Married American and Mexican currently living in Texas

by chance, are you a gay couple or straight?

We are a gay couple @richnsteve

ah, so are we... thinking of wintering in PV..

Hi. Your best bet would be to decide what kind of life you want and then educate yourselves about all the different areas in Mexico. Do you want to live near the ocean? Do you want to live near the US? Do you like hot weather, or prefer it cooler? Do you like big cities, rural life, or something in between? How much money do you want to spend on housing? Do you want to live in or near an ex pat community? Think about this, and more, and start researching. Luckily, there is a giant amount of info online. Double and triple check everything you read, though, as there is also a lot of misinformation, including at this site.

Once you read and study and find some areas which look interesting, go there in person, as that is the ONLY way to know a place. You will need to make multiple trips, most likely. Lastly, don't forget immigration! You need a temporary resident visa [good for 4 years only]  or permanent resident visa [more difficult to obtain], and you have to provide proof of sufficient finances, etc., and the restrictions keep increasing. They WILL  do a background check. As far as your concerns of being caught off guard and ill prepared, you can always pack a suitcase, jump in your car, and simply drive into Mexico, where you can stay 6 months on your tourist visa [they give them to everyone from the US, with no requirements other than your passport, car insurance, vehicle title and driver's license] which you can get at the border. You will need auto insurance for Mexico, which you can purchase online and print out. You must also maintain your US insurance. If you decide to become permanent residents, you must drive a vehicle with Mexican plates.

If your husband is Mexican, he is already a Mexican citizen so it will be easier for him, he can just move here with no restrictions. If you have dogs or cats, make sure their rabies vaccines are current and at least 30 days old, as that is the high end of the incubation period. Horses are easy, too, just a negative Coggins, and health papers from a vet. No quarantines for these animals, but, it is harder to bring in other pets. You can learn all of this, and more, online.

Good luck and remember, you can always rent if you don't know where to go at first. And you can always move to another area if your chosen place isn't to your liking. We love living in Mexico and we visit the US, but we will never live there again.

Bill and Kathleen

Thank you Bill and Kathleen for the wealth of information!  I have started the process of researching but it's hard to know what's good info and what isn't so that's one of the reasons I signed up for this site.

We have been interested in Lake Chapala but I haven't delved deeper into the information nor into any others as of yet.  On some of the sites, the information is more than 10 years old (xpat sites) and just looking at information at random always has a tourist bent to it so it's more marketing than real life I believe.  But, Lake Chapala is definitely a place that I'm planning to visit this coming summer.  Visiting a prospective area was one of the first things I thought we needed to do just to get a feel for the place in real time. 

We get so much negative information regarding traveling in Mexico that it is a frightening prospect.  Yet, I know objectively that's not the whole story if we want to leave the country.   I'm warming up to the idea but it's daunting to say the least to contemplate leaving. 

Do you know if you can apply for a resident visa ahead of time?  Or, do you have to have a firm date in mind of when we are moving there?

Thanks to yall again for responding.  I sincerely appreciate it !!

     @famouskate100

Hi. Lots to address here. I'll do my best. First of all, don't be afraid of driving in Mexico. You are much safer than in the US, provided you use common sense, stay on toll roads, and they recommend not driving at night, but everyone does it all the time, including us. Biggest driving risk at night is hitting a cow.

We were also interested in the Chapala area, which is beautiful and friendly, but that lake is toxic beyond belief. No one can swim in Mexico's largest lake. Heavy metals pour into it from the Lermes River, and all the small communities surrounding the river dump their untreated waste/sewage into the river. ALL the fruits and vegs grown there, thousands of acres surrounding the river, are irrigated with that same water. The area suffers from twice the national average of FATAL chronic kidney disease! Still, it is popular with ex pats, but poison food isn't for us. We were there recently, just passing through, and we wouldn't even let our dogs near that gray, foamy water. It has been described as a toxic cesspool. We REALLY wanted to live there, but.......we did our research.

If you're a gay couple, Puerto Vallarta is openly welcoming to gays and also has a great ex pat community. We originally chose there, and you really can't go wrong there. But for us, we decided to move, as we wanted cooler weather, less traffic, and a slower, quieter lifestyle, as PV is a party town and still growing like mad. Higher than average prices for everything. We settled on San Miguel de Allende, 15 minutes outside of town, quiet and peaceful, with land for our horses and a 3000 sq ft house. Huge ex pat community, clean, friendly, safe, it has been called the most beautiful city in the world, and also, the best small city [140,000 or so] in which to live in the whole world! We have found this to be true. The architecture is stunning, no garbage in the streets, lots of artists and musicians, never need A/C and Real Estate about half the cost of PV. Of course, we miss the beaches of PV, but nowhere is perfect.

You only need a resident visa when it is time to move your household goods, which must be done within 6 months of getting a permanent residency visa. If you don't qualify for permanent [$$$], you may still qualify for temporary, which can be renewed for 4 years, after which time you can get permanent. It's a good idea to choose your area first, maybe even secure a rental, get a good immigration attorney to help you, then apply for a residency visa, which you must do in the US. Remember, your tourist visa allows 6 months, which gives you plenty of time to explore. Hope this helps.

Bill and Kathleen

Bill and Kathleen ..

Thank you again for replying to my post with all the helpful information!  I thought Lake Chapala sounded a bit too good to be true.  To live by a toxic lake would be the last thing we'd want to do !  So I thank you again.  I won't even waste my time visiting there to see if we might like it.

And .. we had already decided against Puerta Vallarta.  I'm not interested in a touristy Party type atmosphere all the time though living near a resort area like that sure is tempting!

We are thinking about San Miguel Allende and Merida at this point.  My spouse is concerned about San Miguel because he has family that live in Celaya and though he's not been back personally in over 24 years,  they talk to him all the time how various areas of the city have been taken over by crime and he's heard that Guanajuato in general (the state), is the most corrupt when it comes to drug trade.  And he has a hard time believing San Miguel Allende is not affected.  Of course, you can't beat information  from individuals like yourselves who actually live there so I'm glad I've signed up here to get information to get a more complete picture of what life is like. 

It will be no problem for my spouse, of course, to move back to Mexico but surely I would qualify for at least a temporary residency visa.

I am planning a trip this coming summer to visit at least a couple of places so San Miguel Allende and Merida are the two so far.  The only information I have on Merida is an overall tourist snapshot but I should be able to get information here about it from folks that live there, before this coming summer.  I'm flying in rather than driving when I come to visit this summer.  I'm not ready to drive in Mexico yet.  I'll just have to sort out out how I'll get around to the places I want to visit, before I make the trip.

And .. the information you've shared here has helped TREMENDOUSLY and we really appreciate it.

Perhaps when the time gets closer to my visit yall could point me to places I can stay (hotels, airbnb's etc.) while I'im in San Miguel Allende.

And .. if yall celebrate Thanksgiving -- I hope yall had a great one !

Many Thanks agin !

Robin

@famouskate100

@famouskate100

This is exactly the type of information my hubby and I need, too. Thank you!

You  are very welcome .