VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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my first tourist visa run to guatemala from oaxaca. from what i understand it's straightforward. will take ADO gl bus [no ADO platino on that route} to tapachula, chiapas, then bus or taxi across to guatemala. go get renewed visa, ask for another 180 days? that it? anything else i should be aware of?

get conflicting reports on whether one has to stay in guatemala for 72 hr. most people have said...no. also, should i get one-way or R/T ticket?

about how much is the visa?

kindle and camera safe to bring? OR, will they ask me in guatemala to prove with sales receipt where i bought them? thanks, kurt

Apr 17, 2011, 7:56 AM

Post #2 of 25 (10341 views)

Re: [ksplitt] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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I just did the same thing except I went to Belize.

When I left Mx, I turned in my FMM. They didn't even ask for my receipt for paying the FMM fee nor did they exit stamp my passport. I think he just tossed my visa in the trash can. I could have walked across the street and gotten a new FMM without leaving MX.

I spent 5 days in Belize visiting friends and playing tourist. When I returned to MX, I filled out the form and they automatically gave me 180 days. The official didn't even look at my Belizian passport stamp. I had to go to the bank and pay a 262 peso fee a couple of weeks later.

Apr 25, 2011, 4:35 AM

Post #3 of 25 (10189 views)

Re: [ksplitt] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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How was your trip?

weisswolfen

Jan 15, 2013, 2:00 PM

Post #4 of 25 (3994 views)

Re: [ksplitt] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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I just returned from a Visa run to Guatemala and found out a lot of misinformation on the net,being the first time to renew my six months in Mexico. Well you get to Tapachula in my case a 30 hours bus trip. Out of the bus Terminal you can get for around $100 Mx a taxi to Talisman the border town or for 15 pesos a combo flying you to the border in 15 minutes.Then you show your FMM and passport to the Immigration Officer . Get an exit Visa and you have to cross to Guatemala is a MUST! Cross the bridge in 3 minutes bugged by money changer . Get to Guatemala no real crossing a run down Immigration Office is on the left side. Show your passport and a Entry visa gets stamped for 10 GTZ. When I asked if I could get back in 2 hours the officer Lady said you have to stay here for 24 h. Kidding me ?? so 2 hours later I showed up in a fighting mood. No country if you are clean can tell you to stay 24 hours before going back!! So the officer again said was highly irregular what I was doing. Well he stamped the exit visa and I was gone in a sec.!! No tax to pay on Exit..Back to Mex. the Officer stamped another Entry for 180 days and attached a form to pay at the bank for 295 pesos. You can also pay your entry tax at a Bank in advance and show a recipt for it .Mex Immigration site has the form to bring to the bank. Warning-When calculating the 180 days check how many days the month has because varies and you can have a bad surprise like I had 182 days. Well Imm. Off. in Morelia told me just to subtract a day from the expiring date.WRONG! So I lost the prepaid entry of 295 pesos in lieu of being fined officially and being on their bad boy computer tracking system. Now that I have done it is quite easy and the Imm.Mex doesn't have any problem that you do it the same day. This is my experience for all to use as a guideline. Enjoy the sun in London is raining..............

Jan 19, 2013, 10:39 PM

Post #5 of 25 (3669 views)

Re: [weisswolfen] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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Interesting, I just crossed back two days ago into Mexico from La Mesilla Guatemala and several people who wanted to renew their 180 day visa got a 30 day visa.

Sunnyvmx

Jan 20, 2013, 1:55 AM

Post #6 of 25 (3652 views)

Re: [Vichil] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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In the past it has always been recommended to check how many days the new tourist permit is given when crossing at that border. The employees seem to be irritated at the work required for them to do with persons crossing back and forth for a new 180 day permit so they make it difficult. Now it seems that they have an excuse to make it even more of a problem.

http://dementias-daughter.com. Just topped 28,000 hits.

AlanMexicali

Jan 20, 2013, 5:44 AM

Post #7 of 25 (3628 views)

Re: [Sunnyvmx] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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In Reply To

Another thing to consider is the new immigration rules have changed. At the meeting at Chapala on Fri. the head of INM from Jalisco stated it was fine to "return to your home country" and to come back into Mexico and recieve "another" 180 FMM. He did not mention "return to any country" and reenter Mexico to get another 180 day FMM.

sfmacaws

Jan 20, 2013, 2:11 PM

Post #8 of 25 (3522 views)

Re: [AlanMexicali] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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The southern border crossings have given out less time than the northern border for many years. I thought that a few years ago there was a law that all tourist visas had to be for 180 days? Did that go by the by with the new law? At any rate, when asked for 180 days at the Belize border they always complied eventually although sometimes they wanted a small tip for the service. My guess is that if you are polite and persistent you could get 180 days at any crossing.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

Jan 20, 2013, 5:54 PM

Post #9 of 25 (3470 views)

Re: [sfmacaws] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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My cousin came on a 90 day visa from France, went to Guatemala with me and got a 30 day visa when she reentered at la Mesilla. The European kids who had a 180 day visa and reentered were given 30 days. Maybe the agents were all in a bad mood but when the kids insisted they needed 180 days they were told that the law ha changed and they were given what they could get. .

It sounds like the various agents at the various border do what they think they should do and may look at the law differently.

YucaLandia

Jan 21, 2013, 4:52 AM

Post #10 of 25 (3400 views)

Re: [sfmacaws] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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The Aduana agent can give whatever amount they want to, up to 180 days. Foreigners made so many complaints that roughly 5 years ago Calderon asked Aduana agents to shift their default amount to 180 days. Some shifted, others did not.
steve
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Read-on MacDuff
E-visit at http://yucalandia.com

sfmacaws

Jan 21, 2013, 12:06 PM

Post #11 of 25 (3324 views)

Re: [Vichil] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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I've heard similar stories from the Belize border and it does seem to depend on the mood of the border agent. The good news is that if you can't talk them into the full 180 days, you can go to any office of migrante before the visa expires and get it extended to 180 days. There is a fee, so it might be worth it to offer a little something for their trouble at the border and see if the full 180 appears.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

chicois8

Jan 21, 2013, 3:27 PM

Post #12 of 25 (3278 views)

Re: [Vichil] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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In Reply To

I am trying to understand the two conflicting stories you and you husband tell, here is what he says on another message board:

Now, you might presume at this point that they were stereotyping these young people as vagabonds and were attempting to roust them from Mexico as what they considered vagrants but that is an oversimplification. My wife´s cousin, who is a middle-aged French white lady or normal demeanor, is in Mexico as a tourist under a 180 day tourist visa issued her at the Mexican Consulate in Paris. That 180 day visa still has weeks to run before expiring. However, she was not allowed to re-enter Mexico under that visa but was allowed to re-enter only under a new 30 day tourist visa but even then, only after assuring the immigration officer that she had booked a flight back to Paris."

Now it seems to me your cousin did not turn in the original FMM when she exited Mexico and was trying to cheat by re-entering Mexico with her original FMM, if I were the border guard I would not let her enter Mexico for not obeying the rules...

frito

Jan 21, 2013, 4:44 PM

Post #13 of 25 (3258 views)

Re: [chicois8] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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While it explains why she was only given a 30 day visa I doubt seriously that an older lady, flying all the way from France, was looking to cheat anyone. Doesn't explain why the young people weren't given 180 days either.

chinagringo

Jan 21, 2013, 5:09 PM

Post #14 of 25 (3253 views)

Re: [chicois8] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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Granted each border crossing seems to set their own rules but we have been told by INM at the NM crossing that the former FMT/FMM were multiple entry/exit as long as it was within the 180 day period. We took their advice once and forgot to pay attention to the 180 days but that is a different story.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

chicois8

Jan 21, 2013, 5:26 PM

Post #15 of 25 (3248 views)

Re: [chinagringo] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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All I know is what it states on the FMM, an official Mexican document on the back just under the word Important, the first paragraph says=

Durning your stay in Mexico, you must retain this immigration form and surrender it upon leaving the country.

That what is says in black and white, not word of mouth.

It does not say a border guard will make up his or her own rules, a border guard could tell you anything and next time through there will be a different one or you have 30 days left, visit Guatemala for a week or two and save 295 pesos when you re-enter Mexico, I am sure the husband of the cousin told her to try and get away with re-using the FMM and not this lady from France ....suerte

(This post was edited by chicois8 on Jan 21, 2013, 5:36 PM)

sfmacaws

Jan 21, 2013, 6:18 PM

Post #16 of 25 (3232 views)

Re: [chicois8] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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Back when we lived in our RV and came in on an FMT, we often went to Belize without turning in the visa. It is/or was perfectly legal. They preferred that you tell them when leaving and they would stamp it (double entrada) for a return. We did it a lot because we didn't always take the RV to Belize with us and it was on our FMT so we didn't want to turn it in. It was also common for people to do the same at the northern border, many people would get one visa and go to Rocky Point every weekend all winter. The French lady was not breaking the law, she just got a grouchy border guard. Perhaps she should have gotten it stamped on exit but that's not illegal.

Jonna - Mérida, Yucatán

frito

Jan 21, 2013, 6:22 PM

Post #17 of 25 (3229 views)

Re: [chicois8] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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You are missing the point. The husband of the cousin wasn't with them, he learned of these developments when they got home as he didn't make the trip. But what they were trying to share was that it appeared that one might no longer be able to get 180 days on a tourist visa. I think in examining the situation, it became clear that the border guard realized she had left the country without turning in her FMT and came close to not granting her entry. Appears he decided to be nice to an older lady and gave her 30 days so she could complete her trip. Nothing nefarious, and a relief to know that one can still live on tourist cards, in spite of what some legalistas say.

Jan 21, 2013, 6:50 PM

Post #18 of 25 (3220 views)

Re: [Vichil] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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I think, but am not sure, "visas" and tourist cards are 2 different things. US citizens don't need a visa before visiting Mexico. We come in on a tourist card. Not all countries citizens have this privilege and not all can get 180 days. Some countries citizens are only eligible for 90 days.

Could it be that your cousin from France and the European kids needed a visa from the Mexican consulate in their home country before coming to Mexico initially? When they try to return at a land border crossing they are not eligible for a tourist card and are given 30 days to get out of the country. That is a generous amount of time.

(This post was edited by playaboy on Jan 21, 2013, 6:54 PM)

chinagringo

Jan 21, 2013, 7:02 PM

Post #19 of 25 (3214 views)

Re: [playaboy] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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Interesting speculation but according to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/...isa_policy_of_Mexico

France is just like the US!
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

Jan 21, 2013, 7:10 PM

Post #20 of 25 (3211 views)

Re: [chinagringo] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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Well, that shot my theory down. Thanks for the education and the links.

chinagringo

Jan 21, 2013, 7:44 PM

Post #21 of 25 (3206 views)

Re: [playaboy] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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You got me to check and learn and that is always a good thing in my book!
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

Jan 21, 2013, 8:17 PM

Post #22 of 25 (3190 views)

Re: [chinagringo] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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My cousin came to stay with me in Mexico for 60 days, she was given sorry not a visa but a tourist card for 180 days and so were the Europeans hippies. We went to Guatemala and Honduras and came back. She did not do anything strange. She exited from Mexico - She turned in her 180 day tourist card , paid the fee the agent asked for in Frontera Corrozal and when she reentered Mexico she was given a 30 day tourist card. No big deal since she was leaving anyways. The European hippies turned in their 180 day tourist cards and asked for another 180 days when they came back, they were denied the 180 days and only got 30 days.
My cousin was not trying to cheat or lie or do anything strange , the agent told everyone the same thing, upon reentry you only get a 30 day tourist card.

(This post was edited by Vichil on Jan 21, 2013, 8:32 PM)

frito

Jan 22, 2013, 11:06 AM

Post #23 of 25 (3097 views)

Re: [Vichil] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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In Reply To

Pretty much rules out Comitan as a place to live on tourist cards.

chicois8

Jan 22, 2013, 12:37 PM

Post #24 of 25 (3076 views)

Re: [Vichil] VISA RUN TO GUATEMALA?

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My apologies to you and your cousin,

I must have gotten confused when your husband stated:" That 180 day visa still has weeks to run before expiring. However, she was not allowed to re-enter Mexico under that visa but was allowed to re-enter only under a new 30 day tourist visa." suerte y paz

Jan 22, 2013, 2:25 PM

Post #25 of 25 (3056 views)