We're Legal!

Not that we weren't before, of course, but our 6-month tourist visa (an FMM - the old FMT) has been successfully converted to an annual visa (the new version of the old FM2). There was also an FM3 which did not result in citizenship or immigrant status, but we're skipping over that and going directly to the old FM2-type visa.

Sorry, it's taking some time to get used to the new names for the visas. FMT/FM3/FM2 are too convenient to use and most people know exactly to what you are referring. It's quicker to say FM2 instead of Immigrante Rentista.

Four renewals will give us five years on FM2/Immigrante Rentista status. If we can limit our time out of the country to 18 months during the next 5 years, we'll qualify for permanent immigrado status and never have to file for a visa again! (Or pay those annual fees.)

This also gets us out of a bind over our vehicle. Since we drove it into Mexico with a temporary import permit, the permit expires when our FMM expires - which is within 180 days or when we leave the country - whichever is sooner.

Since we're flying out the country to see the Santa Fe, NM opera later this week, leaving our car behind, it would become illegal. Upon our return we would need to get a special permission letter which would give us five days to drive the van out of the country and then return, getting a new TIP and FMM.

The nearest border is a 9-hour drive so we'd spend about three days taking care of this. With our Immigrante Rentista visa, the car's permit continues to be good for at least a year and (assuming we renew it) four additional years.

So our car will be legal while we're gone. And we'll be legal while we're gone.

Of course, if we decide to pursue Immigrado status at the end of five years, we'll need to sell our US-plated van (back in the states) and drive a Mexican-plated vehicle instead. Not a bad thing, as the extra ten-year-long tax based on the value of a vehicle will be phased out before it's time for us to go car shopping.

Now, if we could only do something about those god-awful pictures on our visas....