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TR / PR Entering Mexico as a Tourist (FMM)


Sonia

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Once you have a Temporary or Permanent Resident Visa at no time enter Mexico with a FMM tourist card. You will then be a tourist and have to start the visa process over at a Mexican consulate outside of Mexico. I saw two examples of this again today. A TR and a PR both lost visa status when they did not produce their visas when entering Mexico.

Cases I have seen: lost visa while outside of Mexico; when arriving at airport to leave Mexico discovered visa was at home and no time to retrieve; and today at INM, upon arriving on a flight in Mexico their bags had not been retrieved and visa was in luggage so completed a FMM while clearing Immigration. I am referring to when at no time was visa presented when entering Mexico. In some cases a letter was issued at airport by INm but it had no bearing.

I would recommend if driving in with no visa even though one is a TR or PR cross at a location such as Laredo where less chance of having to show visa. Even at Colombia 2 weeks ago our vehicle was inspected but no one asked to see my husbands PR visa. This has happened to us at Nuevo Laredo recently as well.

Buen Fin

Sonia

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INM instructs both Residente Temporal and Residente Permanente residents to submit an FMM every time they enter.

They tell us that the key is to fill out Box #8 with our INM RT or RP visa number, from the back our residency card.

They also tell us to write our residency visa type in BOLD letters across the top of both the upper and lower halves of the FMM.

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I filed an amparo to invalidate the law for a client where she was entered as a tourist and not a temporary resident.

Court ruled:

Ahora bien, dado que la parte quejosa manifiesta que con la

resolución reclamada se le niega el tramite de reposición de documento

y, que por ello tiene que abandonar el país; por lo tanto, con

fundamento en lo que dispone el artículo 126 de la Ley de Amparo, se

CONCEDE a la parte quejosa, la SUSPENSIÓN DE PLANO para el

efecto de que las cosas se mantengan en el estado que se

encuentran, esto es, para que no se ejecute la resolución de diez

de julio de dos mil quince, hasta en tanto se resuelva en definitiva

el juicio de amparo que nos ocupa y no se le deporte a su país de

origen.

I hope to prevail on the amparo, the federal court has already issued an injunction in favor of my client and if in the small chance we do not prevail we will in the federal administrative courts so dont despair if immigration makes a mistake, there are ways to fight it and not lose your status.

If you are notified that they are canceling your status for entering as a tourist then we have only 15 days to file the amparo and 45 to file the federal administrative suit to annul the resolution.

I have been telling my clients for years to write at top of both forms residente permanente or residente temporal so there will be no mistakes.

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If one looses card when outside of Mexico what INM says is you are to go to a MX consulate outside of Mexico. That may not be practical but it is their advice.

In the several cases I am aware of, the person did not have / show a TR / PR visa when entering Mexico. Much easier if driving as simply enter visa places such as Laredo and do not go to INM as I noted.

Sonia

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It would seem to me that even though it is not the correct procedure, it would be best, if driving through Laredo, to just skip the INM office on both the exit and the reentry, if one has a TR/PR. Since a detour through that office takes about an extra 30 minutes, and no one else will check your status until you actually are on the road back to this area, where you will have your TR/PR in hand. No harm, no foul, no?

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It would seem to me that even though it is not the correct procedure, it would be best, if driving through Laredo, to just skip the INM office on both the exit and the reentry, if one has a TR/PR. Since a detour through that office takes about an extra 30 minutes, and no one else will check your status until you actually are on the road back to this area, where you will have your TR/PR in hand. No harm, no foul, no?

Agree

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Always good to avoid immigration if going by land and not returning by air, too many mistakes can be made by them which you will be liable for.

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Check out at immigration so in the future they wont ask you why you didnt and to prove it years down the road

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Always good to avoid immigration if going by land and not returning by air, too many mistakes can be made by them which you will be liable for.

Not so easy anymore in San Diego at the San Ysidro border crossing.

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2015/aug/19/mexico-boosts-customs-inspections-southbound-pedes/ "Abra este contenido en una nueva ventana" [open in a new window]

"Southbound pedestrians at the world’s busiest border crossing, San Ysidro, face increased customs inspections with Mexico’s launch of a new immigration building.

Mexican immigration officials will start checking passports at six inspection booths in the building on Thursday.

Known as East Gate, the facility includes three lanes: one for Mexicans, another for non-Mexicans and one for visitors who plan to stay in Mexico longer than a week."

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/aug/19/mexico-opens-new-pedestrian-port-san-ysidro/

Another article above with photos of the new building.

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I have to say, I really don't understand how people get themselves in these boondoggles. Obviously if you are a permanent or temporary resident of any country, you would enter the country as such. Why anyone would enter as a tourist, when that is in fact not their status, is beyond me.

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I have to say, I really don't understand how people get themselves in these boondoggles. Obviously if you are a permanent or temporary resident of any country, you would enter the country as such. Why anyone would enter as a tourist, when that is in fact not their status, is beyond me.

mmmm ....If you lost you visa while outside of Mexico is one example.

You got to airport and discovered you left your visa at home and home is a 3 hour return trip You will miss your flight out of Leon and your chemotherapy in the US is scheduled for the next day.

Your visa was left in your baggage and you cleared immigration before picking up suitcases not knowing implications.

These are actual cases.

To suggest stupid mistake as below by someone who left Mexico some time ago is suggesting people are not human. It implies no one has lost their wallet / purse or had it stolen. It means a person rushing for chemo and to catch a plane is stupid for forgetting their visa. And I do not recommend people carry their visa at all times. I would only recommend carrying your visa when traveling. How many people have been asked to show a visa at any time other that when traveling? The effort to replace a stolen / lost visa plus time and cost to me suggests there is no need to carry it locally.

saludos

Sonia

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mmmm ....If you lost you visa while outside of Mexico is one example.

You got to airport and discovered you left your visa at home and home is a 3 hour return trip You will miss your flight out of Leon and your chemotherapy in the US is scheduled for the next day.

Your visa was left in your baggage and you cleared immigration before picking up suitcases not knowing implications.

These are actual cases.

saludos

Sonia

A perfect couple of reasons why all legal immigrants need to follow the rule and have their RT or RP visa/card on their person at all times. No copies, no hiding your card in a safe place and be ready to show your card to any INM official [or Mexican Federal Police officer] when asked, anywhere, anytime, while inside Mexico. No excuses and if they are inconvienced, their fault. IMO

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The term, “stupid mistake“ comes to mind. Unfortunate, but true.

One must prepare for any border crossing, and that includes making very sure that you have all of the necessary documents.

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Well, if I left my visa at home by mistake, or lost my wallet before returning to Mexico, I would tell Immigration exactly that. I always have copies of all my important documents stashed in all my luggage, so there would be at least a copy of my permanente to show them and they have computers which would verify that. I certainly wouldn't enter as a tourist thinking that would make my life easier.

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Well, if I left my visa at home by mistake, or lost my wallet before returning to Mexico, I would tell Immigration exactly that. I always have copies of all my important documents stashed in all my luggage, so there would be at least a copy of my permanente to show them and they have computers which would verify that. I certainly wouldn't enter as a tourist thinking that would make my life easier.

Unfortunately, you are misinformed. INM will still enter you as a tourist. In some cases they will even issue you a letter and you are a tourist when entered as one. I have seen it happen several times and the final ruling was not local but made in Mexico City.

My original post was to inform based on real experiences and to let people know the ramifications. It was not to suggest people are stupid for not having their visa nor to suggest they carry a visa locally. Nor can one "beat" the system with copies. And for those critical, Mexico is still very easy to visit and to live for foreigners.

saludos

Sonia

PS if lost visa while outside of Mexico you are to go to a MX consulate as I have posted at other times. Being in say Manitoba you'd have to go to Toronto or Calgary and as I also noted before, not feasible. Or most do not have time to get to a consulate and wait. Nor does it help the person who discovers lost visa as about to return to Mexico. My point is the same, once you have a visa you can not simply arrive in Mexico and enter as a tourist.

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Unfortunately, you are misinformed. INM will still enter you as a tourist. In some cases they will even issue you a letter and you are a tourist when entered as one. I have seen it happen several times and the final ruling was not local but made in Mexico City.

My original post was to inform based on real experiences and to let people know the ramifications. It was not to suggest people are stupid for not having their visa nor to suggest they carry a visa locally. Nor can one "beat" the system with copies. And for those critical, Mexico is still very easy to visit and to live for foreigners.

saludos

Sonia

Unfortunately, we have friends who had exactly the opposite experience to Sonia's claims that all foreigners who lose the INM cards are somehow forced by INM to enter Mexico as visitors. We had a friend who had his wallet stolen in Florida, losing his ½ of FMM and losing his INM Residente Permanente.

He flew back, showed INM his Florida police report, and INM checked his INM computerized records versus his passport - verifying his Residente Permanente status.

So, there are cases where Sonia's stories about her clients differ from other American's experiences with INM.

The friend who had his wallet stolen was told by INM that he should have gone to the Mexican Consulate first, rather than coming straight back to Mexico without his visa.

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A perfect couple of reasons why all legal immigrants need to follow the rule and have their RT or RP visa/card on their person at all times. No copies, no hiding your card in a safe place and be ready to show your card to any INM official [or Mexican Federal Police officer] when asked, anywhere, anytime, while inside Mexico. No excuses and if they are inconvienced, their fault. IMO

A certified (by a Notario) copy is OK within the country. No need to carry your card. We keep copies in both cars.

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His loss of the top portion of his FMM did not make any difference...we fill out a new FMM on every trip into Mexico and a new one at the airport INM window on every departure with our RP #..Never an issue either way. There is no reason to carry your original RP card in the US...keep it with your passport paper clipped to the back. You will less likely to lose it or forget it as you will not be able to check-in at the airport without the your PP..

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Always good to avoid immigration if going by land and not returning by air, too many mistakes can be made by them which you will be liable for.

I am assuming this advice applies to PR or TR and not Tourist Visa as if you don't get your passport is not stamped as an exiting tourist, then big problems.

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I am assuming this advice applies to PR or TR and not Tourist Visa as if you don't get your passport is not stamped as an exiting tourist, then big problems.

As far as I'm aware, there is no process for tourists to get their passports stamped on exit from Mexico when flying out. If driving out, one would want to get their vehicle checked out of the country.

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A certified (by a Notario) copy is OK within the country. No need to carry your card. We keep copies in both cars.

The rule states only the original card/visa is valid and accepted upon request and does not mention copies, even notorized copies. If you travel far from home take your card as a federal police officer or an INM offical might detain you for only having a notorized copy. This is especially important in airports as the odds go up there of seeing an INM offical and on some highways as INM checkpoints are more common every year now.

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