# FM3 renewal -- new rules?



## elchante

RVGringo, i'm starting a new thread because i'm not absolutely CERTAIN that this is correct. feel free to move/edit as desired. 

my FM3 is up for renewal in mid-June, which means i start the process very shortly, in mid-May. yesterday my expediter in Jocotepec (whom you know, RV) told me that the only documents i need to provide for the renewal are my passport, my current FM3, and my proof of residence (i.e. CFE bill). 

when i asked him about the usual three months of bank statements, he said they are no longer necessary. that the process has been made easier. does this sound right? has anyone renewed their FM3 since the changes in the immigration rules? 

thanks!


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## sparks

No income proof for renewals is what I've heard from 2-3 people. For a new FM3 I don't know


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## RVGRINGO

We're all hearing the same, so it may actually be the case. You, Elchante, will know a week or so before we do, so let us know all the details of your process.
We're anxiously awaiting personal experiences and details.


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## RVGRINGO

At a meeting in Chapala, INM today told us that such proofs are only required on new applications, not for the normal renewals; ie; initial application and every five years.
You may go to the INM or INAMI websites and do a dry run on the process; in Spanish only at this time. See the Updated Immigration Procedures thread on this forum.

INM is also learning the new ropes, so have patience. However, you can do it yourself, online and then take the documents required for your procedure to Guadalajara. Note that the SAT forms aren't online yet, so get them at INM, go to the bank & return to present your documents. No more service in Chapala for an indefinite period.


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## elchante

good to know, RV, and i guess i'll find out within the next couple of weeks when i try to get my FM3 renewed (year 3) using only passport, current FM3, and proof of residence! frankly, i hope they DO do away with the bank statement requirement. i always feel a little nervous about turning over that information to anybody...including the gub'ment. 

i'll be using an expediter, as i said, and will let you know how it turns out.


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## elchante

update on my FM3 renewal (third year): i brought my passport, FM3 booklet, and CFE (electric) bill to my facilitator a couple of weeks ago. a few days later, i got an e-mail message from the facilitator's office to come in and sign the paperwork, which i did. 

this past friday, i got another e-mail message from them saying that i need six pictures (size, infantile; 3 facing forward shots, 3 right profile shots). i was also told that the facilitator's people will need to take me to Guad for fingerprints and "signatures." so it appears that i will be getting one of the new FM3 cards instead of the booklet. as to income proof, i have still not been asked for it, but think i will take along the last three month's bank statements, just in case, since a friend told me that her facilitator told her they were needed. sounds like folks are still a bit confused about the new rules. 

anyone gotten the new FM3 card?


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## RVGRINGO

Your facilitators are confused & it would have been easier without them. No, you don't need financial proofs for renewals until the next five year period starts.


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## elchante

okay, folks, i have my FM3 CARD in my hot little hands! went to Guad today to pick it up. here's a timeline of how this happened:

here's how it went for me. on monday, may 17, i dropped off my passport, my FM3 booklet, my CFE bill (in the name of my landord), and a copy of my lease (which shows i'm good until mid-september, 2010) at my facilitators in joco (snip), and paid my total fees ($1794MX -- $1294MX for the renewal and $500MX for his services). NO bank statements. 

on friday afternoon, may 21, i got a message from the facilitator's office that i needed to come in and sign the papers. i went in on saturday morning, may 22, and signed the papers. on friday, june 4, i got an e-mail from the facilitator's office that said i needed six photos, infantile size, color. three front views and three right profile pictures, all taken at a studio. on monday, june 7, i got the pictures taken in Chapala.
on friday, june 11, i got a message from the facilitator's office saying i could go with them to Guad on tuesday, june 15, to pick up my FM3 card. and that's where i went today. (in the meantime, i had been reading all the conflicting information on various weboards about what type of pictures, whether proof of income is required, etc.) by the way, this is my third year renewal for my FM3. 

this morning (june 15), i went to the facilitator's office at 10am. with one of his assistants, i completed another form (i think it's called the FM1 -- it asks about where you lived and worked in the US, etc.), and i handed over my photos. jorge's helper printed out the document from INM online that gave us the "number" for my renewal. then i received my passport back and we went to Guad. at the IMN offices in Guad, we stood in line for approximately 25 minutes. (there are no numbers to take; you just stand in line to the immediate left of the entrance door.) 

when we got to the desk, the clerk asked for the pictures, the completed FM1, and the document that jorge's assistant had downloaded. she then went off in search of the original paperwork. (took a long time.) when she came back, she had me fingerprint my two thumbs. attached two pictures (one front view, one profile), and sign the "number" paperwork acknowledging that i was going to receive a CURP number. 

eventually (long time) she had it all entered into the computer and printed out by FM3 card, to which she attached another front view photo. she then laminated it and i got my FM3 card!

i will add this: the clerk at INM didn't really seem to entirely know what she was doing. there was a supervisor (i'm guessing) sitting right next to her the entire time and answering questions. i asked the supervisor whether color pictures were necessary or was it okay to have black-and-white pictures. (i have friends who had been told they had to have black and white.) she said either was okay. (now, i'm guessing that's gonna change at some point, because the INM rules definitely say color.) what is vitally important is that you have infantile size pictures because one of the front-facing pictures HAS to fit on the new card. anything larger will not fit! 

again, remember, this was MY experience at the Guad office! yours may vary.


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## RVGRINGO

Good report, although using a 'facilitator' caused you a bit of extra running around and added expense.
The new system is intended to make things easier and you can do it yourself. At the moment, it does seem that everyone is on a new 'learning curve' but I expect that it will be smooth going by next year's 'prorroga' (renewal).


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## elchante

RV, i don't really feel that my facilitator caused me any extra running around. i did have to drop off the documents to start the process, but he let me do that in joco rather than driving into ajijic to do it. (i live on the southside of lake chapala, so that's a considerable time saver for me.) and i did have to return to joco to sign the papers. however, i did not have to make the first trip to Guad with that documentation and sit and wait to be called to turn it in. from my house on the southshore to the Guad INM office would probably have taken me close to three hours, just in travel time....not counting the time i would have had to spend at the INM office. and that's just for the first trip. 

for the second trip to Guad to pick up my actual FM3 card, i probably spent about the same length of time using the facilitator that i would have spent if i had done it on my own. perhaps a bit longer because there were two of us with facilitator. that added about 25-30 minutes to the time spent at the desk at IMN. however, i saved some time and money by not having to worry about finding a parking place near INM. 

for ME, it was worth the $40US ($500MX) that i spent on the facilitator's services. (although i understand that that is considerably less than most people here are paying their facilitators to do the same things mine did.) will i do it myself next year? probably.....assuming that things are running more smoothly at INM! and it will be even better if the Chapala office is up and running.


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## elchante

oh, and as an aside, INM issued me a CURP# (somewhat similar to a US social security number). i had not had one previously and it appears like that all of us in mexico (locals and foreigners alike) will eventually have to have one. the CURP number is actually on my FM3 card now.


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## RVGRINGO

From your location, you did save a trip and, yes, we're all anxious to have the Chapala INM office established; but holding our breath that long might be futile.
There was a campaign in 2003 for everyone to get a CURP and we got ours back then. Anyone who does not have a CURP may go to their 'registro publico' and obtain it easily. If you can read Spanish, it can be done online on the government website. You can then print the CURP document.


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## dinqro

Although I haven't been through the 'official' new process, I handled my own 'FM3' renewal a mere week before the transition. I was very very surprised as I took all of the regular documents in for renewal and while they took my bank statements they didn't even look at them.

I had my FM3 renewed on the spot with no delay or anything. The lady at the immigration office checked my letter, my current FM3, and utility bill and unstapled the booklet and printed the prorroga text inside, had it signed, re-stapled it and gave it back to me. I asked her completely flabbergasted if I'd have to return, she said no and handed me the paper saying I'd paid, and my updated FM3, and that was it. 

So I assume they are already in a way practicing the new procedures, and from the look of it were NOT looking at bank statements.


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## Starseed

*Photos for FM3 renewal*



elchante said:


> okay, folks, i have my FM3 CARD in my hot little hands! went to Guad today to pick it up. here's a timeline of how this happened:
> 
> here's how it went for me. on monday, may 17, i dropped off my passport, my FM3 booklet, my CFE bill (in the name of my landord), and a copy of my lease (which shows i'm good until mid-september, 2010) at my facilitators in joco (snip), and paid my total fees ($1794MX -- $1294MX for the renewal and $500MX for his services). NO bank statements.
> 
> on friday afternoon, may 21, i got a message from the facilitator's office that i needed to come in and sign the papers. i went in on saturday morning, may 22, and signed the papers. on friday, june 4, i got an e-mail from the facilitator's office that said i needed six photos, infantile size, color. three front views and three right profile pictures, all taken at a studio. on monday, june 7, i got the pictures taken in Chapala.
> on friday, june 11, i got a message from the facilitator's office saying i could go with them to Guad on tuesday, june 15, to pick up my FM3 card. and that's where i went today. (in the meantime, i had been reading all the conflicting information on various weboards about what type of pictures, whether proof of income is required, etc.) by the way, this is my third year renewal for my FM3.
> 
> this morning (june 15), i went to the facilitator's office at 10am. with one of his assistants, i completed another form (i think it's called the FM1 -- it asks about where you lived and worked in the US, etc.), and i handed over my photos. jorge's helper printed out the document from INM online that gave us the "number" for my renewal. then i received my passport back and we went to Guad. at the IMN offices in Guad, we stood in line for approximately 25 minutes. (there are no numbers to take; you just stand in line to the immediate left of the entrance door.)
> 
> when we got to the desk, the clerk asked for the pictures, the completed FM1, and the document that jorge's assistant had downloaded. she then went off in search of the original paperwork. (took a long time.) when she came back, she had me fingerprint my two thumbs. attached two pictures (one front view, one profile), and sign the "number" paperwork acknowledging that i was going to receive a CURP number.
> 
> eventually (long time) she had it all entered into the computer and printed out by FM3 card, to which she attached another front view photo. she then laminated it and i got my FM3 card!
> 
> i will add this: the clerk at INM didn't really seem to entirely know what she was doing. there was a supervisor (i'm guessing) sitting right next to her the entire time and answering questions. i asked the supervisor whether color pictures were necessary or was it okay to have black-and-white pictures. (i have friends who had been told they had to have black and white.) she said either was okay. (now, i'm guessing that's gonna change at some point, because the INM rules definitely say color.) what is vitally important is that you have infantile size pictures because one of the front-facing pictures HAS to fit on the new card. anything larger will not fit!
> 
> again, remember, this was MY experience at the Guad office! yours may vary.


By right profile, were you facing to the right or to the left when your photo was taken? I'm getting mine taken today, and just want to make sure that I get it right! Thanks.


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## Starseed

By right profile, were you facing to the right or to the left when your photo was taken? I'm getting mine taken today, and just want to make sure that I get it right! Thanks.


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## RVGRINGO

The photo will be of the right side of your face: Right profile.


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## Starseed

Thanks so much for your quick reply, I really appreciate it!


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## Starseed

Exactly how much did you have to pay in fees without counting the facilitator fees? Would you happen to know if there is any discount for couples? Thanks again.


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## RVGRINGO

No, there is no discount for couples. In fact, all applications and requirements are now strictly individual.
Our renewal fee was $1294 pesos, each, I think. The photo studio charged about $125 and miscellaneous costs amounted to another $110 pesos, or so.
You must have all of your documents, payment receipts, applications and copies completed before visiting the INM offices. If you can't do it yourself, find a bilingual person to help you. It is all rather easy and much, much faster than before.

NOTE: Nowhere on the card does it say 'FM3'. Those terms are still used internally within INM, but are on the way out. Your card simply states your 'Calidad' as, 'No Inmigrante', or, 'Inmigrante', etc., and then your 'Modalidad', as 'Rentista' or whatever else is appropriate. Those situations are determined by how you answer the questions in the online 'interview' which creates the application.


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## cheldear

I was perusing the new website for FM status. Did anyone see the request for FM3 by way of "requesting a family member to come live with you?" It's in the other part where an employer or other fills out the form to sponsor someone for an FM3.

There are three options when filling out the part of sponsorship, I believe.

1. You are a company sponsoring someone
2. You are sponsoring yourself (you are an entity unto yourself, I think that this is here and not on the other side where you fill it out for yourself)
3. You are inviting someone to live with you (this is the one my aunt had never heard of)

This is not the area where you fill it out for yourself for your own FM3; this is the area where the sponsor fills the form out for sponsoring you.

My aunt is Immigrada, and she indicated that this is new to her. She has been here 20 years, and she has never heard of that for the FM3. In 20 years, she has helped so many people get their FM3s, and she has only heard of getting an FM3 through work.

Does anyone have any information on this?

But there is also the area on the site where "employers" can go to to fill out forms online for those whom they are "sponsoring", and there is an option there indicating that you are "inviting someone to come and live with you."

RVGRINGO, are you familiar with this? If so, do you know what this is about? Do you know if the fact that my Aunt has been Immigrada for over ten years or more would make a difference for me? 

Thanks in advance!


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## RVGRINGO

Sorry; I've never heard anything about 'sponsorship' of any kind. A company simply confirms their need for an employee and the fact that they will be hired. That's as close as possible, but they don't sponsor or guarantee the person.
You might do a dry run on the INM website and see if you can discover such a situation as you describe.


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## cheldear

Thanks RVGRINGO!


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