Three Easy-Peasy Ways to Move to Mexico & Meet Larleen

You're as serious as a red velvet cupcake craving it's cream cheese frosting

YOU NEED TO MOVE TO MEXICO

Or you're almost there, maybe you're not ready for the frosting, but want a little powdered sugar and your taste buds crave to know more

Larleen just found out she's movin' to Mexico

Meet her for the first time

THE THREE EASY-PEASY WAYS TO MOVE TO MEXICO

1. TOURIST

2. TEMPORARY RESIDENT

3. PERMANENT RESIDENT

1. tourist

Travel to Mexico as if you're on vacation, and then stay awhile.

Advantages

- No paperwork, bureacracy or enduring long lines at immigration/the Mexican consulate

- No assets/savings required

- Easy peasy

- Can legally bring your car but must take it out of the country after 180 days (check this info as it could change)

Disadvantages

- Required to leave the country periodically (currently after 180 days you must leave the country for a week - check these numbers carefully as they change).

2. temporary resident

We chose this method because we wanted to drive to Mexico (didn't want to fly our greyhound dogs). At the time, December 2016, this was the only method you were allowed to drive your car into Mexico and keep it there for an extended period, so it was our best option.

Advantages

- Can keep a foreign car in Mexico for a period of time (four years - this was the rule in Dec 2016)

- Not required to leave the country periodically

- Can keep this status for 4 yrs before the next step: permanent resident

Disadvantages

- Paperwork & Interviews at the Mexican Consulate in your home country. How many times do you have to go to the Mexican Consulate? Don't be surprised if you have to go two or three times. Welcome to the 'LEARNING HOW TO BE PATIENT', RULE. This rule will be your BFF when you make a move like this. We had to go to the Mexican Consulate three times in total (even though we had an immigration attorney, each consulate can still require different items and a different amount of copies), and the third time we still had to walk over to a copy store to get more copies. We were interviewed by a total of two people the last time. The interview was fairly easy, but it all depends on who's interviewing you.

- Paperwork & Interviews at Immigration in Mexico once you arrive in Mexico. This part was a blur - I don't remember the details. We had just moved to Mexico and we were like lost puppies. I do know that we had a deadline to go to the immigration office once we arrived in Mexico.

- Requires assets/savings

- Must administer the appropriate paperwork within certain time frames before leaving and after arriving in Mexico

3. permanent resident

There are stricter rules for being a Permanent Resident.

Advantages

- Not required to leave the country - Mexico is home now

- Can apply for a Mexican Citizenship once you've had this status for a certain period, which has several advantages

Disadvantages

- Paperwork & Interviews at the Mexican Consulate in your home country

- Paperwork & Interviews at Immigration in Mexico once you arrive in the country

- Requires more assets/savings than for Temporary Residence

- Must administer the appropriate paperwork within certain time frames before leaving and after arriving in Mexico

If you have the funds, I recommend an immigration attorney to take away the stress of all the details. The rules do change.

For residency options, plan on 6 months. If it gets done early, fantastic. Also, be aware of the major Mexican holidays - the government offices do close down - Easter (one week) and Christmas (two-three weeks).

Once you get your residency card, ABSO-FRICKEN-LUTELY put the EXPIRATION DATE in your calendar. After a year, our residency expired around December (government closure time) - somehow we were late even though we handed everything in before the expiration date and had to go through the WHOLE PROCESS AGAIN the second year! Believe me, you DO NOT want to make that slip up - START THE PROCESS AT LEAST A MONTH EARLY! They usually will not allow you to start the process any sooner than that.

It's a big decision to move to a foreign country, take your time, relax, and go with the flow.

Kathleen Naomi