New members of the Mexico forum, introduce yourself here – 1st quarter of 2017

Thank you for the welcome. Mark and I are looking to retire in San Miguel Allende and plan to buy a home there. We have just started our investigation and thought this forum would be a good place to learn the ins and outs of the best way to make a move when the time comes. We will not need to work but would probably enjoy volunteering in the community in ways that we can.

Hola,
My Spouse and I are thinking about moving to the Yucatan Peninsula but don't yet have decided on the specific area. We're Military Retired,  our biggest concern is medical. We plan to come and rent for 3 to 6 months to figure out the right location.
The Immidiate concern is proper documentation for both extended stay and purchasing a home. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated

I have found that it is advisable and without risk to consult with the nearest Mexican Consulate in regards to qualifications for residency.  Approval is a lot quicker than it once was.  I'm not familiar enough with property purchase to do more than guess which would not help.

Thank you  Sir,  I'm planing to go see them soon. Would you advice for or against driving an RV down the coast to the Yucatan?

Thank you

J P

I take the bus frequently from Veracruz to Tampico and back.  On the coast road, there are long stretches of rough narrow winding roads and little towns with suspension breaking speed bumps.  Based on that, I'd guess that Google Maps recommendation would be easier and more comfortable.

Google shows two routes.  The inland route is an hour longer but more 4 lane divided toll road.  I think that would be preferable.  I have no idea about dump locations or getting water.  Maybe an RVer organization.  Or a search on RVing in Mexico.

Hi,

My family and I recently relocated to Cancun from the U.S..  Any recommendations for doctors (internist, ophthalmologist, etc.,) would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

P

Hi,

It's not that complicated to become permanent residents, but obtain residency, but you will need a residency card in order to bring household goods with you free of duty.  You can follow this link:
gob.mx/tramites/migracion-visa-y-pasaporte, and select either temporary or permanent residency.  The important thing to remember is to dot every i and cross every t.  It's not that it's a disaster if you don't, but the paperwork will not be accepted, which will cause a delay.

Good luck!

P

Thank you for your advice,  I plan to visit the consulate before departure.

Though things have been simplified greatly since I got my residency 8 years ago, my experience has been that each local office, the consulate where you will start the process and the INM office where you'll complete the procees in Mexico, have a great deal of flexibity in applying rules.  The best course is I've found is to make an appointment at the consulate to go over the requirements and options in detail.  That is an especially good idea if you qualify to enter as a permanent resident from the start.  If you do a looksee trip to the city where you'll buy or rent, it won't hurt to visit the INM office and get a detailed list of the documents you'll and the fees you'll pay.  In my case, converting from old rules to new rules 4 years ago and from temporary to permanent 3 years ago went like a charm because I had checked with the INM office first.

A temporary or permanent resident visa allows a one time duty free shipment of household goods to follow you.  I don't know what the current rules are.  An international moving company can tell you or put you in touch with a customs broker who can.

INM stands for Instituto Nacional de Migracion or National Immigration Institute.

Yes, the Consulate and INM offices have lists of documents you'll need (often in multiple copies) and time frames for submission.

We had to apply for Mexican residency in the US first.  The result of that was a stamp in our passport which was required to continue the process in Mexico.  That stamp is not sufficient for the Menage de Casa, which is the list of household goods you'll be bringing in to Mexico.

Wow, that's a change.  My menaje left when I left the US 8 years ago.  In any case, it did not arrive till well after I did.

I my husband and I will visit the Lake Chapala area January 27.  I have been researching potential places to retire in Mexico for several years.  This year I decided I better start visiting in earnest.  I am just excited about it.  Thank all of you for the information you have been providing.

Start with what interests you in the expat site.

Thank you Sir, you have been a great help.

J Pérez

Hola and thanks for the warm welcome. I'm moving to San Miguel from the US in August and am just learning Spanish. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to find a rental casa or casita, preferably from a local there? I will be traveling 12 hours with a dog and we'll need a place to land when we arrive.
Thanks!

Thanks for kind introduction, recently I am employed in KSA I would like to move to Mexico what I should put in consideration and arrangement to move In

You need a resident visa to be able to bring in  more than a tourist's worth of personal possessions.  It's good for 180 days,  then you have to leave, even momemtarily and get a new one.

A resident visa alows a one-time duty free shipment of household  goods.  The application must start in your home country at the nearest consulate.  A call or visit will get you all the details.  You will need a minimum income from outside Mexico.  If you expect to work, you'll need a job guarantee from a Mexican employer.  Best call a consulate.

Thank you so much for your welcoming message and
hello to all on here.  I'm a single, female Canadian.  I'm
looking to relocate hopefully by this summer, or earlier,
if all goes well.

I'm pretty sure I'd like to be in the Merida area, however,
not completely certain just yet.  I've been to Mexico a few
times, and I love the people there.  And here in Canada,
the cold is getting 'old' (and it's only January!). 

I'm certified as both a Children's Life Coach and will be
fully certified to teach ESL to young children by then,
too.  I'll need to earn a living there, however, will also
be more than happy to give back, too.  I love becoming
a part of the community wherever I live.

Have a great afternoon, everyone.

As far as being able to work legally, it depends if Mexico considers your skills in such short supply that you wouldn't be taking a Mexican's job or if a Mexican company made you a firm job offer and got the government's approval to hire you.

Year's ago GM got permission to transfer me to a plan in Mexico with the obligation to train 4 unamed Mexicans in how GM operated in my speciality.  This I did but it was a matter of giving them 4 years experience in the company  culture rarher than anything specific and there was no government follow up to see that I fulfilled the requirement.

Your best bet on requirements is to call or visit the nearest Mexican consulate in Canada.  There are job boards that do specialize in internationap hiring.  A little Googling may help.

Thank you for providing this forum!  My wife and I are in our early 70's and are looking to retire on a moderate income in a place that is peaceful with a climate that is moderate (high 40's to low 80's) and not humid.  We have heard a great deal about San Miguel de Allende and plan to visit in a few weeks staying in an airbnb for a week.  That said, I'm afraid we may of missed the "window of opportunity" in DMJ. We are of good health for our age, want to rent (at least for a good while), and hope for an Expat community of some small measure.  I speak a moderate amount of Spanish and am concerned that I don't want to be the Ugly American.  We would appreciate any contact information that is available.  Thanks again for providing this wonderful forum for people of similar desires!  Rob and Jan

Welcome.  It will be interesting to see what you find.  My husband and I are looking at Lake Chapala.

look at Oaxaca

Hola amigos! My husband and I, along with our German Shepherd Dog, just moved to Playa del Carmen! We've lived all over and are really excited to be living in paradise now. We love good food, good people, and a good drink! Cheers!

-Sarah, Sebastian, y Bruno

Hola a todos,

my husband and I together with our 2 kids are going to move to León (de los Aldama) in May.

It would be great to get in touch with people and families who are already living there or are also planning to move there. Recommendations for doctors, places to go, etc. are highly appreciated.

Hi ..Will be visiting (or staying forever) in Merida or San Miguel Allende in 2018.
Thanks for the Welcome !!

First of all, I am glad to be on this forum, and thanks for the welcome.  I have been studying the expat scene for about one year, and am giving serious consideration to moving to the San Miguel de Allende area of Mexico, or to Puerta Vallarta, sometime in late 2017 or early 2018.  But before moving, I want to visit both areas first.  To start, I will want to rent, and then if I live in either place for a few months, I pretty sure I can make a decision as to whether or not I want to be a permanent expat.  But to start off with, does anyone have suggestions as to how I can participate in forums for both areas, and esp. how to get the most out of a visit to these two areas?  Any info you can provide will be appreciated.

We currently live in central California valley and have just signed a contract to buy a condo at Rosarito.  We are 60's and plan to live there 6-8 months of the year.  We won't do more than long weekends or a week for the next two years as DW is still working. 

I do have some small household goods from here I would like to take down to the condo.  Do I need a permit to do something like that?

Jim,  Sorry I can't answer your household goods question for you, but I doubt you would have any problems.  When you cross borders like that, the government (Mexico) is primarily concerned with plants, animals, or anything "life" that could carry contagions into the country.  If all you are moving is household goods, I don't see how that could cause any problems.  I hope others can answer this question for you definitively.

Are you a residente permanente PapUSA ?
  It's been a year or so since I became one, and it wasn't easy. It was very time consuming. As for dotting i and T's yes that can really draw things out, and if they over charge because of a clerk error that becomes extremely time consuming, because they don't just give the money back, it must be deposited into your Mexican bank, There is a lot of sitting and waiting.

As for import taxes, unless you are moving a entire house that isn't a major problem. Just personal stuff goes through. I brought things from the U.S. several times and was on a visitor visa. Those things were things like printers , computers and small ( not beds and tables) accessory furniture.

Requiring a permanente to bring things in is a new one on me. Tell us about it.

Well, I think you can get the Menage De Casa with a temp visa, this is just my experience.  Unlike most expats we did want all our stuff!  😀

Great question (esp SML) but since I am in the same boat I have no answers.  We are going to SMA in June for 8 days.

Travellight,

Wow!  My conversion to Permanente was a piece of cake a year after the new rules went into effect.
First, a visit to the local INM office to inquire about the income requirements.
That yielded the information that it didn't matter because I would have completed 5 years as a Temporal and proved I could support myself.
Second, in the same visit, I was given a list of the steps I had to go through and documentation required.  The young lady also handed me a locally prepared flowchart with screen snaps from the INM website to make it clear how to navigate.

Just to be sure everything was complete the first time, I made a second trip with all the documents and forms printed out from the website.  All correct, I got the form for paying the fees, went to the bank and returned with the receipt the same day.  My card was available for pickup 3 days later.

First trip, 90 minutes portal to portal.  2nd trip 90 minutes including time at home to prepare and print documents and pay fees.  3rd trip to pick up card, 10 minutes.

Details may have changed since September 2013 but your report is surprising.  Would you mind providing details on what held you up.

papusa wrote:

Well, I think you can get the Menage De Casa with a temp visa, this is just my experience.  Unlike most expats we did want all our stuff!  😀

In 2008, Menaje de Casa was part of my process for getting the initial visa which was equivalent of Temporal.

It wasn't mandatory to do it at that time but there was no reason to delay.  Professional help is recommended to avoid overvaluing your inventory and to be sure the translation to Spanish passes inspection.  If you use a mover with international experience, they or a company that specializes in import/export will make sure everything goes as smooth as possible.

If you intend to do it on your own, get as much detailed information in writing from the consulate as you can and keep asking questions, return to the consulate if necessary,until you are as sure as possible you understand every detail.

Moving to Leon gto in November to retire is it hard to get private medical insurance

Gudgrief
INM offices are not all the same. Larger areas are more practiced and efficient. I went through the process during one of the many holidays.

I was warned that I had 30 days to start the process, so I went immediately and waited. they looked at my paperwork and said to wait for a notice in the e-mail and have a nice day .

That was supposed to take a couple of days. A week later nada. So I returned and they sort of said yes you can move forward now and we went through the next stage of paper. They said to go get the fee which I did, They accepted the fee then said they were closing for the day due to the holiday so come back next week.
When I returned a week later the staff was all temporary because of the holiday. The new staff said I needed to pay the fee, I had no receipt ( I think the previous clerk picked it up in her file.) The new clerk didn't know where to find the paperwork so insisted I pay the fee. At BBVA it took 3 attempts for them to spell my name correctly. I paid the fee and the next day got my card. That's when I started the process of getting my money back which involved the Hacienda . That took a month.

The moral of this story would be holidays are a problem, and small offices just adjusting to the tourist and residency issue can be a problem, So don't assume.

Getting private medical insurance is easy if you are in good physical condition and have no preexisting conditions.  Otherwise, it's still easy, but it may be more expensive than you care to spend.  If you can afford a $4,000 hos[ital bill and don't foresee anything on the order of a heart bypass or brain surgery, you might want to take the risk without insurance.  If you have a credit card card that will stand a $10,000 expense, again, you might want to take the risk.  If you still have roots in the US where you can justify claiming US residence, keep your Medicare Part B and buy a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) Plan F which covers emergency travel care outside the US.  You'd need to research the Medicare site, talk to a Medicare rep and insurance company and maybe a lawyer to be as comfortable as possible that you are legal, government being what it is,

There is one low cost Mexican government medical care plan and one free plan.  Neither covers everything and may be out of materials and prescription medicines for things that they do cover.  Many expats use one or the other for emergencies.

I hesitate to give any more information than that because rules change without notice.

Enjoy your move and new home.

Coco7777 wrote:

Moving to Leon gto in November to retire is it hard to get private medical insurance

Getting private medical insurance is easy if you are in good physical condition and have no preexisting conditions.  Otherwise, it's still easy, but it may be more expensive than you care to spend.  If you can afford a $4,000 hos[ital bill and don't foresee anything on the order of a heart bypass or brain surgery, you might want to take the risk without insurance.  If you have a credit card card that will stand a $10,000 expense, again, you might want to take the risk.  If you still have roots in the US where you can justify claiming US residence, keep your Medicare Part B and buy a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) Plan F which covers emergency travel care outside the US.  You'd need to research the Medicare site, talk to a Medicare rep and insurance company and maybe a lawyer to be as comfortable as possible that you are legal, government being what it is,

There is one low cost Mexican government medical care plan and one free plan.  Neither covers everything and may be out of materials and prescription medicines for things that they do cover.  Many expats use one or the other for emergencies.

I hesitate to give any more information than that because rules change without notice.

Enjoy your move and new home.

Helpful medical insurance advice.  Thanks!