# Rollybrook's latest on INM forms



## RVGRINGO

With thanks to Rolly, his site provides the latest June, 2010 information on the new immigration forms:  INM Forms


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## sailorsloopy

I checked that (rolly's site) right before I went to renew my FM-3 again. Only issue I had were the passport photos. Without thinking about it, I had them made in the U.S. Obviously, these couldn't be used in MX as smaller ones are needed. But, overall, this time was probably the easiest of all. The new card, replacing the booklet, is much better. Checking on their website was new, also.


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## TundraGreen

Rolly's site was updated on 9 May 2011.


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## zookerz6

The information about what to enter on the online INM form (formato tramites de estancia) did not fly at my local immigration office in Sonora.

I am attempting to switch from FMM to FM3. I began the process at a consulate in the US. Upon arriving down here, I handed them my cover letter and the printed form on which I had chosen "REALIZAR ACTIVIDADES DIFERENTES A LAS AUTORIZADAS" and then "CAMBIO DE CARACTERISTICA MIGRATORIA"

The official said that was wrong, and I need to select "CANJE O REPOSICION DE FORMA MIGRATORIA"
He didn't mention which option to choose on the sub-menu (and there was no computer in the office, so I had to go home to do this, only to realize I now have to choose between 'canje" and "reposicion"

I'm completing it two separate times online, once with "canje" and once with "reposicion" in the hopes that one or the other will satisfy them tomorrow.

He also told me all I need is that (correctly completed form), the form from the consulate, my passport, and three copies of the first page of my passport plus three copies of the visa they pasted into my passport. I find that hard to believe, but he said after giving them those things I could return shortly to receive a one-year non-inmigrante visa.


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## TundraGreen

zookerz6 said:


> He also told me all I need is that (correctly completed form), the form from the consulate, my passport, and three copies of the first page of my passport plus three copies of the visa they pasted into my passport. I find that hard to believe, but he said after giving them those things I could return shortly to receive a one-year non-inmigrante visa.


I suspect that after you return with those, they will want some photos and a bank receipt showing you paid the fee. Good luck.


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## RVGRINGO

In his case, all the fees would have been paid at the consulate. He is simply registering and will get the new visa card. He will need the appropriate photos and proof of address.


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## zookerz6

RVGRINGO said:


> In his case, all the fees would have been paid at the consulate. He is simply registering and will get the new visa card. He will need the appropriate photos and proof of address.


Thank you for your quick reply I *suspected* I would need the photos (infantil), plus my carta de residencia and CFE bill.

I had almost decided not to get the photos today since he said I wouldn't need them tomorrow....anything they can do to make you come back one more time. Like they're madly in love with you and just can't let you go


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## conklinwh

RVGRINGO said:


> With thanks to Rolly, his site provides the latest June, 2010 information on the new immigration forms:  INM Forms


The last update on the Rollybrook site was May. Has there been anything on the latest changes. I thought there was to be something in September/October.


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## RVGRINGO

New rules, to comply with the May 24th, 2011, law changes, were to be in place within six months, but they won't make it. So, be patient. The latest word is, "early next year." (after January, 2012)


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## dstan

*FM3 changes yet?*

Can anyone give me an update about the implementation of changes to the FM3 immigration status? Do the old forms still work? And finally, what paperwork will I need besides photos? thanks


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## RVGRINGO

Go to the INM site, online, and begin the process. The 'old rules' are still being used.


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## dstan

RVGRINGO said:


> Go to the INM site, online, and begin the process. The 'old rules' are still being used.



thank you. any chance you can send the link? I hope there is a translated version.


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## RVGRINGO

I think you'll have to do your own translation of the pages, but here's where you start:
Trámites - Instituto Nacional de Migración
If you don't have Spanish, then a bilingual friend would be able to help.


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## bougainvillea

RVGRINGO said:


> New rules, to comply with the May 24th, 2011, law changes, were to be in place within six months, but they won't make it. So, be patient. The latest word is, "early next year." (after January, 2012)


I am hoping to retire in Mexico and would like to get there by the end of this year....2012. Are your references current? I know Mexico well,have driven all over the country, lived there as a teenager, and have lived in Guatemala, Chile, Spain and Italy as well. I speak fluent Spanish, among other languages.

But I am flummoxed and TOTALLY intimidated by the immigration requirements. I want to spend a year or two in temporary rentals in a couple of places that I am interested in....notably Cuernavaca and Oaxaca.....before I import a big household-worth of furniture. But my "retire in Mexico" books are all 12 years old and apparently outdated. The information I have says that you have to bring in your furniture within three months of getting your FM3. I want two years before doing this! What on earth does one do?

Does one get the FM3 in the States?.....or in Mexico?.....before going?....or after you get there? The consulate is an hour's drive from where, so it's not terribly convenient.

Also......I need to find expats who can evaluate Cuernavaca versus Oaxaca. I have decided against San Miguel de Allende and have no interest in the beach places or Lake Chapala. I am a retired landscape architect. 

Where to start?

Thanks


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## conklinwh

1st, the pre-2011 regulations as shown here are still in place. FM3 isn't the real present term but will do. The consulate can't do much for you so not useful. Best is to cross, go to immigration and get an FMM. This is good for 180 days. Then use this to get a temporary car permit, also good for 180 days. They will now charge you a refundable deposit of $200-400US based on age of the car in addition to the permit fee. These will get you to your location. The decision of whether to convert the FMM to an FM3 when you arrive has a number of pieces with probably the 1st being do you plan to return to the US within 180 days. If so, you might want to stay on FMMs for your trial period.
If you do decide to convert to FM3 then you will need to do so via the local immigration office. What I don't know is how much they in force the 3 month limit under the new rules.
Most people here sort of ignore it. I was told by Mexican Consulate that if concerned, let the FM3 run out and start a new one but that is sort of a logistical nightmare.
If you do decide to convert to an FM3, you have 15 days to take the FM3 and your temporary car permit to an Aduana office that is authorized to extend, or mail. Immigration will know the closest. If you don't do this, you forfeit your deposit.


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## RVGRINGO

The old FM3 visa is now called the No Inmigrante Credencial.
Never let it expire. You lose your car deposit the following day & will also be subject to fines upon return. You must be in Mexico for renewals, within 30 days before expiry date. So, plan for that. There is no other way.
Shipping household goods is now more of a hassle than ever, and more expensive than ever. I don't recommend it. 
I spoke with an INM agent today, on the occasion of our renewal, and there is now no prediction for the new 'rules' to be published by congress. Maybe never. Federal elections occur in July, so President Calderon's new law may never see daylight.


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## conklinwh

RV ******-Thanks for crisping up my use of not present term for FM3 and logistical nightmare if FM3 expires.


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## bougainvillea

conklinwh said:


> 1st, the pre-2011 regulations as shown here are still in place. FM3 isn't the real present term but will do. The consulate can't do much for you so not useful. Best is to cross, go to immigration and get an FMM. This is good for 180 days. Then use this to get a temporary car permit, also good for 180 days. They will now charge you a refundable deposit of $200-400US based on age of the car in addition to the permit fee. These will get you to your location. The decision of whether to convert the FMM to an FM3 when you arrive has a number of pieces with probably the 1st being do you plan to return to the US within 180 days. If so, you might want to stay on FMMs for your trial period.
> If you do decide to convert to FM3 then you will need to do so via the local immigration office. What I don't know is how much they in force the 3 month limit under the new rules.
> Most people here sort of ignore it. I was told by Mexican Consulate that if concerned, let the FM3 run out and start a new one but that is sort of a logistical nightmare.
> If you do decide to convert to an FM3, you have 15 days to take the FM3 and your temporary car permit to an Aduana office that is authorized to extend, or mail. Immigration will know the closest. If you don't do this, you forfeit your deposit.


Yikes. The last time I drove down to Mexico (2004) I got the car sticker and a tourist card at the consulate. Or maybe it was just the car sticker. Anyway, I had no trouble, drove all over Mexico for two months and came back. I was thinking of moving down then......but didn't. Now, I think I'd really like to move to Mexico.....but I have a houseful of beautiful furniture and antiques and silver and a lifetime's worth of THINGS that I'd just as soon not throw out. The plan was to store everything for a year or two and go to Cuernavaca (or Oaxaca), or both) and just try it out for a while. I have lived for years in foreign countries, so I am no novice to all of this.....but Mexico seems to try to make it so hard that you just give up. I lived there in the sixties and loved it more than any other country in the world, but I was a teenager. And naive. I guess it has changed.

Anyway, I will study your reply and try to get a handle on all of this. Thanks so much for taking the time and interest to reply. 

Gracias!

The idea is to retire in Mexico


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## bougainvillea

RVGRINGO said:


> The old FM3 visa is now called the No Inmigrante Credencial.
> Never let it expire. You lose your car deposit the following day & will also be subject to fines upon return. You must be in Mexico for renewals, within 30 days before expiry date. So, plan for that. There is no other way.
> Shipping household goods is now more of a hassle than ever, and more expensive than ever. I don't recommend it.
> I spoke with an INM agent today, on the occasion of our renewal, and there is now no prediction for the new 'rules' to be published by congress. Maybe never. Federal elections occur in July, so President Calderon's new law may never see daylight.


Oh my. The idea was just to move to Mexico, drive the car there......and not come back, except on visits, and then by plane. I thought i'd just take the car in permanently, along with the cat and the dog. Nothing's ever easy.


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## conklinwh

You can actually get the car permit in advance by mail. A lot of people say very easy but I have always done at the border both in conjunction with FMM and with FM3. I would suggest looking at Mexican Insurance online in advance as you will have option to compare.


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## Isla Verde

bougainvillea said:


> I have lived for years in foreign countries, so I am no novice to all of this.....but Mexico seems to try to make it so hard that you just give up. I lived there in the sixties and loved it more than any other country in the world, but I was a teenager. And naive. I guess it has changed.
> 
> Anyway, I will study your reply and try to get a handle on all of this. Thanks so much for taking the time and interest to reply.
> 
> Gracias!


I don't know where else in the world you have lived, but I don't get the feeling that the Mexican government makes it that hard for people to move here from other countries, especially if they aren't going to look for work once they're here. Mexico has certainly changed since the 1960s, but some of the changes have been for the better!


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## bougainvillea

Still don't get the car deal......why does one have to make a deposit if one does NOT wish to bring the car OUT?

All things considered, maybe I should just get a tourist card and go in and out a few times before attacking all of this. It's the drive down there, alone, that is scary. Once, I don't mind. Having to do it repeatedly, alone, is fairly terrifying.


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## Isla Verde

bougainvillea said:


> Still don't get the car deal......why does one have to make a deposit if one does NOT wish to bring the car OUT?
> 
> All things considered, maybe I should just get a tourist card and go in and out a few times before attacking all of this. It's the drive down there, alone, that is scary. Once, I don't mind. Having to do it repeatedly, alone, is fairly terrifying.


I can't offer any advice about driving down. I always fly into Mexico City from the East Coast. If you don't like driving alone, maybe you could look for a congenial travel companion.


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## bougainvillea

Isla Verde said:


> I don't know where else in the world you have lived, but I don't get the feeling that the Mexican government makes it that hard for people to move here from other countries, especially if they aren't going to look for work once they're here. Mexico has certainly changed since the 1960s, but some of the changes have been for the better!


Good! I like hearing good news for a change.

My parents moved to Mexico City in the sixties and I went to high school at the American School there. Later, I lived in Madrid for a couple of years, then Chile and then in Rome for four years. Ten years ago I live in Guatemala for a year....Antigua. But nothing is like Mexico. I love it.


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## Isla Verde

bougainvillea said:


> Good! I like hearing good news for a change.
> 
> My parents moved to Mexico City in the sixties and I went to high school at the American School there. Later, I lived in Madrid for a couple of years, then Chile and then in Rome for four years. Ten years ago I live in Guatemala for a year....Antigua. But nothing is like Mexico. I love it.


You've had a very interesting (and peripatetic) life. When you lived in Europe, was it before the EU rules made it very difficult for non-EU citizens to live there for more than 90 days at a stretch? You were lucky to have attended one of the best, perhaps the best, private high school in Mexico City. What is it about Mexico that you especially like?


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## El Toro Furioso

The six-month window to move your personal possessions after getting an (formerly known as) FM3 or FM2 without paying duty can be sidestepped completely by hiring a bonded import company to handle the move from the US border to your Mexico destination. Known as "expeditors," they handle such things as film companies moving hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment in and out of countries while shooting movies. They also cost less than most international moving companies and have a very good record of belongings arriving at your Mexican destination intact. You sign a few papers agreeing to take your possessions with you when you (if ever) leave Mexico. The government has no way to determine whether you will ever comply with this stipulation. Once you have your things here, there will never be any repercussions, since there is no tracking of what you have brought in. It is all the responsibility of the bond-holder. There is one really good expediter in Laredo, TX who we used well after the time limits to bring all of our stuff in without a cent of duty. Think outside the box!


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## La Osita

El Toro Furioso said:


> The six-month window to move your personal possessions after getting an (formerly known as) FM3 or FM2 without paying duty can be sidestepped completely by hiring a bonded import company to handle the move from the US border to your Mexico destination. Known as "expeditors," they handle such things as film companies moving hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment in and out of countries while shooting movies. They also cost less than most international moving companies and have a very good record of belongings arriving at your Mexican destination intact. You sign a few papers agreeing to take your possessions with you when you (if ever) leave Mexico. The government has no way to determine whether you will ever comply with this stipulation. Once you have your things here, there will never be any repercussions, since there is no tracking of what you have brought in. It is all the responsibility of the bond-holder. There is one really good expediter in Laredo, TX who we used well after the time limits to bring all of our stuff in without a cent of duty. Think outside the box!


I'd be interested in knowing who you used. I have a friend who is contemplating a move but wishes to bring her belongings. Thanks.


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## FHBOY

itnavell said:


> I'd be interested in knowing who you used. I have a friend who is contemplating a move but wishes to bring her belongings. Thanks.


As would I, if you please. Thank you.


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## El Toro Furioso

itnavell said:


> I'd be interested in knowing who you used. I have a friend who is contemplating a move but wishes to bring her belongings. Thanks.


Elsa Adriana Gonzalez
General Manager
L & L Forwarding, Inc.
1802 Markley Lane
Laredo, TX 78041

Tel. (956) 726-9941/42

Fax. (956) 726-8186

[email protected]


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## La Osita

Thank you!


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## FHBOY

itnavell said:


> Thank you!


+1 thanx


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## bougainvillea

Isla Verde said:


> You've had a very interesting (and peripatetic) life. When you lived in Europe, was it before the EU rules made it very difficult for non-EU citizens to live there for more than 90 days at a stretch? You were lucky to have attended one of the best, perhaps the best, private high school in Mexico City. What is it about Mexico that you especially like?


Oh heavens. I lived in Europe in the late sixties and early seventies......a golden time. Spain was still cheap.......everything was cheap........and expat life there was fabulous. Ran with the bulls and everything. I basically wanted to be Hemingway. I would go back to Spain in an instant if everything in Europe hadn't gotten so expensive.........it's insane now. 

I've lived in Central America and South America and I thought that Guatemala would be like Mexico was in the fifties and sixties.......so I moved to Antigua about ten years ago. It's very charming, but it's not Mexico. The people, the color, the music, the history, the food, the cultural overlays, the spectacular art and architecture......there's just no place quite like Mexico. For one thing, there's no one playing guitars in the restaurants in Central and South America. I love that part of Mexico and the romance of it. As a photographer and landscape architect, the art, the gardens, the architecture of Mexico......it's magical. I just hope the drug dealers haven't ruined it for the rest of us. I haven't been there in eight years.


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## bougainvillea

El Toro Furioso said:


> The six-month window to move your personal possessions after getting an (formerly known as) FM3 or FM2 without paying duty can be sidestepped completely by hiring a bonded import company to handle the move from the US border to your Mexico destination. Known as "expeditors," they handle such things as film companies moving hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment in and out of countries while shooting movies. They also cost less than most international moving companies and have a very good record of belongings arriving at your Mexican destination intact. You sign a few papers agreeing to take your possessions with you when you (if ever) leave Mexico. The government has no way to determine whether you will ever comply with this stipulation. Once you have your things here, there will never be any repercussions, since there is no tracking of what you have brought in. It is all the responsibility of the bond-holder. There is one really good expediter in Laredo, TX who we used well after the time limits to bring all of our stuff in without a cent of duty. Think outside the box!


Thanks!! And yes.......I have investigated this before and dealt with a company in Laredo. There's more than one, as I recall.....glad to get the name of a dependable one....I'll use it. I was pretty sure that this was the way to go, and was hoping that things hadn't changed since the other times that I have investigated this move......late nineties and again around 2004. For others thinking of doing this, just remember that the Mexicans get really sideways about electrical items, so be sure that everything is USED and pack all electrical items together in case things have to be opened and inspected. There are books out there on retiring in Mexico that have lots of good information on this sort of thing. Mine are all from 1998 so they're out of date...........currently looking for new stuff.

thanks again........


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## bougainvillea

Isla Verde said:


> You've had a very interesting (and peripatetic) life. When you lived in Europe, was it before the EU rules made it very difficult for non-EU citizens to live there for more than 90 days at a stretch? You were lucky to have attended one of the best, perhaps the best, private high school in Mexico City. What is it about Mexico that you especially like?


..........and yes, The American School was wonderful. We had THE most wonderful teachers, and all of us who were there then still remember them. They were amazingly gifted teachers and just wonderful people. I wish I knew what had happened to them. And to my friends there...I've lost touch with most of them.

There was a British school during the same period that a lot of people thought was good, as well. I don't remember the name. But I spent the two best years of my entire educational career (junior and senior years) at the American School. I was editor of the school paper....so it was a special time for me. I loved it.......and I loved Mexico. i've been in love with it ever since.

But Mexico City was amazing then. Seven million people, not twenty five million, blazing blue skies, no smog, no traffic to speak of........just beautiful.


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## Isla Verde

bougainvillea said:


> ..........and yes, The American School was wonderful. We had THE most wonderful teachers, and all of us who were there then still remember them. They were amazingly gifted teachers and just wonderful people. I wish I knew what had happened to them. And to my friends there...I've lost touch with most of them.
> 
> There was a British school during the same period that a lot of people thought was good, as well. I don't remember the name. But I spent the two best years of my entire educational career (junior and senior years) at the American School. I was editor of the school paper....so it was a special time for me. I loved it.......and I loved Mexico. i've been in love with it ever since.
> 
> But Mexico City was amazing then. Seven million people, not twenty five million, blazing blue skies, no smog, no traffic to speak of........just beautiful.


I have a youngish Canadian friend who teaches at the American School, and she loves everything about it. I first spent some time in Mexico in the summer of 1966, between my junior and senior years of college, studying at the UNAM and, more importantly, learning to speak the Spanish I´d been studying out of books and in classes for many years. I had a fabulous time and, like you, fell in love with Mexico. The city was much nicer then, no smog, no Metro, little crime, and yes, in between the summer rainstorms, blue, blue skies. The city has changed, but I still love living here.


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## Longford

bougainvillea said:


> Seven million people, not twenty five million, blazing blue skies, no smog, no traffic to speak of........just beautiful.


I've either lived in Mexico City or visited it extensively for the past 19-years. Yes, many changes. There are now 8.5 million people in the city. About the size of NYC, I'm thinking.


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## bougainvillea

Isla Verde said:


> I have a youngish Canadian friend who teaches at the American School, and she loves everything about it. I first spent some time in Mexico in the summer of 1966, between my junior and senior years of college, studying at the UNAM and, more importantly, learning to speak the Spanish I´d been studying out of books and in classes for many years. I had a fabulous time and, like you, fell in love with Mexico. The city was much nicer then, no smog, no Metro, little crime, and yes, in between the summer rainstorms, blue, blue skies. The city has changed, but I still love living here.


Mexico City is still one of the greatest cities in the world, without doubt. I'd be interested to know what part of town you live in, as I heard from some friends of friends who live in Polanco that they are too frightened of the crime to go out of their houses at night!


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## bougainvillea

I'm confused. 8.5 million? Everything you read says that Mexico City has 22 to 25 million people.....and that no one really knows for sure.


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## Isla Verde

Longford said:


> I've either lived in Mexico City or visited it extensively for the past 19-years. Yes, many changes. There are now 8.5 million people in the city. About the size of NYC, I'm thinking.


La Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México o por sus siglas ZMVM, es el área metropolitana formada por la Ciudad de México y 60 municipios conurbados, uno de ellos en el Estado de Hidalgo, los restantes del Estado de México. Según los resultados del censo elaborado por el INEGI en el año 2010 esta zona contaba con una población de poco más de 20 millones de habitantes, tan solo en el Distrito Federal son 8,851,080 habitantes. Según datos de la ONU en el año 2012 es junto con la ciudad de Nueva York la tercera aglomeración humana más poblada del mundo.

Zona Metropolitana del Valle de México - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre


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## Isla Verde

bougainvillea said:


> Mexico City is still one of the greatest cities in the world, without doubt. I'd be interested to know what part of town you live in, as I heard from some friends of friends who live in Polanco that they are too frightened of the crime to go out of their houses at night!


I don't live in Polanco, that's for sure. A bit too posh for my budget. I do live in a nice area, though, a few blocks in back of the US Embassy, a section where all of the streets are named for rivers. I am certainly not afraid to go out of my house at night, though you won't find me strolling the streets after midnight.


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## bougainvillea

Isla Verde said:


> I don't live in Polanco, that's for sure. A bit too posh for my budget. I do live in a nice area, though, a few blocks in back of the US Embassy, a section where all of the streets are named for rivers. I am certainly not afraid to go out of my house at night, though you won't find me strolling the streets after midnight.


Glad to hear that......

You hear so many horror stories that it is enough to scare one off.

I think I even remember that area. I was only fifteen when I lived in DF, but I do remember streets. We lived way out in the Lomas......off of Reforma. Still so pretty there.....I drove around up there when I was there in '04. 

That was the last time that I saw Mexico City, and I got so irretrievably lost trying to get out of town and find the highway to Cuernavaca that I had to stop and ask a policeman for help. After a fifteen minute-explanation, he realized that I would NEVER, EVER find the highway so he got on his motorcycle, said "follow me" and guided me through miles and miles and miles and miles of a maze of streets until we got to the highway entry.....and waved me on with a smile. Things like that you remember.

That happened to me twice actually.......again when I was coming into town from Valle de Bravo. Things like that are why I love the Mexican people.


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## Isla Verde

bougainvillea said:


> Glad to hear that......
> 
> You hear so many horror stories that it is enough to scare one off.
> 
> I think I even remember that area. I was only fifteen when I lived in DF, but I do remember streets. We lived way out in the Lomas......off of Reforma. Still so pretty there.....I drove around up there when I was there in '04.
> 
> That was the last time that I saw Mexico City, and I got so irretrievably lost trying to get out of town and find the highway to Cuernavaca that I had to stop and ask a policeman for help. After a fifteen minute-explanation, he realized that I would NEVER, EVER find the highway so he got on his motorcycle, said "follow me" and guided me through miles and miles and miles and miles of a maze of streets until we got to the highway entry.....and waved me on with a smile. Things like that you remember.
> 
> That happened to me twice actually.......again when I was coming into town from Valle de Bravo. Things like that are why I love the Mexican people.


My neighborhood is pleasant and pretty quiet. There's nothing here to attract tourists, so only locals and their family and friends have occasion to visit. One reason I like living here is that it's centrally-located and near convenient public transportation, making it easy for me to get around the city. And it's quite safe, so my students don't mind coming to my place for classes.

I've found that sometimes people with lots to lose are those who are the most afraid of leaving their homes at night, like the people in Polanco you mentioned in another post. That's a lovely anecdote about the helpful policeman! Usually when you hear about encounters with the local cops, it's always about them trying to squeeze money out of an innocent motorist. Even in big bad Mexico City, nice things like that can happen.


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## bougainvillea

Isla Verde said:


> My neighborhood is pleasant and pretty quiet. There's nothing here to attract tourists, so only locals and their family and friends have occasion to visit. One reason I like living here is that it's centrally-located and near convenient public transportation, making it easy for me to get around the city. And it's quite safe, so my students don't mind coming to my place for classes.
> 
> I've found that sometimes people with lots to lose are those who are the most afraid of leaving their homes at night, like the people in Polanco you mentioned in another post. That's a lovely anecdote about the helpful policeman! Usually when you hear about encounters with the local cops, it's always about them trying to squeeze money out of an innocent motorist. Even in big bad Mexico City, nice things like that can happen.


Gosh.......I didn't know that Polanco had become such a high rent district. It was just an average neighborhood when we lived there. Interesting.

What do you teach?


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## Isla Verde

bougainvillea said:


> Gosh.......I didn't know that Polanco had become such a high rent district. It was just an average neighborhood when we lived there. Interesting.
> 
> What do you teach?


Parts of Polanco are quite posh, especially the area behind Chapultepec, others farther out not quite so much, but still somewhat exclusive.

I teach English as a Foreign Language and also do translations and _corrección de textos[/I, mostly for Spanish-speakers who write academic papers in English and need help getting their work ready for publication._


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## bougainvillea

That's quite a nice niche. Or perhaps nicho is the word....do they say that in Mexico?

Anyway, there used to be a hotel that I loved over by where you live. It was the Maria Cristina, and I must have stayed there a dozen times over the years. I think it was on Lerma. Do you know if it's still there? My books are all fifteen years out of date.

I'll be driving through Mexico City on my way to Cuernavaca and points south......


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## bougainvillea

What is "rolly's site?" I see you all refer to it.........could someone direct me to it?


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## conklinwh

bougainvillea said:


> What is "rolly's site?" I see you all refer to it.........could someone direct me to it?


Read the 1st post on the 1st page of this thread for the link.


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## bougainvillea

Thanks for noticing. I finally just googled "rollybrook" which you all keep talking about and I found several sites.....I will study them.
Gracias!


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## Isla Verde

bougainvillea said:


> That's quite a nice niche. Or perhaps nicho is the word....do they say that in Mexico?
> 
> Anyway, there used to be a hotel that I loved over by where you live. It was the Maria Cristina, and I must have stayed there a dozen times over the years. I think it was on Lerma. Do you know if it's still there? My books are all fifteen years out of date.
> 
> I'll be driving through Mexico City on my way to Cuernavaca and points south......


The word _nicho_ does exist in Spanish, but only in an architectural context. Here's what my favorite online dictionary has to say:

*Niche* (Archit) nicho m , hornacina f 
(fig) hueco m to find a niche for o.s. 
hacerse con una buena posición or un huequito 

I've never heard of the Maria Cristina, but it's still listed in my Lonely Planet from 2004. A lovely family-owned hotel in the same area that I always recommend to friends who are visiting Mexico City is the Casa Gonzalez on Rio Sena, a couple of blocks from Reforma.


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## bougainvillea

The Maria Cristina is a colonial style hotel, old style and very charming, with a terrific, wood-paneled bar that overlooks a small garden and was a gathering spot for local businessmen. It was inexpensive and I loved it. I worked for Pan Am in the late sixties....in the Houston office....and we all used to stay there on trips to Mexico. My 1998 guide books list it....I'll look for it online. I will also check out your Casa Gonzalez....thanks for the reference.


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## Isla Verde

bougainvillea said:


> The Maria Cristina is a colonial style hotel, old style and very charming, with a terrific, wood-paneled bar that overlooks a small garden and was a gathering spot for local businessmen. It was inexpensive and I loved it. I worked for Pan Am in the late sixties....in the Houston office....and we all used to stay there on trips to Mexico. My 1998 guide books list it....I'll look for it online. I will also check out your Casa Gonzalez....thanks for the reference.


You're welcome.


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## mjnelson99

*I got help with my INM forms*

I live in Quere'taro, and unlike San Miguel Allende, there are fewer English speakers here.

I found a guy with a small office close to the INM office whose profession is getting those various INM forms and requirements done. He takes care of the process up to the point of me going in with my original passport and getting my visa.

Fortunately, there is an accountant with an office in the same building who assisted with translating some questions for me.

What is nice about his office and the INM office is they are close to the Mercado de la Cruz so I also visit it. It is huge and takes most of a city block with various vendors.

Expats in San Miguel have it better in some ways. There are several people there who are bi-lingual to assist in completing the forms.


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## circle110

Just a reminder that Rolly Brook has PDFs of the translation of all the INM forms on his site. 

Using the translation you can fill them out for yourself even if you don't speak much (or any) Spanish and you save paying someone to do it for you. The process isn't complicated at all, so don't let it scare you even if your level of Spanish isn't very high yet.


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