Bjones9942

Yes, you are free to come and go when traveling internationally, but the law says you must fill out an FMM for Air, Land, and Sea border crossings - it is not restricted to Air. Screw it up, and you get to start your visa process all over. No thanks.

Since I won't be entering México from the bridge (initially) you might understand why your statement is confusing. If I now understand you correctly, you're saying that, on my way to the USA, I will need to stop at the desk where they check the documents for people returning to México, and give them the bottom portion of the permit. When I come back to México, I will stop at the same place and give them the top portion of my permit. If they won't give me an FMM when leaving México, then coming back just shut my mouth, hand INM my passport and Temp Residency card, and go on my way once processed.

I would think that the Méxican officials are also tracking the time spent out of the country, as this is a criteria used in determining eligibility for citizenship. Or, perhaps they just take your word that you haven't been out of the country more than 180 days in the 2 years prior to applying for citizenship? That would be concerning. Not unbelievable, but concerning.

This was part of my question - Where is THERE? I will be using the CBX pedestrian bridge.

I'm sorry, that doesn't make sense to me. What is the "2 border crossing" ? And if they don't take the FMM from residents, then what are you handing them? I will be exiting México, so I won't be asking them for an FMM when I come back. If they don't take a portion of the FMM when I exit, then what am I giving them when I return? I know the correct procedure is to obtain the FMM before I exit México, leaving the bottom portion with INM (or the airline agent - this part isn't clear). When I return I'm supposed to present my residency card and the top portion of the FMM. This doesn't seem to be the procedure at the Tijuana crossing.

I hold a temporary residency visa and will be leaving México via the bridge between Tijuana and San Diego this Saturday. This will be my first foray outside the country since I obtained my card, and needless to say I'm concerned by the posts I see (not just here). I do not want to go through the process of getting residency a second time! Many different sites have posts saying to just forget the process when using that crossing, but then I have read that INM collects the permits on re-entry (I'm coming back the same way). If I didn't follow the correct process on the way out, how am I supposed to complete the process on the way back in? And if I do want to visit INM at the Tijuana airport, can someone provide some quick directions on how to get there? It seems it's in a separate building and I'm unsure of exactly how to get to it. Thanks for any info/advice!