The often quoted number of legal gringo residents in Mexico has unofficially fluctuated between a hundred thousand and more than a million.
Recently the Instituto Nacional de Migración, Mexico´s immigration service, posted some official statistics for the first 11 months of 2009. I extrapolated some yearly (12 months) figures:
1 - total original FM2, FM3 and inmigrado documents issued -57,858.
2 - total renewals of FM2 and FM3 - 127,788
3 - Total US citizens receiving their first FM2, FM3 or inmigrado - 10,052 or 17.4 por cent.
I applied the percentage of gringos receiving their first documents to the number of renewals -22,235.
Total legal US nationals in Mexico 32,287.
That number seems extraordinarily low, I had thought more than that lived just in Mexico City.
http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php?page/Documentacin_y_legal_
Dec 19, 2009
Dec 15, 2009
For Sale: Free Internet Satellite System in Mexico
I would like to clean my roof off a Starband two way internet satellite system that worked fine for 3 years in Catemaco until I disconnected it because I received a direct phone line with internet access in 2008.
The system consists of a 120cm dish, transmitter/receiver, modem, and an I-link hub to connect more stations. At the time of use, the system used Mexsat 5. The cost was around 60 US per month.
The system has a certified Mexican importation bill.
I wil not warrant that anything works, nor ship the system anywhere. Pick it up, if you care.
The system consists of a 120cm dish, transmitter/receiver, modem, and an I-link hub to connect more stations. At the time of use, the system used Mexsat 5. The cost was around 60 US per month.
The system has a certified Mexican importation bill.
I wil not warrant that anything works, nor ship the system anywhere. Pick it up, if you care.
Dec 11, 2009
Catemaco Mail Order
Beautiful downtown Catemaco of course has internet access to amazon.com, ebay.com and all the other mail order houses. Unfortunately many companies will not ship selected products to Mexico.
I want to buy a replacement digital camera. Amazon quotes it at US $279, but will not ship. Several competing photography dealers WILL ship with prices that are a little higher.
AHA. Now comes the question of why Amazon will not ship and the others will! The answer lies in rules related to country of origin and application of import duties. These rules and duties are so complicated and so subject to interpretations that only a professional customs broker might understand the half of it.
Let's just say, that Amazon thinks that because of these rules I may get an amazing customs bill, because the camera was manufactured in Japan. Other dealers could care less of what happens after they ship an item.
But I really do not know.
There are various ways to ship small merchandise to Mexico, the airborne carriers FEDEX, UPS and DHL, and the US post office.
The US post office connects to the Mexican post office and is generally reserved for people that love to pine for lost things. The exception may be US International priority mail, which is reputed to arrive relatively fast (5 to 14 days), usually does not get stolen and, THIS IS THE BIGGY, is reputed to be usually ignored by Mexican customs.
The airborne carriers all charge between 45 and 65 dollars per small package and WILL enter the Mexican aduana (customs). Generally the minimum charge will be the equivalent of Mexican 15% IVA (sales tax), plus, depending on the customs inspectors hangover, applicable duties which range as high as 1000% for footwear supposedly flooding the land of huaraches (sandals).
Ok - back to the camera. Should I buy it from B&H for $289, plus $50 shipping, plus $40 IVA and handling for a total of US $379, PLUS a possible duty charge? OR spend the equivalent of 5700 pesos Mexican (app. US $438, which is the cheapest price advertised on Mercadolibre, (the Mexican EBAY)) which has considerable shipping , payment and delivery problems?
After spending sleepless days over the problem, I am now processing a reservation to take a dirt cheap ($ 50) flight from Veracruz City to the Mexican border near McAllen via Vivaareobus, buy the camera at Walmart, pick up some Horseradish, buy some needed 10 dollar polo shirts that don´t shrink and maybe a nice little 4x4.
Quick response from my friend "Fool on the Hill"
Good article.
Well, maybe I’ve just been lucky; but 30 years with the past ten averaging 4 to 5 shipments per month – that’s a lotta luck. I will admit, I have heard some horror stories.
My exception would relate to “. the Mexican post office." . In 30 years I’ve lost mebbe five packages; and way back when, everything came parcel post. Just this month I received an LL Bean order USPS Parcel Post; only way they ship other than carrier.
Defense: In my first 2 years in Catemaco I lost 1 out of 4 mail packages (2002). The Catemaco post office apparently loves the Fool..
I want to buy a replacement digital camera. Amazon quotes it at US $279, but will not ship. Several competing photography dealers WILL ship with prices that are a little higher.
AHA. Now comes the question of why Amazon will not ship and the others will! The answer lies in rules related to country of origin and application of import duties. These rules and duties are so complicated and so subject to interpretations that only a professional customs broker might understand the half of it.
Let's just say, that Amazon thinks that because of these rules I may get an amazing customs bill, because the camera was manufactured in Japan. Other dealers could care less of what happens after they ship an item.
But I really do not know.
There are various ways to ship small merchandise to Mexico, the airborne carriers FEDEX, UPS and DHL, and the US post office.
The US post office connects to the Mexican post office and is generally reserved for people that love to pine for lost things. The exception may be US International priority mail, which is reputed to arrive relatively fast (5 to 14 days), usually does not get stolen and, THIS IS THE BIGGY, is reputed to be usually ignored by Mexican customs.
The airborne carriers all charge between 45 and 65 dollars per small package and WILL enter the Mexican aduana (customs). Generally the minimum charge will be the equivalent of Mexican 15% IVA (sales tax), plus, depending on the customs inspectors hangover, applicable duties which range as high as 1000% for footwear supposedly flooding the land of huaraches (sandals).
Ok - back to the camera. Should I buy it from B&H for $289, plus $50 shipping, plus $40 IVA and handling for a total of US $379, PLUS a possible duty charge? OR spend the equivalent of 5700 pesos Mexican (app. US $438, which is the cheapest price advertised on Mercadolibre, (the Mexican EBAY)) which has considerable shipping , payment and delivery problems?
After spending sleepless days over the problem, I am now processing a reservation to take a dirt cheap ($ 50) flight from Veracruz City to the Mexican border near McAllen via Vivaareobus, buy the camera at Walmart, pick up some Horseradish, buy some needed 10 dollar polo shirts that don´t shrink and maybe a nice little 4x4.
Quick response from my friend "Fool on the Hill"
Good article.
Well, maybe I’ve just been lucky; but 30 years with the past ten averaging 4 to 5 shipments per month – that’s a lotta luck. I will admit, I have heard some horror stories.
My exception would relate to “. the Mexican post office." . In 30 years I’ve lost mebbe five packages; and way back when, everything came parcel post. Just this month I received an LL Bean order USPS Parcel Post; only way they ship other than carrier.
Defense: In my first 2 years in Catemaco I lost 1 out of 4 mail packages (2002). The Catemaco post office apparently loves the Fool..
Dec 5, 2009
Catemaco Parades
Beautiful downtown Catemaco seems to have a daily parade to celebrate civic events.
That "daily" might be slighly exaggerated, but not by much. Within the last few days I saw a parade for a local wedding, a celebration of the handicapped, a religious procession and none for the Dia de la Revolucion, which is normally a biggy but was poopooed by the Veracruz government as an accumulator of transmittable diseases.
Normally it seems there is a parade every week by schoolchildren accompanied by oompapah bands who apparently have nothing better to do than to march through the streets of Catemaco with signs opposing or supporting social programs ranging from poverty to aids prevention.
Less frequently are parades for politically induced social causes like "No to the Cost of Water" or prevalent political rallies for a paying political representatives, or even public announcement parades of weddings or funerals. A lot more frequent are religious parades, with candle and placard holders marching to support their favorite Virgin.
Aside from keeping kids and their mothers out of school, all of these events add to the remarkably high noise level of this small provincial town, which is also afflicted by the usual outcries of dozens of loudspeaker equipped vendors of pineapples, newspapers, furniture and dozens of other offerings.
That "daily" might be slighly exaggerated, but not by much. Within the last few days I saw a parade for a local wedding, a celebration of the handicapped, a religious procession and none for the Dia de la Revolucion, which is normally a biggy but was poopooed by the Veracruz government as an accumulator of transmittable diseases.
Normally it seems there is a parade every week by schoolchildren accompanied by oompapah bands who apparently have nothing better to do than to march through the streets of Catemaco with signs opposing or supporting social programs ranging from poverty to aids prevention.
Less frequently are parades for politically induced social causes like "No to the Cost of Water" or prevalent political rallies for a paying political representatives, or even public announcement parades of weddings or funerals. A lot more frequent are religious parades, with candle and placard holders marching to support their favorite Virgin.
Aside from keeping kids and their mothers out of school, all of these events add to the remarkably high noise level of this small provincial town, which is also afflicted by the usual outcries of dozens of loudspeaker equipped vendors of pineapples, newspapers, furniture and dozens of other offerings.
Dec 1, 2009
Well, I'll be dammed in Catemaco
I simply could not resist to post that headline to describe a recently discovered adventure tour on the outskirts of Catemaco, visiting two extrordinarily attractive dams near the city.
Catemaco Walmart
The new so called Bodega Aurrera has only about a third of the items in a full size Aurrera and less than 15% of a full size Mexican Walmart.
So now, instead of getting my staples at the local Rodeo mini supermarket, I will probably shop at Bodega because it has a slighly larger selection and some frozen items. I then have to visit San Andres to shop at Aurrera and Soriana to buy the stuff missing in Catemaco. Then of course I have to make a frequent trip to Veracruz to get anything slightly unusal. And after that, of course there is mail order for stuff I simply cannot live without.
AH, progress in Catemaco is painful.
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