FMT is a Tourist Visa - valid for three to six months. You may be required to return to the border to renew your FMT, but it is worth inquiring locally first. Representatives from Immigration come to Chapala City Hall every Wednesday morning from 10:30 AM. You can pick up a ticket for "Information" from the Information Booth at the front entrance to City Hall.

FM3 - valid for five years, but must be renewed annually. It allows you to bring in a foreign-plated vehicle and a 'one-time' shipment of household goods within six months of obtaining your FM3. There is a minimum  income requirement of $1000 USD per month for an  individual and $500 USD per month for each dependent. These requirements are cut in half if you own property in Mexico. If you obtain your FM3 outside of Mexico, you must REGISTER it once you arrive in Mexico at the nearest Immigration office.

FM2 -  valid for five years, renewable annually. It allows importation of one motor vehicle and a 'one-time' household shipment of goods into Mexico. It is intended for people who are intending to take up permanent residence in Mexico. The minimum monthly income requirement is higher than for an FM2 -- $1,300 USD per individual and $650 USD per dependent. These limits are lowered in half if you own property in Mexico.

Inmigrado Status - You may apply for Inmigrado status after holding EITHER an FM3 or an FM2 and gives all the privileges of a Mexican citizen except voting or holding political office. An Inmigrado may work without the need for working papers. Inmigrados may NOT drive foreign-plated vehicles. Once granted, there is no renewal process required.

Mexican Mail System

Mexican mail can be rather slow, but has improved greatly over the past couple of years. Typically mail sent through the Mexican postal service arrives  in the US or Canadian within two weeks to a month.

LCS courier service

The Lake Chapala Society offers free courier services for members only.  Volunteers heading north take a bag of regular-size letters with postage affixed and drop them in a mailbox after crossing the border. There are usually one or two volunteers per week.

First-class mail via a mail service

There are three commercial mail services, Mailboxes Etc., Sol y Luna Mail & Parcel Services, and the Packing and Shipping Center, will courier mail from here to the US for 25 to 30 pesos per letter, and usually have several trips per week. To get more info call Mailboxes Etc. at 766-0647, Centro Sol y Luna at 766-5850, or Packing and Shipping Services at 766-0013.

Mail-forwarding services which provide a mail drop in the US by which you can receive mail

LagunaNet: 766-0297

Laguna offers dial-up and high-speed wireless (in limited areas).

Prodigy (through Telmex): 01-800-123-222 or drop in to their office in person.

Prodigy offers dial-up and DSL high-speed (in limited areas).

 Whether you are renting or whether you have become a homeowner,  your expenses are going to be somewhat different from expected.

Start keeping track of expenses as soon as possible, but keep in mind that this may not be feasible for the first month or two due to a lot of one time costs, such as getting connected to telephone lines, the internet, the utilities, etc., etc.  (Interesting point in applying for services or opening a bank account:  you will have to provide a paid utility bill, gas or electric will do, for the physical address at which you reside.  It doesn’t seem to matter if your name is on the bill or not, but you will need a copy of a recent bill for your address if you want to move forward and obtain these services.  If renting, your lease is proof of address.

Another wrinkle:  some expenses, such as insurances, taxes, water bills, and telephone bills could well be on a different billing cycle than you have been used to.  Some items are paid annually, others semi annually, some every two months, yet others are monthly.  You will need extra cash to pay the larger lump sum items, so be prepared.  (Some of these items will require a generous number of pesos!)

Using checks or credit/debit cards in Mexico

	Checks are readily acceptable, but some businesses want only pesos, while others would rather have US dollars.  If you use your credit or debit cards at Costco or other establishments, be prepared to pay a 2% surcharge for using the card.
	It pays to pay cash in Mexico.

Maids/Gardeners

Ask around for recommendations for maids and gardeners. There seems to be a good grapevine among the locals, and, if you let it be known that you are looking, people will begin showing up at your door, saying so and so sent them because they heard you needed a gardener.  You can then do your checking and decide if this person will do.  You have 28 days as a trial period to see if you are going to get along.  If it takes more than 28 days to make up your mind, you will have then acquired some obligations and you will have severance fees that are dictated by the government.

Christmas bonuses (Aguinaldo). 

These are owed and must be paid in cash every year by December 15.  If you give your gardener your old computer, that is all very well and good, but it is a gift that DOES NOT count toward the year end bonus.

Establishing a cash flow while living in Mexico

	Many people use local ATM machines for immediate cash needs. You can make cash withdrawals from your bank 'back home'. You need to be aware that there is a service charge attached to each cash withdrawal that you make from an ATM machine. That charge varies from institution to institution.
	There are a number of banks in the area offering ATM services. They accept ‘Cirrus’, ‘Plus’ and ‘Red’ systems as well as Visa and MasterCard.  You will find that the banks offer personal checking and savings accounts, investment accounts, wire transfer services and bill paying services.