BajaNomad - My FM3 experience in Sacramento

My FM3 experience in Sacramento

Santiago - 1-19-2008 at 02:47 PM

The following is directly from the Mexican Consulate's website:

The requirements for a Nonimmigrant Visa (FM3) for multiple entries are:
Fill out the Visa Application form, available at the Consulate. For a downloadable Visa Application Form in PDF format, click here
Appearance in person at the Consulate
Valid passport in original and one photocopy of the pages containing personal information, photograph of bearer and expiration date/extensions;
Two (2) front view passport size photos
Proof of economic solvency: Applicant must prove a monthly income of $1,000.00 USD dollars, or equivalent in Mexican currency. If the applicant will be accompanied by members of his immediate family, the minimum income required will be $500.00 additionally per month for each member 15 years of age or older
The documents accepted as a proof are: Bank statement, Social Security or Pension Receipts; such documents must be notarized and bear the apostille issued by the Secretary of State of the State where the documents were notarized
(click here to read information regarding Apostilles)
Payment of the Consular Fee.
(Click here to consult fee list)
Your FM3 will be ready next business day after applying for it.

Now this is what really happened:
1. Was required to get another front photo and a profile – right-side only. 3 fronts and 1 right-side profile is required. Of course, how’d I miss that?
2. I followed the link to the form, printed and filled it out prior to going in. I was given a new form to fill out that was identical in every way to the one I printed out except for the form date on the bottom, told that the form on the computer was no longer acceptable. Fine, no big deal - I fill out the new form, take it back to the window and was given another form, way more official looking, in Spanish, with an English cheat sheet and told to fill this one out using the info on the previous form I had just filled out. OK - I do so, walk up to the window and hand it in. The clerk trashed the first form I filled out, keeping the official looking one. I am completely unaware of the need for the first form.
3. Go stand in an excruciatingly long and slow line to pay my fee (which did match the fee schedule on the computer, by the way) only to be told that checks and credit cards are not accepted. I sadly go across the street to a bank, get the money and stand in line again to pay.
4. After paying, I go back to the original clerk to show my paid receipt and am asked to go around the wall and come into a door that is in her office. She takes my picture and scans my finger prints on my index fingers. I ask if she could just take my profile, print them out and I would not have to return with the missing front and side views as she had just taken them. She paused for a moment as she looked at picture she had just taken and the obvious reasonableness of my request, but sadly it was not to be. I am instructed to return with the missing photos before the visa can be given to me.
5. I am further informed that the 3 copies of my bank statements, which have been duly notarized and apostillized, is lacking by 2 months. The person I talked to at the consulate over the phone the previous day must have been mistaken, or maybe I didn't hear correctly, because 5 months have been required since, oh I don’t know – creation maybe?? Stoopid gringo.

I am instructed to return between 10 am and noon, on Wednesday of next week, with the missing photos and bank statements and I will be given the FM3 and my passport will be returned to me. At this point I felt it unnecessary to point out that the next business day would be Tuesday, not Wednesday, as Monday is a holiday.

So here’s my question: When I return on Wednesday, will she staple the 2 statements to the other 3 or will she then say that the apostille from the Secretary of State is only good for the original 3 and I must go back and get a new apostille?

I’m guessing 3-to-1 against. Any takers?

bajaguy - 1-19-2008 at 02:59 PM

You are dealing with the Mexican government. The answer to your question is.....yes and no

Bajabus - 1-19-2008 at 03:00 PM

I vote you will have to go back and get the remaing two notorized and apostilled.

comitan - 1-19-2008 at 04:29 PM

What will be really frustrating for you, when you get down here and have to do it all over again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Edited on 1-19-2008 by comitan]

Santiago - 1-19-2008 at 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by comitan
What will be really frustrating for you, when you get down here and have to do it all over again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Edited on 1-19-2008 by comitan]

Now wait aminute - don't I just show it to the border guy, he stamps it and I'm on my way???? :?:

bajaguy - 1-19-2008 at 05:07 PM

Hahaha.....................after you get it stamped at the border, you have to have it registered in the "county" where you live.........they may ask you to do everything all over again, ask for a partial list of documents, or ask you to provide something that is not on the consulate list.............it's like applying for a different country

[Edited on 1-20-2008 by bajaguy]

comitan - 1-19-2008 at 05:18 PM

Santiago you have been around here long enough to know this. :lol:

Don Alley - 1-19-2008 at 10:58 PM

Bank statements notarized by the state government?

Sure hope they don't ask me for that for renewals; living in Mexico how in the hell could I come up with that? :lol:

But everyplace has slightly different requirements.

Anyway, be sure to bring duplicates of everything down with you with your FM3, 'cause you'll probably have to do it all over again.

luckyman - 1-19-2008 at 11:57 PM

my fm3 experience in sacramento was smooth; after a month of calling the consulate and getting no answer (literally), i had a mexican coworker call for me and get my call routed to the proper person in sacramento, who detailed the list of documents, photos, etc that i would need to bring. got down there, filled them out, forked over the cash, came back the following week to pick the fm3 and my passport up.
my neighbors in la ribera chuckled as i recounted the ease with which i obtained my fm3 in sacramento...yes, i still needed to register in cabo, and no, they couldn't do that anywhere NEAR christmas, new years, or the week after even. seems the entire immigration office comes to a grinding halt around that time, so i'll miss the 45 day registration period as i'm now home in n. calif....supposedly i can register with immigration next time i'm there, with the addition of a $50.00 penalty, but who really knows.
ALMOST as frustrating as the CA DMV!
gotta laugh, govt. stuff is so slow and cumbersome.

Santiago - 1-20-2008 at 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Don Alley
Bank statements notarized by the state government?

Sure hope they don't ask me for that for renewals; living in Mexico how in the hell could I come up with that? :lol:

To be fair, the whole bank statement business was completely bogus: I printed the bank statements on line from my home and called my bank for them to be 'notarized'. The bank officer said that all a notary does is confirm a signature, not a document (duh), and they would not do it. I go to the secratary of state in Sacramento and ask for an apostille which they won't do until the statements are notarized????? I'm standing under a sign with 2 foot tall letters that says 'NOTARY' so I ask them to notarize the statements which they refuse to do, siting conflict of interest with all the notarys. They refer me to a credit union across the street. I go to credit union, of which I am not a member, and ask to have the statements notarized. The notary says they only notarize signatures but gives me a paper with 6 blank lines on top and I write that these statements are an accurate reflection of the account and she notarizes that. I go to the state and they slap their apostille on top of that and I give that to the Mexican Consulate which they were happy with (well, except for 5 copies). My point is that I could have just phonied up some statements - no one actually checked that these docs were true. The mexican consulate relied on the secratary of state who relied on the notary at a credit union to which I did not belong who relied on me to tell the truth. :?:

CaboRon - 1-20-2008 at 07:19 AM

I had a similar experience at the Consul in Santa Anna in Orange County..... gave up and went to San Diego.... took twenty min.... nothing notirazied.... just used downloaded bank statements.... and picked up my Visa the next day.

then in La Paz had to submit all paperwork plus more pics to Immigration there. Again two visits and had my FM3 with the page six stamped.

All I can say is..... go to San Diego.... or get an FMT and apply when you reach your destination.

By the way the La Paz office has been generally very nice and quick.... but no one has been as quick as San Diego.

CaboRon

Bajabus - 1-20-2008 at 07:52 AM

The whole Bank Statement Notary Apostille thing is ludicrous. Makes you feel like a character right out of a Monty Python movie.

See my other posts in the thread "police shakedows" for hints at my simple solution.

items indespensible for mexico
a good injet printer, a good scanner, a good laminator, my grandmas old notary stamp, various nice paper in lots of colors, holographic stickers with patriotic themes and outlines of states. If you really wanted to be creative and impress you could get a nice wax seal kit and some ribbon.

Funny story, here in my town about 4 delegados ago I needed a carta de residencia. I went to his house but his typewriter was not working. I told him I could help so he gave me a bunch of his blank, signed govt letter heads and a sample. I went home printed it out and viola. He loved it. From that point on whenever someone needed one he would just send them over to my place.

Bajajorge - 1-20-2008 at 10:07 AM

About 3 years ago I decided to get legal and get an FM3 after owning (lease) property in Mexico for over 3 years. I called the Las Vegas consulate (I live in Nevada) and requested info on what I needed to get an FM3. I got all the necessary items together and took them to the Sacramento consulate. Reason: Sacto is 200 miles closer to my home than Las Vegas. The nice folks at the Sacto consulate informed me all my stuff was wrong. :mad:

So much for trying to deal with 2 different Mexican entities that are in charge of doing the same thing. When I returned to San Felipe for that season I went to their Immigration office and got my FM3. I can now proudly say I am no longer an "Illegal Alien" in Mexico, but I am a "Legal Gringo". :cool:

bajaguy - 1-20-2008 at 10:14 AM

hey georgie....you down south or at Topaz??

bajalera - 1-20-2008 at 11:44 AM

Wells Fargo has made some kind of change in their notary service. Used to be you took something to a teller, who affixed a notary's stamp and that was it. No big deal.

On trying to have this dpne a couple of weeks ago, I was told s to go see a specific officer at another branch and there would be a $19 fee. Have banks gotten picky about verifying the truth of a statement you present, or what?

rts551 - 1-20-2008 at 12:49 PM

Lera

I just got something Notarized the other day at Wells fargo - Free and they didn't even ask if I had an account

rts551 - 1-20-2008 at 12:52 PM

Santiago - just wait till you get to your destination! Make sure you have all the same stuff and maybe more.

Luckyman - last I checked the fine is per month late... Some people have found it Cheaper to start all over again

vandenberg - 1-20-2008 at 01:14 PM

Santiago,
Even with all the delay stuff you're experiencing, this is NOTHING compared to the sh*t we had to go through in the 80's. Took litterally months to get your stuff together. And ,yes, we too did our applications in Sacramento. In those days everything needed apostilles; birth certificates , marriage license, Police statements and whathaveyou. Even some kind of bank letter from your bankmanager. IN SPANISH !! And notarization. And 20 copies of each it seemed. And in those days we, here in Loreto, had to deal with the Santa Rosalia office, where the officers were always looking for a way to make an extra buck. Only way to speed things up a little. And always told to come back tomorrow or in 2 or 3 days, like Loreto is down the street. And be prepared, even this day, to have to redo most of your stuff. Have lots of duplicates of everything. Never enough it seems. The advise to do it all at your destination is a very valid one, which I always advise to my friends who move here or keep possessions here. Easier to establish a renewal date that way, so you don't have to come back at a very inconvenient time. They seem to aim for that

Lots of luck :biggrin:

Santiago - 1-20-2008 at 01:41 PM

Okay - so am I going to get all my stuff back from the Sac-a-tomatoe office or will I need to get all new statements, apostilles etc? And what is this about a police letter? No one has asked for that.
Is there a place in Bahia de los Angeles that I take this to?
I thought I was supposed to give it to the customs agent at the border within 45 days of the consulate giving it to me.
I am clearly out of my element here......

bajaguy - 1-20-2008 at 02:10 PM

Santiago, check your u2u

sacramento

mulege marv - 1-21-2008 at 07:33 AM

i had a terrible experience with the consolate there ! actually worse than yours, i eventually haulted the process there and applied for it when i got here. whew ! so much easier ! they didnt want to see half the papers i brought down that the sacto office required. do it here lots easier !

mexicoflaganim.gif - 8kB

durrelllrobert - 1-21-2008 at 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by comitan
What will be really frustrating for you, when you get down here and have to do it all over again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Edited on 1-19-2008 by comitan]

As a minimum you will have to go to migration to have FM-3 stamped and signed; otherwise it is not valid

CaboRon - 1-21-2008 at 10:53 AM

Sounds as if the Sacramento consul is out of control.... I would avoid that office and either process at San Diego or when you arrive .... depending on where you are going to settle..... I found La Paz to be very courteous and quick.

Although I have to add that a friend of mine (a gentleman of color) was given an endless runaround in La Paz and finally had to hire an attorney to take care of it for him. It leads me to think that racism is a component in La Paz.

CaboRon

bajaguy - 1-21-2008 at 10:57 AM

If you go to the Consulate in San Diego at 8AM with all of your docs in order, you can pick up your FM-3 the next day. then get it stamped by migracion at the border, then registered by migracion in your "county".

vandenberg - 1-21-2008 at 11:00 AM

Quote:

[quote It leads me to think that racism is a component in La Paz.

CaboRon

Worldwide phenomenon I'm afraid, no matter what they make you believe.

bombero - 1-22-2008 at 07:40 AM

During the 70.s the Sacramento Consulate could be an all day event obtaining a Visa.I see not much has changed.

Santiago - 1-23-2008 at 11:53 AM

Update: went back this morning and picked up FM3 in about 10 minutes. Piece of cake today. Was told I have 90 days to go to Baja to register, but since mi esposa doesn't read this board I think it might get shortened to 15 days so I can get out of this rain. Will report on whatever machinations ('stuff' for you guys from Bakersfield) I gotta go through there.

bajaguy - 1-23-2008 at 12:04 PM

Santiago.....easiest way to get it stamped is it the Immigration office in Otay Mesa. Park in the US Customs lot or anywhere you can find a spot on the street on the US side of the Otay crossing, take the footbridge over to the Mexico side. The Immigration office (INM) is right there.

Just walk in and ask them to stamp it......simple. Cross the street through the barriers and enter the US entry line for pedestrians, then process through US Customs.

On you way back to your car, Stop at Eric's Deli.... in the little shopping center just north of US Customs.

Then all you have to do is "register" your FM-3 with Mexican Immigration (INM) in the "county" where you live....but, that's another adventure!!!

Santiago - 4-3-2008 at 11:36 AM

Final resolution:
Today I am the proud holder of my very own FM3. I used an agent in Ensenada who went to Migracion on Feb 19 and finally got it a few days ago. She sent it to me via Fed Ex (estafeta in MX) for about $25. Whole thing from start to finish about 75 days. Thanks to Bajaguy for the referal - helped a lot.
By the way - I'm curious for some honest opinions here: my buddy thinks I'm a dumby spending around $200 plus renewals for the FM3 when he feels no one else is doing this for a 'leased' lot. What are your opinions?

meme - 4-3-2008 at 11:43 AM

The Federal Law, Article 66 reads “foreigners, independently of their migratory status, by themselves or through any third party, may without need of the permit from the Ministry of the Interior(Gobernacion) acquire any fixed or variable income instruments; perform bank deposits, as well as to acquire urban properties(real estate) and direct rights over the same, with the restrictions indicated in Article 27 of the Constitution; of the Law of Foreigner Investment and other applicable law(refers to the permit from the Ministry of Foreigner Affairs regarding restricted areas).

The confusion is that all business here apply there own internal process for the purchase of real Estate

THE ATHORITIES ARE NOW TELLING US HERE THAT YOU DO NOT NEED AN FM-3 TO BUY, OWN OR LEASE PRPERTY BUT NEED IT TO SELL PROPERTY IN MX.

DianaT - 4-3-2008 at 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by meme
The Federal Law, Article 66 reads “foreigners, independently of their migratory status, by themselves or through any third party, may without need of the permit from the Ministry of the Interior(Gobernacion) acquire any fixed or variable income instruments; perform bank deposits, as well as to acquire urban properties(real estate) and direct rights over the same, with the restrictions indicated in Article 27 of the Constitution; of the Law of Foreigner Investment and other applicable law(refers to the permit from the Ministry of Foreigner Affairs regarding restricted areas).

The confusion is that all business here apply there own internal process for the purchase of real Estate

THE ATHORITIES ARE NOW TELLING US HERE THAT YOU DO NOT NEED AN FM-3 TO BUY, OWN OR LEASE PRPERTY BUT NEED IT TO SELL PROPERTY IN MX.

What about what we keep hearing that without an FM3 it is illegal to leave property in Mexico-- said left property being considered abandoned???? Yes, or No ???

Diane

we got same story in ensenada

sylens - 4-3-2008 at 11:54 AM

you can buy a house with an fmt, but to sell it, you need an fm3.

roamin - 4-3-2008 at 12:18 PM

Funny I was just discussing the topic with DavidK U2U. I recently closed on a property via a fideicomiso and I think since I am not technically holding a title (it is held by a bank) you are not required to get an FM-3. The Bank is required to protect my rights as a beneficiary. We did however need get the government permit up front though. There are other legal reasons for getting the FM-3 and it is in regards to your status in court and protection under Mexican law as a "legal Immigrant". We are getting ours done.

meme - 4-3-2008 at 12:56 PM

We have been doing ours for 9 years , so NOW They Tell Us! But you are right roamim i think there are other reasons too for having the FM's.

BajaWarrior - 4-3-2008 at 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by meme
We have been doing ours for 9 years , so NOW They Tell Us! But you are right roamim i think there are other reasons too for having the FM's.

Meme, where did you hear this information?

I hate FM-3's!!! :fire:

meme - 4-4-2008 at 07:31 AM

Eldorado Ranch Supervisors meeting. The Federal Law I posted earlier was sent out to us from The Adminstartor of EDR HOA, Cliff Ulman.
It was told to residents at an EDR Seminar by an attorney & Mr. Ulman later last week was defing it for residents.
Also we had freinds sell their place recently & they both had to have an FM-3 to sell as both names were on the papers & only one of them had an FM-3. They were told the FM must be in effect for 6 months but apparently managed to get around that one.

[Edited on 4-4-2008 by meme]

rts551 - 4-4-2008 at 08:14 AM

We started our FM- process many years ago because the Immigration officials came by our house and said we had to. I didn't think (and probably don't today) I was in a position to argue with them too much.

Hoping to end the process soon as we are in our 3rd year of a FM-2.

DianaT - 4-4-2008 at 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by rts551
We started our FM- process many years ago because the Immigration officials came by our house and said we had to. I didn't think (and probably don't today) I was in a position to argue with them too much.

Hoping to end the process soon as we are in our 3rd year of a FM-2.

Probably a very good reason to start the process. :lol:

Or you could have stood up to immigration and demanded your RIGHTS. That could have gotten someone a very good real estate deal in Abreojos. :yes:

We have our FM3s, but this is all very interesting. Still wondering about the right to leave things in Mexico is one does not have an FM3??? If true, it alone would be a reason to get an FM3.

Diane

HCR - 4-7-2008 at 06:31 PM

Hmmm, Perhaps all the Mexican officials have changed the way they did business since I had a "problem"with paperwork two years ago (not an FM3) issue.

As has been the case since 1973, "algo por los ninos" ("bribes") resolved the issue at once and with everyone involved most willing to help me.