Since we arrived late in Mexico we found ourselves with a
mere three days to renew our “green cards” (Temporary Resident Status). Given
the challenges in the past we were a bit concerned but first thing Monday
morning we took ourselves to the INM office in hopes that all would go well.
The very nice young woman gave us a list of items we needed to provide and
stressed that we had no more than 2 days to get back with everything.
After a quick stop to have the required “prison” photos
taken (no jewelry, no makeup, no bangs, no glasses, no smiling), we stopped at
JJ’s for a couple tacos and a beer and then spent the afternoon at the RV putting
together the balance of required items.
The first item of business was to complete an application
for renewal. You go to the INM website and fill out the application form (which
is, of course, all in Spanish). I filled it out with the Spanish/English
dictionary by my side but Chris figured out that if you check the “Nue” box it
will pre-fill everything from last year and all you have to do is make
corrections on anything that has changed. Arggh. In our case, the only thing we
changed was our physical address. In the past we have used the marina where the
boat is but this year we decided the RV park address would work
better…especially since the coach will stay here even while we are out cruising
on the boat. Once completed, printed out a copy. Check.
Next, make copies of 1) a very specific letter asking Mexico
to allow us to continue being temporary residents in their country; 2) page 1
of our Passports; 3) both sides of our current green cards and 4) bank
statements (for each person) from the past 3 months. Mexico, like most
countries, isn’t all that jazzed about immigrants who can’t support themselves.
Next: have a glass of wine to celebrate completing
everything without becoming overly stressed out.
First thing the next morning we were off to pick up the
photos and go to the bank to pay our fees. Since we were requesting a 3 year
renewal the cost was $6,154 pesos for each card. At the current exchange rate
that is somewhere between $439 and $473 U.S. The bank was a little challenging
since they will only accept cash (no credit or debit cards) for this
transaction but, fortunately, we had both gotten money from the ATM the day
before so didn’t exceed our daily limit to get the rest that way.
When we got to the INM office the young woman who processed
it was pleased that we had everything but did chastise us a little (with a
smile) because we hadn’t made copies of the receipt from the bank. Still, she
made the copies, stamped everything (Mexican authorities REALLY like stamps)
and said the cards should be ready for pick up in a week.
The next day I received an email telling me my card would be
ready in 3 days. This morning I went into the website to check and received the
message that the card is “aqui” (here)! Given past experiences with Mexican
government stuff I am stunned at how quickly everything was done. But…happy!
Now we can leave any time the boat is ready. That, of course, is a whole
different issue!
