Permanent resident alien in Mexico – Inmigrado
Inmigrado status or (Permanent resident alien) is define here in Spanish ,among other details, as “el extranjero que adquiere derechos de residencia definitiva en el país” i.e. a foreigner who acquires the rights of permanent residence in the country.
Permanent Resident Alien card new and old
Rights of an Inmigrado (immigrant):
• They have the individual guarantees that the Constitution grants to Mexicans, with the exception of the political guarantees that are exclusively reserved for Mexican citizens.
• They do not need to renew their inmigrado status. They can work at any legal activity, without having to request permission of the INM. Some professionals need to file their degree at the Dirección General de Profesiones. In this case you will have to check with INM if you are working under a professional designation like Engineer, Architect, etc.
• They can travel freely in and out of the country, as any Mexican citizen.
• They can acquire property, with the exception of the properties located within 50KM of the border and the beach where a Fideicomiso is required.
• Inmigrado visa holders do not need a visa in their passports.
• Inmigrados cannot vote in Mexico.
And of course inmigrado status allows them to purchase a car, allows them to receive social security (from Mexico), to open bank accounts in Mexico and also work for a Mexican company.
Obligations of an Inmigrado:
• They have to uphold the responsibilities of citizens as spelled out in the Constitution.
• They have to carry their “Forma Migratoria de Inmigrado” document with them at all times, and have a copy of it at home.
• When leaving and entering the country they have to fill out and return to the immigration authority the FMM for statistical purposes
• They must inform the INM of any change of employment, marital status and nationality.
Permanent residency status should be applied for with 6 months remaining on the FM2 and is done at the INM office.
Have the capital gains law in Mexico changed recently. When I purchased 3 years ago I was told that after 3 years there would be no capital gains. Then I heard that the law changed. Is there an advantage with the FM3 vs FM2 regarding capital gains?
Michael: the capital gains laws did change a couple of years ago. Maybe not so much a change in the law as a change in the interpretation of the law.
You may find this useful:
http://jaltembajalapeno.com/lang/en/foreign-residents/buying-real-estate/capital-gains/
You question also appears on the forum where there may be advice from others who don’t read this. Check it here:
http://jaltembajalapeno.com/jjforum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1663
No Harald he may have been referring to the period leading up to becoming inmigrado. There are some restrictions as to how long you can be out of the country while you are in process of qualifying for inmigrado status and still keep your inmigrante (FM2) status but there is not a requirement to report exits after you have become a naturalized citizen or even during the FM2 stage. Additional information here:
http://jaltembajalapeno.com/lang/en/foreign-residents/mexico-visas-%E2%80%93-fmm-fm2-and-fm3/fm2-immigrant-resident-visa/
where it says: If you are absent more than 18 months during the 5 years you can lose your inmigrante status. It really is intended for folks who plan to live full time in Mexico.
A mexican friend told me, that, with inmigrado status, I would need to notify the INM office every trip to outside Mexico days ahead of travel to get a kind of permission from them. Is that true?
Thanks herbert I have corrected the misinformation…Johan
I think you have confused the FM2 and Inmigrado status. An Inmigrado no longer has an FM2.
Thanks to Thomas for this excellent information on obligations and rights.