# US residency



## raeernisse (Aug 12, 2014)

My wife and I are moving to Puerto Vallarta in June. We will not have a home in our current state of Missouri. So for filing income taxes, renewing credit cards etc. what is considered our state of residency? I know some have suggested using another family members address, but if not that, what do people do? Thanks.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

Jalisco.............


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

raeernisse said:


> My wife and I are moving to Puerto Vallarta in June. We will not have a home in our current state of Missouri. So for filing income taxes, renewing credit cards etc. what is considered our state of residency? I know some have suggested using another family members address, but if not that, what do people do? Thanks.


There are several ways to go: 2) be honest, admit where you live to your various institutions and some of them may throw you off the bus. In that case, you'll need to establish an account at a Mexican bank, get their debit card and be able to pay your bills easily.
The Social Security Admin will send your checks to the Mexican bank if you request it.
If you already have your main funds in a U.S. investment institution, chances are they'll keep you. The above choice has worked for me.

2) do a "workaround" by using someone else's address in the U.S. and hope this doesn't go sideways on you. This does work for many people.
Many people sign up with a mailing system (like Mail Boxes etc.) that gives them a Texas address for their official mail. That mail is then forwarded to their local mailing service.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

We lived in Chapala for 13 years and used a mailing service with a Laredo, TX address; the most recent one being Sol y Luna Logistics, which has a website. We maintained our banking with our US bank (USAA) and did all banking online. They knew our residence was in Mexico, but our Mailing Address was Laredo. We did no active investing; just checking, savings and money market accounts. Never did use a Mexican bank. We bought homes and cars with either direct transfers or plastic, with a one day removal of the daily limit pre-arranged with the bank. We believe in keeping things simple and safe.


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## raeernisse (Aug 12, 2014)

What about drivers license?


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

raeernisse said:


> What about drivers license?


I have a US drivers license which I got using a friend's address. I think I had an envelope or something that had been addressed to me there. I also have an Jalisco driver's license that I got with my real, Mexican, address on it. When renting cars in the US, sometimes the US license raises fewer questions, but I have rented cars in the US with the Jalisco license. I also rented a car once in Mexico. I don't remember which license I showed them, probably Jalisco.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

We had fresh TX licenses when we moved to Mexico. We were able to renew them once on a trip north, then once online. Mine will expire Sunday, but I have not been able to drive lately, so for me it is moot. Also, those things are harder to renew now, so you should plan on getting a license in Mexico before your current one expires. It will also be good everywhere.


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## WintheWin (Jul 15, 2015)

Some states will allow you to use a US PO Box for a "mailing address…"
That's what shows up on the actual Driver's License.
I believe you have to put a "personal/living address" for the DMV records, but that's not printed on the card, to the best of my knowledge.

For tax purposes, I put my residency in Mexico, even though I work in the states.

That way, I don't have to pay the ACA tax, don't need to maintain 'minimum coverage' in the states, or none of that hoo haa.


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## sixcats (Aug 1, 2015)

raeernisse said:


> My wife and I are moving to Puerto Vallarta in June. We will not have a home in our current state of Missouri. So for filing income taxes, renewing credit cards etc. what is considered our state of residency? I know some have suggested using another family members address, but if not that, what do people do? Thanks.


What I know :
- we use our Mexican address (actually our Mexican PO Box) on our US Federal taxes. 
- we have a Bank of America credit card which has our Mexican street address as the primary address.
- we have moved ALL of our retirement accounts to Schwab - who has no problem with our Mexican residency. They have also given us a debit card with no foreign transaction fees, reimbursed ATM fees and a very decent exchange rate.
- When we left the US we switched our temporary mailing address to a friend's address (different county from where we had been living). The supervisor of elections picked up on that and switched our official address to their's (the county building of the supervisor's office). I believe we can only vote on senatorial and presidential candidates.
- We have a US driver's license which is good until 2020. We have a Mexican driver's license which was a breeze to obtain.
- We have accounts with 2 Mexican banks (for diversity) and 2 Mexican investment firms. I like to have some money close - just in case.

What I think :
- I believe Missouri has a state income tax - which you may not avoid by moving to Mexico. We moved from a state which had no state income tax so it was not an issue for us .

Edit : To be honest - we felt a little uncomfortable imposing on our friend for a US address. That and she is 10 years older than us. We may have 1 or 2 accounts we still have to change over to our Mexican addresses - but our friend is no longer receiving our mail.


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