Residency for a year...

Before we left Vancouver we applied to get temporary residency in Mexico so we could remain here for at least a year. Apparently the Mexican government is cracking down on people who come for 6 months, leave for a couple days (or less) and then come back for another 6 months... (http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2017/09/mexico-tightens-supervision-of-foreigners-visas-and-local-income/)

There was a small fee payable in Canada at the Mexico Consulate to get the initial application done - about $50 each. We picked up and completed the forms in Vancouver ahead of time, handed them in when we arrived at the Consulate, and it took only about two hours to get through the steps that were necessary for amending our passports with the Consulate. They added an official Mexico insert to one of the pages in our passports - nice people there in Vancouver. They told us to visit the INM office (Instituto Nacional de Migración) in Mazatlan within 30 days to complete the process.

When we arrived at the airport in Mazatlan, the Immigration guys there also told us that we needed to visit the INM Office within the next 30 days. If we don't, they will ask us to leave - we don't want that... Our passports were stamped with a short term (30 days) temporary residency "status" and we must get the formal approval process done by Mexico Immigration within that 30 day period.

So, today... before the 30 days came to a close we diligently proceeded to the INM office (located close to the Cruise Ship Terminal) to get the paperwork done.

We had to bring our passports and copies of our certified income statements from our bank in Canada to show that we meet the income requirements for temporary residency. We signed in at the reception desk and the officer there told us we had to fill out a bunch of forms that are available on line... in Spanish. And then.... thankfully... the officer asked us if we wanted someone to help us with that as she knows someone. Our new friends David and Jenny also mentioned that there was someone nearby to help, and they had used them too. At first we innocently said we thought we could do it ourselves... and then we spoke someone else who was just finishing their application process (just happened to be leaving the INM office) and they said they were happy that they opted for the help - so we did too. Thankfully David and Jenny gave us the heads up in the first place.

So we found out where to go (one block north on Aquiles Serdan - same side of the street #318), and we headed over there.

As you can see from the sign, it is a full service facility located inside a small portion of the local candy store / CocaCola outlet in the front yard of a Mexican family home. Dogs in the door and all...

We sat down the picnic table behind the gate and waited for others who we ahead of us to get their paper work done.

Then a nice lady named Hogla came out to greet us and asked us some personal questions that needed to be answered on the forms that she uploaded from the internet. She sat down at her computer and worked on our forms while the lady in green distracted her, and bothered us, with her loud talking. We were there for about an hour all together while she did everything. All we had to do was sign the forms and be on our way again back to the INM office. We paid her 450.00 pesos each (about $30 Canadian) for her work - we are glad we did! Yes sir. There we three forms to be filled out and printed - it would have taken us many hours and head-aches of translation. She also took our photos - they had to be certain size for the forms. We got back to the INM office and they reviewed all of it, said we were good to go, and said we would get an email from them confirming our visit. The email arrived before we got home again. They also said they would contact us by email when we had to return in about two weeks. The instructions for our return visit include:

arrive at the INM office between 9 am to 11 am.
pick up forms that need to be given to a bank for payment for the first years' fees... about 4000.00 pesos each ($275 Canadian each).
Go to the bank located about a km away (Bancomer at Playa Olas Altas) and make the payment to them - get a receipt.
Return to the INM office with the receipt and then get finger printed for their police files.
Go home and wait for the plastic "Recidencia Temporal" card to be prepared - about 10 days - and then return to INM for pickup.

Whew!... Then if we wish to stay longer we will have to go through the same process again next year...