Hi all I lived in Cancun last year however had to return home to the uk. I have an FM3 that is valid til July this year. When i left Cancun i went to the immigration in the airport and informed them that i was leaving. Now i am returning for a holiday, can i enter on my FM3 or shall i just complete an FMT?? I know its a bit of an odd question and any advice would be appreciated. Many thanks in advance
Was your FM3 stamped when you left? if so the official answer is likely to be you should enter with the FM3 and then surrender it to the immigration office if no longer required. Presumably they'll give you some sort of paper in lieu of the exit FMT that you wouldnt have, so you dont have hassle when leaving. If it were me though I would just enter on an FMT and forget I ever had a FM3
If you told INM you no longer wanted the FM3 when you were leaving (at the airport I presume) then they SHOULD have taken it away from you. When are you arriving? Will the FM3 be valid during your whole stay in Mexico (will you leave before it expires)? Steve's question is valid, did INM stamp your FM3 when you left? If the FM3 is still valid when you enter Mexico then, technically, you MUST use it to enter Mexico. If they stamped it then they would have given you the red Salida/Regresa form, do you still have the form? You need the form to get back in (along with your FM3). If you hold a valid FM3 and enter with an FMT you would be in violation (not that they are likely to find out...). But if you've lost the red form then you will have a hassle getting in with your FM3, so it might be better to just come with an FMT. On the other hand, if the FM3 will be valid during your whole stay in Mexico AND you still have the red form, then why wouldn't you enter with your FM3? It's less paperwork to fill out (save a tree) and you already have it, so you may as well use it.
Thanks for the replies!!! Ok my FM3 was stamped when i left and i still have the red form they gave me and also it is valid for the duration of my stay, so from what has been said i should enter with my FM3.. The reason i have asked the question is because i was unsure if i could re-enter on it for a holiday So that leads me to another question when i leave at the end of my 2 week holiday do i go back to immigration and get them to stamp it again? There is a possiblilty i will be returing before it expires. And finally!! When i arrive at immigration in Cancun do i go through the same immigration as a tourist or is there somewhere else i go with my FM3 I apologise for all the questions, all your advice is much appreciated
When you enter Mexico with your FM3 you will probably have to be in the same line as everyone else. Sometimes there is a Mexicans Only line...and sometimes the INM agents allow FM2/3 holders to use that line...but sometimes they don't. It depends who is working. If there is a Mexicans Only line you may as well ask if you can go through it. If you are nice about it they are usually nice about it too. When you leave Mexico next time you will go through the same process as last time. You will go to the Alfa office (the Salida office) and get another Red Form and the INM agent will stamp your FM3 again with an exit stamp. You could chose to surrender the FM3 at that time if you want to. The situation you don't want to get into is being here while your FM3 expires, you will get in trouble when you try to leave if that happens. And yes, if you hold an FM3 there's basically no limit to how long you can be IN or OUT of Mexico, so coming in with it while you are vacationing here is perfectly legal and is what you should do. Hope that helps.
