RJBinMTJ Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 I was issued my FM3 in Denver before I came to Mexico and now have to validate it with a local address. Does anyone know the process and the forms and fees involved? I went to the IMS in Guadalajara and they gave me the same set of forms that I had to turn in in Denver. It looks as if they are doing the same thing all over again. IMS will be in Chapala on 1/6 and I would like to go prepared. Thanks, Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVGRINGO Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 Just go to the Palacio Municipal early on a Wednesday morning, within 30 days of your entry into Mexico, and get a number for 'Information'. Then go for coffee and a walk on the Malecon. At 10 AM, return and join the others in the rear patio beyond the lobby. INM usually arrive about 10:30 or 11:00 and will begin calling numbers. When yours is called, go into the office and present the completed forms that you have, along with your passport, FM3, proof of address (lease, rent receipts, utility bills, etc.). INM will then give you instructions on what to do next; probably when to return to pick up your registered FM3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest shelley Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 One year ago - I also needed pictures - 2 front color pictures and 2 right side color pictures. They were a specific size - but I don't have the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doolittle Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 Smaller than passport size. You can get them at Farmacia Guadalajara. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denver Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 I posted this back in August, maybe it will help. I would PM Intercasa and see if he can save you one trip by printing up the Registration forms on his computer (in advance). Spencer will do this for next to nothing. ------------------------------------------- Just my newbie experience: Got my FM-3, temp import sticker and meneje de casa in 3 quick visits to the Denver Mx Consulate-easy and stress free as I know the roads and the language well in Colorado. Never waited more than 15-20 minutes to the person I needed to. This was not a hassle, it was fun and helped build the excitement of my impending move to Ajijic. I had to register my FM-3 within 30 days of my crossing the Mx border. On Wednesday July 29, I arrived at the Municipal Building at 8am and picked up a "drop off #" as advised by RVGringo on this board. Then I went on a pleasant exploration of the Chapala Malecon. At 9am, by appointment, I met with Intercasa who had the necessary docs on his computer for me. In 10 minutes Spencer filled in the blanks and printed up (no handwritten accepted) 2 copies of my necessary paperwork. Spencer warned me in advance by phone to get photos, copies of my FM-3 and a utility bill w/copy. After another nice walk I returned to the Municipal Building at 955. The folks from Guad arrived at 10 sharp. They called my # and I was out of there by 1045, with instructions to return in 2 weeks. I returned on August 12th, but Immigration was a no show. I returned on August 19th. Immigration arrived at 10am sharp. After less than 2 hours, they called my name (horribly mangled! but hey, I couldn't pronounce a long Mx name w/o practice). I signed a form and walked out with my registered FM-3. Maybe I was very lucky, but the process went smoothly for me. What did this newbie learn from this? Well: 1. really helps to have luck on your side. 2. follow the advise of experienced posters on this board to empower/prepare yourself. 3. don't sit in the back at Immigration and yak to your friends and them complain you can't hear. 4. arrive early. several folks arrived at 1030/1045 even 11, their #'s had already been called, and they went to the bottom of the list! 5. one little mistake, like a missing signature, can cause a person to have to redo everything and start over. Again, this was just MY experience. I guess I had luck on my side that day. ---------------------------------------------- You can get your 4 pictures--2 frontal/2 profile--at several places. I got mine at Pharmacia Guadalajara on the Carretera while I waited. Must have the correct size photos--4cm by 4cm, or 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches. ----------------------------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lardca Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 I posted this back in August, maybe it will help. I would PM Intercasa and see if he can save you one trip by printing up the Registration forms on his computer (in advance). Spencer will do this for next to nothing. ------------------------------------------- Just my newbie experience: Got my FM-3, temp import sticker and meneje de casa in 3 quick visits to the Denver Mx Consulate-easy and stress free as I know the roads and the language well in Colorado. Never waited more than 15-20 minutes to the person I needed to. This was not a hassle, it was fun and helped build the excitement of my impending move to Ajijic. I had to register my FM-3 within 30 days of my crossing the Mx border. On Wednesday July 29, I arrived at the Municipal Building at 8am and picked up a "drop off #" as advised by RVGringo on this board. Then I went on a pleasant exploration of the Chapala Malecon. At 9am, by appointment, I met with Intercasa who had the necessary docs on his computer for me. In 10 minutes Spencer filled in the blanks and printed up (no handwritten accepted) 2 copies of my necessary paperwork. Spencer warned me in advance by phone to get photos, copies of my FM-3 and a utility bill w/copy. After another nice walk I returned to the Municipal Building at 955. The folks from Guad arrived at 10 sharp. They called my # and I was out of there by 1045, with instructions to return in 2 weeks. I returned on August 12th, but Immigration was a no show. I returned on August 19th. Immigration arrived at 10am sharp. After less than 2 hours, they called my name (horribly mangled! but hey, I couldn't pronounce a long Mx name w/o practice). I signed a form and walked out with my registered FM-3. Maybe I was very lucky, but the process went smoothly for me. What did this newbie learn from this? Well: 1. really helps to have luck on your side. 2. follow the advise of experienced posters on this board to empower/prepare yourself. 3. don't sit in the back at Immigration and yak to your friends and them complain you can't hear. 4. arrive early. several folks arrived at 1030/1045 even 11, their #'s had already been called, and they went to the bottom of the list! 5. one little mistake, like a missing signature, can cause a person to have to redo everything and start over. Again, this was just MY experience. I guess I had luck on my side that day. ---------------------------------------------- You can get your 4 pictures--2 frontal/2 profile--at several places. I got mine at Pharmacia Guadalajara on the Carretera while I waited. Must have the correct size photos--4cm by 4cm, or 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches. ----------------------------------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doolittle Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 The OP said he has the forms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lardca Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 I would suggest going to the Stationary store in San Antonio Tlay. The lady there will type all your forms and make copies. and tell you exactly what you need. She speaks English and does excellent work. Many use her. Fee is around 100 pesos. She's located next to Mario's Restaurant on Ramon Corona. It's a blue building just down the block from the Plaza. I think the address is 132 or 135 or close to that. Guadalajara Pharmacy will take the photos you need and they'll know what you need. Have them when you go to the stationary store to get your forms completed. To avoid extra trips to Chapala be sure you have all your documentation and paperwork complete and signed. Also, have ALL your originals and extra copies of everything. One thing we missed was our birth certificates. Didn't know we needed them. Luckily we'd already had ours translated into Spanish as it was a requirement for IMSS. Be sure you have proof of your residence. They are particular about this. It must be a phone or electric bill in your name. They won't take bank statement, cable or satellite bill. A copy of your rental agreement is acceptable. A note: we didn't have a utility or lease. Our landlord had to write a letter in Spanish and provide a copy of her passport. She had to FedEx it to us from the States. We dreaded having to go through that over and over again. We found out you could get an official proof of domicile letter from the Secretaria General. It's signed and sealed. The Secretaria Geneal's office is located on the 2nd floor of the Municipal Builiding in Chapala. Drop off your FM3/Passport and proof of residency. There is a fee but is very minimal. Come back in an hour and pick it up. It's called 'Constancia De Domicilio.' Just an FYI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJBinMTJ Posted December 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 The OP said he has the forms. What is an "OP"? Thanks, Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doolittle Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 What is an "OP"? Thanks, Rick "Original Poster," in this case you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MountainGal Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 I would suggest going to the Stationary store in San Antonio Tlay. The lady there will type all your forms and make copies. and tell you exactly what you need. She speaks English and does excellent work. Many use her. Fee is around 100 pesos. She's located next to Mario's Restaurant on Ramon Corona. It's a blue building just down the block from the Plaza. I think the address is 132 or 135 or close to that. Guadalajara Pharmacy will take the photos you need and they'll know what you need. Have them when you go to the stationary store to get your forms completed. To avoid extra trips to Chapala be sure you have all your documentation and paperwork complete and signed. Also, have ALL your originals and extra copies of everything. One thing we missed was our birth certificates. Didn't know we needed them. Luckily we'd already had ours translated into Spanish as it was a requirement for IMSS. Be sure you have proof of your residence. They are particular about this. It must be a phone or electric bill in your name. They won't take bank statement, cable or satellite bill. A copy of your rental agreement is acceptable. A note: we didn't have a utility or lease. Our landlord had to write a letter in Spanish and provide a copy of her passport. She had to FedEx it to us from the States. We dreaded having to go through that over and over again. We found out you could get an official proof of domicile letter from the Secretaria General. It's signed and sealed. The Secretaria Geneal's office is located on the 2nd floor of the Municipal Builiding in Chapala. Drop off your FM3/Passport and proof of residency. There is a fee but is very minimal. Come back in an hour and pick it up. It's called 'Constancia De Domicilio.' Just an FYI Two things: 1) San Antonio Papeleria doesn't do the paperwork for FM3 REGISTRATIONS. I'd check with Intercasa (Spensor) for getting the simple forms done - one must be typed but you can download the form from the internet, fill it out on-line, and print it. If Intercasa will do this for you, you're on your way, since that is the hardest part! 2) You don't need a copy of your birth certificate. That's for IMSS, not Immigration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intercasa Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 Yes, we can help with the FM3 registrations and my place in Chapala is a block from the municipal building and everything is saved on a hard drive so if any changes need to be made it is quick and you are back in 5 minutes, not a week or two later. They have been asking people who provide leases to give a copy of the landlord's ID. Another alternative is a residence letter from the municipality of Chapala, also easy to get and better than hassling your landlord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lardca Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 Actually, the San Antonio Stationary Store DOES registration. She did ours just 4 months ago. And, we DID need copies of our birth certificates. The day we went back to Immigration in Chapala pick our completed registration - we were told they were incomplete as we didn't have copies of our birth certificates. Luckily, it was early enough in the day and I was able to go home and get them. The next week, all was finalized and we got our FM3's back with our domicile registered. Now, perhaps, it was arbitrary. I don't know, but I know we needed them that day. The lesson I've learned for Immigration, IMSS and pretty much every other legal 'process', is over-do rather than under-do. Bring everything and multiple copies of it all and you'll be ready for whatever may pop up. Can't hurt, huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denver Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 I also had my FM-3 registered 4 months ago in Chapala, in mid August. Odd, they didn't want my birth certificate. I'm a US citizen, are you Canadian by any chance? Would that make a difference? I thought a passport was a better ID than a birth certificate anyway. Very strange. I'm just glad it's over with. Can't wait till next year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lardca Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 I also had my FM-3 registered 4 months ago in Chapala, in mid August. Odd, they didn't want my birth certificate. I'm a US citizen, are you Canadian by any chance? Would that make a difference? I thought a passport was a better ID than a birth certificate anyway. Very strange. I'm just glad it's over with. Can't wait till next year We're U.S. citizens. It puzzled us, too. The passport is more than adequate. They required the birth certificates - we complied.... whadda ya gonna do. Like I said, I'm always going with way more than I think I need from now on. So much easier than making myself crazy and trying to find my bottle of valium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Explorador Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 I used the suggestion in this thread and got my photos at the Guadalajara Pharmacy - fast, cheap, and easy. The problem is, when the gentleman at immigration looked at them he said they were too glossy - makes some sense, they have to be able to be copied and scanned. We went back to the pharmacy and asked him to redo them in matte and he said he couldn't. We had to go elsewhere and pay the big bucks but did get the job done all the same day. I'm seriously thinking I could do them on my own printer better faster cheaper (with the right paper of course). Black and white is OK BTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slumdog Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 Requiring a birth certificate changes the whole process. As Intercasa noted, that until now has been reserved for IMSS applications, and the birth certificate must be translated by an "official" translator, for example someone who works for a notario. I got my FM3 renewed in November and was not asked for a birth certificate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denver Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 I used the suggestion in this thread and got my photos at the Guadalajara Pharmacy - fast, cheap, and easy. The problem is, when the gentleman at immigration looked at them he said they were too glossy Bummer! Last summer Guadalajara Pharmacy's photos were just fine with immigration. Nothing stays the same in Mx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJBinMTJ Posted January 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 I submitted my FM1 to register my FM3 in Chapala last Wed. No birth certificate required, and they were perfectly happy with the pictures from Pharmacia Guadalajara. The FM1 says clearly on it that it may be typed or printed, but she required typed - or actually done on the computer and printed complete. She said that they keep them for 30 years and that the ink might fade. A completable PDF FM1 is available on immigration's web site. I guess it depends on what she had for breakfast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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