Job Discussion Forums

salsera_africana · Joined: 30 Aug 2006 Posts: 11 Location: minneapolis, mn

Hi all!

I bet this question has been answered before, but I need some advice based on my given circumstance: I will be attending a 6-month social work training in Mazatlan starting in late Aug. (Aug 23 to February 23). After the training, I wanted to travel the country for a month. However, I have heard that you can only stay in MX for up to 180 days. (I'll be coming to MX by plane, so that means that immigration will stamp my passport for 90 days. I plan on renewing the visa for another 90 days before the first visa expires). What happens after my second visa expires? Could I just make a border run and come back to MX for another 90 days with no problem?

Also, I think buying a one-way ticket would be the smartest decision given that I don't know the exact date I plan on returning to the U.S. If I bought a one-way ticket would I have problems at the airport both to and fro? Anyone who has recently bought a one-way ticket, please comment.

Lastly, are there any sites online to get cheap tickets besides expedia, orbitz or priceline?

Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions!!!

Gary Denness · Guest

I've come in on one way tickets a couple of times, although usually the return is cheaper.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

jillford64 · Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 397 Location: Sin City

I've entered Mexico several times on a one way ticket. I've never been asked to show a return ticket even when I had one.

hlamb · Joined: 09 Dec 2003 Posts: 431 Location: Canada

I've never had a problem with one way tickets either.

Gregor · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 842 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

I've heard that there are problems taking a one-way flight from the US since 9-11, but that said, I took one-way flights to Vietnam and to China, both last year, both from Portland, Oregon, with just a small amount of hassle before getting on the plane. If they give you any hassle getting on the plane, just show confidence that it'll be OK. Get a little annoyed and tell them, "Mexico doesn't care! Just give me a boarding pass already!" They will. They'll tell you, "Well, if they don't let you into the country, you'll have to pay to come right back..." Just tell them that you'll worry about that, thanks so much.
No one in any of these places ever asked to see a return when I arrived, no matter where I was coming from (one-way from Indonesia to China, from the US to Vietnam and to China, China to Mexico, US to Mexico).
When I came to Mexico this time, I was coming from China, and there, if you have a ticket, you get on the plane no worries. And, again, no one asked about a return ticket once I got to Mexico.
As for the 90 day stamp in your passport - won't happen. They put the number of days on the FMT. What they'll do is stamp your passport saying that you've entered the country, and you'll have to fill out the standard paperwork that you get going into any country. In Mexico, you get one form from Customs and another from Immigration. When you get the Immigration paper stamped, they will give you part of it back. You need to keep this. It's your "tourist card," the FMT, and it's your visa to be in the country. You'll have to pay a fine if you lose it and try to leave without it.
And yes, they will automatically write in 90 days on it if you say nothing. But when I arrived, I just asked the officer if I could have 180 days ("Puedo tener ciento ochenta d�as?") and she didn't even blink. She just said "s�," wrote in 180 days and stamped it. No worries at all.
IF anyone is to ask, tell them that you want to travel around for a bit and then take a bus back to the States when you run out of time and/or funds. That is a perfectly acceptable thing to do. And it won't come to that. You won't have to talk to anyone when you get into the country apart from asking for the 180 days (which of course will save you having to renew the tourist card later).
And, no, I'm not automatically assuming that you're coming from the US. It's just that the US is, I believe, the worst case scenario. If you're coming from anywhere else, it should be just like my coming from China.
Oh, they COULD question your ability to take a bus to the US if you have, say, an Australian passport, but it will never occur to them to ask to see a US visa. And that's in the VERY off chance that they say anything to you at all about the return, in the first place. They won't. You'll be fine.

As for coming back after the initial 180 days, yes, a border run, to either the States or Guatemala, whichever is closer, will work just fine. And you can have another 180 days (though I don't know how agreeable they are about the 180 days in Guatemala).

jillford64 · Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 397 Location: Sin City

All of my one way flights from the US have been after Sept 11.

As Gregor says, if you want 180 days must ask for it. Sometimes they will give you the 180 days right then and sometimes you will be told you can only have 90 now and will have to go to an immigration office to get another 90 days and pay a fee of about $20 USD. Procedural things tend to be a little random in Mexico. One time I asked for 90 days and the asked me if I was sure I didn't want more. I said that 90 was fine, but he gave me 120 anyway.

hlamb · Joined: 09 Dec 2003 Posts: 431 Location: Canada

Yes, the number of days you get are completely random. I always ask for 180 and have never been given more than 90. But once when leaving (and planning to return in a week on a tourist card) the official changed the number on my card from 90 to 180 as I was leaving, and charged me 100 pesos, half the cost of a new card. It seems to depend entirely on the mood of the official you get that day. They usually told me that they were not allowed to give more than 90....and then there's the fun of getting the FM3 once you find a job... Rolling Eyes

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

There are changes coming. In late March, Calderon made an announcement about this very topic. It should be in the news again when it receives approval.

http://www.mrnewsmx.com/fullStory.php?nid=26342&sid=a15295f27677ee499c1a3f556c3a9afa

salsera_africana · Joined: 30 Aug 2006 Posts: 11 Location: minneapolis, mn

Thanks, everyone, for all your great advice!!!!

"And yes, they will automatically write in 90 days on it if you say nothing. But when I arrived, I just asked the officer if I could have 180 days ("Puedo tener ciento ochenta d�as?") and she didn't even blink. She just said "s�," wrote in 180 days and stamped it. No worries at all.
IF anyone is to ask, tell them that you want to travel around for a bit and then take a bus back to the States when you run out of time and/or funds. That is a perfectly acceptable thing to do. And it won't come to that. You won't have to talk to anyone when you get into the country apart from asking for the 180 days (which of course will save you having to renew the tourist card later). "

Gregor, your suggestions were so detailed! I will ask for 180 days and see what happens. My guess is that it really shouldn't be a problem to get the 180 day stamp especially since Calderon is endorsing touristic ventures in MX. Thanks, Samantha, for that article. It was so timely! Smile

Gregor, I am from the U.S. so don't worry about making assumptions.
Anyway, thanks again for all the help!!! Now, I am off to buy the cheapest one-way flight available. Ls650, I tried the two sites you suggested and I guess my browser is an older version and doesn't support those two sites... I'll try from another computer, though... If anyone has any other sites I can buy cheap tickets from, let me know.

Thanks again,

salsera

MELEE · Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 3:02 pm Post subject:

Gregor · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 842 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

Obviously,
Everyone's experience is different. Up to about seven years ago, before I went to Asia, I used to enter Mexico all the time, but by bus or by foot , not air, and made my way to the bus depot in Tijuana. Used to be that the officials in the bus depot would just give you 90 days, and if you asked for 180 and greased his palm, he'd give 180 days.
Well, I'm back in Mexico again, and I'm alarmed at how much more professional they've become. I remember having to offer a small bribe to grease the skids for my FM3 in Oaxaca eight years ago as well, but one look at the immigration offices here NOW told me that THAT was not going to fly at ALL.
I don't know about the Tijuana bus depot. Maybe that place is the same; who knows? But Mexico in my absence has become a lot more efficient and professional. See my post the other day about the apostille process (though it did go through in the end with no bribes at all, much to my amazement).

Anyway, salsera, I have discovered on this forum that the beauty (or, at least, help) is in the details. Doesn't help anyone's anxiety to say, "Oh, just do whatever. You'll be fine." Not a bad idea to know what to expect. I was a little nervous about dealing with it again, myself, after all these years, and I've dealt with China and Vietnam and Indonesia in the mean time! Mexico was, by contrast, ALMOST like just going home. So thanks for noticing, and if I can be of any other help, feel free to ask, here or in a PM. That's what we're (supposed to be) here for, right?
Let us know what YOUR experience turns out to be.

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

Gregor wrote:

Gregor · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 842 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

I quite agree that it's crazy to tell immigration that you're going to be teaching when you're entering on a tourist visa and are clearly not allowed to work on that.
But I quite beg to differ about Mexico in the past. I've had to give little mordidas to the immigration official at the bus depot in TJ, to customs officers to get out of exorbitant fees for bringing in my guitar, and to get my FM3 in Oaxaca eight years ago. Things here have changed a lot, for the better, for the most part (though the cost of living has gone through the roof). I don't really expect to have to bribe people to do their job these days, but I am quite sure that it was very different in the past. Anyone else care to comment on this? Or am I going too off-topic now?

MELEE · Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 9:44 pm Post subject:

I first applied for an FM3 in Oaxaca in March of 1998, I didn't have to bribe anyone, BUT, the process took 3 months!!! and about 16 visits to the office, which was a 3 hour trip--one way.
I did have an apostille way back then by the way.

Our newest teacher got his FM3 in March of this year, it took 8 business days, a trip to drop everything off and a trip to pick everything up--and even the trip has gotten easier, it now only takes 2 1/2 hours. He also has his documents apostilled.

While things slowly got better over the years, it's really just in the last 12 months that the Oaxaca office has really streamlined. I chalk it up to the fact they had almost nothing to do most of the year. As tourists come back, I hope they are able to maintain this new and improved service.