AboutRon Russell Expertise I lived full time in the Chapala-Ajijic area for 7 years, and now Manzanillo area 4 years. During that time I provided information (health care, working papers, immigration, driving, cost of living, insurance, culture, divorce in Mexico, trusts vs direct deed,etc) to help people make the decision about whether the area was right for them, either full or part-time.
Now living north of Manzanillo on the Pacific Coast. I live legally in Mexico.
Experience Founding partner of a facilitation company for people thinking about relocating to the Lake Chapala area of Mexico. I am no longer involved in this company's activities.
Have driven extensively in the area, to the coast (Manzanillo, Puerto Vallarta, Colima),to Patzcuaro, etc. Bused to Mexico City, flew to Chiapas. Also driven in Honduras, from Ontario Canada through border crossings at Laredo and Reynosa Texas to Lakeside. Can provide instructions and border crossing info. Publications: DISCOVER MEXICO, HEAD FOR MEXICO-THE RENEGADE GUIDE BY DON ADAMS. Video and MM production specialist. I do NOT sell real estate!
Question Hi, my husband and I are planning on moving out of USA, we were thinking that Mexico would be a option. I do not know alot about it, and I am willing to learn. How do you get into Mexico? What would be the first steps to take? Thanks so much for your help! Jennifer Reed
Answer Hola Jennifer: Well I can provide a little information, but you have a lot of reading and research to do as well. It is a good idea to have basic Spanish and that might be the best place to start. You might find night classes like we did at local high schools or colleges. My Spanish however remains poor but I can get by in our area of Mexico and the resort areas. We choose to live in an area with a large population of Americans, Canadians and Europeans and many of the Mexicans know some English. However when shopping in the large cities at WalMart, Costco, etc it is rare to find English speaking sales clerks.
I depend on my wife who is almost perfectly bilingual.
By moving to Mexico you will keep your American citizenship, you can't become Mexican. However you can live here permanently using different immigration visas.
At the border or when flying into Mexico all you need is your birth certificate to get your FMT, also called the Tourist Visa, good for up to 180 days. If living in Mexico permanently it is better to upgrade to an FM3 or FM2. More information is available at
I can suggest 2 good books to start your research: Carl Franz's THE PEOPLE'S GUIDE TO MEXICO, and Don Adams' book HEAD FOR MEXICO THE RENEGADE GUIDE. Don's book would be my first choice and in it you can read my story. Both should still be available through Amazon.
Also read some of my other answers in All Experts about cost of living, etc. One of our neighbours Karen Blue has a website of particular interest although she no longer does monthly articles.
