax attorney is only as good as they are. I knew several people who were told by tax attorneys to claim things that were illegal because "the IRS never audits for that." Here's a pull from Topic #701, Sale of your Home: Reporting Gain or Loss on Your Home Sale Determine whether you need to report the gain from your home. You need to report the gain if ANY of the following is true. You have taxable gain on your home sale (or on the residential portion of your property if you made separate calculations for home and business) and don’t qualify to exclude all of the gain. You received a Form 1099-S. If so, you must report the sale on Form 8949 even if you have no taxable gain to report. See Instructions for Form 8949 and Instructions for Schedule D (Form 1040) for more details. You wish to report your gain as a taxable gain even though some or all of it is eligible for exclusion. You may wish to do this if, for example, you plan to sell another main home within the next 2 years and are likely to receive a larger gain from the sale of that property. If you choose to report, rather than exclude, your taxable gain, you can undo that choice by filing an amended return within 3 years of the due date of your return for the year of the sale, excluding extensions. If NONE of the three bullets above is true, you don’t need to report your home sale on your tax return.

The key word here is required (mudgirl is correct). My jardinero requested that I "fire him" and then re-hire him when we moved. He told me he had other gringo clients who told him they were moving and then didn't actually bring him along, skipping out on his finiquito, I pointed out that paying his finiquito effectively re-set his length of service for vacation pay, but he didn't care, so I did as he asked.

Mexico is professionalizing all of its government functions, slowly. Those paper FMM forms were practically useless except as an excuse to "fine" visitors when they lost them. Now they are using facial recognition at the airports, they have computerized the data from the forms (not at the land border, but elsewhere). They are only offering tourist visas to tourists, which is a change. The wild west days of just crossing the border and staying as long as you like are numbered, as the government is even checking bus stations for overstays. Why? Because that is what the federal government is for. No government wants foreign visitors who are too poor to live there, or are exploiting a visa system. The point is not that US expats are wanted or not: regardless of where you are from, every person who resides in a country consumes government resources (traffic, crime, electricity, sewage, etc.) Some of those costs are born by the resident, some by the society. The government is suspicious of digital nomads and others who work on the internet. We can debate about whether the Mexican government should be suspicious about such residents posing as tourists, but there is little doubt they aren't tourists, they are working, and Mexico is not getting to tax their income. So most governments want residents who bring more into the country than they "cost." The US is notoriously difficult; Canada uses a "point system" I believe to determine whether someone merits admission. Mexico is just joining the club.

I can't recommend a Mexican bank, as I don't have one. I get my OPM retirement sent to USAA bank, and just access funds via ATMs here (charges are reimbursed) or use their direct transfer services for larger payments. There are other financial institutions (like Schwab) that have similar arrangements. I strongly recommend researching the concept of banking here in Mexico. Some accounts are not insured, and there are several claims of employee or institutional fraud dealing with expats. There are also the issues of currency devaluation and compliance with US requirements to notify the IRS about any foreign accounts.

NOAA, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, just identified that the Western Hemisphere is entering a La Niña current (the counterpart of the more famous el Niño) for the next several months. We were n La Niña earlier this year, then the trend dissipated, and now it has strengthened. Here the map with the global effects: Lakeside is on the edge of the warm and dry region over central Mexico, so look for higher than usual temperatures and less rainfall.

Like Bisbee Gal, my wife and I have flown to/from the States eight times during the testing requirement, and our testing has been closely checked each time. There is also a US government form you have to fill out which attests to your test (redundant, no?). Some airlines have it online, or ask you the same questions online when check in. So they might accept that rather than ask you for a hardcopy of the test results. If you wonder why they would take your word for it, it is somewhat unreasonable to expect ALL the airlines flying to the States to know ALL the different labs and which are "ok." The last two times we went to Soriana, they did not have the necessary items (I don't know what they mean, swabs?) to do antigen testing, so we had to use Go labs in Riberas. Soriana remains the cheapest, easiest solution in my opinion, but you need to have a back up plan.

We've had USAA Banking for about 40 years, living overseas twice (Germany and now Mexico) with excellent service the entire time. Rarely need to call them, as we use their extensive online services, but when we call their 1-800 number, we get quick service, too. I would note that nearly all telephone service systems (banks, airlines, brokerages, car rentals) are experiencing extreme delays because they had to let people go during the pandemic, and can't bring them back fast enough. Airlines report 8 hour wait times, if you get through at all. I have several friends that have dropped their USAA insurance, which is different than USAA banking. Apparently USAA insurance rates aren't as good as they once were; I thought they were great once-upon-a-time, but only have rental car insurance with them today. Maybe those are the problems you heard. I would only add that before switching, I would check to see how the phone service at other banks is. You could simply call them and see what the wait times are, for example,

Ajijic Electronics told me to check in next Tuesday, as they are doing a demo of the new locations and want to make sure they will work for us.

Hospital San Antonio

To be clear, this has nothing to do with Shaw satellite TV. DISH TV in the states changed satellite feeds for local stations only in Cincinnati and Little Rock. If you were in either location, the change was transparent, as DISH chose a satellite easily accessible from those locations. Those of us with DISH TV here lakeside were not so lucky. We will have to pick another stateside location for our local channels, once the options become available from Ajijic Electronics. If you have DISH TV but it is not Cincinnati or Little Rock, you are not affected. If you have Shaw, please enjoy your programming while they change their satellite constellation.

Sometime next week Ajijic Electronics said they'll have the new addresses for the new locations: looks like Lexington (KY), Springfield (MO) and Cheyenne (WY-not sure if this is the right one, but it's somewhere out west). Those of us who lost local channels can then choose for the new ones. This was the first channel outage or major disruption we've had in four years, so seems like no big deal to me.

I've rebooted several times, with no improvement.

For those interested in the current state of stem cell research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7367472/

When I've used it recently (past few months), the actual lane(s) where you pull into the long-term lot were closed, indicating it was full. One time there were cones in the way, the other time you could pull up to the gate, but the machine would not issue a ticket. I have seen every kind of irregular parking by people inside the long-term lot. I don't know if/how they regulate it. I believe parking on the upper levels of the garage used to be also discounted, but I may be wrong.

I also recommend going on FaceBook and searching for groups with the term "vaccine hunters (state or city)." We used that back a month ago, when vaccines were scarce, and still had an appointment in 15 minutes for J&J!

Yes, it's a big white building, and there's always a few people hanging out in the courtyard. Don't be confused if there is a line. Walk straight in past the tree and look for where the "teller" windows are and see where that line starts (there are multiple offices here). We went around 1030 in the morning in the middle of a month and had no line. Here's an old pic from Goggle Streetview:

Mostlylost has all the details. My wife and I renewed our Chofer licensias on Monday. The place you pay (Recaudadora Estatal on Calle Degollado) and the place you renew (Secretariat de Transporte)are in different (but near) locations; some Mexicans were walking back-n-forth. The office for the renewal is just off the malecon in Chapala, behind the Red Cross building. You drive down Ramon Corona and at the Yacht club (on the right) or Lupita's restaurant (on the left) you turn left and drive straight into a large parking lot; the office is on the left. You make an appointment for the renewal; the first person you see confirms your appointment and checks all your paperwork. We arrived 25 minutes early and were allowed in; my wife had a paperwork problem, so she came back an hour later and they let her in again. Your paperwork must be complete and current. For example, your CFE/TelMex bill needs to be recent (say 45 days), with all pages (even ads), and your name on it. There is a window on the side of the building where they will make copies, and I believe they can help find a proof of residence (Comprobante). Both actions cost a small fee. After the first docs check, you move further inside the building where another person double-checks the docs and enters the data into a computer system. It includes several electronic fingerprint readers and a photo. At this point you get your original docs back and turn your paperwork over to a third person, who escorts you to wait outside (next to the building). They come out and call your name and hand you your renewed license. No test (not even road signs) was required. It took me 20 minutes start-to-finish. good luck!

@lcscats, we mostly agree here. My point is posters often throw out the phrase "it's illegal" which scares some users. In any case, it's not illegal to use the receiver. I agree countries are as touchy about gear as they are about signals. I don't know for sure, but I would bet bringing in a dish for personal use is no problem. I did note this site which has the customs duty/etc data for doing so, so I guess it's ok. https://customsdutyfree.com/customs-or-import-duty-for-set-top-boxes-internet-television-satellite-receiver-to-mexico/

The satellite signal goes wherever it goes (some are more targeted than others, as demonstrated by Shaw's changing satellite reception footprint). It is illegal for a company to market their satellite signal across borders, without the consent of the other countries. That is why there is such a thing as Dish Mexico and Dish USA, offering different things. If you have a Dish USA receiver and account, and you access a Dish USA satellite signal in another country, you have not broken any law. If Dish USA were to become aware you were accessing their signal in another country, they might (probably would) cancel your service, as it would conflict with their obligations under international law (which is one reason one doesn't call them for customer service!).

Thanks; I'll try that! For the refund, there are two options. One is to go ahead and fly, then afterward go on the airline website, search for customer service, and submit a request for refund of the tourist tax. It takes some time and aggravation, but generally works. I fly Delta all the time, so I went one step further. I contacted Delta and had then change my place of residence (in their database) to Mexico, so I automatically don't pay the tourist tax when I book with them. This was a drill which required sending them a photo of my permanente, but was worth it. Good luck!

Bisbee Gal has it exactly right! I was concerned about how to know whether the US would accept my local lab results. Some of you may have heard about how Hawaii has its own special list of which labs it will accept. The verification is done at the check in counter by the airlines agent. She didn't have a list of approved labs; she simply looked at our hardcopy form, found that is said antigen test and negative, then said ok and gave it back to us.

I'm in Ohio and will get mine on April 1st (no foolin')