# Homesteading in Mexico



## MiguelO (Jul 16, 2021)

I am an experienced homesteader living in Spain and am considering moving to Mexico. A lot of people do homesteading here because they are either poor or it is just part of their culture in the countryside. I am looking for something more structured and constructive (with a mix of science, ecology, and permaculture including social permaculture). This is also why I am trying to get closer to the US, where homesteading / permaculture is taken more seriously and is more mature.
Does anyone have some experience in this topic to suggest to me regions where there are more people pursuing this kind of lifestyle (expats or locals), including attempts to work together as neighbors?
Are there any homesteading forums in Mexico? - in English or Spanish?


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

MiguelO said:


> I am an experienced homesteader living in Spain and am considering moving to Mexico. A lot of people do homesteading here because they are either poor or it is just part of their culture in the countryside. I am looking for something more structured and constructive (with a mix of science, ecology, and permaculture including social permaculture). This is also why I am trying to get closer to the US, where homesteading / permaculture is taken more seriously and is more mature.
> Does anyone have some experience in this topic to suggest to me regions where there are more people pursuing this kind of lifestyle (expats or locals), including attempts to work together as neighbors?
> Are there any homesteading forums in Mexico? - in English or Spanish?


I think you have to be a Mexican citizen to be a legal squater or you will be removed from any land not in your name. Ejidos are land where a member of an original clan can get use of land to live on and improve. Foreigners need to rent or buy any land as far as I understand it.
Mexico might not have laws regarding what you describe as homesteading.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I would not try it in Mexico not on ejidal or communal land, that is a good way to get in real problems.. I do not know about the north but in the south it would be a quick way to meet your maker. There are huizapoles in Jalisco around the lake area, but they are all Mexicans and they have lawyers helping them steal the land.


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## MiguelO (Jul 16, 2021)

Thanks citlali and AlanMexicali. I am aware of the Ejido land issues, and the need to get a good lawyer for buying any property. But I am not researching at that level yet. I am trying to find regions where there is good subsistance farming, with good land, water, decent weather, away from commercial farms, tourist traps, and other sources of contamination, including large population centers. I am also experienced in this lifestyle and fluent in Spanish, and generally appreciate indigenous cultures, but not the stupid, arrogant, hostile people no matter where they are from. I also know there are not too small pockets of dangerous zones to avoid all over Mexico. I plan to find a hub for a potential area I may be interested, and then venture out to check the details myself before deciding where to settle in that region.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

you need agood notario to make sure the land you buy has not claim on it and never was ejido or worse communal land. .
Communal land at least in southern Mexico is land that was granted by the Spaniards to indigenous and it cannot be sold . Ejido land is land that is communal (our meaning of communal= and was grabbed from haciendas during the revolution and given to a community. that may be indigenous or mestiza. Within indigenous municipalities you can find private, communal and ejidal land all under different rules.
Wether you appreciated indigenous cultuture is irrelevant, it is wether there are going to accept you or not.. When in those areas you are under their law.. usos y costumbres and sometimes Mexican as well.. it can get pretty complicated so stay away from those lands and areas until you really know the area and have good advice.
Yes you can buy nice land with water away away from major centers etc. but you have to be careful where you go and get a good notario and a lawyer who is not part of someone s family.
Land can be tricky. A good friend of mine just bought some land and no one told him it was land of a reserve and that he could not build his house. It was a small development in the country where several houses are built..
Another friend of mine bought a pice of land in a community , join the community and just found out that the land was stolen from its original owners that were going back to the conquistadores by indigenous that moved in in 94 during the zapatista unrest.. The people who moved in were not zapatistas just oportunistic indigenous. 
Both of these buyers are stuck with land they do not want to use and found out in the second case that the government is doing absolutely nothing to help them. The notario I think is in jail and the people who stole the land that had been set up as an ecological reserve, cut down all the trees divided up the mountains in parcels that they sold and misrepresented everything to the new buyers.
Both my friends are native of the area and are indigenous and they probably out the money and nothing will be done to the squatters/ crooks.
Here is it buyer beware especially out in the boonies.


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## MiguelO (Jul 16, 2021)

Thank you Citlati. So sad to hear about these stories of ruined lives because of the crooks. Unfortunately, I have heard some of these before. I wish there was a simple rule one can follow. But when even the lawyers or notari can be crooks, then what?! Makes me wonder if I should move to Mexico. How common are these cases?


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

MiguelO said:


> I am an experienced homesteader living in Spain and am considering moving to Mexico. A lot of people do homesteading here because they are either poor or it is just part of their culture in the countryside. I am looking for something more structured and constructive (with a mix of science, ecology, and permaculture including social permaculture). This is also why I am trying to get closer to the US, where homesteading / permaculture is taken more seriously and is more mature.
> Does anyone have some experience in this topic to suggest to me regions where there are more people pursuing this kind of lifestyle (expats or locals), including attempts to work together as neighbors?
> Are there any homesteading forums in Mexico? - in English or Spanish?


What is homesteading? I am unfamiliar with this term. Thanks.


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## MiguelO (Jul 16, 2021)

Hello Isla. It basically means living self-sufficiently, from home, using resources from the land - includes gardening / farming, animal husbandry, home building and repair, etc. Similar to the, lifestyle of the pioneers. So it goes generally against consumerism - i.e., making the most with what you have, limiting waste, recycle, upcycle, repair, stacking functions, etc. There are many channels and videos on this on youtube, etc. It is part of the back to land movement that really took off about 10 years ago - but mostly in the US.


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## MiguelO (Jul 16, 2021)

In Mexico and most of the rest of the world (where there is a larger rural population) it might simply be called "subsistence farming".


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

MiguelO said:


> Hello Isla. It basically means living self-sufficiently, from home, using resources from the land - includes gardening / farming, animal husbandry, home building and repair, etc. Similar to the, lifestyle of the pioneers. So it goes generally against consumerism - i.e., making the most with what you have, limiting waste, recycle, upcycle, repair, stacking functions, etc. There are many channels and videos on this on youtube, etc. It is part of the back to land movement that really took off about 10 years ago - but mostly in the US.


Thanks for your answer. I haven't lived in the US since 2007, though I have been back for visits. My firends live in cities, so this wouldn't be something any of them would be interested in. It sounds a bit like hippie rural communes of the 1970s.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

To me it feels a little like Walden pond but as far as I recall that was a short-term thing.
Homesteading sounds like a lot of fun if you a) have zero responsibilities or b) have sufficient resources stashed away that if you tire of homesteading you can return to your old life.
How do homesteaders approach serious medical situations ? 
Homesteading also seems like it would be a lot easier in some climates than others. 

In Mexico we currently live just at the border of where civilization is encroaching on more or less 'indigenous' lands. I'm not talking Nahua (?) but for example - our neighbors to the south are a family of 8 brothers and 1 sister. They all live together on the same large plot of land. They work horses for a living. They grow corn and other foodstuffs, have lambs, cows, chickens etc. They have a well but use 'city' power (but not much). The family has owned the land for generations and I know that at times they have sold off parcels for development (eg. the community we live). They don't own cars or trucks but they have access to them. They have chainsaws but do a lot of work with more 'manual' tools. The mother is still alive but she is very very old and when her time comes she will simply pass. They live off a paved road and make some money boarding horses. They are some of the hardest working, generally healthiest people I have ever known. But civilization - with its cantinas that play loud music until 4:30am - and crime, as in drug meet-ups in the wee hours of the morning etc - is like a couple kms away and getting closer.


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## MiguelO (Jul 16, 2021)

What you described is pretty much a kind of a homestead. More and more people are doing it out of necessity and mistrust of the government, corporations, health issues, and consumer goods (including polluted food, water, buildings, medicine, etc.). It means pretty much making everything from scratch yourself. Now most people have not gone to that extreme yet, but it is a process, and realistically and practically, it takes a village of homesteaders to make it work, but I do not know good examples of this. In other words, it has to become part of a culture, that then people would start exchanging knowledge, labor, skills, experience, and resources to make it work. A far cry from the individualistic utopian hippie ideals. In fact most of the world used to live like this. And I think this would be a key to the survival of those that are waking up to the terrible things that are happening globally where they cannot rely on governments and corporations anymore, so instead of running away, decide to hunker down with like-minded neighbors and reestablish the traditional lifestyle, but this time borrowing from the whole world (knowledge, skills, etc.). The social aspect of this would necessarily require morality (as a glue, and not necessarily religion), which is in short supply because of pervasive demoralization and societal / individual corruption (helped by money, porn, TV "education" and propaganda, etc.). I wonder if there are any indigenous communities left in Mexico, which have isolated themselves enough over the years (e.g., similar to the Amish) and resisted the corruption (in contrast to many indian reservations in the US) to provide a decent example of the "social / community / tribal homesteading". Of course, entry and acceptance in these would be very difficult as foreigners, and there is always the danger of being easily shunned and taken advantage of.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

MiguelO said:


> Hello Isla. It basically means living self-sufficiently, from home, using resources from the land - includes gardening / farming, animal husbandry, home building and repair, etc. Similar to the, lifestyle of the pioneers. So it goes generally against consumerism - i.e., making the most with what you have, limiting waste, recycle, upcycle, repair, stacking functions, etc. There are many channels and videos on this on youtube, etc. It is part of the back to land movement that really took off about 10 years ago - but mostly in the US.


In the US, ' Homesteading' used to refer to land obtained under the Homestead Act of 1862. One could apply to the federal government for land and obtain title by living on the land, farming it, and building a house. When I was growing up in Alaska, there was still land available for homesteading.
I think the term has taken on a related but less restricted meaning now.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Miguel , these cases are pretty comon in CHiapas. By the way most indigenous in the communities ( the villages outside of the cabecera del municipio) are subsidence farmers. They eat mostly what they produce, corn chilis , greens. beans, chickens that are free roaming and are fed ground corn and they get cash by selling the corn or beans , fruit, insects etc..or chickens on top of what they need and grow coffee for cash and the women weave or embroider to get cash on top of what the crops bring..It would be very difficult to be part of these communities unless you could buy a parcel of private land but I would not recommend it. Meanwhile if you have the money to buy private land outside of these communities you can do what you want.


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## MiguelO (Jul 16, 2021)

citlali, thank you. As I mentioned in my last post, it is important to look for the right social context for this endeavor "homesteading". It is not just the economics (e.g., land ownership) that is important, but also the social aspect (e.g., cultural, political, spiritual) - to maintain and permeate it, using synergies, etc. The environmental aspect is the third leg, and the most ignored or underappreciated. Being close to a traditional indigenous ethnic group certainly should help, to use as a reference point. After all the core traditions (based on the three legs) is what made these communities and their culture last so long. But I agree that it would be difficult to be part of these communities as you stated. So I am looking for the next best option, i.e., finding other expat "homesteaders" with similar values and practices to develop such communities. I would appreciate you or others to refer me to an area if you have come across it. Although, I know it may be difficult, because this issue is still out of most people's radar.
Here is a recent video, that argues for why more and more people are attempting homesteading, including as expats and globally:








Toxic Legacy - Interview with Stephanie Seneff, Ph.D


Stephanie Seneff, Ph.D., a senior research scientist at MIT, has published a new book, “Toxic Legacy: How the Weedkiller Glyphosate Is Destroying Our Health and the Environment” — without doubt the best book ever written about glyphosate, the active…




 www.bitchute.com


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

Buenos días, Miguel. If you haven’t already done so, I suggest you Google “permaculture Mexico”, and you will find there are many areas of Mexico where people are coming together to live in a way which is sustainable and healthy for this beautiful planet. I’m not familiar personally with the community in this video linked below (Haomekka), but it is one example. There are others of various stripes, sizes and ethos scattered throughout Mexico. In our town in Mexico (Tepoztlán, Morelos) there is a small “ecoaldea” I have visited, Huehuecoyotl, where they are also committed to living sustainably in community. Although being near a tourist town, I don’t think it’s quite what you are looking for. But once you make connections with at least one group with a similar vision, you will hopefully be able to make further connections with like minded people. I doubt you’ll find many who share your specific vision in Expats in Mexico type of groups. Wishing you the best. I certainly agree that a complete transformation in how we live on and with the earth is crucial. 









Haomekka – Permaculture in Mexico (video) - The Permaculture Research Institute


https://www.youtube.com/embed/F_JIXTj8ofk Somewhere in Mexico lives a small community few have heard




www.permaculturenews.org


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

Here is another resource which might help.








CASA - Council of Sustainable Settlements of Latin America - GEN Latin America


CASA Latina is the Council of Sustainable Settlements of Latin America, which coordinates and strengthens regional and national networks that promote, educate, investigate and disseminate sustainable lifestyles.




ecovillage.org


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## MiguelO (Jul 16, 2021)

Thank you ojosazules11. I appreciate your responses. I tried to write to you on your private mailbox but it was flagged as "spam" and not sent! Please write to my email at [email protected]


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## Firstlast (Jan 11, 2021)

MiguelO said:


> I am an experienced homesteader living in Spain and am considering moving to Mexico. A lot of people do homesteading here because they are either poor or it is just part of their culture in the countryside. I am looking for something more structured and constructive (with a mix of science, ecology, and permaculture including social permaculture). This is also why I am trying to get closer to the US, where homesteading / permaculture is taken more seriously and is more mature.
> Does anyone have some experience in this topic to suggest to me regions where there are more people pursuing this kind of lifestyle (expats or locals), including attempts to work together as neighbors?
> Are there any homesteading forums in Mexico? - in English or Spanish?


In your casé there are three visas for you to enter MX. 1. FMM(Tourist visa on arrival) good for a maximum of 180 days...Non renewable. Must depart MX for a minimum of 3 days. 2. Residente Temporal. Good for a maximum of 4 years. Initially issued for 1 year. Can be renewed in increments of 1 - 3 years for a total of 4 years. At end of 4 years you can, within MX. apply for Residente Permanente. Must make application at MX embassy/consulate. 3. For RT /RP you must submit an application at a MX embassy/consulate. You will be interviewed. The MX consular officer will determine primarily if you have sufficient monthly income (2000 USD) basically verified with six months of financial statements. At the discretion of the consular officer, if you demonstrate more than the minimum financial requirement he/she may give you permission to APPLY for a RESIDENTE PERMANENTE without applying for R Temporal. Which ever is authorized with a entry in your passport (Essentially a tourist visa) You have 30 days to enter MX. Within 10 days of your arrival you you must present your application to a local Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) office. 

A FMM visa does not allow you to have bank accounts, driver license or buy land. You can rent but have to leave every 6 months. A Residente Temporal ellos you to buy/sell land buildings, acquire a drivers license, bank account. Residente Permanente..essentially you have the rights of a MX citizen, except you can't vote, work for any government agency, including police and military. This and doesn't have to be renewed. 

I strongly suggest, when you interview with the consular officer, do not hint you want "squat", get involved with "eco" projects,etc. What they are looking for are people that are going to financially contribute to the MX economy. 

Santander has a large presence here. 


MiguelO said:


> I am an experienced homesteader living in Spain and am considering moving to Mexico. A lot of people do homesteading here because they are either poor or it is just part of their culture in the countryside. I am looking for something more structured and constructive (with a mix of science, ecology, and permaculture including social permaculture). This is also why I am trying to get closer to the US, where homesteading / permaculture is taken more seriously and is more mature.
> Does anyone have some experience in this topic to suggest to me regions where there are more people pursuing this kind of lifestyle (expats or locals), including attempts to work together as neighbors?
> Are there any homesteading forums in Mexico? - in English or Spanish?


Are aware of visa requirements to enter MX and to acquire land?


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

You are allowed to purchase residential property with a 180 day FMM tourist card.


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## alan-in-mesicali (Apr 26, 2018)

MiguelO said:


> What you described is pretty much a kind of a homestead. More and more people are doing it out of necessity and mistrust of the government, corporations, health issues, and consumer goods (including polluted food, water, buildings, medicine, etc.). It means pretty much making everything from scratch yourself. Now most people have not gone to that extreme yet, but it is a process, and realistically and practically, it takes a village of homesteaders to make it work, but I do not know good examples of this. In other words, it has to become part of a culture, that then people would start exchanging knowledge, labor, skills, experience, and resources to make it work. A far cry from the individualistic utopian hippie ideals. In fact most of the world used to live like this. And I think this would be a key to the survival of those that are waking up to the terrible things that are happening globally where they cannot rely on governments and corporations anymore, so instead of running away, decide to hunker down with like-minded neighbors and reestablish the traditional lifestyle, but this time borrowing from the whole world (knowledge, skills, etc.). The social aspect of this would necessarily require morality (as a glue, and not necessarily religion), which is in short supply because of pervasive demoralization and societal / individual corruption (helped by money, porn, TV "education" and propaganda, etc.). I wonder if there are any indigenous communities left in Mexico, which have isolated themselves enough over the years (e.g., similar to the Amish) and resisted the corruption (in contrast to many indian reservations in the US) to provide a decent example of the "social / community / tribal homesteading". Of course, entry and acceptance in these would be very difficult as foreigners, and there is always the danger of being easily shunned and taken advantage of.


THERE IS A WAY.... it is not easy, certainly not fast but it will work. You can make a deal with an Ejido land owner to "lease for YOUR life" an area of land you can afford. Each Ejido has their own lawyer who will draw up the agreement, which MUST be approved by the Ejido officers at the time [it becomes binding on all future Ejido officers]. IF you want drill/dig a well you must get further government permission. You MUST fence the portion of the land that is "yours".... substantial fencing not just a single wire on a few posts... and have it surveyed [we paid 6,000 pesos to have ours surveyed] The property had electricity but it took the owner's signature with the CFE to put the bill in our name. We are now in the process of installing "city water" as the ranch well water is highly toxic due to "farm run-off" and mineralization of the water. Be prepared to spend considerable time getting to know the folks around where you decide you want to live... and finding the person whom you wish to lease from.... find out everything you can about them.... Doing this YOU do not need a lawyer as the Ejido lawyer will act for you [for a small fee] or a notary... again the Ejido lawyer does the recording. It took us over 2years - mostly due to Covid shutting the business/government down ... but we have the property to do with as we wish until my wife and I die... then it reverts back, with all improvements, to the owner of the land. You most likely will not get the best farm land... and you most likely will not get irrigation water... but you should be able to support a family on 2 to 5 hysterias, depending on the land and available water. We are over 3 miles from "town" and the nearest neighbor is about 1/2 a mile...Good luck!


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## Genoveva (Jun 5, 2021)

MiguelO said:


> I am an experienced homesteader living in Spain and am considering moving to Mexico. A lot of people do homesteading here because they are either poor or it is just part of their culture in the countryside. I am looking for something more structured and constructive (with a mix of science, ecology, and permaculture including social permaculture). This is also why I am trying to get closer to the US, where homesteading / permaculture is taken more seriously and is more mature.
> Does anyone have some experience in this topic to suggest to me regions where there are more people pursuing this kind of lifestyle (expats or locals), including attempts to work together as neighbors?
> Are there any homesteading forums in Mexico? - in English or Spanish?


Hi Miguel, here is another resource for you. You can do a search for Mexico.








Foundation for Intentional Community


Learn about ecovillages, cohousing, cooperative housing, and more forms of intentional community living!




www.ic.org





Also, there are a few facebook groups that may be of interest to you:
1) Foreigners in Rural Mexico - Facebook Groups
2) Mexico Cohousing/Coliving - Facebook Groups
3) Bosque Village - Log in to Facebook - He also has a youtube channel.

People in these groups have various interests and some are homesteading, working towards the goal of homesteading and some are not. Homesteading being living sustainably on legally acquired land, not squatting. I myself am interested in the concept of intentional communities and research it on and off but am not currently living that way. I wish you the best of luck in your adventures and in truly living in a sustainable way. Take Care.


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## dvinton (Mar 8, 2019)

AlanMexicali said:


> You are allowed to purchase residential property with a 180 day FMM tourist card.


This is correct, as my wife and I purchased a home having FMM tourist cards. We now have Residente Temporal visas, changing to Residente Permanente in the fall.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Do you still need to apply for a permit with SRE if you are a foreigner if you want to buy a property? It is just a formality but if needed.. neeeds to be done.
Also if you are a foreigner you cannot have title to land with 50km? of the borders or the coast.. Again there are legal ways to handle this.

In Chiapas it is the municipality that needs to be 50km away from the border. not only the property from what I have heard.


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## dvinton (Mar 8, 2019)

citlali said:


> Do you still need to apply for a permit with SRE if you are a foreigner if you want to buy a property? It is just a formality but if needed.. neeeds to be done.
> Also if you are a foreigner you cannot have title to land with 50km? of the borders or the coast.. Again there are legal ways to handle this.
> 
> In Chiapas it is the municipality that needs to be 50km away from the border. not only the property from what I have heard.


Our purchase was in Ajijic. As many on this board know, is well away from the coastal and border "restricted zone." Purchases must be cleared with SRE, https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/leamin...sition-of-real-estate-by-foreigners-in-mexico.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

We held RP when we purchased our house. If SRE was approached, it was done by the notary.


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

Firstlast said:


> FMM(Tourist visa on arrival) good for a maximum of 180 days...Non renewable. Must depart MX for a minimum of 3 days.


The minimum 3-day departure requirement is not actually a rule, but it can be an ad-hoc requirement set by officials at any particular border crossing. It may be possible to literally walk to the border and just turn around and re-enter for another 180 days, since there isn’t a rule against it, but it’s all at the discretion of the particular official in front of you. They may tell you you have to leave the country for 3 days, or for 1 day, or for a certain number of hours. And if they tell you so, then that’s what you have to do.

They also have no obligation to give you the full 180 days when you return – it could be 90 days, or 30, or 7, again at the official’s discretion.



Firstlast said:


> 2. Residente Temporal. Good for a maximum of 4 years. Initially issued for 1 year. Can be renewed in increments of 1 - 3 years for a total of 4 years. At end of 4 years you can, within MX. apply for Residente Permanente. Must make application at MX embassy/consulate.


I know you didn’t mean it that way, but to make it perfectly clear, if you apply for Permanente at the end of 4 years of Temporal, at that point you can make the application within Mexico.

It’s the original first application, whether Temporal or Permanente, that has to be started at a Mexican consulate outside the country.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Mango
we bought the property when we came in ars ago and had to have a permit, same for the Chiapas house. I did not know about the SRE because the realestate agency did it and it was part of all the papers we had to sign , we were temporary at the time. For the Chiapas house I had to do it as we did not have an agent . I was permanent .
I spoke with the notary last year asking about capital gain and other things and he told me that I would be selling the house as a foreigner because I bought it as a foreigner and I told him that I would be selling it as a Mexican .. and that it was not permited for me to claim I was French so he could not make me do it.. He kind of backed up but not sure what he would do if I actually sold the house. Since you are in the same situation as I am, I would be interested to hear what your notary says.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Maesona, for American it is simple since they can reapply for entry from their country of origin. Do the other nationality have to apply at the country of origin or any other country is acceptable? This does not involve me anymore but I am curious.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

citlali said:


> Mango
> we bought the property when we came in ars ago and had to have a permit, same for the Chiapas house. I did not know about the SRE because the realestate agency did it and it was part of all the papers we had to sign , we were temporary at the time. For the Chiapas house I had to do it as we did not have an agent . I was permanent .
> I spoke with the notary last year asking about capital gain and other things and he told me that I would be selling the house as a foreigner because I bought it as a foreigner and I told him that I would be selling it as a Mexican .. and that it was not permited for me to claim I was French so he could not make me do it.. He kind of backed up but not sure what he would do if I actually sold the house. Since you are in the same situation as I am, I would be interested to hear what your notary says.


Here is probably a lot of information you really don't want. (And I have no idea if any of this is specific to the state of Morelos). We spoke with a lawyer at our notary's office in the last couple weeks. Our house is in both our names. We wondered if we needed to change that to be in only my name (as we did recently with our cars). We told him we were now citizens of Mexico. He said no. Leave everything as it is now. The day after my wife passes I need to meet with him and he is going to do 'something' (maybe something with my wife's will. My wife and I have identical wills except for our names). He made it sound like it was imperative that I not 'drag my feet'. (His English was better than mine). I know he was interested in our citizenship because one of the aspects of a sale would involve the tax exemption we would get. If the house were in solely my name that exemption might be halved. I don't think a non-citizen gets any exemption (do you know ?).

Two people, a friend who is a very intelligent (wealthy) Mexican woman and a 'knowledgeable' (?) expat woman have expressed concern over the approach we are planning to take. Mostly they are remembering distant third-party stories they have heard over the years. Today we spoke with the realtor I will probably list the house with when the time comes. She sided with the lawyer.

I guess the day we closed on the house we received a document (an escritura) but apparently that was an interim document and an 'official' document would be available later. Apparently we never received that official document (or we lost it). We need that doc. Every comprobante de domocilio (sp ?) we have has a different representation of our address. The interim escritura we have has yet another representation. We may need the notary to give us a document that somehow validates that address.

We have never asked anyone for a factura for any of the expenses for our house. The lawyer said that did not matter but we should put together a file of expenses so that we could use them for the potential taxes as well.

Sorry - I know you don't care/need a lot of this information but putting this information here is a good way for me to record (for myself) where things stand today. (The internet never forgets - well unless a moderator deletes it )

We have asked the notary's office to go into the archives and look for our escritura. They said that may take a couple weeks. If they don't find it we will ask for a new one (I hope that doesn't cost a fortune). At that time I hope to speak with the attorney again and confirm my understandings.


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

citlali said:


> Maesona, for American it is simple since they can reapply for entry from their country of origin. Do the other nationality have to apply at the country of origin or any other country is acceptable? This does not involve me anymore but I am curious.


According to the regulations, you can apply for pre-approval of a Mexican resident visa in any country outside Mexico where you are legally present (as a citizen, a resident, or a visitor).

One of the documents you have to submit in the application is something that proves you are there legally. Of course if it’s your own country, where you are a citizen, it’s your passport or birth certificate, etc. whatever proves you are a citizen of that country. If it’s not your country of citizenship, then it would be your visa (resident or visitor) or entry document that shows you entered legally.

Of course like all things regarding trámites, the rules aren’t always respected. I remember reading sometime within the last couple of years about somebody who was applying in a different country, and although they were there legally, the Mexican consulate refused to take their application and said they had to apply in their home country. I forget which countries were involved, except that one of them was Italy. Either the applicant was Italian, or they were from a different country and the Mexican consulate in Italy wouldn’t take their application.

One more anecdote: It’s not uncommon for Canadians to apply in the US. Technically the document that proves our legal presence there should be our Canadian passports, since that’s what allows us to enter the US. However, the Mexican consulates in the US often (or always?) don’t accept that, and require that Canadians present a stamp that they received at the border when entering the US as their proof of being in the country legally. Normally when we enter the US, we don’t get a stamp or anything else. More than one Canadian has found that their first attempt was futile because they didn’t have that stamp, and they had to go back and re-enter the US so they could submit the “proper” proof of entering the US legally to the Mexican consulate.


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## mattoleriver (Oct 21, 2011)

Several years ago there was somebody on the west coast of Mexico doing some kind of homesteading. I can't remember which board she/he posted on and I haven't seen anything posted in many years. I think that the first community listed in the following link may be the property where that person lived. Anyway, there are a few possibilities of people doing some form of homesteading but most look to be communal living.




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Find Communities


Community Search Newest Communities | Recently Updated | Types | State/Country List | Maps | Advanced Search




www.ic.org


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## LiamHidalgo (Oct 21, 2016)

Memo Moringa is doing a type of homesteading, on the coast in Lo de Marcos, Nayarit:
Retired Cheap LIVING ON $25 A Day : Lo de Marcos Jalisco Mexico (YouTube video)

He's written a book:
Moringa of Mexico: Tropical Life Riviera Nayarit (Amazon link)


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

There also was a woman who worked a ranch on the coast not far from Tuito Jalisco.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Actually Tango I am very interested in all that information. I know there are twists on the law in every state .
Our house in Jalisco is in both our name , we are both naturalized Mexicans and the notary told me we had a 4million pesos each exemption . Now I do not know what happens when one person dies. Maybe that is why your notario wants to act very quickly. ..
I will ask the notary in Jalisco specifically what happens in case of the death of one of us two. I vaguely remember a lawyer telling me it was in our interest to sell when we had 2 owners.. but I have to check.
Here, in Jalisco, if you fall under the 8 million between us two we do not have to worry about the itemized expenses but if we do . we need facturas. 
I believe people with permanent visas can get the exemption, I do not know about Temporary. In Jalisco. the notary did not make a big deal about the nationality and the SRE permit.
When I put the papers in order , like you , I did not find the original deed, it was 2 years after we bought when I realized the tax bill was incorrect. I asked the agency and they found the deed in their safe, they never had given it to us. They also applied for the SRE permit in both our names so I did not know it was necessary to have one.. That was 20 years ago.

In CHiapas I bought a ruin in my name because I was told by the notary that if I was married the property was half my husband´s wether he was on the deed otr not. and that the SRE permit showing a 50% ownership could violate our marriage contract. I am still scratching my head on this one. Because we were under community property in California and France , I thought we were under community property but we were married in Alabama and are married under separate property so that is another hick up.. It gets crazy with 3 countries involved.

In France the notary ruled that after one year in Alabama and 30 in California , the California rule prevail but in Mexico they only look at the original paper and we are married under Alabama law.. 
To make a long story short I only get a 4million exemption on the Chiapas house if I sell it 3 years before or after the property in Jalisco.. and my husband gets it as he is the beneficiary.
That is where I had the discussion with the notary about the exemption as he did not think I should be entitled to it because I had and SRE permit and therefore was a foreigner. I showed him my INE and passport andtold me he could not force me to claim the French citizenship as it was illegal and he seemed to have backed up but if I sell I sure will make sure to get a notary to agree before I accept the notary chosen by the buyers. I also have to have facturas to prove my expenses , he will not budge on that one which is huge because I bought a tear down and built from scratch.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Thanks Maesona.. it will explain some of the weird time some Europeans living in CHiapas are given at the Guatemala border..


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Miguel O
I just ran into a group of about 15 people who bought private land in a village in Chiapas and live in a comune,. I visited their place and it was very interesting. Met some interesting and nice people.. I ll get their e-mail and ask If I can share it with you. Right now no signal there.. I am supposed to se them again so will send you the info when I get it.. They have lived where they are for 10 years on 2 hectares and have some 60 hectares in an area adjacent to the Triunfo reserve which is a wonderful place that they plan to develop at a later date. They were Spaniards, French , German, Mexicans , American and not sure what else. They lived on their land , had good relation with the villagers nearby. The villagers are indigeneous, mostly religious refugies who were expulsed from their village. The area or this particular group maybe of interest to you. The name of the comunity is Inla Kesh check www,inlakeshchiapas.org
They do have internet but no signal for phones


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## MiguelO (Jul 16, 2021)

citalali
Thank you kindly for your follow-up. I have been so busy lately and sure did not mean to neglect anyone's constructive and valuable input, and am sure others after us may also benefit. I am interested in such groups as long as they are not of the esoteric hippie-type "intentional communities", despite being all "nice people". But I understand that for an outsider with little experience in such things, they may at first superficially look very similar. The fact that they have lived there for 10 years with good relationship with the indigenous villagers nearby is surely a good sign (most intentional communities only last a short while). So I welcome your inquiry and putting me in touch with them. Also please feel free to contact me privately especially if you are interested in this path - finding self-sufficient communities that grow organically from the grass roots and endure - in modern vernacular some call it "social permaculture", but actually it is about reestablishing "traditional communities" which by definition have lasting power both socioeconomically and environmentally.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I , I was not particularly interested in looking into such a comunity but I have nothing against them. I was involved in a natural dyes class for indigenous on the grounds of a hotel in San Cristobal when people visiting got very interested in what we were doing. One of the women started talking about the project when I realized she was a ceramist and I was looking for someone willing to tech 3 women from a potter community the wheel. So she told me she was interested and would go with me to one of the meeting yesterday and on the way back she asked me if I was interested in seeing her community. I was curious because I had nver gone past the main road in that communtity so I accepted and thought about you. The group does not allow alcohol, marijuana or other drugs. I had lunch with them and some were interested in finding artisans to work with them on their project and since I have know many great artisans so it worked out well but I have no experience with that type of lifestyle so I could not really advise you o n this.. THey have bought land in a couple of places and develop these 2 hectares, have a good relation with the community which in Chiapas is not so easy for a group that different,,, so I thought they could give you their take on settling in Mexico.
I will try to get an email from them. Since there is very little signal it is not that easy to contact them. I will be back in the are next week so I will try to get an email between now and then so that you can comuncate with them.


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