FMM - losing permanente

[AlanMexicali]

Newest FMM form as described in above post by bdlngton

[jrod]

I think the process of which part of the form to turn in, as you've described it, is for tourists, but not for either residentes temporal or permanente. The form itself states that everyone is to complete it, regardless of status. The confusing part is the multiple uses of the form by INM. Which part do I turn in?

Here is the key: Note that the perforated FMM has a larger, top part that is INBOUND to Mexico. The bottom, smaller part is for DEPARTURE; as it is a two-part form, the bar codes match. Here's the confusing part for many people: a tourist's INBOUND is a resident's OUTBOUND, so the part of the form one retains differs.

While in Mexico, tourists have the smaller, bottom part to keep while they are in this country; if lost, there is a fine to replace the form at the land or air border when they try to leave. Residents of Mexico--while in Mexico--don't have a form in their possession: we start with a fresh new form, for statistical purposes, when we depart Mexico. By scanning our outbound--then our return--bar codes, INM can tell when and how long we are out of Mexico. (As a Permanente, with currently no time restrictions on how long I'm out of Mexico, it's purely a statistic; if I want to consider becoming a citizen, a record of my ins and outs may indeed be required to confirm length of residence for the application.)

So...tourist or resident? For a tourist, entering Mexico is the start of the trip. BUT for a resident? Entering Mexico is the end of the trip. Therefore, depending on if you are coming or going, the INM agent will take from you EITHER the top (think "Welcome coming into Mexico, amigo/a!" ) or the bottom part (think, "Adiós, leaving Mexico, amigo/a!) of the form, depending on your status,  For example, my spouse is considered a tourist; the INM agent keeps the top part of the FMM upon arrival (INBOUND) and spouse returns the smaller, bottom part of the form (OUTBOUND) upon departure.  My situation as a Permanente is the opposite: when I EXIT Mexico, that is the start of my trip and they take the bottom, smaller part of the form (OUTBOUND) and the bar code is tagged to my departure. While I am out of Mexico, I have in my possession the larger form for my return home.  While we are within Mexico, residentes permanente or temporal carry no FMM form...we start anew with a 2-part blank form to record our exit from Mexico.

When we are in Mexico, my spouse has the smaller, departure part of the FMM with his passport; I have no form since I'm not traveling. However, when we depart, he turns in his bottom departure part, completing the 2-step in-and-out dance. Forms reconcile.  For my departure, though, I travel outside Mexico with the larger, top, inbound  half so that, when I come back, my two parts reconcile. I do, always, write PERMANENTE at the top of both the INBOUND and OUTBOUND forms and also verbally tell the agent that I am PERMANENTE to cue the INM agent but some are not well trained and you have to "supervise" to be sure they take the correct part of the form. I get the same guy at Laredo Bridge 2 when I come back in the early am, yet after all these years and many crossers, he still can only process for tourists without screwing up my Permanente, then getting help from another agent because he, too, can't grasp why spouse has a full new form and I have only the top half.

Hope this helps!

[RickS]

On 5/1/2017 at 8:42 AM, Suesinthewind said:

Sonia:  Do you have an office in Guadalajara or Ajijic?

Sonia is a resident of San Miguel de Allende but is known to 'work for' people in all areas of Mexico.  She has a website at http://www.soniadiaz.mx/

 

 

[stuphel]

Husband and I drive to Canada and back to Riberas every year.  I have Permanente (I own our house) and husband comes in as Turista and imports our car under his name, so we can drive the it for the 180 days we are in Mexico.   When we cross from US to Mexico, he fills out his Turista card, and I show my Permanente at Immigrado at the border.  No one gives me any form to fill out.  When we go North, he gives the remaining 1/2 of his Turista to Immigration at the border, and I show my Permanente card.  Again, no card for me to fill out.  They just glance at my Permanente card and give it back.  When we both had Temporale cards, and showed them both ways at the border, there was nothing to fill in or sign either coming or going.  It seems they don't deal with the Visa status (except for Turista) at the border when driving the same as they do when you fly.  We cross at Columbia bridge.  

[mudgirl]

13 hours ago, jrod said:

By scanning our outbound--then our return--bar codes, INM can tell when and how long we are out of Mexico.

That was a very good explanation, jrod. But honestly I don't know if they really care or actually bother to do anything with these forms (unless you're a tourist and can't produce the form when leaving, then they care to the tune of about 500 pesos). A couple years ago, I, as a permanente, flew to Canada with my granddaughter, who is also permanente. I kept the top large portion of the FMMs we filled out when we left Mexico, but then because I hadn't marked them in any way, I had no idea which bar code matched to her and which to me. She flew back to Mexico with her mom, so I gave her mom one of the forms, telling her I really didn't know which was which. When I flew back solo, I told all this to the INM agent at the airport. He told me it didn't matter at all. Go figure.

Back in the days when we had those FM3 booklets that looked like a passport,  when I was applying for a renewal, I had to fill the application form in 3 times, because I made some tiny error and we weren't allowed to cross anything out. When my new booklet came in, I saw that they had made an error on something, maybe it was my address (was a LONG time ago). I pointed it out to agent where I was picking it up, and he told me it was no big deal, just a clerical error, don't worry about it. Their error on my temporary resident official document supposedly didn't matter.

[bezerk]

Oh no doubt this is rocket science and quite frankly there should be separate forms for permanent and temporary residents, sure would get rid of all this confusion.  I am almost afraid to leave Mexico at this point.  It gets more and more confusing..

[jrod]

Mudgirl, it doesn't matter till it does. I'm pretty sure the system is fallible, but have had a few permanentes (FM2s) from nearly 20 years past get their cards cancelled this past fall, giving them only a week to leave the country and reapply. As all bureaucracy, they can falter and fail; people get held to a moving-target higher standard.

My own experience: INM wrote the same number (for the renewal #) on my card 2 years in a row. Said it didn't mater...they had all my documents. But it did...they refused to give me credit for the 2 years of "2".

[mudgirl]

1 hour ago, bezerk said:

Oh no doubt this is rocket science and quite frankly there should be separate forms for permanent and temporary residents, sure would get rid of all this confusion.  I am almost afraid to leave Mexico at this point.  It gets more and more confusing..

Yes, a different form for residents would certainly make sense. WAY too sensible, I'm afraid, for the bureaucrats.

[mudgirl]

1 hour ago, jrod said:

Mudgirl, it doesn't matter till it does.

I believe you. I actually keep all my airline tickets and boarding passes in and out of Mexico as backup just in case they someday tell me they have no record of my exits and entries.

[bezerk]

21 hours ago, mudgirl said:

Yes, a different form for residents would certainly make sense. WAY too sensible, I'm afraid, for the bureaucrats.

I most certainly agree on this point...