BajaNomad

visa needed for short visit?

1Bajalover - 5-2-2018 at 03:24 PM

just into Ensenada for a few days - is there a need to stop and get a visitors visa at the border?

woody with a view - 5-2-2018 at 03:29 PM

Yes and no. You decide which is right for you.

David K - 5-2-2018 at 03:31 PM

YES... there no longer is an exception like a few years ago for the 'Border Zone'. 1 hour or 72 hours, 1 mile south or 100 miles south... all need the FMM Tourist Card (it is not a visa).

However, you could stay in Mexico for 6 months and go to all the way to Cancun and may NEVER get asked to show it. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try and follow that immigration rule they have.

Paco Facullo - 5-2-2018 at 03:46 PM

Isn't it still free for 7 days or less ?????

sancho - 5-2-2018 at 03:50 PM

Quote: Originally posted by woody with a view  
Yes and no. You decide which is right for you.









Good answer, guessing the % of tourists to Ensenada that get an
fmm for a short stay would be in the single digits,
me, I always comply with regs

willardguy - 5-2-2018 at 03:53 PM

I wouldn't bother....but im a habitual law breaker;)

bajaguy - 5-2-2018 at 03:59 PM

Yes, need your passport
Quote: Originally posted by Paco Facullo  
Isn't it still free for 7 days or less ?????

thebajarunner - 5-2-2018 at 04:07 PM

Passport card works just as well, easier to carry in your wallet

If you decide to pass on geting the card then "Don't wreck!"

The jail food is lousy per my racing partner who spent 8 days in the Crossbar Hotel

Paco Facullo - 5-2-2018 at 04:56 PM

I wasn't talking about a passport , I was referring to the FMM .

You can buy the 180 day one for 500 peso's or "Isn't it still free for 7 days or less "?????

bajaguy - 5-2-2018 at 04:58 PM

Yes on both, but you need a passport or a passport card to get the FMM
Quote: Originally posted by Paco Facullo  
I wasn't talking about a passport , I was referring to the FMM .

You can buy the 180 day one for 500 peso's or "Isn't it still free for 7 days or less "?????

JZ - 5-2-2018 at 07:04 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
Y Tourist Card (it is not a visa).



It's a visa. Even if they refer to it as a "tourist card." It's a visa in every sense.

Op, I get one 90% of the time, but say screw it in the couple cases it's too inconvenient. No one ever checks. Only need it if you are flying out or if you are trying to get a permit for a car (required on the mainland below a certain point).


KasloKid - 5-2-2018 at 10:53 PM

I respectfully disagree with the term "visa" used instead of "FMM" They are entirely different from each other, even though we North Americans routinely substitute the word Visa for an FMM. The slang term for an FMM should be "Tourist Card" IMHO.

From Baja Bound:
What is a tourist card (FMM)?
According to the INM, an FMM, or Forma Migratoria Múltiple is an "admission document" issued to vacationing visitors of certain nationalities. Although the tourist card (FMM) is also popularly known as a tourist "visa," it is not officially a visa. U.S. and Canadian citizens driving to Mexico for vacation may obtain a tourist card (FMM) within minutes at a Mexican immigration office at the border with only a valid passport or passport card. The tourist card application is now available online as well. The tourist card (FMM) may be issued for up to 180 days and is issued per person including children.


From https://www.mexperience.com/do-i-need-a-visa-to-visit-mexico...

Whether you need to apply for a Visa before traveling to Mexico depends on:
◾which country issued your passport, or
◾whether you have legal residency or a visa for certain countries, or
◾whether you have APEC business travel privileges

This article explains who — and who does not — need to apply for a visa before traveling to Mexico.

You do NOT need to apply for a visa before traveling to Mexico if:

1) Your passport is issued by one of the countries on the ‘exempt’ list and you intend to travel to Mexico for leisure and business trips of 180 days or less; OR

2) If you don’t hold a passport from one of the countries on the ‘exempt’ list, but you do hold a permanent residency visa for the United States of America, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, or any country that is signatory to the European Schengen Area; OR

2a) If you don’t hold a passport from one of the countries on the ‘exempt’ list, but you do hold a current, multiple-entry visitor visa for the United States of America, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, or any country that is signatory to the European Schengen Area; OR

If you qualify under item 2 or 2a as described above: we recommend you contact your nearest Mexican Consulate before traveling to Mexico.

3) You are a legal resident of Mexico (Residente Temporal or Residente Permanente – formerly FM3/FM2); OR

4) If you don’t qualify under 1, 2, or 3 above, but you do hold a current APEC/ABTC business traveler’s card with pre-clearance approved by Mexico.

You DO need to apply for a visa before traveling to Mexico if:

You don’t hold a passport from one of the countries on the ‘exempt’ list, and you do not qualify under points 2, 2a, 3, and 4 above.

Visa Questions? If you are in any doubt about whether you need a visa, or you know you need to apply for an entry visa before you travel to Mexico, you should contact your nearest Mexican Consulate for further information and details about application procedures.

Basically, an FMM is applied for either in person or online by citizens of , and a Visa is applied for well before you enter Mexico and is determined by Mexican Immigration whether or not they will grant you one.
If you are a U.S. or Canadian citizen traveling to Mexico for tourist reasons, you may only need a tourist card (FMM). For citizens of other countries, view the INM's list of Countries and Regions That Require and Do Not Require a Visa To Travel to Mexico - but DO require an FMM. Link: https://www.gob.mx/cms/uploads/attachment/file/67045/Paises_...

And over the years I've been asked to produce my "Tourist Card" a few times, both in Baja and mainland Mexico.


[Edited on 5-3-2018 by KasloKid]

aguachico - 5-3-2018 at 03:20 AM

visa - fmm tourist card. MVM

Just get one. Why?

Without it you are illegal and it that could come to haunt you if you have an issue.

Your auto insurance may require you to have it for coverage.

It should be free for a short stay north of the GN immigration.

enjoy

BajaMama - 5-3-2018 at 07:12 AM

Yep what everyone else said. A citizen of the USA is required to obtain an FMM to be legal in Mexico. Will anything happen to you if you don't get one before entering? Probably not, but for 500 pesos why not just stop at immigration, get your FMM and show respect for Mexican law?

motoged - 5-3-2018 at 07:33 AM

Quote: Originally posted by willardguy  
I wouldn't bother....but im a habitual law breaker;)


Illegal aliens....both sides of the border....:biggrin:

willardguy - 5-3-2018 at 08:29 AM

this weekend is rosarito to ensenada bike race...like spring break how many visitors are going to be carrying an FMM? they should go back to the border zone exemption.

KasloKid - 5-3-2018 at 09:43 AM

As a fellow inmate on another forum so eloquently put it:
If you in enough chit where you need to prove you have an FMM, you fu***g well better have one.

[Edited on 5-3-2018 by KasloKid]

motoged - 5-3-2018 at 09:50 AM

Quote: Originally posted by KasloKid  
As a fellow inmate on another forum so eloquently put it:
If you in enough chit where you need to prove you have an FMM, you fu***g well better have one.

[Edited on 5-3-2018 by KasloKid]


Wisdom from ADVrider?

Alm - 5-3-2018 at 12:01 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaMama  
A citizen of the USA is required to obtain an FMM to be legal in Mexico.

Also Canada, but the OP didn't say what country he/she is a citizen of. Some people need "visa", not just FMM.

Other than that, FMM is a matter of conscience. Legally, you must have it. 7-day FMM is free and doesn't take long to obtain, at the border.

KasloKid - 5-3-2018 at 10:31 PM

Quote: Originally posted by motoged  
Quote: Originally posted by KasloKid  
As a fellow inmate on another forum so eloquently put it:
If you in enough chit where you need to prove you have an FMM, you fu***g well better have one.

[Edited on 5-3-2018 by KasloKid]


Wisdom from ADVrider?


Yup

mtgoat666 - 5-4-2018 at 05:55 AM

Quote: Originally posted by KasloKid  
I respectfully disagree with the term "visa" used instead of "FMM" They are entirely different from each other, even though we North Americans routinely substitute the word Visa for an FMM. The slang term for an FMM should be "Tourist Card"


I call the fmm a “tourist card” or “visa.”
“Visa” is a fine word, and the tourist card fits the common definition of visa.

visa!

Alm - 5-4-2018 at 08:57 PM

Visa is a fine word, I like it so much that even use it for one of my credit cards :).

FMM is not it.