# Living and working in Mexico with my wife



## ametisto (Sep 9, 2010)

Hi, 

This is my first time in this forum and I really tried to find answers to my questions but unfortunately to no avail. So please don't kill me if some (or all) of my questions have been asked before. 

My wife and I arrived in Mexico the day before yesterday. I am going to work as an English teacher at university. My wife is not planning to work at the moment (though she might want to later). We entered the country on a 180 day tourist visa. 

Questions:

1. Should I apply for a FM2 or FM3 visa? We're not sure yet if we want to stay here permanently, but we don't want to rule it out either. Am I right in thinking that I might as well apply for FM2? What's the difference?

2. Can I include my wife in my visa application? Or does she have to apply separately?

3. So far I have organised apostilles for the following documents: My university certificates (MA and BA), my international birth certificate and our marriage certificate. Does my wife need her birth certificate apostilled, too? Are there any documents, which we are missing?

I really appreciate all your answers. I didn't have much time to do research since I took the job at a very short notice. Four weeks ago it hadn't even crossed my mind to move to Mexico and now we're here already with about a million questions on our minds. 

Thanks, 

Dan


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## ametisto (Sep 9, 2010)

Another question:

Can I buy and register a car here while still on a tourist visa?


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

ametisto said:


> Hi,
> 
> Questions:
> 
> ...


You will probably get a lot of reaction to this, but I will start. The University should be able to help you with a visa. It is not legal to work while here on a Tourist visa. 

There are three differences that I know of between the FM-3 (now called no inmigrante) and the FM-2 (now called inmigrante).

1. Fee for inmigrante is higher

2. Inmigrante has restrictions on how much time you can spend outside of Mexico. Essentially you have to be in Mexico more than half time.

3. After 5 years on an Inmigrante visa you are eligible for permanent inmigrante status. So you don't need to apply, and pay for, annual renewals.

I hope someone will correct me if I got anything wrong.

Will


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Tundragreen is correct: You may not work without the express permission of INM. If you wish to stay, you must apply for a visa within 30 days of your arrival in Mexico, even though the FMM permit is good for 180 days. The visas, no inmigrante or inmigrante, do have income requirements, etc. So, you should visit INM online and begin the process. (INM.gob.mx and look for 'tramites migratorias'.) Your employer must support you in this process and will also be required to submit documents, tax information, etc. If you don't read Spanish, you will need help from a bilingual person, probably provided by your employer. You apply for separate visas, but one spouse may be the dependent of the other. I'm not sure if she'll need an apostile for her birth certificate; maybe just an official translation. You should ask your employer to help her also.
You may purchase a car but you won't be able to register it until you have proof of residence and, probably, a visa. I'm not certain about the visa, but we did use ours to buy a car.

Welcome to Mexico. Enjoy your new job and your new adventure.


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