I just wanted to put a blog up to clarify some things that had been told wrongly to us. Issac and I had found a lawyer when we first got here. First off this guy was horrible. Issac called to check into what we should do and they told him he needed to come into the office. When he went into the office the receptionist said he had to make an appointment. Then we made an appointment and the jerk went to dinner 10min before our appointment and didn't give a time that he would come back. What an ass. Sorry I don't cuss much but seriously. I being the American that I am start pitching a fit to Issac in his reception area. Little did I know the receptionist could understand English. Oupps so she knows how I feel. But I said at one point, "We will just have to find someone else." And she responds, "There is no one else." Here Im more shocked that someone other than my husband just spoke to me in English and then I quickly realize she understood everything I just said. This actually made me happy. And I said, "Well we will have to find someone." and I start to walk out the door. Then I suppose to try to regain some ground shes the one who told Issac and I we needed to get apostilles for our wedding cirt and Alanas birth cirt and mine as well. And that Alana and I would both need to get FM2s. What ever Im thinking I don't trust you one bit.
This was when we decided to just go to the Immigration office to ask for help on what we needed. This is what I suggest for anyone who is looking to Immigrate to Mexico. (Not the states please find a lawyer and one who cares about you not your money.) When we went there we asked them how to get an FM2 for me and Alana. We didn't think to ask if that was for sure what we needed for Alana. They are very nice and helpful but you have to be sure and ask all the right questions also.
We found we needed Apostilles for our marriage lic and Alanas birth cirt. (not my birth cirt). Once we got these in the mail we went the next day to a lawyer who Issac had heard of that did translation work and immigration stuff. See I knew their was someone else.
This lady was so nice and litteraly 1/2 the price as the jerk I previously spoke of. She was finishing our documents when we showed up to get them. She carried some conversation with us in regards to what our plans were. When we mentioned getting OUR FM2s she said, (in English, oh yes shes American)"Oh no Alana doesn't need on." I cocked my head, "What?"
"No Alana has legal rights to duel citizenship, all you have to do is bring in this Apostille with the translation IM doing along with Issacs proof of being a Mexican citizen and they will give her her citizenship. She will also at that time get a CORP number(which is like our SS number) and get a passport. It should only cost about $500peso."
"But the other lawyer and the immigration office said..." I said confused.
"Oh of course they will say that," she interrupts, "They both wanted your money."
She then asks our plans for the baby that Im obviously caring in the womb. And we tell her we are to have it here and that I have heard that I just go to the US Embassy to get its US citizenship. She goes on to tell us that this is true and that she had both of her children here and that she had no problems. I just needed to prove that I lived their for more than 7years so a high school diploma will do. And she said that you don't have to do it right away as long as its done before they are 18 or before you want to travel to the US. She suggests that we wait until the baby is old enough to sit up for the passport picture.
At this point Im still ecstatic about the fact that Alana doesn't need an FM2 that is going to save us about $200usd.
So in case this was confusing. Because Issac is Mexican all we have to do is prove that he is Alanas dad and that he is of course Mexican, and pay a small fee. She will then have duel citizenship
As for a baby born here in Mexico, I just have to prove to the US Embassy with my high school diploma and my passport that I am American and bring them the babies Mexican birth certificate and it will have duel citizenship.
How nice for them (the kids) don't you think. They will have the freedom between Mexico and the States that so many dream of.
I think it is near impossible to get all the processes and rules straight the 1st time here. Patience is the key - which is tough for me!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you guys were able to find a lawyer that actually care about helping you guys!! That's really cool that the kids will have dual citizenship! :)
ReplyDeleteJust out of curiosity (not trying to come off all stalkerish), but in what part of Mexico do you guys live? :)
La Guera Liz, don't worry its not stalkerish, Heather and I were trying to figure out where you were going to visit family to see how close it was to us. :) I am in a town called Tepatitlan, Its about 2 hours north east of Guadalajara and my husband says its about 2 hours from the town you are going to visit family in.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!! I think I must have read that somewhere on your blog, now that I think about it, because I asked Jose where Tepatitlan was a couple of days ago!
ReplyDeleteAmanda,
ReplyDeleteI just had a baby here in Mex and went through the process of getting his US citizenship. I didn't get the documents right the first time. Make note, the mexican birth certificate you get from the hospital needs to be taken to a registro civil to receive a "certified certificate" prior to taking to the US consulate. With this you can get a CRBA- consular report of birth abroad which gives the baby US citizenship and qualifies the baby for a passport. It would also be a good idea to apply for the baby's passport at the same time. It took me several trips/appointments to figure all this out. Here is a great site with lots of info
http://guadalajara.usconsulate.gov/service/passports-and-citizen-services/consular-reports-of-birth-abroad.html
crazyinguad: Thanks for the info, were you saying we should apply for the Mexican passport when we bring in the birth record to get citified at the civil center? We did know we needed to bring the birth cirt. to the civil center first, but not about asking then for the passport. Also thanks for the website I bookmarked it so Issac and I can check it out when we are ready to do it all. Thankfully this lawyer also said we could have her look over our paperwork before we go all the way to Guadalajara. By the way what are you doing in Mexico? Just curious, and I cant get onto your blog without invite. Its cool if you don't want to answer I'm just always curious to why others would move here and especially if you had a baby here.
ReplyDeleteAmanda,
ReplyDeleteWonderful to hear from you. My name is Christine, my husband is Kenny and we have a daughter, Britni that is 8yo and we just had a son, Robbie that was born in October. I had him here in Guadalajara. My husband is a student at the Universidad de Autonoma de Guadalajara. They have an international medical school. We have been here 4 years. He graduates in May and we are back to the states for his residency. My husband is from San Antonio, Texas and I am from San Francisco, California. We met in nursing school in Texas.
In the beginning it was really hard for me here. I felt real isolated, primarily because of the language barrier. Even now, I only speak basic spanish. :o( However, I can honestly say that when we leave here, there are going to be so many things I truly miss. There are so many awesome things about the culture.
When you get the first birth certificate from the hospital you will need to take that to the registro civil with your passport and visa and your husband's identification. I do not have an FM3 only a tourist visa. If you do not have a current visa they will stamp your birth certificate as "mother is an illegal alien and in the country illegally". This happened to another student's wife and INS came to her home! At the registro civil office you will need two witnesses that are mexican nationals with id. We didn't know anyone so we waited outside and asked people if we could pay them to witness for us.
You then will take the "registered birth certificate" along with your passport and your husband's identification to the US consulate along with your marriage license. They also requested my hospital records, the baby's birth bracelet, sonograms, prescriptions and pictures of you before, during and after pregnancy. I guess this prevents people from trying to adopt a child here illegally. That is the only reason I can think of that they would insist on all these documents. The applications that you need to apply for the CBRA and the passport are online. You will need to fill them out online and print them. They will not except them handwritten. (another thing I find out the hard way!). It is by appointment only, so you will need to make an appointment online and print the confirmation papers in order to be admitted into the building. You will also need 2 passport photos. We were told that farmacia Guadalajara and Benavides takes them. We went to both and they do take passport photos but not infants. The pictures have to have the baby with a white background with their eyes open and their mouth closed. Not easy with a newborn. We eventually had to go to a "Foto Estudio" and they do them. Once you arrive at the consulate, you are only allowed one diaper, 5 wipes, one pacifier and one bottle. (another thing I learned the hard way). No cosmetics, liquids, meds (one pill is allowed),no car remotes, electronics.
Fortunately, it only took 4 weeks to receive the passport. I was nervous because without it, I am unable to leave the country with the baby. We did not apply for dual citizenship for the baby.
How far are you from Guadalajara? I do not have a blog but had to register with Blogger to get an ID to post and receive updates from others blogs. I do not know how to set it up so it doesn't go to "private" and will show my profile.
I am looking forward to getting to know you better. If there is any other questions I can answer for you, please ask. My email is crazyinguad@aol.com
Amanda,
ReplyDeleteWhere do you go to get the apostille? I need to obtain my FM2...does all documents (American marriage license, my birth certificate) need to be apostilled?
LaGuera: Yes you need an apostille for every document. It is not to hard to get. For the birth and marriage you just need to contact your state department and request an official copy of the license or certificate with apostille. They may charge you a few bucks but its not a lot. If your not in Mexico yet I suggest you get it done before you come.
ReplyDelete