How to Renew Your Temporary Visas in Merida
We successfully renewed our visas this week for another 3 years. We decided to attempt it ourselves this time as expat services charge around $200 per person to do it for you. Even then, you still need to show up and wait. Honestly, as someone having done this with and without help, doing it by yourself is not as intimidating as it seems. Let me tell you how it went!
Just like with our change of address, we arrived around 8:40. The line was already a block long and the guy working there was starting to go down the line asking each person what type of procedure they needed and keeping tally. After about 20 min he started calling out procedures and taking those people to the front of the building to form a line. Once ours was called (tarjeta de residente temporal por renovacion) we were directed to chairs to sit again.
They say a little schpeel in Spanish about how it takes about 40 min per person for the process, to be patient, to sign in when you are let inside, and to not use your cell phone inside. We were in the 4th row of chairs 😅 they were taking 3 people at a time so we were waiting a while. I had to go get the kids some water and a snack to hold them over.
Each time they take people in, you move up, just follow the person you're behind. It's important to note, you need to show up before 9 and let them tally your procedure. Each time the last people sitting in the chairs move up, they come and remove those chairs. So there's no way you can try and show up late and sneak in so to speak.
3 hours later we were next inside. You sign in and tell the lady what procedure and she gives you a laminated card with your window and turn. Then you wait some more.
Once we were called up my husband took all of our paperwork and they started processing all of us. Since he is the sole provider he could sign for most things and I needed to sign a couple of things under my name. After signing paperwork, and hoping I got everything right, they took payment! Whew! I figured if they are taking my money, everything checked out. It's much more convenient now to pay than before. Before you had to print out a payment form for the banks, go to the bank, pay, and get a receipt to include with your paperwork proving you paid. Now you can pay with a credit card right there. Much more convenient. So after selling my kidney and a few other important organs, we were directed to wait, yet again, to take our new photos.
Each of us went up when it was time and took right, left, and front profile pictures, along with our fingerprints.
Finally, after 6 hours, we were handed our new resident cards! We don't have to go back for 3 years! My kids are super happy about that.
So what paperwork did we need? The link below will direct you to the government site for up to date required paperwork for renewals, as well as the cost.
Here is a breakdown:
1. Formato Para solicitar- Click the tramite en linea to the right and fill out the info and print and sign. You have 90 days I think it said to use this form before they require a new one.
2. This is your resident card. I made copies but they didn't need them in the end.
3. Formato basico- click the link and use an app like Adobe to fill in all the information and print it and sign.
4. You are providing your current resident card so you don't need this.
5. Photographs are taken in the office so no need to worry about this.
6. Proof of payment- If paying with a credit card you can ignore this.
7. This varies depending on how you were originally granted stay in Mexico. Whatever it was to begin with, you are renewing under the same scenario. We were granted stay through what they call the "rentista" visa or basically that we will support ourselves. They have a form to fill out which is the blue link towards the bottom of the paragraph and you print and sign that. It is stating that the original conditions of stay subsist. They have a form for minors as well for parents to sign. On the form it asks for your Immigration Number. This is not your CURP or your NUE but rather on the back of your resident card there is another number there.
And that's all that's needed. We also printed 6 months of bank statements just in case since I have heard other offices request those, but not here in Merida.
Side note- If you live in Progreso, you can go to the INM offices there and it's much faster. Alas, we have an address in Merida so they wouldn't have processed our visas there.
Well that's all for today. Hopefully that was helpful and informative.
Have a great day!
-Bee
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