A Mexican Visa just became easier

Important Notice
New Immigration Law in Mexico

That was then and this is now. In 2012 the new laws changed the financial requirements substantially and also disallowed applying for a Visa in Mexico. The old income requirements for a Temporary yearly Visa jumped from around $1300US a month to almost $2000US.  Many lower income retirees were suddenly left out unless they doctored their books somehow.

Suddenly as of today the income required for a Temporary (Temporal) Visa was reduced to around $1500US and the overall assets dropped from $100k to $25k.  You still have to apply at a Consulate in your home country but the financial burden has been greatly reduced. Here are the new requirements posted by a Chapala lawyer.

HUGE Changes today (10 Oct 2014) to Mexican immigration law

These changes apply to visas issued at Mexican consulates outside Mexico.  I am assuming that there will be a publication soon applicable to people renewing within Mexico to harmonize the new lower financial requirements.

Reduced income requirements for temporary residence, new income / asset requirements:

Balances in bank 5,000 days minimum wage (67.29 pesos) $336,450 pesos or $25,164US, down from old minimum of 20,000 days minimum wage or $1,345,800 pesos or $100,658US at todays exchange rate.

Monthly income 300 days minimum wage (67.29 pesos) $20,187 pesos or $1,510US down from old minimum of 400 days or $26,916 pesos or $2,013US

Whatever the reasoning behind the Mexican Government's change of mine on what you should have to move/retire here I'll give it a Hi-Five.  Remember that Mexico is not dirt cheap any more so even with $1500 a month you'll have to keep that belt tight.

Visa under the new rules

I decided to deal with my visa early this year rather than wait till the last minute and was interested in the new process. I got to Immigration a minute before 9am and got ticket #11. It was a quarter to 12 before I finished with my paperwork. The reasons for it being so slow were people coming in for new cards that had arrived, people making a second trip to be finger printed and half the people didn't know the rules had changed and had to have all the options explained to them. I had a great interviewer and the prettiest one in the building. I was pleased with myself that I didn't have to revert to English once. She allowed me to be finger printed the same day when I told her I drive a kid to school every day. Others are making 3 trips but I'll make only two.

I took in the online form and a request letter but all they wanted was my old visa, my passport and 6 months of bank statements. The income level was not mentioned so I assume renewals are using the same levels as before. Only new applicants need to meet the $1900-2000us levels. I walked away with a 2 year visa that will be ready in 3-4 weeks with a cost of about 4800 pesos.

I was surprised to see so many people that didn't know the rules had changed. I guess they don't spend much time on the Internet. Two couples were forced to move to permanent resident because they had 3 or 4 renewals. Their only other option was to leave the country and apply at a Consulate. The guy interviewing them also asked if they owned a house and needed their fideicomiso (bank trust) and copies of tax records. Why he as asking about owning a house I have no idea because it will not effect the outcome. These poor uninformed people didn't know the difference between a fideicomiso and a presta nombre which is what they had but insisted it was a fideicomiso. Maybe they just wanted to shake their heads YES to everything because they were so lost?

Captain of the Port of Manzanillo

New Immigration Office

Visa time again

I went to Immigration in Manzanillo last week so I'm almost set for another year. Still have to pick up the new one in about 3 weeks. The Immigration office is now located outside from where the old office was last year. Just look to your left.

With all the changes going on I took everything just like my first year: proof of income, CFE receipts and copy of passport. There was a rumor that after five years you need to start the process over again ... and I'm entering my sixth. That rumor is old information that went away with the new visa cards. Evidently the old booklets only had space for 4 renewals giving you a total of five.

I said I took everything but actually no fotos. The Farmacia Guadalajara in Cihuatlan has a broken machine and the one in Manzanillo didn't have enough help. The woman who operates the machine at the Kodak store near Comercial Mexicana wasn't there yet. Immigration just said to bring in the fotos when I pick up my card.

I used the online computer application form for the first time this year and found that if you are applying for a renewal and don't have changes to make you can go directly to the Application Form and check the Conozco mi NUE box, enter your current visa number and the computer will fill in the form for you (mostly with ****)(print it out). All I was asked for when I presented the form was; did I want to renew and my height and weight.

For those that don't want to get up early and be the last in line - there is a new Zar Hotel on the street into the port offices. Stay over night, pay $499 pesos and walk down first thing in the morning. Hotel has a pool and faces the beach.

Captain of the Port

New Immigration Office

Watch the harbor traffic while you wait

New Zar Hotel

FM3 in Manzanillo

Yesterday was my day to head to Immigration in Manzanillo but I couldn't drag myself out of bed early with these cold mornings we've been having. Got there about 9:30 and found 20 people (numbers at least) in front of me. That was with a stop at Farmacia Guadalajara in Cihuatlan to have pictures taken, cheaper and faster than most other places.

With 20 people in front of me I knew I had a few hours to wait so grabbed the camera and started walking the area. Immigration is at the harbor entrance so lots of activity, boats/ships coming in and out, people fishing or just doing what I was doing - killing time.

After 2 hours I was surprised to see only 5 numbers in front of me so took a seat. How easy the FM3 process has become I couldn't believe. They only wanted a copy of the first page of my passport and proof of where I live. They didn't make an issue of my change of address or suggest I use the Internet to apply. I had both my electric bill and a 'constancia de domicilio' issued by the local municipio, they preferred the constancia. The only hang up was the fotos were passport size and not 'tamaño infantil'. They said I could bring in the new pictures when I return. I dropped by Farmacia Guadalajara on the way back and they made up new fotos for no charge.

I walked up to the banjercito (government bank) like I always do to pay the $1285 pesos and found another long line. An Ensign in the Navy was getting the ships payroll or maybe for the whole Naval Base. That was another 30-40 minutes when it usually takes 5. Anyway, I return in a month to get the new card since they no longer issue books.

Immigration in the Port Captains building

Port entrance

Port from the breakwater

Downtown Manzanillo from the breakwater

Banjercito heavily guarded while issuing a ships payroll

Charales Fabrica in Chapala

I went down to my old landlord's today in Chapala to get a note about the date I moved from Melaque. I needed it for my upcoming FM3 renewal and we moved the date around to fit the 30 day requirement. 3-4 visits to Immigration to record a move and 2 months later do it again to renew did not make much sense.

His wife was home but he was around the corner doing the books for a business that cooked and sold Charales. He's an accountant known here as a Contador (Accountant/CPA). I was unsure if I'd had Charales before and certainly had not had fresh ones. His wife suggested we go meet him, look at the store and try some. It turned out they bought me a 1/2 kilo which the owner would not accept money for (from his accountant).

Charales are common in most of Mexico's highland lakes.

So anyway, they have spiced, plain and small pieces of a larger fish that looks like Chicharron when cooked. Buy in a fancy basket or by the kilo in a plastic bag. I asked if I could check out the processing plant so took the pictures below. I don't know how they fish these things in Lake Chapala but assume with a fine net similar to the bottom foto from Patzcuaro - but I've never seen anything similar here. Supposedly the fishing is done near Mezcala where the water is cleaner.

What ever you think about eating fish from the polluted lakes of Mexico ... I just thought they were the pure grease they were cooked in. Was suggested to place absorbant napkins at the bottom of a container and let them sit.

The Fancy Plate


Sorting the fish


The kitchen


What they might fish them with