BajaNomad

Permanent Residency...Pros and Cons

JDCanuck - 12-1-2021 at 04:32 PM

It seems consistent proven monthly income requirements to obtain Permanent Residency have increased recently.
As we were about to apply ourselves, does anyone have a list of Pros and Cons once it's obtained?
We were planning on applying, but since almost all continuing regular income is in my name, and not in my wife's the rules seem a bit onerous to provide years of income shown in hers now that she has finally retired.

Howard - 12-1-2021 at 04:52 PM

For me the biggest con is you cannot drive a foreign plated car to the mainland. There might be other cons but I have not experienced them in the years since I got my RP.

For me the biggest pros are not screwing around every year filing for your FM 3, FM2, etc. or having to stop at the border and get your FMM. Another pro is when you fly from the States and probably from Canada to Mexico you get the tourist tax refunded for each flight and that comes to approx. $25 each time.

PR

desertcpl - 12-1-2021 at 05:00 PM


seem alot has changed in the last few yrs, like monthly income
do you need to take a physcial
asking to be fingerprinted, is this just for Mexico? or do they do a background
with the FBI and the state where you live in the US?

JDCanuck - 12-1-2021 at 05:17 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Howard  
For me the biggest con is you cannot drive a foreign plated car to the mainland. There might be other cons but I have not experienced them in the years since I got my RP.

For me the biggest pros are not screwing around every year filing for your FM 3, FM2, etc. or having to stop at the border and get your FMM. Another pro is when you fly from the States and probably from Canada to Mexico you get the tourist tax refunded for each flight and that comes to approx. $25 each time.


Thanks for those two points, neither of which I was previously aware of. I thought I had read a post stating that with a Mexican residency you were supposed to fill in a form when leaving Mexico and then checking back in when you returned? This one didn't make sense. Almost like the FMM in reverse.

JDCanuck - 12-1-2021 at 05:25 PM

We had hoped getting permanent residency would allow us to buy a Mexico plated vehicle and open a Mexico domiciled bank account so we could pay all our bills using a Mexican bank's credit card. Right now we must have a Mexican resident pay our Hughesnet bill locally in Mexico at OXXO to keep the satellite bill current, and they will not accept a bill payment from a foreign bank's Visa or Mastercard.

The bank holding our Fideicomiso and even La Paz Municipality Tax dep't have no problem accepting payments on our Canadian domiciled bank's Visa or Mastercard

Howard - 12-1-2021 at 06:16 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JDCanuck  
Quote: Originally posted by Howard  
For me the biggest con is you cannot drive a foreign plated car to the mainland. There might be other cons but I have not experienced them in the years since I got my RP.

For me the biggest pros are not screwing around every year filing for your FM 3, FM2, etc. or having to stop at the border and get your FMM. Another pro is when you fly from the States and probably from Canada to Mexico you get the tourist tax refunded for each flight and that comes to approx. $25 each time.


Thanks for those two points, neither of which I was previously aware of. I thought I had read a post stating that with a Mexican residency you were supposed to fill in a form when leaving Mexico and then checking back in when you returned? This one didn't make sense. Almost like the FMM in reverse.


No checking in and out. Come and go as you please.

4x4abc - 12-1-2021 at 06:43 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JDCanuck  


Thanks for those two points, neither of which I was previously aware of. I thought I had read a post stating that with a Mexican residency you were supposed to fill in a form when leaving Mexico and then checking back in when you returned? This one didn't make sense. Almost like the FMM in reverse.


that is correct - FMM in reverse

you fill out the same paper as for the FMM when you fly out, No cost.
You retain the lower portion of the form and turn it in when you fly back in.

Missed a flight years ago because I was not aware of the requirement.
By the time I had it filled out, my plane was gone

JDCanuck - 12-1-2021 at 07:07 PM

Fingerprinting has become very common up here in Canada any time an employer wants a criminal record, like if you are housing at risk people. We now need to get this done every 2-3 years as your history might have changed in the meantime. My problem is they never seem to get a decent print...guess my fingers are too worn to show good prints.

karenintx - 12-2-2021 at 08:54 AM

Like 4x4 said when you fly out of Mexico it is mandatory to fill out the FMM form and have it stamped @ the airport INM office before you board your flight. Driving across the border is not a strict. From what I have read most R/P & R/T do not fill out the form when driving out of the country so there is no need to turn anything in to INM when driving back into Mexico. If you plan to drive out, but then fly-in to Mexico then you would want to make sure you stop at the border to fill out the form as you will have to provide the top portion to the airport INM agent upon arrival. You may have to explain that to the INM border agent as they would probably say you do not need to fill out the form to drive out of Mexico

Many years ago we flew out of SJD so we did our "then FM-3" paperwork and got on the plane. Couple of months later we drove our car from Texas to CSL. Due to time limits we decided to drive down the mainland then take the ferry from Topolobampo to La Paz. We crossed the Arizona border @ Nogales then pulled into the Mexican INM in Nogales, Mexico where we turned-in our top portion of the FMM form and also purchased our "TIP" for the car since we would be traveling out of the "free zone".

Here's a great video that explains what to do when flying out of Mexico to an international destination...USA or Canada for most folks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsyBfnFtx1g

What I like about this youtuber is he is a retired LEO from south Florida so he is a go by the book kind of guy. He is fluent in Spanish, he enjoys reading & investigating the rules/laws of the Mexican Government. His videos are short and to the point with no B/S.

He also has a learn Spanish youtube channel that explains things from a gringo point of view.

Also, with a R/P or R/T you have more legal rights than a tourist. Something you would want if you own property/home in Mexico. It has been explained to me that R/P & R/T have the same legal rights as a Mexican citizen with the exception you "can not" vote in elections.

karenintx - 12-2-2021 at 09:51 AM

Quote: Originally posted by lencho  
Quote: Originally posted by karenintx  
It has been explained to me that R/P & R/T have the same legal rights as a Mexican citizen with the exception you "can not" vote in elections.
Or hold title to land within the protected zone. :smug:


Yes, I agree with that.

surabi - 12-2-2021 at 03:57 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JDCanuck  
I thought I had read a post stating that with a Mexican residency you were supposed to fill in a form when leaving Mexico and then checking back in when you returned? This one didn't make sense. Almost like the FMM in reverse.


You're confused because while it seems bajanomads use the term FMM to mean tourist card, that is not what it is. It is a federal migratory document used to keep track of entries and exits of foreigners. It is not just another word for tourist card.

So what you fill out as a resident, either temporary or permanent, when flying in or out, IS an FMM. Exactly the same form tourists fill out. It's just filled out differently and the top and bottom halves are submitted in reverse.

You go to the INM desk at the airport with your boarding pass when you leave Mexico and fill put the small bottom section, which is then stamped and you hand in at your flight desk when you check in.

You retain the large half and fill it in when you return and hand it in at the INM arrival kiosk. If you happen to lose the top half while out of the country, don't panic- just fill out a new one when they pass the forms out on the plane. In fact, it's a good idea to ask for a new form anyway and just keep the whole thing. You can then fill out the small bottom half at home the next time you fly out, which will save time at the INM window, as all they will have to do is stamp it.

There is no other half of the form that a resident retains while in Mexico, which if you were a tourist, would serve as your tourist card.

[Edited on 12-2-2021 by surabi]

[Edited on 12-2-2021 by surabi]