BajaNomad

Assistance with Residency paperwork

sc-surfer - 9-2-2023 at 03:28 PM

In looking for someone reputable and trustworthy to help us with getting either temporary or permanent residency status. Can you recommend someone? We are located in central California so someone based in Baja would be ideal.

Thanks Nomads.

Bajazly - 9-2-2023 at 04:03 PM

There is a lady named Reyna her in San Felipe who helped me and she is good.

sc-surfer - 9-2-2023 at 04:29 PM

awesome. Thanks for the replies!

Monte

boe4fun - 9-2-2023 at 05:02 PM

I highly recommend Alba Walker at the Paper Chase Company in La Paz. Are you on the central coast? We live in Santa Margarita.

mjs - 9-2-2023 at 06:46 PM

Unless the process has changed you have to start the paperwork at a local consulate. We used the one in Oxnard but there may be one closer to you.

Application, interview, proof of financial responsibility, etc all done there. Then you get a visa attached to your passport that you take to the local immigration office where you plan to reside. Small amount of paperwork and a few weeks later you collect your residency card.

All the information was online at the consulate website when we did it.

surabi - 9-3-2023 at 10:48 AM

Correct- you have to apply for residency at a Mexican consulate outside of Mexico, so a facilitator in Mexico won't do you any good. Different consulates apparently vary a bit in what they require The folks at the consulate will tell you what you need to bring in for your application. Once it is approved, you have 6 months to report to INM in Mexico to complete the process, and 30 days after you cross the border.

Once it is in motion at INM, you can't leave the country until it is completed. (In case of some emergency situation where you had to leave, you need to get special permission from INM or you'll have to restart the process from scratch at a consulate)

[Edited on 9-3-2023 by surabi]

[Edited on 9-3-2023 by surabi]

stillnbaja - 9-3-2023 at 12:24 PM

there is an alternative....at least here in baja the regularization program is still in effect, really helps anyone that can't quite make the financial requirements.


https://www.mexperience.com/mexico-offers-special-residency-...

surabi - 9-3-2023 at 12:48 PM

That program is for people who came in on a tourist permit before January 2020 and have never left, living in Mexico illegally since the permit expired.
It was instituted during Covid lockdowns and travel restrictions to address tourists being stuck in Mexico with expired permits.
You can't just enter Mexico now on a tourist permit, let it expire, and apply under that program.

BajaMama - 9-4-2023 at 08:48 AM

Three questions:

Is there an immigration office in Santa Rosalia?

Once I have Permanent Residency, can I purchase an automobile in Mexico?

If the answer to second question is yes, do I need a Mexican driver's license to purchase a car.

Not looking for "South Dakota plates" type work-arounds, just the law.

AKgringo - 9-4-2023 at 09:03 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaMama  


Once I have Permanent Residency, can I purchase an automobile in Mexico?

Do I need a Mexican driver's license to purchase a car.

Not looking for "South Dakota plates" type work-arounds, just the law.


Good questions! Another factor is that there are cars and trucks available in Mexico that were never allowed to be imported to the US.

surabi - 9-4-2023 at 10:03 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaMama  


Once I have Permanent Residency, can I purchase an automobile in Mexico?





Anyone can buy a Mexican-plated car, even someone here on a tourist visa. The issue is just registering it in one's name. But no problem registering it if you are a resident.
One thing you will need to get, though, is an RFC (Mexican tax number), which is now required for many things, even if you don't have to file or pay any taxes.


karenintx - 9-4-2023 at 05:40 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaMama  
Three questions:

Is there an immigration office in Santa Rosalia?

Once I have Permanent Residency, can I purchase an automobile in Mexico?

If the answer to second question is yes, do I need a Mexican driver's license to purchase a car.

Not looking for "South Dakota plates" type work-arounds, just the law.


Yes, you should have a MX driver's license when driving a MX plated vehicle. That is what we were told by the CSL MX DMV.

shari - 9-5-2023 at 06:42 PM

there is a very astute lawyer in Sta.Rosalia who specializes in getting expats residency lickety split. Jorge Vargas 615 112 5260 and tell him that Shari Bondy from Asuncion sent you and he will treat you right!

surabi - 9-6-2023 at 02:37 PM

No offense to you or your lawyer, sheri, but it isn't necessary to use the services of a lawyer to get residency. All one needs to do is present the required documents the consulate tells one they need. People do it every day on their own, and some report getting the approval within a day.

Then it is just a matter of going to an INM office in Mexico for the finalization, which also doesn't require a lawyer.

BajaMama - 9-8-2023 at 06:50 AM

Good information. Thank you.

Grenadiers - 9-18-2023 at 06:09 AM

FYI, with the temporary resident visa, you have to renew it each year. Similar price as to the first year. And less paperwork, we own a house in Mulege, so the latest CFE bill is required and we download the form and fill it out ahead with f time. Still a PIA each year.

surabi - 9-18-2023 at 07:59 AM

That is incorrect. No, you don't have to renew temp residency every year.
You have to renew it after the first year, and can get it for the following 3 years at that point.

stillnbaja - 9-18-2023 at 08:24 AM

I just received my TR card and yes the "regularization" program is alive and well in the tijuana/rosarito/ensenada area. all four years plus all fees were paid together......for my money using a facilitator was well worth the cost, ymmv

Udo - 9-18-2023 at 09:29 AM

Quote: Originally posted by surabi  
Correct- you have to apply for residency at a Mexican consulate outside of Mexico, so a facilitator in Mexico won't do you any good. Different consulates apparently vary a bit in what they require The folks at the consulate will tell you what you need to bring in for your application. Once it is approved, you have 6 months to report to INM in Mexico to complete the process, and 30 days after you cross the border.

Once it is in motion at INM, you can't leave the country until it is completed. (In case of some emergency situation where you had to leave, you need to get special permission from INM or you'll have to restart the process from scratch at a consulate)


[Edited on 9-3-2023 by surabi]



The United States should do the same thing in regards to people who want to get residency papers in the USA.

surabi - 9-18-2023 at 10:27 AM

I used a facilitator once, an immigration lawyer, the first time I applied for temporary residency, because I was applying for a "lucrativa" temp- permission to open a business and work here, because the paperwork was more complicated than the regular temp visa and I didn't want to blow it.

Other than that, I have dealt with everything else on my own for the 20 years I have lived here (several years of which my Spanish was quite poor), including business licenses, getting a tax number and filing taxes, registering vehicles, getting driver's licenses, etc.

Don Pisto - 9-18-2023 at 11:02 AM

after seeing the chaos at the local IMN office im happy to pay the nice young ladies for their help.....that said I certainly applaud those with command of the language and the patience to go it alone!:D

surabi - 9-18-2023 at 12:27 PM

Quote: Originally posted by lencho  


That said, if I have the time, I'll often do things myself as you do, just because I enjoy the social interaction; every stuck-behind-the-desk burrocrat has a personal life and they are usually just as happy to sidetrack as am I.
:light:


Years ago a friend went to get her Mexican driver's license. She brought the paperwork she thought she'd need, but office guy said she also needed to bring in XX. She did the following day, and office guy said good, but you also need to bring in YY.

When she came back for the third time with that, she asked him why he couldn't have just told her everything she needed the first time she came in, he gestured around his office, a small windowless room, and said "Look at this office. I've been working here for 30 years. This is the only fun I get."

elgatoloco - 9-18-2023 at 01:16 PM

Sounds like an endorsement for a facilitator........
Quote: Originally posted by surabi  
Quote: Originally posted by lencho  


That said, if I have the time, I'll often do things myself as you do, just because I enjoy the social interaction; every stuck-behind-the-desk burrocrat has a personal life and they are usually just as happy to sidetrack as am I.
:light:


Years ago a friend went to get her Mexican driver's license. She brought the paperwork she thought she'd need, but office guy said she also needed to bring in XX. She did the following day, and office guy said good, but you also need to bring in YY.

When she came back for the third time with that, she asked him why he couldn't have just told her everything she needed the first time she came in, he gestured around his office, a small windowless room, and said "Look at this office. I've been working here for 30 years. This is the only fun I get."

surabi - 9-19-2023 at 09:53 AM

It plays for me on Chrome, no problem, lencho.

I actually saw that video several years ago. It's a really good portrayal of bureaurocratic BS. Filmed in Spain.

surabi - 9-19-2023 at 11:04 AM

http.
I don't type in the URL when I access the forum, it's just on my suggested sites list and I click on the icon. But at some point in the past, I googled the forum, clicked on it, and Chrome obviously chose that http URL.

But yes, if I click on the https link you posted above, the video doesn't even appear on your post, just your text.

[Edited on 9-19-2023 by surabi]

[Edited on 9-19-2023 by surabi]

pacificobob - 9-19-2023 at 11:43 AM

I'm a real fan of hiring a guide to navigate bureaucracy. I have spent minutes in 90 degree waiting rooms full of sweating people who will be there for hours because they lack a personal relationship with the staff that my guide has cultivated.
Best money I've ever spent.

surabi - 9-19-2023 at 12:08 PM

For sure, we hire people all the time to do things that we are capable of doing ourselves, but would prefer not to have to.

One interesting thing about navigating bureaucracy yourself, though, is finding out which entities are efficient, and which are a PITA to deal with.

I once went with a couple of friends to get our Mex. driver's licenses. We also had other stops to make along the way, so when we got to the office, it was closed- their hours ended 15 minutes earlier. But the office had a glass front and we could see everyone at their desks still working. One guy noticed us standing there, came to the door, and asked what we were there for, we said the licenses, but guessed we'd have to come back another day.

But he said "Come in", proceeded to take our info and photos, and we all walked out of there 20 minutes later, new licenses in hand. We were all blown away by how easy it was.

sc-surfer - 2-29-2024 at 05:37 PM

Following up on this for future readers.

We were able to get residency under the amnesty program in December 2023. I do not know if that program was extended. For us it was perfect. No financial documents needed and took us a 1 visit. We did use an attorney and in my opinion was worth every penny. We met others trying to go it alone and having trouble. Took us 5 hours total and we walked out with 4 years on our temporary card. Will come back and convert to permanent when the time comes. Total cost was about $1200 each including the attorney and 4 years on the permit. Considering it took one visit (we had to drive down to Ensenada from the Bay Area) it was worth it. Had we done it alone and had tomato multiple trips it would have easily cost more.

We used H&H Consultorio and highly recommend them. The daughter is the initial contact and she is good. Sometimes a little vague but I think that is likely the language/culture barrier. Her father is the attorney and is great. We were told to be at the office at 8am and on our arrival, he was already there and had gotten us the first spot in the queue for the day. He encouraged us to let him answer any questions which he did. We just smiled and paid the fees when requested. There were no fees paid to him up front which gave me confidence to go ahead and use his services. Worst we would be out would be the trip down. In the end, walking out with our cards was a huge win.