# Menaje de Casa question



## wkelley (Mar 13, 2016)

We are planning to move to Queretaro this coming summer and I plan to apply for a Permanente Resedencial visa. From what I have previously read I thought we would not have to go to Mexico first to finalize the visa before bringing our household goods using a Menaje De Casa. Yesterday I read the Mexperience Mexico Immigration Guide which said I would have to go to Mexico first, finalize the visa(4-6 weeks in Mexico), and then import our household goods. Is this the current process? Does anyone have a recent experience of using the Menaje De Casa process?


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

You could bring stuff down as a tourist and go back to deal with the Visa. Realize you can't keep a foreign plated car with a Permanente 

I came down with a van full and they asked me what's in those boxes. I said old VHS tapes and was told to have a good trip


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## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

wkelley said:


> We are planning to move to Queretaro this coming summer and I plan to apply for a Permanente Resedencial visa. From what I have previously read I thought we would not have to go to Mexico first to finalize the visa before bringing our household goods using a Menaje De Casa. Yesterday I read the Mexperience Mexico Immigration Guide which said I would have to go to Mexico first, finalize the visa(4-6 weeks in Mexico), and then import our household goods. Is this the current process? Does anyone have a recent experience of using the Menaje De Casa process?


Is four years current ?

The day we went to the consulate to pick up our Permanent Resident 'pre-approval' we also brought along our prepared Menaje de Casa (our list was a single sheet of paper). In other words - we came to Mexico with our stuff on day one and never went back for it. It would have been hard for us to live without our stuff for 4-6 weeks - left alone make the drive twice.

This question came up a few years back on a different forum. Because we were about to be permanent residents our Menaje stated that the import of our goods was permanent. Apparently someone who had come in as a temporary resident had a Menaje which said they agreed to remove their goods when they left.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

It took me 7 weeks to get a Temporary Resident approval once I got to Mexico. It will depend on the INM office you deal with. Cancun was very busy and slow. You can search for a thread where I wrote up the whole experience in gory detail "getting my RT".

When issued, the Menaje de Casa is only valid for a short time. I can't remember whether they told me 15 or 30 days, but shorter than the 7 weeks. Because I was flying in, planning on going back for my stuff afterwards, I couldn't get the Menaje de Casa at the same time I got the visa pre-approval, or it would have expired before I could use it. 

In my case, most of my stuff is still stuck in storage in Laredo, Texas, because I haven't figured out how I'm going to move it here, and I don't know if I'll be able to go back and get a Menaje de Casa when I'm ready to bring my stuff in or not. I'm hoping that as long as I have a RT visa and have never been issued a Menaje de Casa that they will be willing to issue me one when I need it. If not, I'll have to try without one and see what happens. I'm kind of getting used to not having most of that stuff.


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

I have read of people who entered that initial time with their RT/RP pre-approval and menaje de casa. Since the menaje de casa has a time limit of less than the time needed to do final processing of the RT/RP I can't see how it could be done otherwise.

I have an interesting situation in that I will enter Mexico on an FMM in April and in May our baby will be born, making me eligible for RP which I can process without leaving Mexico via the "vinculo familiar". But... what do we do with our stuff between April and when we bring it all down sometime after May?
I have read that since my wife is a repatriating citizen, she has a right to a menaje de casa and we may use that route but I have to confirm that this is true.


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## Gatos (Aug 16, 2016)

circle110 said:


> I have read of people who entered that initial time with their RT/RP pre-approval and menaje de casa. Since the menaje de casa has a time limit of less than the time needed to do final processing of the RT/RP I can't see how it could be done otherwise.
> 
> I have an interesting situation in that I will enter Mexico on an FMM in April and in May our baby will be born, making me eligible for RP which I can process without leaving Mexico via the "vinculo familiar". But... what do we do with our stuff between April and when we bring it all down sometime after May?
> I have read that since my wife is a repatriating citizen, she has a right to a menaje de casa and we may use that route but I have to confirm that this is true.


This is going to be a wishy/washy response but I believe you are correct. I think the real purpose for a menaje de casa was to allow expatriated Mexicans the chance to return to Mexico with their belongings. My sense is that it morphed into something more.


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

Gatos said:


> This is going to be a wishy/washy response but I believe you are correct. I think the real purpose for a menaje de casa was to allow expatriated Mexicans the chance to return to Mexico with their belongings. My sense is that it morphed into something more.


I think you are right. So far, what information I have found bears this out.


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