I went into Progreso at about ten this morning and drove around in circles for a bit near the INM office looking for parking. Like many Mexican cities, Progreso is a maze of one-way streets so it’s not hard to get out of your way while being a block from your destination! Once parked, I immediately went to a little photography studio near the INM office so I could get the necessary pictures taken.

They were going to take about 15 minutes to process, so I went up the street to the Santander bank. When I came back, I was told there was a problem with the printer and someone was working on it. Just as I was going to give up and ask if there was another studio I could try, the issue was resolved. The photos were only $25!

It was then a block’s walk to the INM office…

…where I was told they’ve been having trouble with their system for a few days and that they would call me when they could process my fingerprints. Finally, something goes wrong! 😀 I was bummed because I’m on a tight work schedule this week, but I figured that if I was in Progreso, I might as well bite the bullet and go to Aduana to see about preserving the TIP deposit on my truck and making it legal for the next year. This is where the post gets “fun.”

Again, my disclaimer:

Please do not take the following information as being generally valid and legally binding advice. This is just my own personal experience and knowledge. I will not answer specific questions about the Mexican immigration process or temporary vehicle import because I am not qualified to do so.

As way of background, again, Mexico is quite particular about foreign plated vehicles coming into the country. You therefore have to import them temporarily according to the length of your stay. Only visitors and temporary residency holders can have a foreign plated car in Mexico. Those with permanent residency status or citizenship are not allowed to have a foreign plated car in Mexico.

Because I was only granted a 30-day entry with my residente temporal visa, I was only able to import my truck for 30 days. At the end of that 30 days, my truck would be here illegally and I would lose my 200USD deposit on it. You are supposed to extend your temporary import permit (TIP) once you get your temporary residency card. The catch is that it is just about impossible to get the card before the deadline to extend your TIP comes up . There is a 15-day grace period to get legal, so that tends to be enough time, but you lose the deposit.

The advice I found to preserve the deposit was to go to Aduana (customs) at every step of the journey to getting your residency card and advising them of each minor update. Because I’m doing immigration out of a small office, I knew things would move quickly and going to Aduana up to five or six times would be a waste of my and their time. I was also given conflicting info that there is absolutely no point going to Aduana until you have your residency card in hand. I decided to go to the halfway point of both points of view and go to Aduana once I had in hand proof that my temporary residency was granted.

Last night, I made copies of the following:

-the letter from INM confirming that I’m officially a temporary resident;

-all the documents I got from Aduana/Banjercito when I crossed the border (including the official-looking thing the holograma is stuck to before you peel it off and stick it on your windshield);

-my passport;

-my vehicle registration.

And I’m pretty sure I had more in there, but that was the bulk of it. I also painstakingly wrote a letter explaining what I wanted them to do. I found a template for that, but modified it significantly since I saw glaring vocabulary errors in it that didn’t make me trust it too much. So I’m not even going to share the link to it.

My hosts explained to me how to get to Aduana and boy was I grateful for that because it was very intimidating! First, they said to find and follow a big truck as it would very likely be going to Aduana. Solid advice! I got to the entrance with no issues. I then had to present myself at a control checkpoint.

There, I was asked my purpose for going to Aduana and to present my passport, driver’s license, and the documents I was going to show Aduana. The guard understood what I wanted and he went through my papers. I heard him say, “Perfectisimo,” sounding impressed, under his breath. This boded well! He then explained to me that I had a long drive ahead of me, that there would be three different speed limits, and that I could not pass other cars. Then he cleared me to go.

He wasn’t kidding about the long drive!

Aduana was on the wrong side of the median and I missed my turnoff. F&V warned me that if I did that it would be a mess to sort out. So with traffic being non-existent, I just turned around and drove the wrong way back to the turnoff. 😀

I went into the Aduana building and was greeted by a surly guy at a desk. I explained what I wanted and asked if I was at the right place. He said yes, but didn’t volunteer any other information. Undaunted, I pulled my wad of paper out of my folder and presented it to him. We exchanged more words and then he took my letter from INM and went to another room. When he came back, he had me sign in and was quite snippy when I didn’t understand all his instructions. Bring a Spanish-speaking friend if you’re going to do this. I rather wished I’d had one! I was then told to sit and wait.

It wasn’t long before a smiling woman came to see me! I again explained what I wanted and she went through all my paperwork, handing back whatever she didn’t need. Finally, she sighed and said, “Sorry, you’re missing a…” All I caught was “comprobante” (receipt or voucher) and “domicilio” (residence). My brain pedalled hard and I blurted out, “Proof of residency, like a water bill?” She said yes. I dug into my folder and pulled out the water bill V&F left for me that they said I would need a lot and for which I should have had copies. I was very annoyed with myself that I’d come all that way and would have to come back for my lack of foresight.

Well, the woman took the document, examined it, smiled even more brightly, and said, “Let me go make a copy.”

THANK YOU.

Don’t ever take for granted that copies will be made for you. This is the third time I’ve been caught without a necessary copy and only the second that Aduana took care of it for me.

When she came back, she bundled my paperwork, had me fill out a few small forms, then took my forms to another desk to be stamped and processed. She then handled me a bundle and said to come back next Monday between eight and three to get my “results,” which I’m hoping means the necessary paperwork to be legal till next year!

I remain amazed that my language skills are sufficient to do this stuff. If your Spanish is poor or non-existent, do yourself a huge favour and get a “fixer” to help you out that will save you lots of frustration. Also, copy everything you’re given and all your official documents and proofs of identification, keeping them in a folder that you should have with you at all times. From the stories I’ve read, being caught without a copy of something is the main reason why people end up having to do multiple trips, whether it be to INM, Aduana, the bank, vehicle licensing, etc.

Okay, back to work I go. It’s going to be a late one again since I suspect I’ll be back at INM tomorrow!

One of the really complicated things about bringing a vehicle into Mexico on a temporary residency visa is preserving your deposit with Aduana (customs) and Banjercito. I am going to write in greater length about that once I’ve been through the process. But at any rate, I decided that I should start the ball rolling on that tomorrow, so I went back to the INM website tonight to print out the page that shows that I’m approved for temporary residency.

There, I found quite a surprise.

There was a notice for me to download a PDF. I did so and was startled to get a scan of a very formal letter complete with stamps, seals, and signatures, confirming the approval of my request to transfer my 30-day entry into a 1-year temporary residency card.

The following happened when I opened the PDF:

1. The text swam before my eyes after I saw the header that my case was approved.
2. I took a deep breath and started to read.
3. I burst into tears when I realised that I  not only understood what I was reading, but that this was Good News.
4. I cried for a bit,then went outside and did a happy dance with the dog.

I hadn’t even realised that I’d been thinking of the possibility of a worst case scenario of my application being denied at this stage!

At this point, the hard work from an immigration standpoint is done. Next year, I need to renew my card for a further three years and then I’m done with INM except for an address change until I convert to permanent residency. After a year of permanent residency, I can choose to begin the process of naturalisation (acquiring citizenship).

This felt suspiciously easy…

I think that several things worked in my favour:

1. I was able to exceed the requirements for acquiring a residente temporal visa.
2. I speak Spanish, so I was able to do my own research as to requirements and procedures (I think those who don’t speak Spanish are mad to try to do this alone and should pay for a “fixer” to help them as that will save them so much time!).
3. I was able to do the final steps at a small immigration office (I hear things move much more slowly at the Mérida office).

I should have the residency card itself in the next couple of weeks, at which point I am going to open a bank account. I also want a Mexican driver’s license at some point, but as long as I’m driving a Canadian-plated car, I’m not in a rush to do that. The final thing I will do and what reader Peter is giddy to hear about is getting Mexican health insurance. All will be revealed in due time! 😀

I really needed groceries today and if I was going out, I figured I might as well go to Progreso and check out the Soriana there as well as Waldo’s for a few household things I’m missing. It’s a pretty quick and easy drive into Progreso from here, but I have to say I couldn’t believe how much busier Chelem was today than it was on Friday at the same time! I almost changed my plans since there was so much activity, but, again, I really needed groceries beyond what I could get at Willy’s!

I dropped the truck at Soriana and walked the kilometre up the road to Calle 27 to the Waldo’s. This lighthouse (?) was the most interesting thing I passed.

Right at the corner of Calle was a man selling coconut ice cream, so I treated myself to a big one ($20) and then just wandered down Calle 27 past the Waldo’s while I enjoyed it. There is a cinema right by the Waldo’s that I’ll need to check out.

Waldo’s had no surprises. Most of the things I wanted that they had were of too poor quality for a permanent purchase, but I was happy to pick up soap, shampoo, and four colourful plastic tumblers for just $30 when I’d budgeted $20 for two.

I then headed back to Soriana and was not impressed by it at all. It’s very small and pitiful. I’ll have to check out the “Aki” store next time. The Aki I went to in Mérida last February was definitely better than the average Soriana. My love affair with Soriana appears to be coming to an end. When the stores are good, they’re great, but they’re often so mediocre.

At any rate, I got some groceries and then decided to go back to Bodega Aurrerá, which is literally across the street. There, I was able to pick up two pretty plates and bowls, a good big metal colander, and a good cheese grater, plus a cutting board and a water pump.

The lighting in here isn’t good, but you’ll just have to trust me that the coral and blue dishes look smashing together and much more vibrant in real life. 🙂 I can cut directly on the counter (as well as set down hot pots), but I figured a cutting board would help keep me containerised for easier sanitation purposes. I love its pretty pink colour. It’s so easy to find colourful things in Mexico, and often in many hues and shades, so you can get nice dark roses and corals instead of just baby and hot pink!

I came in, put everything away, played with the dog, and had a swim. Time to get back to work. I am going to finish late tonight because of my excursion!