Tag: Moving abroad

Life in Mexico

by Stacy Ziegler, posted in Early Retirement, Lifestyle, Mexico, Moving abroad

What an adventure these last several weeks have been! We left Washington state on May 7th and spent a few weeks traveling to see friends and family. We arrived in Mexico on May 23rd with 6 checked bags, 2 carry-ons and 2 backpacks! Everything else was gifted or sold. We each stored a small box of keepsakes back in the States but that is it. Lisa insisted her Ninja Blender make the trip, I can’t fault her there, my Le Crueset french oven also made the trip. While you can buy just about anything you need here, electronics are a premium. Amazon. Mx does not disappoint!

**Tip, if you have a Delta credit card, you get your first bag free for you and your companions, if you fly first, the allowance increases by 2 bags each. The flight cost between economy and first were minimal and more than paid for the cost of luggage had we had to pay for it. Also the weight allowance increases from 50 to 70 lbs 😉

We picked up our new Honda the day after we arrived. I had pre ordered and paid for it back in January due to the chip shortage. The process was less painful than any car buying experience in the States. Prices for new cars are static here, there is no negotiating and it includes tax. I did pay am extra $1500 pesos for them to register and plate my car for me so I wouldn’t have to deal with that as soon as we landed. We got our Mexican drivers licenses a few weeks later, it was a piece of cake. The State of Quintana Roo was running a discount through the month of June for half of the cost of a license. This blew me away! It was advertised on Facebook and the department of transportation was even responding to questions about it. Juxtaposition to Washington and California DOL/DMV is striking.

During our road trip, Lisa ended up with bronchitis. Even though it mostly cleared before our flight down, she never really fully recovered. Last week we finally decided to seek medical attention. Our community doctor came to our house the morning after I contacted her through Whatsapp at 7pm the night before (if you travel and don’t know what this is, look into it! ) the housecall was 1,000 pesos (50 usd) she ordered several tests to check her blood, thyroid, Immunoglobulins and a throat culture. Total bill for the labs was $1100 pesos. We have insurance, the deductible is 31,000 pesos so like most people, we just pay cash and hang on to the factuta (receipt). Interesting side note about deductibles here-it is a one time charge per incident or illness that is never paid again regardless of how much time has passed. For example, you have lukemia, you pay your deductible once, even if you are treated for it over several years. I digress, the entire cost of Lisa’s visit, labs, etc was roughly $120 usd! We were emailed her test results later the same day.

I am still trying to figure out my role here. I’m not working as much as I thought I would be and now that we are all settled, I’m becoming a little restless. I am going to the special needs school across the highway tomorrow to see how I can help over there. Next month we had to Oaxaca, I can’t wait to explore the smaller villages, ruins and of course, the food!

A life of travel and beaches is certainly something to be grateful for but I will always need purpose 😊

2022

by Stacy Ziegler, posted in Early Retirement, Moving abroad, Puerto Aventuras

Wow! It been a hot minute since I’ve updated anything. To pick up where I left off, we had just finished the consulate process in Seattle and we had appointments at INM in Playa del Carmen in the 9th of November. This was the perfect way to spend our wedding anniversary. The process was relatively easy and we did not have to wait long at the office to be processed and receive our residency cards but that was largely because we used Milly Arceo at Legally in Mexico to complete the paperwork on the Mexican side of the border.

When it was time to come back, the depression set in. Everyone wants to spend more time in Mexico, sure, but the dread of returning to the States and to work is more pronounced each time. What made that return trip home is we knew it would be the last one before the final move. It was hard to say goodbye to our friends and our home. The entire Riviera Maya just feels so magical, it has a
a pull on my soul that I cannot put into words. We both planned to make our retirement announcements soon after our return.

December was a hectic month, I had surgery, we had the holidays, the important people Lisa needed to talk to before announcing it formally had taken time off and we ultimately pushed the announcement off until just a few weeks ago. The presiding Judge was not at all surprised, she had known we had bought a home and obtained residency. Some of the other Judges took it a little harder. Lisa has been such a pillar of strength and leadership over the last 30 years, it is no surprise that many of her co workers had mixed feelings about the announcement.

My announcement followed hers and while I won’t be officially done working, I will shift my focus to business operations and will no longer be the program manager. A decade and thousands of cases of abused and neglected children later, in an era where children’s rights and interests are largely placed on the back burner, has really taken a toll on me. I will miss many of my colleagues and some of the great reunification and adoptions I’ve been apart of but I am more than ready to separate myself from the secondary and tertiary trauma that comes with this line of work. Our last days at work will be April 15th!

So what’s next? The universe is still creating a very easy path for us. We already have our house under contract(and they are taking most of the furniture!), one of my vehicles is already promised to a buyer, I’ve sorted and organized 30 years with of kids art work, photos and other keepsakes. Our house is set to close May 6th and we have airline tickets for May 7th to spend a month traveling California and Arizona to see family before we make the trip from LAX to Cancun in late May. It’s hard to believe it is so close when it feels like we just started this journey. When it’s right, it’s right. Until next time, mi amigos. Salud.

The Mexican Consulate

by Stacy Ziegler, posted in Early Retirement, Ex pat, Lifestyle, Moving abroad, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Aventuras, Riviera Maya, Travel

Also known as, Consulado de México. This is where you start the process of legally entering Mexico if you want to stay past the 180 day tourist visa. Obviously our intent is to stay for an undetermined amount of time. Could be a several years, could be forever. The one thing I can say with absolute certainty is the only thing that is consist between consulates is that their Visa requirements are all different. Covid has restricted some consulates to only serving people in their geographical area, as determined by them. Portland, for example, is currently only serving Oregon and southern Washington state. Other consulates, like Las Vegas, are serving anyone. We chose Seattle because A) that’s our closest office. B) They were only asking for 6 months of financial documentation (which was still 35 pages) and C) They were conducting the initial interview via Zoom. All good things. In my last entry, I had just been notified that we had been processed and they had offered us an interview date!

Fast forward several weeks, our Zoom interview went very well. We were asked questions surrounding why we chose México, what ties we had there, and other basic questions. While I was nervous about the interview, I knew our intentions were solid and reflected what they wanted to see in someone seeking permanent residency. It helped that we are homeowners there and had already established solid ties to friends and our community, I’m on our HOA board and we had made several trips down over the last few years. It also helped that my wife lights up every time we talk about México and what she loves about the people, culture, and of course, the food. We were approved for our Visas and I can tell you that I genuinely felt welcomed to Mexico. Our agent was extremely helpful and kind throughout the process. This is not a new feeling, most Mexicans are extremely kind and welcoming to foreigners in their country so long as you show some respect and leave the entitlement at the border. We then needed to appear at the consulate in person to have our fingerprints and photos taken. I returned the next day to pick up our actual visas. This is what it looks like, they place it in your passport. You have 6 months to enter México to finish the process at INM (Instituto Nacional de Migración/Immigration) and exchange your visa for your resident card. Once you enter, you have 30 days to start the process.

Visa that goes into your passport
Permanent resident card (RP/Residente Permanente)

Depending on your finances, age, and intentions, you may be approved for temporary or permanent residency. The only difference is that temporary needs to be renewed, sometimes annually, for up to 4 years at which time you will have to roll it over to permanent or leave the country. The one upside to temporary (TP/Temporal Residente) is that you could bring a foreign plated car into México via a TIP (Temporary Import Permit) for a long as your visa is valid. Qroo Paul has an excellent blog with endless information about moving to Mexico. You can read the article here for more information on the ends and outs of bringing your car.

If you are offered permanent residency and have no intention of bringing a car, take it. Nobody wants to spend their time, money, or patience having to deal with immigration in Mexico. Further, if you are not fluent in Spanish (reading and writing) and don’t have a bunch of time, money and patience, I highly recommend using an immigration specialist to help you complete the process in Mexico. There are several throughout the country, search the Facebook expat boards for recommendations.

That’s all for now folks! Happy fall and safe travels.