INM in Guadalajara would not extend his 7 day EXPIRED FMM tourist card because there is no "tramite" (processing) to do it and would not issue him a new 180 day tourist FMM card in Mexico, only at ports of enter do they issue them to foreigners entering Mexico.
If he was at any INM office before it expired they could have extended it for him another up to 173 days for the $500.00 pesos payable at any bank and then bring back the paid reciept paperwork to INM..
Exactly... but in the end, the result would've been pretty much the same. Now it's just a question of sorting it out at the border, which Mexico doesn't get nearly upset about about as our forum members.
You can just exit Mexico without handing anything in or stopping when you leave by land at Cd. Cuauhtemoc/La Mesilla.
I am not making any claim to whether that is what is supposed to happen or not. But the office is not at the border point.
Huh? You just waltzed through without getting stamped out?
Hey, to each their own, but THAT'S the only thing that's actually a big no-no... you are golden as long as you intend on getting yourself straight before leaving the country and actually do so.
I've used that border tons of times and always turn in my card. For a 5-day stay in Mex last year, there was no fee. Otherwise, there is, which you pay at the office... which is at (or rather, right before) the border.
"Huh? You just waltzed through without getting stamped out?"
I didn't say/write that.
"you pay at the office... which is at (or rather, right before) the border."
Oh, well maybe it has moved since I was there. It was a little office, a few kilometres from the border, you had to take a taxi from it to the border., as the end of the collectivo route was near that point.
OK, but you did say "you can exit Mexico without handing anything in or stopping."
That's a non-starter. Definitely don't do that (even if it's physically possible). You could also theoretically fly over the border in a jetpack or shoot your way out of the country, but these are not great ideas either.
Have you done that and gotten into trouble?
A question was asked on a forum about what to do as the person had not handed their FMM in when leaving by land. They wanted to know if they should mail it somewhere.
Someone replied that they never handed it in, and that they had a whole bunch in a drawer, telling the poster not to worry about it. It seemed it was very common practice among those who travel by car and not a big deal.
I only fly, so have no personal knowledge of this. I would be more concerned about being in the country without one, compared to leaving with it. Many countries have no sort of formalities when you exit, and Mexico does not stamp your passport when you leave and there is no physical barrier or fence or person there, so no need to be dramatic and talk about shooting your way out!
Well, it's explicitly, profoundly illegal, so no... I haven't.
I would be more concerned about being in the country without one, compared to leaving with it.
Not trying to be contrarian here, but you've got it turned around. Being in the country without resolving your administrative status is not a big deal (which is why they didn't haul OP off to some dank cell when he showed up with an expired FMM); trying to leave the country on the sly is a serious crime and a terrible idea. Believe me or don't, but it is what it is.
and Mexico does not stamp your passport when you leave
Seriously? Finding it hard to believe that you could think that! I've got half a dozen entry and half a dozen exit stamps in my passport (both land and air) that suggest otherwise. Whoever told you this may have been pulling your leg... ;)
Many countries have no sort of formalities when you exit
In 2017 Latin America/Western Hemisphere? Hmmm...
When you walk across the border at the Tijuana-San Ysidro crossing, there is no US immigration or customs when traveling from the US to Mexico, and no Mexican immigration or customs when traveling from Mexico to the US. When leaving Mexico and entering the US at that crossing (the ‘old crossing’), there is no facility for handing in an FMM or paying for one. It has been that way every time I’ve crossed there in the last three years. There is no stamping out of the US when southbound and no stamping out of Mexico when northbound. Are the two countries acting as one at this crossing and sharing information?
The OP of this thread is now in Mexico illegally. Though the odds are in the OP’s favor, there have been other travelers in the same situation that have been detained for not having a current FMM.