# Studying in Mexico and driving across the border



## MattK (Dec 6, 2010)

I will be taking a “Spanish for Foreigners” course at UANL in Monterrey during the spring semester and staying with friends in Santa Catarina. I’ll be driving down from Wisconsin and plan to take my car into Mexico. Is going through Laredo the best route? 

Also, I want to make sure that I have everything in order before I go. I already have my passport. Can I get the paperwork for my car and my visa processed at the Mexican Consulate in Chicago?

Lastly, the school has told me that they will help me get my student visa once I am there. It seems backwards to me that I cannot get this done before I go, but my contact at the school assures me that this is how it is done. Since I will be 1000 miles away from home, I want to make sure that I have all of the necessary documents with me. The website for the Mexican Consulate in Chicago states that I will need “a letter of financial solvency issued by a bank typed on the bank’s stationery, duly notarized, stating that the applicant will receive the amount of at least $300.00 US dollars, monthly, aside from tuition”. Can this be a notarized bank statement? I also need a notarized statement from the police department stating that I have no record. This part seems pretty standard, but I want to make sure that there are no details I have overlooked in this. Has anyone gotten a student visa in this way or does anyone have any pertinent experience with the intricacies of obtaining a student visa in Mexico?


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

You may obtain your 'importada temporal' for the car from 'Banjercito' online. However, the immigration system changed in May, 2010 and you will now enter on an FMM permit, obtainable at the border. 
Then, follow the lead of your school in getting a visa, if you intend to stay more than 180 days. That process must now be done in Mexico, starting online at the INM website.
See the index page for more information.


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