# Playa del Carmen



## mbster54 (Jan 11, 2022)

Hi..this is the 1st group I saw on a Google search...so here goes..
I'm planning on spending a month or two in July and August this year to check out if I want to make digs in this area.
I've lived in Costa Rica for 8 years and also Dubai.
My plan is to rent...with my dog ,...a spot in town for a week or 2.. then begin a hunt for long term accomodation.
Can any long timers give me some advice, sarcasm, gritty repartee , or something else to go on.
I'm pretty sure I can figure it all out,...but just wanted to start communicating with the folks that be
Thanks for listening. MB


----------



## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

That is about the right way to go about it. If you have flexibility in your schedule, I'd push for early July rather than August, or even June, as the later you go the more you are getting into high season. You may be able to lock up a better 1-year deal if high season is months away and the landlord has no renters in sight. 

Are you coming to stay, that is, once you get here you won't be traveling back to wherever? Getting a dog across the border adds extra hassle, there are people on here who know those ropes, (although maybe covid changes what they know), but if your plan involves flying back and forth across the border a couple times, I'd kennel the dog wherever it is until you have things set up and can only travel with him/her once.

Do you have the visa/residency thing all researched and figured out or were you planning on coming in on a tourist visa and figuring out the other stuff later?


----------



## mbster54 (Jan 11, 2022)

eastwind said:


> That is about the right way to go about it. If you have flexibility in your schedule, I'd push for early July rather than August, or even June, as the later you go the more you are getting into high season. You may be able to lock up a better 1-year deal if high season is months away and the landlord has no renters in sight.
> 
> Are you coming to stay, that is, once you get here you won't be traveling back to wherever? Getting a dog across the border adds extra hassle, there are people on here who know those ropes, (although maybe covid changes what they know), but if your plan involves flying back and forth across the border a couple times, I'd kennel the dog wherever it is until you have things set up and can only travel with him/her once.
> 
> Do you have the visa/residency thing all researched and figured out or were you planning on coming in on a tourist visa and figuring out the other stuff later?


I will come on a tourist visa, and get residency sorted if I decide to stay. Thanks for the heads up with the dog, I know several countries ie: Nicaragua etc. ,. You can't take dogs back and forth. Good advice about high season, I'll take it into consideration for sure. Thanks for your helpful response


----------



## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Note: You must apply for residency visas at a consulate outside of Mexico; probably right where you are now. It is not something to 'sort out later'.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

RVGRINGO said:


> Note: You must apply for residency visas at a consulate outside of Mexico; probably right where you are now. It is not something to 'sort out later'.


I think it is okay to 'sort it out later'. There is little point in going through the work of getting a visa until someone is sure they want to stay for an extended period of time. But you are correct in pointing out that, if they later want to convert to a visa, they will have to leave the country to do so.


----------



## mbster54 (Jan 11, 2022)

RVGRINGO said:


> Note: You must apply for residency visas at a consulate outside of Mexico; probably right where you are now. It is not something to 'sort out later'.


I will be a tourist, and don't know if I will be moving permanently. Calm down. I don't need residency for a months stay.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

mbster54 said:


> I will be a tourist, and don't know if I will be moving permanently. Calm down. I don't need residency for a months stay.


RVGRINGO doesn't need "to calm down". He's just giving you the benefit of the knowledge he gained from many years of living in Mexico.


----------



## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

I've no personal experience but more and more often I see reports (on Youtube for example) that Mexico and some other countries are 'cracking down' on the length of tourist visas. When talking to the immigration officer and you mention that you will be staying at such and such hotel for a two week vacation you just might get entry for something like 21 (or less) days. Perhaps research it for yourself. When we got our RP status at the consulate (years ago) it was not all that expensive and it really was just one visit.


----------



## timmy45 (Mar 22, 2021)

mbster54 said:


> Hi..this is the 1st group I saw on a Google search...so here goes..
> I'm planning on spending a month or two in July and August this year to check out if I want to make digs in this area.
> I've lived in Costa Rica for 8 years and also Dubai.
> My plan is to rent...with my dog ,...a spot in town for a week or 2.. then begin a hunt for long term accomodation.
> ...


It is true that visa must be initiated at the consulate outside the US. The tourist visa works fine for a limited time visit but I would certainly not count on using it as a long term solution. Having gone through the permanent residency process 3 years ago, I believe that the key to being successful in obtaining permanent status is an absolute knowledge of the financial requirements and getting your financial documentation in order well ahead of time. 

At present you are fine doing an extended visit of 3-4 months to check out the idea of living permanently. But, I suggest doing your research about the financial requirements before just so you know that you can qualify if it is where you want to settle. It seems to me that too many people are looking for a dream retirement location at bargain basement rates because they have not done adequate financial preparation. If you have not done your financial planning and preparation, you may find that MX will not let you stay. 

So, do BOTH things and you will be able to evaluate the MX experience knowing that you can do it if you desire. Very thrilled and happy in Merida......


----------



## kphoger (Apr 22, 2020)

MangoTango said:


> I've no personal experience but more and more often I see reports (on Youtube for example) that Mexico and some other countries are 'cracking down' on the length of tourist visas. When talking to the immigration officer and you mention that you will be staying at such and such hotel for a two week vacation you just might get entry for something like 21 (or less) days.


Hehe... My experience is that border agents don't like having to change the date on the rubber stamp if they can help it. It makes them have to do math and then remember what it was set to beforehand.


----------



## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Timmy makes a good point. Because some of the ways of qualifying for residence require you to have had money sitting in the same account for a year, and paper statements to prove it, you should figure out now how you are going to qualify for TR or PR and start collecting the statements. If you blow the whole issue off until you want to get residency, you may find you need to spend another year doing border runs on a tourist visa. If you aren't going to have the financials to qualify, and figure that out now, it may change your whole plan.

Also be advised that at least some landlords will not rent to people who are on tourist visas (although a 2-month security deposit paid in cash often goes a long way to smoothing that out - everything is negotiable).

As for the date stamp, I thought the stamp was always set to 'today' and they don't write the deadline on the FMM, they just write the number of days. Am I misremembering? It's been a few years...


----------



## kphoger (Apr 22, 2020)

eastwind said:


> As for the date stamp, I thought the stamp was always set to 'today' and they don't write the deadline on the FMM, they just write the number of days. Am I misremembering? It's been a few years...


Ah, no, I think you're correct. Digging into my memory a little deeper, the date stamp issues I've run into involved (1) the agent not having changed the stamp since the day before, resulting in a big to-do at the INM office to get the expiration date fixed, because as a rule they never just throw one FMM away and start over; (2) the FMM counting the following day as 'Day 1' but the TIP counting the issuance date as 'Day 1', which results in the expiration dates being off by one day, which mattered at the time because I was getting a 7-day FMM for a 7-day trip; and (3) the agent not having gotten both stamps out of the drawer yet that day.


----------

