After acquiring a residence permit in Mexico, no problems with residence usually arise. Just live, take advantage of the opportunities that the resident card offers, do not forget to renew it and wait until the deadline approaches when you are able to apply for citizenship. But there are several mistakes that may complicate your relationship with the migration service or even lead to the loss of your residence.
Entering Mexico as a tourist
If a resident is registered as a guest of the state upon entering Mexico, he will automatically lose his residence. This can happen for several reasons.
Didn't provide a resident card
When registering entry, the resident is required to provide the officer at passport control, in addition to his passport, with a resident card. If not provided, the officer has the opportunity to issue entry as a tourist. A foreigner in Mexico cannot have two migration statuses, and the system will overwrite the status for a foreigner with the same personal data. Unfortunately, many people find out about this too late when they come to renew their card.
Entry through automatic gates
At Cancun and Mexico City airports, you can gain entry through automatic gates, without communicating with an officer at passport control. Even if your passport opens the way to entry (passports of the USA, Canada, EU countries and some other countries), if you are a resident, never apply for entry through the automatic gate, otherwise you will be processed as a tourist. Always join the general queue for guests of countries (there is no separate queue for residents) to register your entry at the counter of a migration service officer.
Incorrect entry process for exchanging resident visa for resident card
You must clearly indicate to the migration officer that you are entering Mexico to carry out the canje procedure, in other words, exchanging a visa for a card, and literally poke him with this visa in your passport. Otherwise, he has the opportunity to process your entry as a guest of the country. The officer should write the word canje on the stamp in the passport and indicate the permitted period of stay of 30 days. Unfortunately, officers also have the right to make mistakes and, instead of canje, indicate reposición in the migration database, which is considered another migration procedure and will subsequently force you to return to the airport so that the migration service makes a correction in the database.
Incorrect entry preparation if the card is lost abroad
If you have lost your resident card and are trying to explain to the immigration officer upon entry why you are entering without a card, he is still unable to process your entry as a resident. He will process your entry as a traveler (if there are visa grounds for your citizenship), but will issue you with an Acta de Internacion Aerea, with which you will be required to apply to the migration service to restore your resident status and obtain a new card.
We strongly do not recommend this entry option in case of loss of the card. The right way — contact the Mexican consular department, apply for a visa to replace the card, enter Mexico on this visa and go to the migration service to receive a new card. Then you will be granted entry as a resident, but with a repository mark.
Despite common misconception, failure to register a resident's exit from Mexico is no longer considered a serious violation and will not lead to problems upon entry. The only serious consequence — You do not have the opportunity to confirm the period of absence from Mexico before naturalization.
Didn't update my resident card
If you are a temporary resident of Mexico and miss the deadline to renew your card, you will lose your residence with no recovery options. The card can be renewed no earlier than 30 days before the expiration of the current one (without penalty), and no later than 60 days after the expiration of its validity (with a penalty). Therefore, you have 90 days to update your card, and there is no excuse for not meeting this deadline.
I made a mistake in the expiration date of the card
If you are accustomed to the American date system (month/day/year), then you should know that on the Mexican resident card the date is indicated in a completely different format — day/month/year. You thought that the card would expire in October, but it expired in February, you did not renew it and lost your residence.
Lost the basis for renewing a resident card
For cards issued on the basis of an invitation to work or due to kinship, a prerequisite for renewal is the preservation of the basis on which the card was issued. If at the time of renewal you do not have proof from your employer that you are employed or you are divorced, you will not be able to renew your card and will lose your residency status in Mexico. If your family members' cards are dependent on your card, they will also lose their residences. In other words, an important condition for renewing many temporary resident cards is the presence of documentary evidence that the original condition for issuing the card is maintained.
Didn't notify the migration service
A Mexican resident is required to notify the migration service about important events in his life:
- about changing the address of residence,
- about changing jobs,
- about a change in marital status,
- about changing the first or last name,
- about changing citizenship.
The resident is obliged to notify the migration service within 90 days from the moment such an event occurred. Failure to notify is considered a serious violation of immigration laws, for which a fine is imposed. Let's say paying a fine is not a problem. But if there is an on-site migration check, and it turns out that the spouses do not live at the declared address, or the resident works at another place of work, the consequences may be more serious, for example, refusal to renew the card.