The $435.12 USD Mistake (follow up to INM office in Playa del Carmen, Mexico and the Consulate office in Washington, D.C.)

For those of you that read our July 9, 2013 blog post regarding our visit to the Consulate office, this is my follow-up blog post (finally).

It was our plan for me to obtain my temporary residente visa card when we moved here in September of 2013.  Prior to our move, I went to the Consulate office in Washington, D.C. and did everything I was supposed to do in preparation of going to the INM office here in Playa del Carmen (PDC) within 30 days of our arrival. I took in all my documentation, photos, passport, along with several copies of all required documents.  When I left the office with my sticker affixed to my passport, I was excited and prepared to take things to the next level once I arrived in PDC. So all went well in Washington, D.C.; at least that’s what I thought. 

When I went to the INM office in Playa, I was told that the

information on the sticker from the Consulate office in Washington, D.C. was incorrect and that I needed to have it corrected before they could move forward in PDC with my temporary residente visa card. The sticker they gave me from the Consulate office in Washington, D.C. is partly in Spanish, therefore I did not know it was wrong.  It states under the “type, class, category”: visitante sin permiso para realizer actividades remunerades, which basically means visitor without permission to perform certain activities.   It’s supposed to say “Temporary Residente”. I was so upset; I could not believe what I was hearing. 

Photo of sticker:

I asked the INM office if they could call or email the Consulate office in Washington, D.C. to determine if the correction could be made over the phone or by email.  The answer was no and that I had to coordinate with the Consulate office to correct the mistake.  Ok, I get that. The mistake was made with the Consulate office so get them to correct it. 

So I go home and immediately call the Consulate office and leave a message.  I also email them a copy of the sticker they provided me, along with a copy of the application.  I wanted to make sure they had all the information that showed them that I had indeed applied and paid for my temporary residente visa sticker.   When the Consulate office returned by call after a couple of days, they agreed that an error had been made.

Again, I repeated the situation about the outcome at the INM

office in PDC.  I referred to the email I had sent them with copies of everything.  There I was all excited thinking that this would just be a simple fix.  BOY WAS I WRONG.  They proceeded to politely tell me that I would have to fly back to the United States and apply all over again. 

I thought they were joking! I asked if they could just update the sticker and have my husband bring it with him on his next visit.  They said NO.  I asked if they could just email or overnight mail the sticker to me by FedEX (at my expense), the answer was NO.  I asked if they could call the INM office in PDC and just explain that they made a simple mistake with my paperwork and they had their permission to move forward.  The answer again…was…NO.  The bottom line, they explained, was that the entire process and application would have to be re-done, with application, finger printing and everything.  There was nothing they could do except I had to start all over again. 

I continued to explain that I was already living in Mexico and was not able to fly back to correct this simple error at this point.  I further asked if they would pay for my airfare ($435.12 USD) and application fee ($36.00 USD).  The answer was NO to the airfare, but they would make a note to pay for my application fee again. WHAT??? This was feeling like the Twilight Zone.  In fact, I thought I could hear Rod Serling in the background telling the story (smile). 

So here I am, living in our home in Mexico and still need to

apply for and receive my temporary residente visa card.  Basically, every 180 days I get on a plane and fly back to the United States. After a few weeks, I fly back to Mexico and the cycle continues until the next 180 days is about to expire. 

The entire process has been a very frustrating learning experience. I am gearing up to apply again, and now have a better understanding of what should be on the sticker. In addition, I will be armed with my Spanish dictionary so if there are additional items on the sticker in Spanish, I can look up the meaning and ask for clarification.

I am looking forward to receiving my temporary residente visa card.  If for no other reason than to feel more like I am part of this wonderful community that I have been blessed to live in and experience.  And of course, to get back to the business that’s really important…going to the beach!

SIDE NOTE AND PHOTO:

The INM office is located upstairs on the second floor in the Plaza Antigua building. The building is across the street from the Senior Frogs retail store right on 10th; just before the Playacar entrance. If you blink, you could miss it. The building and entrance sits back off the street, so watch carefully.