BajaNomad

tourist card question

nobaddays28 - 11-8-2012 at 08:37 AM

Is anyone familiar with this scenario? We left our motorhome down in Los Cabos in the spring (and flew home). So now we are flying down to Cabo in a few weeks, for the winter. We will be in Baja for about 4 months then our plan is to drive the motorhome back up into US/Canada. We will have to fill out our Tourist Cards upon arrival. From a recent trip to Mexico via air - these tourist cards look different from those that we've always filled out when we drove down. My questions are: What about the fee that is payable? The cards that we filled out on the plane states that we arrived via air... what if we leave via land? Do I state that we are staying 120 days? I am trying to avoid surprises upon arrival, so if anyone has had this experience - please share!

BajaBlanca - 11-8-2012 at 08:55 AM

if you fly and get a tourist card that is still valid, well, then that is that, right ? am I missing something. I cannot imagine that it matters whether it was by air or land that one entered. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

you can also call DISCOVER BAJA in San Diego and I bet they can answer these questions. they have tons of experience.


Contact Discover Baja
Address:
3264 Governor Drive,
San Diego, CA 92122
Contact Us:
619.275.4225
800.727.BAJA (2252)
858.458.0722 Fax
ask@discoverbaja.com
Office hours:
Monday through Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm
Saturday 10:00am to 1:00pm

as a last resort, you can always call the Mexican Consulate and ask them.

your fee was/will be included in the ticket. and for sure, declare the MAXIMUM AMOUNT amount of time allowed so as to cover your bases.
As we all know, plans change, things happen.

I know you said to write of one had experience but I hope I have been helpful.

[Edited on 11-8-2012 by BajaBlanca]

David K - 11-8-2012 at 09:48 AM

OOPS... You cannot leave any 'property' in Mexico (motorhome, etc.) when you are a tourist (FMM) on a vacation. You cross the border, get a FMM, have your vacation, and return to the USA.

By leaving property behind, including a home, you have changed from being a tourist to being a 'part-time resident'... See FM-3 details.

If it was your plane to buy or rent property in Mexico, you can do so with an FMM tourist card, but then you should convert to an FM-3 visa as soon as possible. I am not sure what the grace period is for doing this.

Now, (and I am sure you will have a ton of opinions and facts coming) there are hundreds or thousands of Americans who don't have any visa or tourist card while in Mexico and even may have built or bought in Mexico, perhaps using only an FMM tourist card. That doesn't make it right or offer any legal protection.

When you fly to Mexico from an American city, your plane ticket includes the price of an FMM tourist card... so you will have that for your return trip... even though it will state you are traveling by air and not land. If they try and take it from you at Los Cabos airport, I would state that you need to have a copy on you to show you are in Mexico legally... unless your passport is stamped as a backup to show the official at Guerrero Negro when you drive back north... if he is even there or even looks!
:rolleyes:

[Edited on 11-9-2012 by David K]

sancho - 11-8-2012 at 12:47 PM

A bit quirky, as pointed out the $ of an fmm is included
in your ticket on an International flight into Mex,
in a most polite way, ask Mex immigration at the Cabo
for the amount of days you need the fmm to be valid,
Immigration will often give flying tourists a limited
# of days on a fmm, 30 -60 ?
I probably would not tell them you plan to drive back
Many encounters with Mex Immigration will have
different outcomes, different applications of the regs
Mex Immigration generally collects fmm's from
tourists flying out of Mex. A screen of a fmm of a
couple yrs. back, has a space 'means of travel',
air, land, sea. As posted I've heard the fmm form
changed slightly in appaerance

[Edited on 11-9-2012 by sancho]

Alm - 11-8-2012 at 06:32 PM

Tourist card issued when you fly in, should not be different from those issued at the ground crossing. Though, they changed the form of the card about a year go, so it may differ from one that you was issued years ago when going there with motorhome. Doesn't matter. Airline gives it to you, you keep it and drive back with motorhome. To my very best knowledge, nobody collects cards when leaving Mx by land, but they might ask you to produce the card at some point before the border.

Now, like the guy said in that movie "Dave" - Do you realize how many laws we broke? :) ...
1) You are not supposed to leave motorhome in Baja, being a tourist.
2) You are supposed to return the tourist card when leaving by land, there is a mail-in address, I haven't heard of many people doing it, but you are supposed to.

I agree with Sancho that it's better not explain much when flying in. Tell them for how many days, get you card stamped, and go. Card can be issued up to 180 days, if you need.

Chances are, on you way back North nobody will ask "Where did you get the motorhome since you flew in" (when you fly in, there was the box "air" ticked on the card). If they ask... Jee, I don't know then...

[Edited on 11-9-2012 by Alm]

Alm - 11-8-2012 at 06:55 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
When you fly to Mexico from an American city, your plane ticket includes the price of an FMM tourist card... so you will have that for your return trip... even though it will state you are traveling by air and not land. If they try and take it from you at Los Cabos airport, I would state that you need to have a copy on you to show you are in Mexico legally...

They don't take a card from you when you fly in. They clip a stub off that card, and give you back the other part, which is the proof that you are here legally. What I don't remember, is whether this your part has the box "mode de transporte" or not. Never paid attention. When you fly out, they usually collect that your part (and sometimes they don't).