Wednesday, March 12, 2008

How to survive the Inmigration procedures in Mexico

When you need visa in Mexico, you'll have to go to the Inmigration office. To survive the experience, you'll need:
- looooots of patience. You can't have too much of it.
- to go there as early as possible. At nine o'clock, when the offices open, is the best time; there aren't so many people there. With luck, you might get out by lunch time.
- lots of time. Even if you go early, it can take hours.
- something to read. Sleeping while you stand is a good way to spend you waiting time too, but might cost you your place in the line.
- good shoes. You will be standing in different lines for hours, so don't even think to put on your high heels.
- to be prepared to go back many times, because something in your original application was wrong.

You'll also need to understand that you're always wrong. No one told you you need a certain document? That's your own fault. It maybe isn't in the list of the documents, but you should have guessed. The inmigration officer has a bad day? That definitively is your fault. Stupid immigrant! They lost one of your documents? That must be your fault too. So just accept it, take a deep breath, keep smiling and be very polite and someone might help you after all.

As you guessed, I had to go the Inmigration today. But I have to say, I'm really getting better at it, even though it took me about 4 hours standing in different lines. I was mentally prepared to go again tomorrow for some missing documents, but it seems I don't have to go back until I get the decision in couple of weeks. Hurray! The best thing is that I didn't get desperate or angry as on my earlier visits there. I guess I'm reaching some kind of zen state of mind...

4 comments:

Maija said...

Good luck :o)
Luxembourg was the same some years ago, now they let you sit during the wait (thanks to a numbered ticket system) ;o)
terveisin maijam myös ex-pat.

ColibriDreams said...

Thanks! I would love that numbered ticket system here too... Well, I guess inmigration priocedures are difficult in every country.

Jonna said...

In Manzanillo we have now the numbered ticket system and people always sit and wait, you just ask on the door who is the last one to know after whom is your turn.

Heidi said...

Sounds familiar, that's what I went through almost 2 years ago and finally, no matter we had all the papers and there were not suppose to be any problem the decision was negative!!! So we had to do everything again, this time with lawyer and didn't have any problem....just spent lot of money and time....