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Fitzgerald
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 224
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 Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 9:05 am Post subject: Mexican Customs Fees |
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This summer I am coming from Korea, where I am finishing a year's contract, to start a university job in Mexico that I'm quite excited about. I need to get some advice on Mexican customs fees.
Initially I will be shipping about 5 to 8 medium-sized boxes of clothing, books, DVDs, and personal papers from Korea to Mexico. Everything in these boxes will be "used"; there are no electronics and no furniture. When I send these, should I declare them as having no monetary value? What customs fees am I likely to incur? Will the customs official open the boxes in any case? That wouldn't surprise me, but it has not been my experience with medium-sized boxes coming from the United States to Korea.
Later, I plan to bring the same sort of belongings -- clothing and books -- but a lot more of them, from my storage facility in the western United States. How will I be able to estimate the customs fees, or will my moving company be able to do that for me? Again, no furniture, hardly any electronics (just a medium-sized TV set).
POSTSCRIPT: I discover from some additional Google research that "Retired foreign residents, as well as immigrants, are entitled to take their household effects into Mexico. Important Note! Household effects can be brought into Mexico duty free only once in a lifetime, so plan carefully," along with further details. Have any of you gone through this process? |
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Isla Guapa
Joined: 19 Apr 2010
Posts: 1520
Location: Mexico City o sea La Gran Manzana Mexicana
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| Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 4:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I discover from some additional Google research that "Retired foreign residents, as well as immigrants, are entitled to take their household effects into Mexico. Important Note! Household effects can be brought into Mexico duty free only once in a lifetime, so plan carefully," along with further details. Have any of you gone through this process? |
The regulation you cite is for someone who is planning to live in Mexico for a long time, perhaps forever! I've never brought my possessions into Mexico this way, just little by little in suitcases. From what I gather from what I have read on a website for expats in Mexico, most of whom are retirees from the US and Canada, you get an FM3, a residence visa, while you are still in your home country from a Mexican consulate. Then you drive to the Mexican border with all your stuff in a van or perhaps a rented truck and deal with customs officials there, often with the aid of a customs broker, whom you pay to help you. When you arrive at your final destination in Mexico, you go to Immigration and finalize your FM3. It's true that you can only do this once in your lifetime, but I have no idea if it can be done if you're flying in from Korea. |
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Dragonlady
Joined: 10 May 2004
Posts: 720
Location: Chillinfernow, Canada
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| Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 10:18 pm Post subject: |
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Last edited by Dragonlady on Fri Oct 07, 2011 4:53 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 10:58 pm Post subject: |
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| These websites must be awfully out of date, as it's my understanding that it's not been possible to secure a visa from outside of Mexico for some time. |
I think you're wrong on this, particularly in the case of a rentista visa, which would be the most common application to moving furniture down (retired expats). Worth calling a Mexican consulate to check on it.
Last edited by Guy Courchesne on Sun Apr 10, 2011 1:40 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Samantha
Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 2038
Location: Mexican Riviera
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| Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 11:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Actually the Dragonlady is right. Things changed about a year ago (May 1, 2010 to be exact). Fm3's are no longer issued outside Mexico. The entire process changed. Everyone enters on what's now called an FMM. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 1:48 am Post subject: |
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hmm, the Mexican embassy in Canada says you can go into a consulate or the embassy.
http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/canada_eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1247&Itemid=41
It looks like you can start the paperwork in Canada and finish it in Mexico.
| Quote: |
| Please consider that once you obtain your visa, it must be used within the term of validity stamped on the visa. Additionally, within 30 days of arrival in Mexico the applicant must go to the nearest office of the National Migration Institute (Instituto Nacional de Migraci�n) to exchange the Multiple Migratory Form (FMM) provided during direct flights to Mexico or at the Mexican port of entry, for a Non-Immigrant Card. |
This makes much more sense since if you could only get the visa from within Mexico, what would you do to get your household effects in if you only had the tourist visa and no other paperwork, other than make two trips? |
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Isla Guapa
Joined: 19 Apr 2010
Posts: 1520
Location: Mexico City o sea La Gran Manzana Mexicana
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:02 am Post subject: |
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| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
hmm, the Mexican embassy in Canada says you can go into a consulate or the embassy.
http://embamex.sre.gob.mx/canada_eng/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1247&Itemid=41
It looks like you can start the paperwork in Canada and finish it in Mexico.
| Quote: |
| Please consider that once you obtain your visa, it must be used within the term of validity stamped on the visa. Additionally, within 30 days of arrival in Mexico the applicant must go to the nearest office of the National Migration Institute (Instituto Nacional de Migraci�n) to exchange the Multiple Migratory Form (FMM) provided during direct flights to Mexico or at the Mexican port of entry, for a Non-Immigrant Card. |
This makes much more sense since if you could only get the visa from within Mexico, what would you do to get your household effects in if you only had the tourist visa and no other paperwork, other than make two trips? |
Guy, thanks for your post since it shows that my previous post that was so kindly deconstructed by Dragonlady is not totally wrong. I got my information about beginning the paperwork in Canada (or the US) from a very reliable expat internet forum, which is frequented by many expats who have very recently gone through this process. I too had thought that with the new rules recently put into place that it was not possible to get an FM3 NOB, but apparently it is not the case. This procedure is used mostly by retirees who qualify for a rentista residence visa based on proof of monthly income from sources outside of Mexico, usually pension checks or investment income. |
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Samantha
Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 2038
Location: Mexican Riviera
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:22 am Post subject: |
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Sorry, but that IS incorrect information, one of the down sides of the internet. Lots of misinformation, confusion, and outdated sites out there. You definitely cannot get the visa outside Mexico, any longer, and any forms mysteriously completed up north are a waste of your time and effort. The visa documents are approved and issued only in Mexico.
It is not called an FM3 any longer, so that's sort of a clue when researching accurate information on line, although it may take awhile for the habit of calling it that to stop.
Last edited by Samantha on Sun Apr 10, 2011 4:18 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Isla Guapa
Joined: 19 Apr 2010
Posts: 1520
Location: Mexico City o sea La Gran Manzana Mexicana
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:25 am Post subject: |
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Dragonlady appears to be very amused by the above post in which I explain to the OP how the menaje de casa procedure works for most people who are moving (usually retiring) to Mexico. Obviously, I don�t expect him or her to drive all the way from Korea to Mexico in a van stuffed with all her (or his) worldly possessions. Apparently, my attempt to be helpful was misunderstood by Dragonlady as a comic riff on how not to move to Mexico.
BTW, that should be bienvenido a M�xico, unless Fitzgerald is more than one person  . |
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Samantha
Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 2038
Location: Mexican Riviera
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:30 am Post subject: |
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| Also, would like to add that the "Menaje de Casa" process has changed as well. The movers reported that beginning to change well before the new Immigration procedures came into being. |
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Dragonlady
Joined: 10 May 2004
Posts: 720
Location: Chillinfernow, Canada
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:51 am Post subject: |
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Last edited by Dragonlady on Fri Oct 07, 2011 4:53 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Samantha
Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 2038
Location: Mexican Riviera
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 2:56 am Post subject: |
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| Yeah, sorry, I was involved in a project that required full concentration. No easy task for me! BTW, with my 'usual', we'll have you fluent in no time! I've discovered a new learning style, or at least a more pleasant one. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 5:48 am Post subject: |
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Hmm, well that certainly is confusing then. I can see the expat forums being a tad out of date but the Mexican embassy site itself? It is posting updates for 2011, many months after the date you put up for the change Sam. Mind you, Mexican government websites are always full of problems...
This one definitely warrants a call to the embassy (any takers?). Imagine having to fly in from Korea to pick up the FMM, get settled, then fly back to get your stuff. |
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Samantha
Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 2038
Location: Mexican Riviera
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:07 am Post subject: |
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Guy wrote:
| Quote: |
| This one definitely warrants a call to the embassy (any takers?). Imagine having to fly in from Korea to pick up the FMM, get settled, then fly back to get your stuff. |
Why do you think that is what happens? It isn't even close.
Yes, I guess the 2 procedures can be confusing. One is Aduana and one is Immigration. Hence the confusion with the Embassy site. They try to wear two hats, and that's a problem. Immigration doesnt have a clue what Aduana is up to. The Canadian site does a bit of double talk there, pointing to the fact that the documentation you receive on the airplane or at the border, needs to be what's turned over in exchange for the more permanent document. That's exactly what happens. The document shown in the PDF is not an official document at all, something you can tell by looking at it. No numbers. Useless, trust me. It's a waste of time and money to entertain anything like that now, under the new regulations. In fact, even before it officially changed, it was a complete waste of time to get it approved up there because they were making foreigners engage in a complete do-over upon arrival here. (That was aside from the Menaje de Casa which had to be approved up north).
The Menaje de Casa as we knew it, is a thing of the past. There are various ways to approach a move to Mexico, completely dependent on what you are bringing and how much of it. Expats get away with almost everything they are bringing by declaring it's for their home in Mexico. If you are bringing a semi full of furniture, your mover has his procedure at the border, but in this case it's not what we are talking about. The OP teacher, should bring his stuff, especially clothing and electronics, in person. He won't have a problem. Shipping books is okay. Shipping anything else is a crap shoot. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:41 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Why do you think that is what happens? It isn't even close. |
So what happens if you arrive at the border or at an airport with all your household items in tow? There is aduana and immigration yes, but how is aduana supposed to know whether you are claiming your right to bring in your allotment or simply running a bunch of stuff through? By showing them the paperwork from immigration, which you get before you come, otherwise anyone coming in on a tourist visa would be able to bring in anything they wanted. Just think out the process.
I am not familiar with the way it goes now exactly for a permanent move, so I am just reasoning all this out. I reason out as well that the PDF application on the Mexican (not Canadian) embassy website is what you print off and complete and take to the embassy or consulate to generate something more official.
| Quote: |
| Shipping anything else is a crap shoot. |
Right to the point...you're talking about shipping in the sense of anyone doing it, not for a permanent or rentista move, and there is a big big difference. I think you're confusing entering on a tourist visa and on a rentista (which admittedly isn't the case for the OP, but we're on the subject) for which a wholly different set of rules apply. |
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