Lots of people have come to Mexico and made it, if not gotten rich, and some have done perfectly well here. Right, Steve? For the rest of us, flexibility may be the key to making it, plus just a little luck.
We made it! I entered under a 180 day FMM with no problems. Going through customs was a whole new issue, though. We had the standard 2 suitcases per person, no big deal, but boy did they have a field day with us! They opened up all of our suitcases, and I made sure that we didn't have more than the $300 US per person exemption, in excess of clothing and other personal items. The bespectacled lady leading the effort told me plainly that Cancun airport does NOT permit $300 exemptions for children, just for adults (although there is nothing mentioning this on the customs form, in fact, it says that the $300 exemption is for adults and children). They didn't write anything down, just had a calculator and everything was done very haphazardly. Keep in mind I was with 2 young kids who were extremely tired and I was getting some serious stinkeye for not being able to keep them under control. So we were charged $200 pesos (not a lot, but I was really mad anyway). We were in the airport for over 2 hours while all of this happened. Next step is heading to INM to change my visa over in the next couple of days. Edit: after speaking to some other folks here in my husband's town, apparently this is not out of the ordinary for some Mexicans returning from the US. One lady brought a single suitcase with her belongings and everything was taken from her at Cancun airport. Ugh. Next time (if there is a next time) I'm flying into Merida.
Congratulations on getting in with the circus in tow! Seriously, I'm glad it went down well, even if you didn't feel your arrival was being warmly embraced by customs. Here's something worth investigating- whether you're under any duty to rush the application,or could you apply at any time while you're here (before the expiration of the 180 days). I bring this up because your application might be strenghtened if you had, or both you and your husband had, in the meantime, found work.
