The procedure for processing the exit and entry of Mexican residents has changed. This publication is no longer current. The new procedure for registration of exit and entry is presented in thispublications.
You have become the proud owner of Mexican resident status, temporary or permanent. But be careful! One wrong preparation of departure from the country, and upon subsequent entry you risk losing your status!
If you leave Mexico without proof of your residency status, you can only re-enter as a regular tourist. However, Article 61 of the Immigration Law (La Ley de Migración) prohibits having multiple immigration statuses. If the residence was issued on the same passport with which you will enter, but in the status of a tourist, the previous status, that is, your residence, will be automatically canceled.
We'll tell you how to properly process your exit from Mexico so that the INM (National Institute of Migration) classifies you as a resident upon subsequent entry.
All foreign citizens (and residents — are also foreign citizens until the acquisition of Mexican citizenship) upon entering Mexico fill out the FMM (Forma Migratoria Múltiple) — immigration form. It is shown in the image below. This form contains a barcode that INM uses to track when you entered the country (top of the FMM) and when you left (bottom of the FMM). Upon entry, you present the top or both parts of the FMM. But if the INM database does not contain your previous exit information from the bottom of the form, INM assumes that you are entering Mexico for the first time. That is, as a tourist.
Procedure for traveler and resident regarding the FMM form:
- tourist:
- atat the entrancefills out a new FMM before going through passport control,
- receiveslowerpart and keeps it for the duration of your stay in Mexico,
- upon departure, gives the lower part to the airline check-in counter,
- resident:
- atawayfills out a new FMM at the INM office at the airport,
- receivestoppart and retains it for the duration of your stay outside Mexico,
- Upon entry, present the top part of the FMM when going through passport control.
If you, as a resident, filled out a new form when entering Mexico, even indicating your resident card number in the FMM or presenting the card itself to the border officer will not allow you to enter the country as a resident if your previous exit is not in the INM database. Moreover, the border officer may not inform you that he has registered you as a tourist. And you will learn about the loss of status later, in particular, when you contact government agencies for some service.
Procedure for exiting Mexico for holders of resident status
Departure
1. Present your resident card at the airline check-in counter.
2. Look for an INM counter or office at the airport. At most airports, INM offices are located before aviation security, but they also have the right to be already in the «clean» zone. In any case, there is no right not to have an INM office at the airport. Take the migration form and fill out fields 1-9 at the top of the form (entry) and 1-10 at the bottom of the form (departure).
Upper part
Fields 1 and 2.First and last name as they appear in your passport.
Fields 3 and 7.Your citizenship, or more precisely — country of issue of the passport.
Field 4.Date of birth.
Field 5.Your gender
Field 6.Passport number.
Field 8.Mexico resident card number.
Field 9.Select «Otro/Other».
Bottom part
The data you should correspond to is similar at the top of the form.
Fields 1 and 2.First and last name.
Field 3.Your nationality.
Field 4.Date of birth.
Field 5.Floor.
Field 6.Passport number.
Field 7.Select «Otro/Other».
Fields 8 — 10.The type of transport you are using to leave Mexico, the name of the airline or vessel and the flight number.
Corrections are not allowed. If you made a mistake, please fill out a new form.
3. Present both parts of the FMM to the INM officer along with your resident card. Make sure that he writes in the white field above fields 1 and 2 of both parts of the form your status: temporary or permanente. If he didn’t do this, you can enter it yourself.
4. It is important that he stamps the top of the form and scans it, that is, enters your data into the system. It will give you back the top of the form.
5. Keep the top part and try not to lose it.
Entry
6. When entering Mexico, fill out fields 10-14 at the top of the form and present it to the border officer along with your resident card. Data about your departure from the country with resident status is already in the system, for this reason INM will issue you entry in the same status.
Upper part
Fields 10 — 12.The mode of transport you used to arrive in Mexico, the name of the airline or vessel and the flight number.
Field 13.The name of the state and city in Mexico you are traveling to. Abbreviations are allowed.
Field 14.Your address in Mexico. Abbreviations are allowed.
Nowcomments.
7. On some websites you can read that the rules for exiting Mexico for residents must be followed only if you leave and return to the country by air. Because when entering through a land border, it is enough to present a resident card, and then the border officer will not ask for a completed FMM.
But it's not that simple. If you are leaving via land border and returning by plane, you must follow the rules above. The problem is that you will rarely find INM offices at land border crossings and not always — FMM forms. But you must fill out the immigration form!
INM offices can be located in another building on the border, in a municipal center, in a neighboring village, they can only work during the day, but they exist! Finally, you can stock up on FMM forms in advance, either on your previous entry or by visiting any INM office in Mexico. When you leave, you should present your completed immigration form to the border officer and ask to have it processed through the system.
8. The worst thing about losing your resident status due to improper exit and entry procedures as a tourist is that once you are in Mexico, it is almost impossible to restore this status on your own. You will have to start the whole process all over again, that is, by obtaining a Mexican visa outside the country.
For this reason, if you realize that you left Mexico without proper FMM registration, if you forgot or lost the upper part of the FMM, under no circumstances cross the border control on entry!
Contact the Mexican consulate in the country where you are located, present your resident card and explain the situation. If the matter occurs already at the airport, find the INM officer, also present the map and explanations and requestregularización de situación migratoria, then wait for his decision. Usually, after checking your identity and status, they will issue you a new FMM or other document (or simply enter your data into the system), and with them you can safely go through border control.
9. If, as a result of incorrect exit and entry procedures, you still lose your Mexican resident status, contact the services of a lawyer.