Menaje de Casa

[Francis]

Originally Posted by Kami

Best of luck to you! Do you have an FM3 already?

No, we plan on starting the process in August for a retirement FM3. How long did it take you to get yours?

I still have to decide whether to use an attorney in Playa (Claudia Ozuna) or do it myself from the consulate here.

[Kami]

Originally Posted by Babaloo

what kind of FM3 did you get?
I've heard of getting retirement FM3s stateside...but a working FM3?

I have the working one, the one that says visitante no inmigrante con actividades lucrativas.

It was difficult to get this one even though we already had the company incorporated. I guess that they wanted us to own a company but not work in it!

[Kami]

Originally Posted by Francis

No, we plan on starting the process in August for a retirement FM3. How long did it take you to get yours?

I still have to decide whether to use an attorney in Playa (Claudia Ozuna) or do it myself from the consulate here.

I had an attorney do it for me. He started last November or December and we had approval for them by February but did not actually go to get them until March. They gave us a little grief about getting a working visa even though we own a company there but eventually it all worked out for us. I don't think that I could have conquered the task of doing it myself.

[Babaloo]

Originally Posted by Kami

I had an attorney do it for me. He started last November or December and we had approval for them by February but did not actually go to get them until March. They gave us a little grief about getting a working visa even though we own a company there but eventually it all worked out for us. I don't think that I could have conquered the task of doing it myself.

Did you do this in Mexico or the US?

[Kami]

Originally Posted by Babaloo

Did you do this in Mexico or the US?

I did it in the US. There is an attorney that I found that lives in Austin that is licensed in Mexico City (he and family owns a law firm in Mexico City). I chose him because he was so close to Dallas but was licensed to practice law in Mexico. He is not licensed in the US but acts as a foreign legal advisor to US people wanting to do business in Mexico. He also teachs at UT Austin. We paid $1500 per visa and $1500 to incorporate the company. He's done several other things for us, charging us for some and nothing for others.

[Babaloo]

Originally Posted by Kami

I did it in the US. There is an attorney that I found that lives in Austin that is licensed in Mexico City (he and family owns a law firm in Mexico City). I chose him because he was so close to Dallas but was licensed to practice law in Mexico. He is not licensed in the US but acts as a foreign legal advisor to US people wanting to do business in Mexico. He also teachs at UT Austin. We paid $1500 per visa and $1500 to incorporate the company. He's done several other things for us, charging us for some and nothing for others.

$1500 for your visa? yikes!
And you got it in March and it expires when?
I've heard differing statements that the first one last 6 months and others have stated it last one year.

[Kami]

Originally Posted by Babaloo

$1500 for your visa? yikes!
And you got it in March and it expires when?
I've heard differing statements that the first one last 6 months and others have stated it last one year.

I know...it was a little expensive to go through him but I did not really know any differently at that time. Our visas states that it is good for one year.

[Kami]

Originally Posted by Babaloo

$1500 for your visa? yikes!
And you got it in March and it expires when?
I've heard differing statements that the first one last 6 months and others have stated it last one year.

By the way...are you there on an FM3? I did not know if it was pretty much the same process for a retirement FM3 versus a working FM3

[Libby]

About planning your route, give your husband this link to the SCT website, Mexico's dept. of transportation. Rutas Punto a Punto

Input a starting city, ending city, and up to 2 intermediate points, and you'll get a route, driving distances, driving times and tolls. In case your Spanish isn't up to snuff, Estado Origen means Originating State. Estado Destino means Destination State. Ciudad means City. To include intermediate points, click by where it says 'Si requiere agregar puntos intermedios en la ruta'.

Make sure to pad the driving times it gives you though. Unless you are very familiar with the route and do not hit much traffic, you'll find SCT's estimates quite optimistic.

I also recommend that you get a Guia Roji atlas. In my experience, they are the most accurate. Ours was invaluable.

[Kami]

Originally Posted by Libby

About planning your route, give your husband this link to the SCT website, Mexico's dept. of transportation. Rutas Punto a Punto

Input a starting city, ending city, and up to 2 intermediate points, and you'll get a route, driving distances, driving times and tolls. In case your Spanish isn't up to snuff, Estado Origen means Originating State. Estado Destino means Destination State. Ciudad means City. To include intermediate points, click by where it says 'Si requiere agregar puntos intermedios en la ruta'.

Make sure to pad the driving times it gives you though. Unless you are very familiar with the route and do not hit much traffic, you'll find SCT's estimates quite optimistic.

I also recommend that you get a Guia Roji atlas. In my experience, they are the most accurate. Ours was invaluable.

Thanks Libby. That is very useful information. I'm also going to put this link on our website for future reference for others.

[jamnkats]

Originally Posted by Kami

Ya...he bought a map but I'm guessing that it may not be correct. He or I will search and search every trip report out there from people that have driven it just to get as many tips as possible. We're pretty adventurous and will not be in too much of a hurry.

The key to driving in Mexico (well, ONE of many) is to completely disregard number signs. Know the town you're heading to (it will generally be an obscure town in the interior, but they're pretty good at putting large towns on the signs on the East coast) and use that as your guide. The number signs are to be disregarded as they will make little sense to anyone who is used to US or Canadian highway signs. The Guia Roji is a decent guide, but again, you really can't rely on any maps 100%. Enjoy the journey and don't focus on the destination. Well, that's how we do it.

Here are more maps if you like getting off the cuota (we always drive the libre) Map of Mexico Directory - 4,000+ pages of mexico maps with 2,500+ still, ipix and panoramic mexico pictures including mexico weather! just click on the state you're interested in.

[Kami]

Originally Posted by jamnkats

The key to driving in Mexico (well, ONE of many) is to completely disregard number signs. Know the town you're heading to (it will generally be an obscure town in the interior, but they're pretty good at putting large towns on the signs on the East coast) and use that as your guide. The number signs are to be disregarded as they will make little sense to anyone who is used to US or Canadian highway signs. The Guia Roji is a decent guide, but again, you really can't rely on any maps 100%. Enjoy the journey and don't focus on the destination. Well, that's how we do it.

Here are more maps if you like getting off the cuota (we always drive the libre) Map of Mexico Directory - 4,000+ pages of mexico maps with 2,500+ still, ipix and panoramic mexico pictures including mexico weather! just click on the state you're interested in.

Thanks for the link. I'll pass it on to Dave.

[Babaloo]

Originally Posted by Kami

By the way...are you there on an FM3? I did not know if it was pretty much the same process for a retirement FM3 versus a working FM3

No..i'm still on my FMT.
They give me 6 months and I head back to the States at least that often so it's no problem. Yet.

[Kami]

Originally Posted by Babaloo

No..i'm still on my FMT.
They give me 6 months and I head back to the States at least that often so it's no problem. Yet.

I wished I could have done that but I suppose there are hassles either way.

[skytx]

Kami, I am in the process of getting my FM 3 and Menaje. Is there somewhere on the web where I can find the format for the spreadsheet?

[Kami]

Originally Posted by skytx

Kami, I am in the process of getting my FM 3 and Menaje. Is there somewhere on the web where I can find the format for the spreadsheet?

I was not able to find a standard form online but I have the spreadsheet used by the Dallas Consulate. PM me with your email address and I will email it to you if you'd like.

When are you moving to Playa? Are you moving for work?

[surfnmom]

Originally Posted by Francis

Thanks for clarifying! I'm sure I would have missed that one.

BTW did anyone here ever decide to just pay the import tax instead of getting a Menaje de Casa? Maybe it's less complicated? I think all we'll have is clothes and about 10 boxes of stuff.

We came across without FM3s, 2 cars (one for my husband to claim and one for me to claim...you each get one), 2 large SPCA mutts and 2 kids and we skipped the menaje de casa. We were coming for an extended "vacation"...the reason for all of the clothes & stuff. With the help of my inlaws who have lived here for about 10 years we "packed smart" by putting a DVD player in the bottom of a box and then putting clothes on top. Your typical order and packing system was out the window. Shoes with battery charges in them, electronics inside of a crockpot with more clothes around it. Then in the car, anything of value was the first thing in and then covered by all of the other boxes.
We got red lighted twice and they started going through a few boxes saw mostly clothes and toys for the kids and said we were fine.
With tinted windows on the van I don't think they could see the dogs b/c we never got asked for papers on them.
The remote start on your car is a WONDERFUL thing! A few places we were able to sneak the dogs in and be fine. Anywhere you asked about pets they all said no. We cranked the AC at night and would wake up every few hours to turn the car back on and the dogs did fine.

Good luck!