Forums > General > Traveling Mexico

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BANE

May 10, 2010, 11:17 PM

Post #1 of 30 (4857 views)

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Is it true about the FMT?

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A buddy of mine was stopped at the border. Agent said that you could only use ONE FMT only ONCE a year. Is this true?

sparks

May 11, 2010, 5:58 AM

Post #2 of 30 (4832 views)

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Re: [BANE] Is it true about the FMT?

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This is second hand info so I guess we won't know how it happened

One of the unclear points to the new regs .... but the 180 days has always applied

Does not make sense that you can't vacation twice a year in Mexico

Sparks Mexico - Sparks Costalegre

joaquinx

May 11, 2010, 7:39 AM

Post #3 of 30 (4809 views)

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Re: [sparks] Is it true about the FMT?

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It's now a FMM and can be obtained for up to 180 days and is good for multiple entry. So you can come and go for an entire year for a total of 180 days in Mexico.

sparks

May 11, 2010, 7:54 AM

Post #4 of 30 (4802 views)

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Re: [joaquinx] Is it true about the FMT?

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So you just show the card to the airlines when you leave and don't turn it in?

So they count your days as you check in and check out ..... meaning each trip requires a stop at immigration at airport or border in each direction. We'll see about that

Sparks Mexico - Sparks Costalegre

joaquinx

May 11, 2010, 7:59 AM

Post #5 of 30 (4797 views)

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Re: [sparks] Is it true about the FMT?

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It seems to be. Even for Mexicans. When leaving the country, by air at least, you have to fill out a "statistical" form. By car or bus - I haven't done it and haven't heard from anyone who has. Like all bureaucratic requirements, we will wait and see.

Reefhound

May 11, 2010, 8:00 AM

Post #6 of 30 (4796 views)

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Re: [sparks] Is it true about the FMT?

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Your tourist visa is included in your airline ticket (at least from USA) and the airline sold me two tickets to the Yucatan over the next few months. I'm pretty confident the airlines will work it out with the Mexican government.

BANE

May 11, 2010, 9:50 AM

Post #7 of 30 (4762 views)

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Re: [sparks] Is it true about the FMT?

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I was with him so it was firsthand info. Agent said that a person with an FMT can only be in mexico 180 days in any given year. He can reapply the following year with a new FMT. I yelled at him in spanish for 20 minutes and he at last let us go.

La Isla

May 11, 2010, 10:27 AM

Post #8 of 30 (4752 views)

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Re: [BANE] Is it true about the FMT?

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In Reply To

I see. So here we have a Mexican government agent who actually knows the rules and is trying to enforce them is "encouraged" to look the other way by an American who shouts at him for 20 minutes. What's wrong with this picture?

Reefhound

May 11, 2010, 10:36 AM

Post #9 of 30 (4748 views)

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Re: [BANE] Is it true about the FMT?

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Well that's not what you originally said. The 180 days per year is clear.

BANE

May 11, 2010, 12:14 PM

Post #10 of 30 (4723 views)

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Re: [Reefhound] Is it true about the FMT?

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It was what I originally said. You can ONLY use ONE FMT per year. After one has served their 180 days they have to leave mexico and return the following year.

Is this correct?

Reefhound

May 11, 2010, 12:32 PM

Post #11 of 30 (4720 views)

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Re: [BANE] Is it true about the FMT?

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What you are not COMPREHENDING is that you don't have to use ALL 180 days allowable in one visit. The vast majority use less than 10 days per visit.

jerezano

May 11, 2010, 12:55 PM

Post #12 of 30 (4711 views)

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Re: [Reefhound] Is it true about the FMT?

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Hello,

It may be true that the new Tourist FM? is good for only one visit to Mexico per year, but I don't believe it. It has never been true in the past and such a requirement would really be a block to tourism. Killing the goose with the golden eggs?

I would suspect that the agent didn't know his stuff. That rule of only one trip per year has always been the rule for the temporary importation of automobiles but was rarely enforced.

Somebody here has also said that the FM? is good for 180 days and that days outside Mexico are not counted, so that a tourist could be here for 90 days, go out of Mexico and come back for another 90 days. I also doubt that. In the past those 180 days were always counted from the day you entered Mexico. Your temporary car permit is based on that also. It would seem that going out and returning etc., would generate a lot of red tape. That also doesn't seem reasonable.

But then, this is Mexico after all. I guess we just have to wait and see what happens.

Hasta luego, jerezano.

BANE

May 11, 2010, 1:16 PM

Post #13 of 30 (4700 views)

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Re: [jerezano] Is it true about the FMT?

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The thing was my friend showed an old FMT first. He then showed the brand new one...BOTH issued in the same year. Now...WHY would they issue him another one in the same year if that was against the law? The agent at the border was just being a dick.

Reefhound

May 11, 2010, 1:20 PM

Post #14 of 30 (4697 views)

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Re: [BANE] Is it true about the FMT?

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Actually, he was supposed to have turned in the old FMT, there is a $5/day fine for not turning it in. Your friend was very lucky. Some members here have had that happen to them and been told they had to pay hundreds of dollars in fines.

esperanza

May 11, 2010, 2:21 PM

Post #15 of 30 (4676 views)

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Re: [BANE] Is it true about the FMT?

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One of the things that often happens on the forums is over-generalizing. In other words, one poster's personal experience becomes a hard-and-fast rule--to him/her--of How Things Always Are in Mexico.

The officer in this instance interpreted the FMT/FMM rule in a particular way. Other officers will no doubt interpret the same rule in a different way. INM hasn't offered its interpretation--so there is no hard-and-fast rule YET, and there may never be.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Reefhound

May 11, 2010, 2:40 PM

Post #16 of 30 (4667 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Is it true about the FMT?

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The first time Continental has to fly a dozen passengers back to Houston because some immigration official determines one cannot visit Cancun twice within one year, the CEO will have Calderon on the phone by end of the day and by next morning there will be a directive waiting at the immigration offices.

Rolly

May 11, 2010, 2:46 PM

Post #17 of 30 (4665 views)

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Re: [Reefhound] Is it true about the FMT?

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Yep. Until something appears "in print" it's all conjecture. I continue to disbelieve the 180 days per year rule.

Rolly Pirate

E-visit me http://Rollybrook.com
On Facebook as Rolly Brook

Camille

May 11, 2010, 9:58 PM

Post #18 of 30 (4606 views)

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Re: [Reefhound] Is it true about the FMT?

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SO right!.......and Houston is Continental's hub city with a lotta tourist traffic.

Anonimo

May 12, 2010, 1:55 AM

Post #19 of 30 (4598 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Is it true about the FMT?

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Quote

One of the things that often happens on the forums is over-generalizing. In other words, one poster's personal experience becomes a hard-and-fast rule--to him/her--of How Things Always Are in Mexico.

This good advice ought to be in bold type at the top of each forum.

Saludos,
Anonimo

Peter

May 12, 2010, 5:52 AM

Post #20 of 30 (4576 views)

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Re: [BANE] Is it true about the FMT?

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You can ONLY use ONE FMT per year.

After one has served their 180 days they have to leave mexico and return the following year.

Is this correct?
___________

Technically, no. After serving your 180 days you are required to leave Mexico. You MAY return the following year but it is not required.

(This post was edited by Peter on May 12, 2010, 9:17 AM)

chinagringo

May 12, 2010, 7:33 AM

Post #21 of 30 (4551 views)

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Re: [Peter] Is it true about the FMT?

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I have been doing some research from other sites offering up info on the new FMM. Most of the info comes from various forums that seem to offer up speculation and very little hard evidence as to how the new rules are to be enforced. The following quote seems to make some sense but it also has some speculation that seems to rely on the assumption that the Mexican Government will be using logic and across the board enforcement.

From rv.net:
"However, the FMM is tied to your passport and is REQUIRED to be returned on exit. This effectively eliminates the multiple crossings with the same paperwork. And apparently the old trick of crossing back into the US and then returning to Mexico to get a new FM-T good for another 180 days will no longer be possible. The FMM will be tracked on a computer base and you are only allowed a total of 180 days in a 12 month period. Supposedly it will be set up to allow up to a maximum of six separate 30 day FMM’s to be issued in that 12 month period.

So, if you are planning on making multiple trips into Mexico in a given 12 month period, you better do a little advance planning and ask for just the time you need for each trip and don’t just automatically ask for 180 days the first time across."

Until this new set of Regulations has been in effect for a good 3 to 6 months, I doubt highly if we will all have a clear idea of just how they will work. As reports come in with personal first hand experience, it would be helpful if posters would state exactly which border crossing where the experience happened.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

arbon

May 12, 2010, 10:45 AM

Post #22 of 30 (4510 views)

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Re: [chinagringo] Is it true about the FMT?

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If a business person flies into Mexico every month for three weeks each time, they would need an FM3, after nine months.

(or two FMMs if possible).

And if any person with an FM3 leaves Mexico and flies back to Mexico they can get into (big?) trouble when they have to buy an FMM in the plane fare.

(only allowed one type of FM at a time).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(This post was edited by arbon on May 12, 2010, 10:48 AM)

Rolly

May 12, 2010, 10:51 AM

Post #23 of 30 (4505 views)

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Re: [arbon] Is it true about the FMT?

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"And if any person with an FM3 leaves Mexico and flies back to Mexico they can get into (big?) trouble when they have to buy an FMM in the plane fare. (only allowed one type of FM at a time)."

You misunderstand the rule. A holder of FM2/3 is required to fill out the FMM form for statistical purposes, not to be issued an actual FMM. There is a place on the form from the INM agent to mark that.

Rolly Pirate

E-visit me http://Rollybrook.com
On Facebook as Rolly Brook

Memo

May 12, 2010, 12:01 PM

Post #24 of 30 (4478 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Is it true about the FMT?

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How would they possibly know that you have an fm2 and a fmt at the same time anyways?

chinagringo

May 12, 2010, 12:40 PM

Post #25 of 30 (4468 views)

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Re: [Memo] Is it true about the FMT?

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I think that question would have been very valid in the past but a number of things have transpired that makes it easier for the Mexican Government to know. Before I go into this explanation - I will make the following disclaimer: It may depend entirely on the procedures in place at your "port of entry"/border crossing. Factor #1: All persons entering Mexico are now required to have a valid passport. Factor #2: Mexico apparently has upgraded their means of computer tracking of visitors.
Factor #3: It seems to be apparent that with the new rules & regs in place for all FM documents, they have instituted new procedures but it does remain to be proven just how effective they will be.

As an example of how they can tell - this personal experience which happened at the Santa Teresa, NM/San Jeronimo, MX crossing last August. Two of us traveling: 1) Kathy had possession of an existing U.S. Passport, which she had used numerous times for entry in and out of MX. and 2) myself who had possession of a brand new/clean U.S. Passport since I had always used a U.S. Department of State issued Birth Certificate in the past. Note: We both had expired FMT's from a trip in October, 2008 that we had forgotten about getting canceled. Sure we realized it beforehand but after questioning the problem on this forum and others and being told "not to worry", we thought little more about it. We both filled out the normal FMT Application and I turned mine in first along with my Passport. Documents were already stamped (but not returned to me), when Kathy turned in her application. Suddenly, there was a big "problema" for her! From her Passport, they could tell she had an open and expired FMT. While she tried to plead ignorance, she could tell it was not working. In the process of pulling her expired FMT from her passport case mine also came out since they were folded together. Now we had two big "problemas"! The initial discovery was made because Kathy had an "in stamp" for her FMT but no "out stamp" and then was confirmed through her Passport Number and mine was confirmed through my Birth Certificate Number. Without going into further details - it took us over two hours of negotiating to reduce the $5 USD per day fine for each of us down to a more reasonable amount.

The moral of the story: Please don't live under the misconception that the Mexican Government and technology have not caught up with the times!
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

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