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Please can someone advise.

My friend entered mexico on a 6 month tourist visa, he has overstayed by
six months (thinking his visa would last a year), anyway he now wanted to
return to Germany. What will happen to him, will he be fine/detained??/

I have e-mailed various embassies but they send me to sites in Spanish!

Any info will be appreicated.
Poppy

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My experience is that the airline people usually take the visa from you
when you check in, and they don't seem to look at it.

I would just leave, act like nothing is wrong, and hope that nobody notices.

If he is really worried about it, leave Mexico by ground, walking across
the US border. The Mexicans never look at the visa that way. Then he
could fly home from the USA.

Richard



poppy wrote:
> Please can someone advise.
>
> My friend entered mexico on a 6 month tourist visa, he has overstayed by
> six months (thinking his visa would last a year), anyway he now wanted to
> return to Germany. What will happen to him, will he be fine/detained??/
>
> I have e-mailed various embassies but they send me to sites in Spanish!
>
> Any info will be appreicated.
> Poppy
>

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"poppy" <124@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3eb505f22cf6fcf7e357d6772591981f@localhost.talkabouttravelling.com...
> Please can someone advise.
>
> My friend entered mexico on a 6 month tourist visa, he has overstayed by
> six months (thinking his visa would last a year), anyway he now wanted to
> return to Germany. What will happen to him, will he be fine/detained??/

Considering its been a year, I'd just wait til it was , say 2 weeks after
the date on the papers, and tell em I'd been in country for two weeks.
Someone just must have made a mistake when they wrote in the date....in any
case if he's leaving the country voluntarily, say at an airport, I doubt
there would be a problem. But if he were to be caught on the street with
those papers, and not obviously leaving the country, he could be deported,
and if that happened he would not be able to come back.....Howard

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Richard Ferguson wrote:
>
> My experience is that the airline people usually take the visa from you
> when you check in, and they don't seem to look at it.
>
> I would just leave, act like nothing is wrong, and hope that nobody notices.
>
> If he is really worried about it, leave Mexico by ground, walking across
> the US border. The Mexicans never look at the visa that way. Then he
> could fly home from the USA.
>
> Richard
>

Not quite that easy. When you enter Mexico
by foot, car or bus you don't get examined at
the border for day trips but to get
to the interior you have to go through
formal customs and immigration outside the
city you entered.

When leaving you have to do the same
and surrender your tourist visa.



> poppy wrote:
> > Please can someone advise.
> >
> > My friend entered mexico on a 6 month tourist visa, he has overstayed by
> > six months (thinking his visa would last a year), anyway he now wanted to
> > return to Germany. What will happen to him, will he be fine/detained??/
> >
> > I have e-mailed various embassies but they send me to sites in Spanish!
> >
> > Any info will be appreicated.
> > Poppy
> >

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I don't cross the border from Mexico to the USA by ground very often,
but when I have, no one on the Mexican side has asked for any paperwork.
I know that I "could" and perhaps "should" hand over my FMT at the
border, but no one asked me for it. The vehicle permit, of course, has
to be turned in to avoid problems, but that is much more heavily
controlled, with barcodes and readers, etc.

Has anyone been asked to hand over his FMT (tourist visa) when crossing
the border by land? If so, at which crossing, and was it at the border
or inland?

Richard



John Ramsay wrote:
>
> Richard Ferguson wrote:
>
>>My experience is that the airline people usually take the visa from you
>>when you check in, and they don't seem to look at it.
>>
>>I would just leave, act like nothing is wrong, and hope that nobody notices.
>>
>>If he is really worried about it, leave Mexico by ground, walking across
>>the US border. The Mexicans never look at the visa that way. Then he
>>could fly home from the USA.
>>
>>Richard
>>
>
>
> Not quite that easy. When you enter Mexico
> by foot, car or bus you don't get examined at
> the border for day trips but to get
> to the interior you have to go through
> formal customs and immigration outside the
> city you entered.
>
> When leaving you have to do the same
> and surrender your tourist visa.
>
>
>
>
>>poppy wrote:
>>
>>>Please can someone advise.
>>>
>>>My friend entered mexico on a 6 month tourist visa, he has overstayed by
>>>six months (thinking his visa would last a year), anyway he now wanted to
>>>return to Germany. What will happen to him, will he be fine/detained??/
>>>
>>>I have e-mailed various embassies but they send me to sites in Spanish!
>>>
>>>Any info will be appreicated.
>>>Poppy
>>>

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On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 00:28:03 GMT, Richard Ferguson
<fergusonOMITsculpture@omitthisatt.net> wrote:

>I don't cross the border from Mexico to the USA by ground very often,
>but when I have, no one on the Mexican side has asked for any paperwork.
> I know that I "could" and perhaps "should" hand over my FMT at the
>border, but no one asked me for it. The vehicle permit, of course, has
>to be turned in to avoid problems, but that is much more heavily
>controlled, with barcodes and readers, etc.
>
>Has anyone been asked to hand over his FMT (tourist visa) when crossing
>the border by land? If so, at which crossing, and was it at the border
>or inland?
>
>Richard

You're supposed to do that voluntary, at the same place you surrender
the car permit.
I've known people that have left without handing in the FMT and have
at a later date gone back to Mexico without incident. But technically
it can land you in trouble if on your next entry into Mexico they
discover you never handed in the last one.

It's a fairly simple procedure, esp if you're already handing in the
car permit. Why chance it?



>John Ramsay wrote:
>>
>> Richard Ferguson wrote:
>>
>>>My experience is that the airline people usually take the visa from you
>>>when you check in, and they don't seem to look at it.
>>>
>>>I would just leave, act like nothing is wrong, and hope that nobody notices.
>>>
>>>If he is really worried about it, leave Mexico by ground, walking across
>>>the US border. The Mexicans never look at the visa that way. Then he
>>>could fly home from the USA.
>>>
>>>Richard
>>>
>>
>>
>> Not quite that easy. When you enter Mexico
>> by foot, car or bus you don't get examined at
>> the border for day trips but to get
>> to the interior you have to go through
>> formal customs and immigration outside the
>> city you entered.
>>
>> When leaving you have to do the same
>> and surrender your tourist visa.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>poppy wrote:
>>>
>>>>Please can someone advise.
>>>>
>>>>My friend entered mexico on a 6 month tourist visa, he has overstayed by
>>>>six months (thinking his visa would last a year), anyway he now wanted to
>>>>return to Germany. What will happen to him, will he be fine/detained??/
>>>>
>>>>I have e-mailed various embassies but they send me to sites in Spanish!
>>>>
>>>>Any info will be appreicated.
>>>>Poppy
>>>>

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"MMcC" <inis@earthlings.com> wrote in message
news:2pqus01kt0digbh60lvcaoji0br4vkd43d@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 00:28:03 GMT, Richard Ferguson
> <fergusonOMITsculpture@omitthisatt.net> wrote:
>
>>I don't cross the border from Mexico to the USA by ground very often,
>>but when I have, no one on the Mexican side has asked for any paperwork.
>> I know that I "could" and perhaps "should" hand over my FMT at the
>>border, but no one asked me for it. The vehicle permit, of course, has
>>to be turned in to avoid problems, but that is much more heavily
>>controlled, with barcodes and readers, etc.
>>
>>Has anyone been asked to hand over his FMT (tourist visa) when crossing
>>the border by land? If so, at which crossing, and was it at the border
>>or inland?
>>
>>Richard
>
> You're supposed to do that voluntary, at the same place you surrender
> the car permit.
> I've known people that have left without handing in the FMT and have
> at a later date gone back to Mexico without incident. But technically
> it can land you in trouble if on your next entry into Mexico they
> discover you never handed in the last one.
>
> It's a fairly simple procedure, esp if you're already handing in the
> car permit. Why chance it?

Huh? This is news to me and I've had a bunch of tourist cards and
crossed at a number of different points. (Technically, for Germans and
Americans and many other nationalities, it isn't a visa.) The only time I've
ever turned one in was flying out, and they do specifically ask for it then.
I don't even turn in temporary import permits unless they're expiring soon
and I don't plan to return before it does. Unless I'm changing vehicles the
worse case scenario is that I turn in the old expired import permit before I
get the new one. Been there, done that--no big deal. Traveling by land I'll
be asked to show the tourist card every now and then at highway checkpoints,
but I've never had anyone ask me to turn it in or even suggest that this was
necessary. It certainly hasn't been a problem for myself or anyone else I
know in southern Arizona when we go to get the next one.

Other than the possibility of having his tourist card checked on the
highway most of this is moot for the person with the expired tourist card. I
don't like Richard's idea because of the this possibility, unless he's
already in one of the states bordering the US. On the highway the place
you're most likely to have your tourist card checked is at a checkpoint near
state borders, there's almost always one there somewhere, although they
don't always ask to see your tourist card. So far of all the suggestions my
favorite is try to walk through the procedure like nothing is wrong and hope
the official they get isn't paying close attention. Worst case scenario is
probably that they have to pay a fine, but I'd be surprised if it even came
to that. Flying out they're looking at a $30 exit fee anyhow. My rule of
thumb when I'm in a hole is to put the down shovel and stop digging.

This all reminds me of a rather slow witted person on another group I
follow. He hadn't been able to understand and follow instructions to pay for
his tourist card at a bank. He got all excited and made a big deal of it on
his way out. They took his name and address, but no one ever contacted him
for payment of fees or fines and he didn't have any problem the next time he
needed a tourist card. I've also met someone who claimed to have
successfully altered his tourist card for land travel. This is not something
I would suggest. As I say, put down the shovel and make the best of what you
have left to work with.

TB

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On Sun, 26 Dec 2004 21:08:58 -0700, "Technobarbarian"
<randomcanyon-ztopzpam@hotmail.com> wrote:

>
>"MMcC" <inis@earthlings.com> wrote in message
>news:2pqus01kt0digbh60lvcaoji0br4vkd43d@4ax.com...
>> On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 00:28:03 GMT, Richard Ferguson
>> <fergusonOMITsculpture@omitthisatt.net> wrote:
>>
>>>I don't cross the border from Mexico to the USA by ground very often,
>>>but when I have, no one on the Mexican side has asked for any paperwork.
>>> I know that I "could" and perhaps "should" hand over my FMT at the
>>>border, but no one asked me for it. The vehicle permit, of course, has
>>>to be turned in to avoid problems, but that is much more heavily
>>>controlled, with barcodes and readers, etc.
>>>
>>>Has anyone been asked to hand over his FMT (tourist visa) when crossing
>>>the border by land? If so, at which crossing, and was it at the border
>>>or inland?
>>>
>>>Richard
>>
>> You're supposed to do that voluntary, at the same place you surrender
>> the car permit.
>> I've known people that have left without handing in the FMT and have
>> at a later date gone back to Mexico without incident. But technically
>> it can land you in trouble if on your next entry into Mexico they
>> discover you never handed in the last one.
>>
>> It's a fairly simple procedure, esp if you're already handing in the
>> car permit. Why chance it?
>
> Huh? This is news to me and I've had a bunch of tourist cards and
>crossed at a number of different points.


Do a websearch on FMT and you'll find a whole bunch of sites that say
this.........

--------------------------------
IMPORTANT
BEFORE LEAVING MEXICO…

All Mexican Permits or Visas must be returned to a Mexican Immigration
office at a Mexican Port of Entry upon final departure from Mexico or
to a Mexican Consulate or Embassy no later than 5 days following the
expiration date. An exit stamp should be obtained upon leaving Mexico.
Failure to timely cancel your permit or visa may result in penalties
or fines.
--------------------------------------------

Now, from your experience and that of many people I know it seems that
the Mexican authorities don't neccesarily enforce this. But personally
I don't take the chance. I'd hate to show up at the border one day and
encounter a bunch of hassle because I didn't take the couple of
minutes it takes to hand in the FMT while I'm already in there with
the car permit.




>Technically, for Germans and
>Americans and many other nationalities, it isn't a visa.) The only time I've
>ever turned one in was flying out, and they do specifically ask for it then.
>I don't even turn in temporary import permits unless they're expiring soon
>and I don't plan to return before it does. Unless I'm changing vehicles the
>worse case scenario is that I turn in the old expired import permit before I
>get the new one. Been there, done that--no big deal. Traveling by land I'll
>be asked to show the tourist card every now and then at highway checkpoints,
>but I've never had anyone ask me to turn it in or even suggest that this was
>necessary. It certainly hasn't been a problem for myself or anyone else I
>know in southern Arizona when we go to get the next one.
>
> Other than the possibility of having his tourist card checked on the
>highway most of this is moot for the person with the expired tourist card. I
>don't like Richard's idea because of the this possibility, unless he's
>already in one of the states bordering the US. On the highway the place
>you're most likely to have your tourist card checked is at a checkpoint near
>state borders, there's almost always one there somewhere, although they
>don't always ask to see your tourist card. So far of all the suggestions my
>favorite is try to walk through the procedure like nothing is wrong and hope
>the official they get isn't paying close attention. Worst case scenario is
>probably that they have to pay a fine, but I'd be surprised if it even came
>to that. Flying out they're looking at a $30 exit fee anyhow. My rule of
>thumb when I'm in a hole is to put the down shovel and stop digging.
>
> This all reminds me of a rather slow witted person on another group I
>follow. He hadn't been able to understand and follow instructions to pay for
>his tourist card at a bank. He got all excited and made a big deal of it on
>his way out. They took his name and address, but no one ever contacted him
>for payment of fees or fines and he didn't have any problem the next time he
>needed a tourist card. I've also met someone who claimed to have
>successfully altered his tourist card for land travel. This is not something
>I would suggest. As I say, put down the shovel and make the best of what you
>have left to work with.
>
>TB
>

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Thank you everyone for replying.

However, this has just got a little more interesting....I note your
advices and have sent them on to my friend.

However, he tells me that his tourist card is not dated, it is signed by
the officer that checked his passport as he entered the country by air but
there is no information put into the "starting from date of entrance" box
on it.

The only thing he has is a stamp in his passport with the date he entered
Mexico. So, I am guessing the only way of them knowing when he leaves is
if they look in his passport at this date.....any thoughts?????? If he is
stopped at a checkpoint will he need to just show his tourist card or his
passport too?

Thanks again for the advice.
Poppy
Happy New Year

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"MMcC" <inis@earthlings.com> wrote in message
news:r1cvs0pjjsj1iaio4ur3c6phc0dkaegjdn@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 26 Dec 2004 21:08:58 -0700, "Technobarbarian"
> <randomcanyon-ztopzpam@hotmail.com> wrote:

>>> You're supposed to do that voluntary, at the same place you surrender
>>> the car permit.
>>> I've known people that have left without handing in the FMT and have
>>> at a later date gone back to Mexico without incident. But technically
>>> it can land you in trouble if on your next entry into Mexico they
>>> discover you never handed in the last one.
>>>
>>> It's a fairly simple procedure, esp if you're already handing in the
>>> car permit. Why chance it?
>>
>> Huh? This is news to me and I've had a bunch of tourist cards and
>>crossed at a number of different points.
>
>
> Do a websearch on FMT and you'll find a whole bunch of sites that say
> this.........

I had been there and done that. Other than your one source which appears
to be from an undated article posted by an American consulate in Mexico I
haven't seen anything official saying this. Most of what you find is very
unofficial sources repeating the same unattributed information. BTW, for
anyone interested in this digression the source appears to be:
http://usembassy.state.gov/posts/mx2/wwwhmvr.html

And as I say--moot point for the person on the expired tourist card--and
apparently, like many Mexican laws, on the books, but not enforced. Down
here near the border it's common practice to keep 'em 'til they expire and
toss 'em out. One of the things we see around here is that when the Mexican
officials do get a bit carried away with themselves, if it puts a crimp in
business south of the border the people there start complaining very loudly.
This is why we have a Sonora only free pass and why the cash bond for
vehicles around Christmas time a few years ago only lasted about 24 hours.

> IMPORTANT
> BEFORE LEAVING MEXICO.
>
> All Mexican Permits or Visas must be returned to a Mexican Immigration
> office at a Mexican Port of Entry upon final departure from Mexico or
> to a Mexican Consulate or Embassy no later than 5 days following the
> expiration date. An exit stamp should be obtained upon leaving Mexico.
> Failure to timely cancel your permit or visa may result in penalties
> or fines.
> --------------------------------------------
>
> Now, from your experience and that of many people I know it seems that
> the Mexican authorities don't neccesarily enforce this. But personally
> I don't take the chance. I'd hate to show up at the border one day and
> encounter a bunch of hassle because I didn't take the couple of
> minutes it takes to hand in the FMT while I'm already in there with
> the car permit.

In thinking about the person on the expired tourist visa it strikes me
that the most likely outcome, based on other Mexican procedures, is that he
might not be able to fly back into Mexico until he pays a fine. I suspect
that if he was determined to return without paying a fine he could enter
through the US without any problem. The only screening I've ever seen at the
office where they issue the FMTs is that the official will sometimes look at
a hard copy of what appears to be a relatively small list of names--maybe 10
or 15 sheets of paper in a small binder. The Immigration department doesn't
appear to be high on the list of the Mexican government's priorities. At the
border they're still using manual typewritters and their ink pads for
stamping documents always look worn out. It's possible that tourist cards
get entered in a computer database, but I've never seen any evidence of it
at the border. I suspect that if you do hand in your tourist card the
official just throws it in the trash.

TB

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Richard Ferguson wrote:
>
> I don't cross the border from Mexico to the USA by ground very often,
> but when I have, no one on the Mexican side has asked for any paperwork.
> I know that I "could" and perhaps "should" hand over my FMT at the
> border, but no one asked me for it. The vehicle permit, of course, has
> to be turned in to avoid problems, but that is much more heavily
> controlled, with barcodes and readers, etc.
>
> Has anyone been asked to hand over his FMT (tourist visa) when crossing
> the border by land? If so, at which crossing, and was it at the border
> or inland?
>
> Richard
>

I went to Cd. Chihuahua in 1999 and 2000.

Both times on my return I had to surrender ALL
documentation at the Customs and Immigration
complex on Mex 45, about 30 km from the border
at El Paso.

Thought I could keep my Tourist Card as a souvenir
but they took it.

Matter of fact, in 2000 they were more meticulous
about letting me out of the country than they were
letting me in.

That's why I said it's not all that easy to leave
Mexico with an expired Tourist Card.

John Ramsay


> John Ramsay wrote:
> >
> > Richard Ferguson wrote:
> >
> >>My experience is that the airline people usually take the visa from you
> >>when you check in, and they don't seem to look at it.
> >>
> >>I would just leave, act like nothing is wrong, and hope that nobody notices.
> >>
> >>If he is really worried about it, leave Mexico by ground, walking across
> >>the US border. The Mexicans never look at the visa that way. Then he
> >>could fly home from the USA.
> >>
> >>Richard
> >>
> >
> >
> > Not quite that easy. When you enter Mexico
> > by foot, car or bus you don't get examined at
> > the border for day trips but to get
> > to the interior you have to go through
> > formal customs and immigration outside the
> > city you entered.
> >
> > When leaving you have to do the same
> > and surrender your tourist visa.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>poppy wrote:
> >>
> >>>Please can someone advise.
> >>>
> >>>My friend entered mexico on a 6 month tourist visa, he has overstayed by
> >>>six months (thinking his visa would last a year), anyway he now wanted to
> >>>return to Germany. What will happen to him, will he be fine/detained??/
> >>>
> >>>I have e-mailed various embassies but they send me to sites in Spanish!
> >>>
> >>>Any info will be appreicated.
> >>>Poppy
> >>>

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"poppy" <124@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:854a79076f072b1f9586dddc1e93a03d@localhost.talkabouttravelling.com...

> The only thing he has is a stamp in his passport with the date he entered
> Mexico. So, I am guessing the only way of them knowing when he leaves is
> if they look in his passport at this date.....any thoughts?????? If he is
> stopped at a checkpoint will he need to just show his tourist card or his
> passport too?

It's up to the person in charge of the highway check point to decide
what they ask for. The most common thing is that they just ask where you're
coming from and where you're going and wave you through. I've been asked for
either a trourist card or a passport, but rarely both. They will specify
which one that want if they're checking papers. More common still in a
private vehicle is to have them check the temporary import permit. Every now
and then they will do a quick search through the vehicle and I have seen
them looking through some of the luggage on buses. These days, expect for
problems spots, like Chiapas and pot producing areas, you generally only see
checkpoints somewhere near the border between states. However there are
usually at least 3 checkpoints north bound in the state of Sonora.

I really think your friend is better off just going to the airport and
getting it over with. Long distance travel in Mexico is one the best ways I
can think of to get his status noticed by the authorities. The soldiers are
pretty friendly and casual, but highway duty seems to make the PGR guys very
grumpy.

TB

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