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Author: Subject: Turn your FMM in upon going to US of A
rts551
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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 05:33 PM
Turn your FMM in upon going to US of A


Excellent thread on Talk Baja about this subject. Tourists being told in Tecate to turn their FMM in upon exiting Mexico.

Maybe immigration reads forums on the internet:light:
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Mulegena
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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 05:54 PM


My take on the thread is that tourist visas are single-entry, not multiple entry.

The tourist attempted to enter Mexico on foot with the plan to obtain a visa, then leave Mexico, then enter again at a later date (in his case the next day). This is what they stated to the immigration officer.

The Mexican immigration officer simply clarified that if this was their plan they could not do that.

Once a person in possession of a Mexico tourist visa exits the country, the visa is invalid; hence it should be turned in, relinquished, but if not it is still invalid and can't be used for multiple entries.

They said they did this because it was difficult to park their big rig in Tecate. Rest assured the immigration officers are accustomed to big rigs entering their country and will direct the driver to appropriate, safe parking for the time it takes to go get their visa(s).

Bottom line: Mexico tourist visas are not for multiple entry. They're single-entry only. You can't enter Mexico with a validated tourist visa; by legal definition it is invalid even if it were acquired the same day or only one day prior. When you leave Mexico, the visa is invalidated even if you're there only 1 hour or 1 day of the 180 days granted.

Once you leave Mexico on a tourist visa, you're no longer a tourist in Mexico.
The visa you used is no longer valid.
Whether you turn in the visa or not is really a moot point -- the tourist visa is invalid once it leaves Mexico.

Kapich?

[Edited on 11-8-2014 by Mulegena]




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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 05:56 PM


its like deja vu all over again :wow:
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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 07:23 PM


I believe you mean Tourist Card, or FMT. Not always true! Friends have tried to surrender their TCs at the border & were laughed at! I've personally crossed several times in a vehicle w/o having to re-purchase one. When travelling in a plane, yes, they make a point to collect them. Why the flock should I pay every time I cross the border during the 6 month permit time?! It's not a carnival ride for petes sake. You do what you like. :spingrin:



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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 07:33 PM


I never turn mine in; I keep it for the entire 6 months, then get a new one after it expires. I thought I was told at some point that when they changed the visa to a longer period it was for multiple entries, but who knows. I usually fly out of TJ and each time I return the immigration officer recognizes me, looks at the date and then waives me through; I haven't been questioned about whether or not I plan to leave the country before it expires (and my guess is that if they could nail me on that, they would).
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David K
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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 07:43 PM


I detail my trips here on Nomad... and I specifically asked the INM officer at Tijuana about this last time I got the FMM. The following was in July, 2012... and yes, things can change in Mexico... but this topic is a decade + old.

I went to Tijuana the Sunday before our vacation solely to get the FMM in advance so we wouldn't need to stop on a busy Saturday morning (unless I got a red light of course):

I asked the officer: Can I begin to use the FMM in 6 days from now when I begin my big trip to Baja Sur?

Answer: YES.

Other question, can INM accept the fee or only the bank teller (about 50 feet away in the same building)?

Answer: It doesn't matter, whatever you wish.

I paid the officer, who had a cash drawer/ box and stamped my FMM. Again, all this was posted here on Nomad in July, 2012.




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rts551
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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 08:12 PM


Just relaying what happened. Why does everyone ignore what it says on the back. no comment?

that is in writing, no he said/she said/nomad said


[Edited on 11-8-2014 by rts551]
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rts551
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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 08:14 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by David K
I detail my trips here on Nomad... and I specifically asked the INM officer at Tijuana about this last time I got the FMM. The following was in July, 2012... and yes, things can change in Mexico... but this topic is a decade + old.

I went to Tijuana the Sunday before our vacation solely to get the FMM in advance so we wouldn't need to stop on a busy Saturday morning (unless I got a red light of course):

I asked the officer: Can I begin to use the FMM in 6 days from now when I begin my big trip to Baja Sur?

Answer: YES.

Other question, can INM accept the fee or only the bank teller (about 50 feet away in the same building)?

Answer: It doesn't matter, whatever you wish.

I paid the officer, who had a cash drawer/ box and stamped my FMM. Again, all this was posted here on Nomad in July, 2012.


no facts here. only here is what I did. can you provide something in writing? like the back of the FMM does?
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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 08:23 PM


Ralph, I am not saying changes were not made. I am only stating exactly what it was for me (and many others who have posted on Nomad), that for a time (at least), you could get the FMM before your big trip began and that the INM officers could collect the fee... which was a big relief if the bank teller happened to close.



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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 08:56 PM


If one were to leave without turning it in, then return and use it again, how would migracion ever know that you weren't in Mexico the whole time?

Answer:

They wouldn't.




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rts551
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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 08:59 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by monoloco
If one were to leave without turning it in, then return and use it again, how would migracion ever know that you weren't in Mexico the whole time?

Answer:

They wouldn't.


Is true. today. but why do we advocate breaking the rules?
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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 09:02 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by rts551
Quote:
Originally posted by monoloco
If one were to leave without turning it in, then return and use it again, how would migracion ever know that you weren't in Mexico the whole time?

Answer:

They wouldn't.


Is true. today. but why do we advocate breaking the rules?


yep, we should all drive the speed limit:light:




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rts551
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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 09:03 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by Bajaboy
Quote:
Originally posted by rts551
Quote:
Originally posted by monoloco
If one were to leave without turning it in, then return and use it again, how would migracion ever know that you weren't in Mexico the whole time?

Answer:

They wouldn't.


Is true. today. but why do we advocate breaking the rules?


yep, we should all drive the speed limit:light:



or if you don't. face the consequences without whining.
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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 09:10 PM


actually they have RFID chips in them now. the hot setup is as you approach the border find an isolated spot to pull off the road, find a suitable flat rock that you can hide the document under (in a Ziploc of course) upon return simply reclaim said document!
so simple, like the jitterbug...........
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[*] posted on 11-7-2014 at 11:29 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by willardguy
so simple, like the jitterbug...........

Willard, dear boy.... with your avatar, is that a dance reference or a food report???
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:




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[*] posted on 11-8-2014 at 07:13 AM


If we never agree on anything again as long as we live, we should agree to never ever talk about this again until we see a definitive ruling, with comments on feasibility, from the Mexican government.
Let the can of worms seal itself and go about our business.




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[*] posted on 11-8-2014 at 07:46 AM


If the MX government wants tourists to return the FMT on exiting the country, provide a EASY way to do that right in the lineup when approaching the gate.

Instead of selling churros and curios, have authorized agents collecting FMT's.

To ask tourists, to veer out of the lineup to get to the IMS office is daunting enough, even if you know the location and path there.

Or simply make those FMT's valid for multiple entries, until the 6 months validity period is over.




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[*] posted on 11-8-2014 at 07:48 AM


Quote:
Originally posted by rts551
Quote:
Originally posted by monoloco
If one were to leave without turning it in, then return and use it again, how would migracion ever know that you weren't in Mexico the whole time?

Answer:

They wouldn't.


Is true. today. but why do we advocate breaking the rules?


Let thee without sin cast the first stone.




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[*] posted on 11-8-2014 at 08:28 AM


Not that I always follow the rules, but do prefer to avoid hassles. We turn in our FMMs by mail to:

Instituto Nacional De Migration
Puente Puerta S/N
Colonia Federal
Tijuana, B.C. Mexico C.P. 22310

This has been posted before on Nomads. They are probably promptly thrown away, but never had one returned. Hopefully they are deleted from the computer. Our auto TIP from the mainland stayed on the computer and we were caught returning thru Tijuana and had to go to the Army Bank to get it deleted....so sometimes someone does keep track. Easy to mail it when back home.
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Mulegena
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[*] posted on 11-8-2014 at 09:16 AM


Quote:
Originally posted by monoloco
If one were to leave without turning it in, then return and use it again, how would migracion ever know that you weren't in Mexico the whole time?

Answer:

They wouldn't.
Mexico would know. You stop just inside at the border crossing whenever you enter Mexico. How can you then present them with a prior-dated tourist entry card already in-hand.

The rules of immigration are clear. However, the application of these rules is decidedly subjective.




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"It's the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." ~ Aristotle
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