Change to Permanente after only three years?

Someone in our little group (not in Chapala) told us she went to INM for her yearly FM3 update (she has been in Mexico for three years) and was told she "had to" change to Permanente.  We all thought the change was at the five year mark but she was sure about it.  Any truly informed person know if this is another change rattling through the system?

We had a 3 on the back of our FM3. We had to go Permanente. That means when you have been here 3 years, beginning your 4th year you would need to go Permanente.

No, you get four full years. Just did it myself; had a two on the back, renewed for two more years.

Same here. Spencer just processed a two year FM renewal for my wife who is coming up on two years residency here at Lakeside.
 
SunFan

joyfull wrote:We had a 3 on the back of our FM3. We had to go Permanente. That means when you have been here 3 years, beginning your 4th year you would need to go Permanente.

The number on the back of your card refers to the number of renewals since your first card. There is either no number on the back of your first card or a "0". Therefore renewing with the number 3 means that you are completing  your 4th year and must go permanent on renewal. Our first year we had the book so I am not sure on this but I do know that the first renewal was a card and had the the number "1" on the back.

Another way of looking at it is that when you received your card with the number 3 on the back you already had completed 3 years residency when the card was issued. At the end of that year you have completed 4 years residency and must go permanent.

If you already have a "Resident Temporal" and are here in Mexico, you can upgrade to a "Resident Permanente" at any time without the need to wait for the full 4 years or leave the country to start the process.  The only qualifier is that you will need to prove that you meet the financial requirements of eligibility for a Resident Permanente.  If you have had the Resident Temporal for 4 years (a "3" on the back of the card), you have to renew as a Resident Permanente but do not need to provide any financial information.  

Some people who do NOT want the Resident Permanente (and there are reasons for some to not want it) are letting their Resident Temporal expire by turning it in, leaving the country and then coming back in on either a new Temporal Visa application that they initiate at a foreign Mexican consulate (where they are required to show financials) or on a 180 day Visitor's Visa.

HelperGuy wrote:No, you get four full years. Just did it myself; had a two on the back, renewed for two more years.

If it had a 2 on the back, and your renewed for two more years, that means you will have completed 5 years, not 4. A 2 on the back means you have been here 3 years at your time of renewal. You could have just renewed 1 year, and then next year when it expires go to permanente.