# trying to get to finish line...



## Guest (Sep 14, 2010)

hi am new here! 

I found this site through googling info on web. I was wanting to know if the security personell ask for your tourist visa at the border. Since it is expiring I am hoping to get there before that happens. 

thanks so much


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

If you presently have a tourist permit (FMT or FMM), it became invalid when you left Mexico. You just ask for a new one when you re-enter.
If you have an FM3, FM2 or the newer 'credencial' card, you should have had it stamped out when you left Mexico. If you didn't, you should just come back in with it and, if asked, tell them you didn't know. The worst thing that will happen is a small fine. Don't try to come back on a tourist permit if you already have one of the above visas.
If you have an FM3 or FM2 and it has just expired, you could be fined, but go immediately to the INM office at your destination and apply for renewal. Some have the necessary computer and printer available for your use under the new system. If not, prepare your online application, print it, get your other documents in order and present yourself for renewal. Things are quicker and easier now, but also more strict.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

I assume you are on a 180 day tourist visa and hope to get to the border before it expires. No they don't check you as you leave. It's up to you to turn the visa in. If you're driving you definitely have to turn in your auto permit.


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## Guest (Sep 14, 2010)

*sigh of relief*



sparks said:


> I assume you are on a 180 day tourist visa and hope to get to the border before it expires. No they don't check you as you leave. It's up to you to turn the visa in. If you're driving you definitely have to turn in your auto permit.


oh good I was thinking that they would. I so need to time to get the money to get back and surely not the worry hehe!


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## tcreek (Sep 13, 2010)

If you are taking a bus North, all buses must stop at a immigration check point. There is a 1% chance it will be waived through. Once stopped there is a 10% chance the immigration officer will not check you. 

Otherwise everyone is asked to present proof of nationality (and Mexico calls Arizona Racist and NAZI for doing the same?). Mexico is cracking down on people coming into and out of their country. Slowly, I see it becoming more like the US in this regard.


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## Guest (Sep 15, 2010)

tcreek said:


> If you are taking a bus North, all buses must stop at a immigration check point. There is a 1% chance it will be waived through. Once stopped there is a 10% chance the immigration officer will not check you.
> 
> Otherwise everyone is asked to present proof of nationality (and Mexico calls Arizona Racist and NAZI for doing the same?). Mexico is cracking down on people coming into and out of their country. Slowly, I see it becoming more like the US in this regard.


ok. thank u so much. I realize that I need to get to border before my visa expires and I have all that I need to show my nationallty (passport and birth certificate) I may even take a plane since I am pregnant going far far away and its a better price than a bus. So please I could use a wish right now lane:


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## Guest (Sep 15, 2010)

tcreek said:


> If you are taking a bus North, all buses must stop at a immigration check point. There is a 1% chance it will be waived through. Once stopped there is a 10% chance the immigration officer will not check you.
> 
> Otherwise everyone is asked to present proof of nationality (and Mexico calls Arizona Racist and NAZI for doing the same?). Mexico is cracking down on people coming into and out of their country. Slowly, I see it becoming more like the US in this regard.


Yep, Im going far north to where its cold and its ok its like the desert here where I am now :tongue1: I sure dont want to take a risk, I am counting down the days and hoping. I now know how a foreigner feels and its not fun at all, id rather be in usa its not as easy you think those who want to come to mexico. I would definitely get tourist visa first before deciding on anything.


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## ptrichmondmike (Aug 26, 2010)

Jya3V said:


> Yep, Im going far north to where its cold and its ok its like the desert here where I am now :tongue1: I sure dont want to take a risk, I am counting down the days and hoping. I now know how a foreigner feels and its not fun at all, id rather be in usa its not as easy you think those who want to come to mexico. I would definitely get tourist visa first before deciding on anything.


Well, all I've got to say is I hope you get home safe and sound. Not your cup of tea, obviously...


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## Guest (Sep 20, 2010)

*Yeah but its more difficult to adapt especially now...*



ptrichmondmike said:


> Well, all I've got to say is I hope you get home safe and sound. Not your cup of tea, obviously...


Well I havent seen everything. Sometimes you dont always get what you want or you do and and its not what you expected. I just need to give it time, things can get better. It just makes it worse when you are pregnant and its rather uncomfortable. But baby is ok


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## ReefHound (Aug 9, 2010)

tcreek said:


> If you are taking a bus North, all buses must stop at a immigration check point. There is a 1% chance it will be waived through. Once stopped there is a 10% chance the immigration officer will not check you.
> 
> Otherwise everyone is asked to present proof of nationality (and Mexico calls Arizona Racist and NAZI for doing the same?). Mexico is cracking down on people coming into and out of their country. Slowly, I see it becoming more like the US in this regard.


We usually drive into Mexico these days - 5 times so far this year - but until a few years ago we regularly took the Mexican buses from Houston. Various companies at various times. On the return home we were never stopped or checked by Mexican immigration officials, only on the U.S. side by U.S. Customs and they couldn't care less about your FMM.

If you know for a fact this has changed, please tell us exactly where they are stopped and checked for the border cities where you have firsthand knowledge.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Nobody will stop you on the way out of Mexico to check your credentials. It is your responsibility to have your 'no inmitrante' or 'inmigrante' visa stamped, if it is an old FM3 or FM2. Otherwise, you will fill out an FMM for the record and keep part of it until your return. If you are traveling with an FMM, you may turn it in at INM. Neither customs nor bancercito are concerned with these matters; only INM.


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## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

This may clear up the VISA question ( from Mexico Aduana ):

Who requires a visa?

Tourist Visa

You will need a visa if you are a citizen of:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algiers, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Congo, Rep. Dem (Zaire), Cote d'lvoire, Croatia, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, North, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Palestine, Papua New,Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Dem. Rep., Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Salomon Islands, Sao Tome and Principe., Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles Islands, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Stateless Persons, Sudan, Surinam, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, The Bahamas, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Western Samoa, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Citizens of the following countries do not require a visa:
Andorra, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong*, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Monaco, Norway, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Uruguay, United States of America, Venezuela.


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## mexliving (Mar 30, 2009)

you can go to your local imigration office and they will give you an extencion..... an official letter.... no cost


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Mexlliving,
Please provide the source for your information, as INM tells me that they will not extend FMT or FMM tourist permits. One must leave the country before they expire. Naturally, there are exceptions for serious emergencies, such as hospitalization as the result of an accident.


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## tcreek (Sep 13, 2010)

The back side of the new FMM has a box on it indicating "Extension of stay" with number of days to be filled in.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Remember, the FMM is a multiple purpose form. Generally, we are talking about its use as a tourist permit, but there are many other uses for the FMM. I'm certainly not familiar with them all, beyond the extension for a health emergency, which would obviously make use of that box.
So, let's not attempt to argue the point. The simple fact is that I have been informed by the chief of INM in Guadalajara that one must leave the country before it expires. Of course, that assumes the physical ability to travel. If you 'screw up', INM has a facility on its website for you to 'regularize' your status. If done in a reasonable period of time, it may involve nothing more than a stern lecture and a fine. The other extreme is deportation, which is usually swift; you may not get to retrieve your belongings.


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