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Travel Letter


johnny b gone

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Government fees are 320 pesos so 300 would mean someone is taking a loss. We charge 900 so we make less than 600 pesos for the two visits and waiting in line, sometimes having people call every hour asking where the letter is and having to stay late at immigration the day before people leave so we can pick it up. We also need to see the head guys schedule as if he will be out the day before travel then we need to get it a day early and they always tell us oh your person isn't going for 4 days, relax but tell that to people who need to travel and are calling a few times a day and stressed.

Other times we have had to go into Guadalajara to get them and haven't charged extra where we are really taking a loss.

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Process can be from 3 to 5 days but presently could be a bit longer due to some changes.

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  • 2 months later...

My wife and I went to INM in Guadalajara (Palacio Federale - Piso 4) yesterday to arrange for a travel letter for her. She has a flight booked for January 20 so we wanted to leave sufficient time. She needs the letter since her "Residente Permanente" application is in limbo land somewhere. I normally use a facilitator for this stuff but for this requirement I wanted to see how difficult it might be to work directly with INM. Here are the requirements and the process, step-by-step" if anyone else wants to try this on their own - based on personal experience!

Requirements:

1. Passport

2. Proof of payment to the "Secretaria de Gobernacion" of $332 MX to any major bank (2 copies of the receipt)

3. Copy of your "In Tramite" letter you got from INM when doing the Residente Temporal application

4. One "infantile" size photo of you - same as was required for the application

5. Copy of your travel itinerary showing the departure and return dates (Airline itinerary in our case)

6. Letter of request for the permit (see the wording below)

7. Application request you completed on-line (number & clabe you get from the kiosk in the office).

Process:

1. I would recommend you go a little later in the morning since the crowds and lineups subside by about 11AM - as well as the traffic getting up to Alcalde #500 is less by then.

2. You can park in a public lot just a little south of the Palacio if you don't want to walk very far.

3. Take the elevators up to the 4th floor of the central tower.

4. If you have not made payment to a bank of the $332 MX nor have 2 copies of the payment receipt, turn to the right and ask the nice lady at the information desk for a form with the account#s that you can then take to the bank and make payment. There is a Banamex just south of where you parked the car. If the bank does not give you a 2nd copy of the receipt, there are several copy places close by where you can get a second copy made.

4. When you return, go back up to the 4th floor and then go through the doors to your left. There you will find a desk with two ladies that can provide information and establish that you have all of the paperwork you will need. If you have not already done so on the internet website before arriving at the office, you will need to do an on-line application for the permit. There is a kiosk on the far right wall where you can do this. It is a PC with a touch screen connected to the internet site for INM. You need to select the menu option for "Permiso de Salida y Regreso" and then complete the information fields. You will need your passport# and NUT# from your Tramite letter. Once you complete this and the system accepts your application, WRITE DOWN the registration# and clabe codes from the screen as you will need it - there is no way to print this off in the office. Ask for assistance if you have difficulty with Spanish - the staff there are very helpful.

5. Then go back to the ladies at the reception desk and if you are good to go, they will give you a number and you can then sit down and wait your turn. You will be going up to one of the counter positions marked "Rececpcion de Tramites".

6. When your number is called, one of the clerks will take all of your papers, a photocopy of your passport and the photo you brought. They will then give you a letter with a new NUT# and contrasena (password) for the application. You are then done for today - go have lunch or do some shopping.

In our case, we were instructed to go to the INM office in Chapala to pick up our letter in 3 business days since that is where our Residente Permamente application was filed. I'll let you know if in fact it does show up in time!! You can use this NUT# on the application letter to check on-line to see if your letter is ready for pickup apparently.

Letter of Request: Here is the Spanish wording for your request you need to take in - it can be hand written.

PERMISO SALIDA Y REGRESSO

Instituto Nacional de Migracion

Presente

Guadalajara, JAL.

A _________________ (Today's Date)

Por medio de la presente y bajo protesta de decir verdad

Yo, ____________________ (name of applicant) de Nacionalidad _________________ (your citizenship by Passport)

declaro que no cuento con ningun impedimiento para poder salir del pais.

Asi mismo hago de su concocimiento las fechas de mi salida y regreso.

Fecha de Salida ________________ (Date of departure)

Fecha de Regreso ________________ (Date of return)

Atentamente

Firma ______________________ (Your signature)

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So, if you had done your renewal in Guadalajara, that would mean you'd have to take two trips to Guadalajara to do this by yourself.

Seems like the amount of time spent, the running around, copying, making bank payment, the gas and parking, wear and tear on the car, etc. makes getting a facilitator and paying them about 500-700 pesos (roughly $38usd to 53usd) well worth it. Not to mention that if something happens, they will speak on your behalf to straighten out the situation.

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So, if you had done your renewal in Guadalajara, that would mean you'd have to take two trips to Guadalajara to do this by yourself.

Seems like the amount of time spent, the running around, copying, making bank payment, the gas and parking, wear and tear on the car, etc. makes getting a facilitator and paying them about 500-700 pesos (roughly $38usd to 53usd) well worth it. Not to mention that if something happens, they will speak on your behalf to straighten out the situation.

Yes and yes. I just wanted to "experience" doing it on my own. I like to learn new things plus a day in Guadalajara is fun for me. If they close the INM office in Chapala, a lot more of us will be making trips to Alcalde #500 (Palacio Federale) in Guadalajara.

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Well, we managed to get the elusive "Travel Letter" this afternoon - just in time since my wife's flight is Monday AM at 6:30AM!! I thought I would pass along our experience in an effort to share the new knowledge we have gained.

As directed, we went to Chapala INM on Wednesday - no letter. We were told by the nice young lady to come back on Friday and it would be ready.

Came back today (Friday) to the Chapala INM office at around 12:30PM - NO LETTER!!!!!!

As Fabiola then explained, if you apply for the Travel Letter at the Guadalajara INM office, you have to pick it up there. If you file the Travel Letter application at the Chapala INM office, then you can pick it up here. She could not explain why we were told in the Guadalajara INM office that since our "In Tramite" for the Premanente is registered to Chapala that we had to go there to pick up the letter. Apparently they don't know this in Guadalajara!!! Apparently the young lady we spoke to in the Chapala INM office on Wednesday didn't know this either!!

So what do we do at 1:30PM on a Friday afternoon??? Well, here is where the excellent level of Customer Service kicks in. The kind gentleman at INM in Chapala (the Manager??) actually telephones the Guadalajara office and speaks to the person who took our application. Oh... the letter is there... and if we would like to drive into the Palacio Federal she would wait for us to get there and make sure we got it. Since the office would already be closed by the time we get there, just have the security guard page her and she will get us in so we can sign and take delivery of the letter. We arrive at about 2:30PM without getting any speeding tickets and go up to the 4th floor. About half an hour later we are let in and they are still preparing the letter!! They then get some dude in the back to sign it and we are on our way.

So maybe trying to get this at Guadalajara instead of Chapala wasn't such a good idea after all. It still took 5 days and some drama!!

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  • 8 months later...

Need stamped going and coming back and turn in the letter with both stamps to immigration.

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I usually try to do these things myself, but I'm with Saege and Intercasa on this one. Depends on how valuable you think your time is. Probably the 600 pesos surcharge covers at least six hours of work/driving/waiting/Spanish conversations, and a buncha years experience.

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From my experience in SMA, travel letter is only good for 60 days from date of issuance. Double check this at lakeside. It means if you get a travel letter today you must be back in Mexico in 60 days. You have 10 calendar days once you enter Mexico to present the letter with both "out" and "in" stamps. Note, if traveling by bus you may have to insist on bus stopping as you leave and enter Mexico. I have known clients who had to make sure this happen and one who forgot and then you need to justify to INM why no stamp.

If you get a travel letter and decide not to leave Mexico it involves a lot of work to convince INM you did not leave.

Here we do not submit travel itinerary even when flying.

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  • 2 weeks later...

If you need a letter and do not get one then you risk a very likely cancellation of your papers in process unless you were to fly to the border and cross on foot or by car and return same way.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The local office is getting caught up. They now have a different head guy, the 5th one in a year and things slowed a bit before the other one was removed.

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