roamingthroughbaja - 7-8-2010 at 09:34 AM
Well, after 6 weeks, we finally received our FM2 cards. We plan a little road trip por auto to the north, leaving at the end of the month, and asked
the immigration guys where/how we get the card scanned on the way out. He laughed. "Just go." He told us that the system isn't set up yet, even at
the La Paz airport, and that the only place where they are keeping records of entries and exits is in the Cabo airport. Kind of negates the "you
can't leave Mexico for more than 20 months in a five year period" rule. So, if we can make it through Constitucion, the rest of the trip should be
pan comida.
karenintx - 7-8-2010 at 11:46 AM
Actually at SJD they (INM) are not stamping or scanning anything. The new FM2/3 cards do not have a magnetic strip to scan...just numbers the INM
agents enter into the computers. I had to make a quick four day trip back to TX last week so the day I departed I filled out the "FMM" form. The
Continental Airline ticket agent stapled the smaller right side of the form to my boarding pass. On the top of the larger left side of the "FMM" form
she wrote my departure date, her name and a Continental's code then gave me it back to me with instruction to use this form and fill it out the day I
return to Mexico. After going through security I proceded to the departure gate where the gate agent collected the portion of the boarding pass that
had the "FMM" stapled to it.
When I returned to SJD four days later I filled out the remaining portion of the FMM with my flight info, passport & fm3 card #'s. After the INM
agent completed his work I asked him:
1. How do you know what date I departed from SJD? He told me "I use the date the airline employee wrote at the top of this form."
2. So you are entering the date I left SJD and the date I am returning? He said "yes, I do both dates."
From what I have been told they (INM) is not stamping FM2/3 books...for the people that still have a book.
At the SJD INM office we were told as of May 1, 2010 "you can keep a FM3 for five years only then on the sixth year you will have to get a FM2." I
said to the agent "but with the FM2 you have to stay in the country so many days a year." Her answer was "as of May 1st the FM2 does not have that
requirement anymore however if you decide to apply for your Mexican citizenship then two years prior to applying you can only be out of the county 30
days per year."
I still have a bad feeling about this new system...hope I am wrong.
.
karenintx - 7-8-2010 at 01:27 PM
Kate,
At this point I am finding it hard to believe anything about the new FM's!
IMO = By taking the time-in-country away, then make foreigners get a FM2 (which cost $100 more a year than an FM3) will generate lots of revenue for
the government.
It's all about the $$$.
.