Thanks everyone! This is beginning to feel like a long, laborious process of preparation. Will I ever get to Cancun?
Sure you will. A move to a new country is never easy, but if you have the determination and patience you'll do it.
Christina - It's hard but you'll make it. Just be sure that you don't blow off things that could bite you later. Make sure you understand the Customs issues and the Immigration issues. If you keep those straight you can play the rest by ear.
I have been "moving" to Mexico for about 3 years now. As I still have an unsold house in Florida, I make the drive back and forth every 4-6 months, bringing my SUV load of boxes with every trip. Bear in mind that I initially moved to Veracruz, and not Cancun. I can attest from my experiences and those of the members here, that the difficulty of obtaining an FM-3 varies with every office. I had few problems in Veracruz, but hear that Cancun is a real pain. I will be moving to Cancun soon, but will renew my FM-3 in Veracruz as long as I am legally able to do so; i.e., as long as I still own a home there. You don't have to have a job in Mexico before applying for a FM-3, as long as you can show the minimum income requirement, which can be a letter from a financial institution or CFP. If you visit other Mexican forums, you'll find as many opinions saying that you DO NOT need a menaje de casa, as those that say you do. If you decide to ship a container by sea, to a port (like Veracruz or Cancun) then a menaje may be necessary....but my dealings with overland handlers have led me to believe that one is not necessary. Your quoted estimate will include (heh-heh) all necessary bribes to the Mexican aduana officers. But I have crossed the border almost a dozen times at Matamoros, and have yet to be checked further than the aduana officer sticking his head inside the window, where I had the back crammed full of cardboard boxes. I've only gotten the red light, once....BUT this may be due to the fact that I am passing through at 6:30 in the morning. About 12 miles south of the border is another aduana checkpoint, and I have yet to be checked there either. However, they have just completed construction of a much larger facility, a few kilometers further down the road, and those days of apathy may be gone. (when I passed by on my way north this December, the new checkpoint was closed, but I have heard that it has already been open at times) You're more apt to be more thoroughly checked at a military checkpoint, than at aduana. All this said, I strongly suggest you come to Cancun on a 6 month FMT, and rent....look for a job.... but mainly, see if you like living in a foreign country. As many times as you may have visited, there are probably at least a hundred little irksome things that you have yet to be exposed to. In short, foreign living isn't for everyone, although Cancun is easier because many people speak at least a little English. If you don't have at least a decent command of Spanish, other parts of Mexico can be very challenging.
Thanks for your encouragement too, RiverGirl, and for filling me in on your experiences Rick. RiverGirl, are the Customs and Immigration issues you mention those that you addressed in your earlier post? Another question if I may, which legal documents need to be apostilled? So far, I understand I need to get certified copies of my birth certificate, marriage/divorce certificates, diplomas, and transcripts before sending them in for an Apostille. I also read that Passports could be too. Is this necessary? What about car Title, etc.? *sigh* I'm doing my research, but you guys have the hands-on experience. I think I may come for a month in Feb. or March for a visit again, and check some things out in person.
Yes, the Customs and Immigration issues I mentioned are what I meant. You may need different papers apostilled depending on what type of FM3 you apply for. If, for example, you get a job teaching English and need an FM3 that grants you permission to do that job you may need to show diplomas and transcripts. But if you get a Rentista FM3 which is one based on having income or savings outside Mexico (but won't allow you to work) then they won't care about diplomas, they will just care about proof of income and savings. You need to be clear on the path you intend to take through Immigration before you will know exactly which papers will need apostilles. That said, get your birth certificate apostilled first, you will need it no matter what. And get several copies of it apostilled, it will make things simpler here. You might come here and start figuring things out and then meet with an Immigration attorney (most on this board recommend Mauricio Mendoza) to get perfectly clear on what papers you will need.
I feel so ignored. Mauricio Mendoza Email: maurris@hotmail.com Cell Phone: 998 159-1599 Office Address: SM-31 Calle Puerto Progreso Edificio 9, Depto. 911 Cancun, Q. Roo
