BajaNomad

New FMT

satmike - 12-11-2010 at 10:14 PM

Just went and got our tourist cards. They seem a lot more official now a bar code and all. Is this going to make it necessary to turn it in upon leaving Mexico in order to get another for next year?
Thanks Mike

David K - 12-12-2010 at 12:45 AM

Do you just take one trip a year into Mexico?

We are getting bits and pieces of info as well... It is now called an FMM...

Before, it was pretty standard to use the one FM-T for up to 180 days, multiple trips (by car)... as that is our typical way of going to Baja.

It sounds like now you get just ONE FMM per year, and it must not be used for more than 180 days... so you 'turn it in' at the end of each trip so you don't 'use up' the 180 days by keeping it on you for 180 days, at home or in Mexico. Now, it would look like they plan on collecting the $23 dollars every time you re-activate it (unless some record of it is indeed kept?

The other problem is there is no 'drive-up' migra office on the roads leading out of Mexico to turn it in... Discover Baja Travel Club has posted an address to mail the un-expired tourist cards to... but can we trust that they will be processed and our 180 day status kept on the computer for when we make another short trip during those 6 months we can vacation in Mexico that year???

:?::O:o

Fred - 12-12-2010 at 04:32 PM

Just crossed and I did not turn mine in. I do plan to head back down soon and get a new one. I hope this is right. I guess one can always play dumb or lie.

DENNIS - 12-12-2010 at 04:35 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Fred
Just crossed and I did not turn mine in. I do plan to head back down soon and get a new one. I hope this is right. I guess one can always play dumb or lie.


You are a wanted man, Fred. By whom other than INM. MEX....I have no idea. :lol:

Fred - 12-12-2010 at 05:15 PM

I am still wanted in Punta Banda. Damn I just left last Monday. Tell the girls I will be back next month.

DENNIS - 12-12-2010 at 05:17 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Fred
I am still wanted in Punta Banda. Damn I just left last Monday. Tell the girls I will be back next month.


Will do.

sancho - 12-12-2010 at 05:30 PM

I thaught was settled, but I suppose it takes
someone on this board who has an fmm from
earlier this yr., and has kept it, and it has
expired after it's 180 day life. They then will apply
for another within the mythical yrs. time frame.
I believe it is business as usual, just like the fmt's,
get a new one after your current one expires.
I believe the one fmm per yr. is a myth,
travellers on the mainland report no problem
getting another fmm, come to think of it, someone on this board
living in Baja Sur reported a couple weeks ago
no problem getting another fmm, they didn't
even need to come back to the US to get another
fmm. there have been claims that the fmm is Officially
for mulitiple entries, on the fmm form it says to
be returned upon exit from the Country (Mexico)
I don't see where that means mulitiple entries,
but for me, I'll treat it the same. keep it until
it expires, then get a new one. If that was not
the case, don't you think by now there would
be reports of travellers being denied another fmm
because their 180 days have been used up?

Bajahowodd - 12-12-2010 at 05:41 PM

I think it's a work in progress. Would seem to me that the two principle goals for this new form were, 1) to allow multiple entries that totaled 180 days in a single year. 2) That by limiting it to 180 days, it would ferret-out the full timers living with a tourist visa.

To accomplish this, there must be, as has been noted, an easy way to notify the IMM folks when leaving the country( how about a kiosk in the exit lanes at the border, where you can swipe your form?) , and a reliable system and data base to support it.

Right now, I do not think there is such a system in place. Doesn't mean it won't eventually happen. It will be interesting to see if, and when one of our Nomad friends runs afoul of this, by applying for another FMM in the same years as their last application.

satmike - 12-12-2010 at 10:48 PM

David We only make 1 trip a year but it's almost 4 months long as my job ends from thanksgiving to the 1st of April.
Later Mike

David K - 12-12-2010 at 10:56 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by satmike
David We only make 1 trip a year but it's almost 4 months long as my job ends from thanksgiving to the 1st of April.
Later Mike


Well, at least it isn't going to be complicated for you like it can be for those who would like to take a long weekend off each month.

Thanks for the reply!

sancho - 12-13-2010 at 10:35 AM

If that is/was Mex Immigration's intention to restrict
gringos living in Mex, so they would get an fm3, it
is not being applied as such. I think the form fmm,
which includes the word MULTIPLE in it, as in
Forma Mulitiple, is a source of confusion. The term
does not mean mulitiple entries, it means Mex Imm
has combined forms, tourist, business, student,etc.into the current fmm.
Does anyone here believe Mex IMM is keeping track
of days Tourists in Baja? Like they are going to check
their computer and tell someone they can't take their
Baja trip because they only have 10 days left per the
yr, and can't take their 14 day trip? Don't know why
this misinfo is being about one fmm or 180 day per
yr. is still being reported?

Lee - 1-7-2011 at 11:38 AM

Has anyone addressed this yet?

Use to be after 180 days, on an FMT, the ''tourist'' had to return to the US to get another FMT.

Are ''renewals'' done in La Paz or Cabo after a 180 period -- or is it necessary to return North?

David K - 1-7-2011 at 12:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Lee
Has anyone addressed this yet?

Use to be after 180 days, on an FMT, the ''tourist'' had to return to the US to get another FMT.

Are ''renewals'' done in La Paz or Cabo after a 180 period -- or is it necessary to return North?


Lee, I think that is part of the reason for a change... You say "tourist" (in quotes)... but who on a vacation has a 180 day holiday and needs another 180 day extention for the same trip?

Mexico migra sees it as a part (or full) time resident in Mexico (with a home or other property in Mexico, or left behind in Mexico when you go north briefly). Part time residents need an FM-3 or higher level of visa. 'Tourists' are people on a vacation who do not leave any property in Mexico when their vacation is over.

The FMM was designed (I think) to track the time any person is in Mexico and if it is longer than 180 days in a 12 month period, send up a red flag. If you don't turn in the FMM at the end of each trip to stop the 'clock' on your time in Mexico, then you will run out of 'allowable' days in Mexico for the 12 month period when you first got the FMM.

If you want to be in Mexico more than 180 days per 365 (year), then they want you to have an FM-3 + visa... is what I think???

[Edited on 1-7-2011 by David K]

karmatourer - 1-7-2011 at 02:23 PM

I hope you are wrong.I just moved to Cabo and only plan on 1 or 2 exits/entries per year,which will be via Delta Air Lines.
I have no intention of getting an FM2/3.

Bajahowodd - 1-7-2011 at 02:40 PM

You will be violating Mexican immigration law with that plan, inasmuch as you will not be a tourist, but a full-time resident. Is it not the case that a huge number of illegal aliens in the US consist of those who came in on a temporary visa as a tourist or a student, but then just stayed?

Here's a question. I note that you posted in another thread that you will be riding down on your motorcycle. So, you'll be getting a visa at a land crossong. Just wondering, inasmuch as if you drive down and wish to fly back, what happens if you try to return via air after 180 days has expired?

In addition, I have no expertise on this, and have never even looked at my visa when flying. But the old form had a field for listing the number of days (up to 180). Not sure how it was handle when arriving by air. But even now, are not there some sort of regs that would require that you have a date specific return ticket?

Personally, I believe, and I mean this with all due respect, that what you are planning is exactly what the ultimate goal of the new form and program were intended to ferret out.

[Edited on 1-7-2011 by Bajahowodd]

Paulina - 1-7-2011 at 03:40 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by satmike
Just went and got our tourist cards. They seem a lot more official now a bar code and all. Is this going to make it necessary to turn it in upon leaving Mexico in order to get another for next year?
Thanks Mike


Out of curiosity, in December I asked the officer behind the counter what I was supposed to do with it after my trip was over. I mentioned that there wasn't anywhere set up to drop it off on my way out of the country. He said, "Don't worry about it. No one turns them in. Just come get a new one next time."

That's my answer.

P<*)))>{

Hook - 1-7-2011 at 04:56 PM

I can only say that my FMT from earlier in 2010 expired May of that year. I left the country in July and did not turn in the expired FMT.

Upon returning in October, I applied for and received an FMM for 180 days without turning in the old FMT. There was no problem and no one asked for my old FMT. I did ask the INM agent if I could, at the end of my current 180 day FMM, immediately receive a new one. He said Yes.

I might have been a good test case for this when my current FMM expired. But I have now chosen to go the FM-3 route. It really is much easier than it was and I legally was supposed to have one by virtue of owning property down here. From online application to having it in my hands was less than two weeks. It could probably have been done in one week if one decided to return to the office on consecutive days. The interval between them accepting my paperwork and the time I received my online notification that it was ready was three business days. Amazing, for Mexico.

No more FMxs after about 41 years of Mexico travel.

Remember the old "checkpoint" south of Maneadero at the Punta Banda triangle? Seemed like it was only working for a few years. When was that? Late 80s? Early 90s.

[Edited on 1-8-2011 by Hook]

mojo_norte - 1-7-2011 at 06:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Hook

Remember the old "checkpoint" south of Maneadero at the Punta Banda triangle? Seemed like it was only working for a few years. When was that? Late 80s? Early 90s.

[Edited on 1-8-2011 by Hook]


As I remember for a brief time there was a visa check right past the military check at Maneadero./ would have been 96-97? The infamous grumpy bureaucrat from the Ensenada worked there - there was no 'tax' at that time - just paperwork?

roadhog - 1-7-2011 at 10:44 PM

Is the new tourist card procedure different from the last TC procedure in buying one ? associated regs ?

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=...

The new State Department advice is different, more intimidating.

Packoderm - 1-8-2011 at 12:04 AM

I recently got a 7 day card. Another person in the aduana was getting the longer term one, and he said that they are taking pesos only - not dollars. When we did our cards, the officer entered our information from our passports in a computer and filled out the cards for us. All I had to do was sign them. I didn't have to pay because it was a 7 day card only. We stayed 10 days, but there was nobody to confess to on our way out. I gave our passports to U.S. customs with the fmm cards in them. He returned the passports with the cards still in them. Who knows?

David K - 1-8-2011 at 12:18 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by karmatourer
I hope you are wrong.I just moved to Cabo and only plan on 1 or 2 exits/entries per year,which will be via Delta Air Lines.
I have no intention of getting an FM2/3.


Why not?

Let us know how that works for you!

INM has gone door-to-door in gringo vacation home areas of Baja Sur loking for folks like yourself. How did you expect to live in another country without being there legally?

Sweetwater - 1-8-2011 at 01:12 PM

So..........I'm sitting here looking at the FMM I was issued in Guerrero Negro on Nov 12, 2010.

This form indicates 180 days next to the date stamp. After they issued and fined us for not having them, nobody ever checked them again. And I did not turn it in to anyone when leaving through Mexicali.

I'm planning to return in late February 2011 through mid March and thought I'd just bring this and be legal for that trip. Is this a mistake on my part?

There was no explanation issued and I don't read Spanish......:?:

sancho - 1-9-2011 at 01:28 PM

Aguadulce, I suppose that is Sweetwater, I see no reason
you should have any concern about keeping an fmm,
crossing over and coming back to Mex. Is that technically
legal? I don't believe that is /was the intent of Mex IMM, but
they will not know. Looks like your fmm is valid until
mid April 2011. If you have an instance to have to show
an fmm, highly unlikely, claim you have been in Mex from
time is was issued

Sweetwater - 1-9-2011 at 02:04 PM

Thanks, I like the Aquadulce tag.....and the advice....kinda what I planned.....see ya in February........:bounce: