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From attorney Spencer McMullen Changes to common immigration forms effective August 1, 2018 Mexico published today, July 31, 2018 in its Federal Register or Diario Oficial de la Federacion some changes to common immigration forms.  These changes will be effective tomorrow, August 1, 2018. The following forms have had slight changes made to them. FMM […]

Most United States Citizens can renew their passports outside of the United States at any US Embassy, US consulate office or during special visits programmed such as monthly visits to the Lake Chapala area in Jalisco, Mexico. The US State Department employees working at the Embassies and consulates are usually very helpful and we Americans […]

Last month aduana (customs) published an updated manual for the temporary importation of vehicles.  This manual is an update of the last one published in 2014 and now clearly lists who can import cars and periods.  It also lists who can drive the cars and once again reaffirms that the only document you need to […]

How to Lose Money in Mexican Real Estate I have had at least two people come in to see me each week due to problems purchasing real estate.  There are a few common themes and many times problems can be avoided if one is careful from the start.  There is an old saying here in […]

Cars illegally in Mexico can be returned late before the authorities catch you and take your car, fine you or even jail you. Enter as a tourist and then flew out and now your car is illegal? Finally become a permanent resident? Buy a car for a great price from another foreigner? Foreigners who have […]

The State Prosecutor’s office made a special trip to the Chapala area last Friday to be available to the public and listen to their complaints and concerns about any criminal matters the local office was handling that were not moving forward as expected. We were there working with our clients to help them get results.

Cheated by Escheat? By the way, here’s something people should know about if they have bank accounts in the US. What happened to me is that I had some money in a US checking account that I hadn’t used for a few years. They blocked the account and called it dormant. I was recently contacted […]

Starting February 23, 2017 they lowered the notarial tax (Impuesto Sobre negocios Juridicos) that was raised from 290 to 1000 pesos for 2017, it is now 300 pesos, this will lower costs on wills, deeds and other notarial acts. will prices should go back down to almost 2016 prices.

The check is in the mail, international travel with cash or checks… Many countries have enacted legislation to combat money laundering which is used to avoid lawful payment of taxes or disguise illegal operations. Many countries have based their laws off of or copied the US provisions that regulate crossing borders with money or negotiable […]

I am working on gathering statistical information and made a request to immigration to get information on how many total immigration files they work on per year at the local Chapala office and of that number how many are for Americans, here are the results: Year / Total / Americans 2012 / 5,634 / 3,498 […]