New Driving Rules In Merida

Yucatan’s legislature passed a new law in February 2011, with a set of rules that takes a mere 288 pages to describe. A brief scan of Yucatan’s new "Rules of the Road" offers definitions of cars, passengers, pedestrians, underpasses, and even fire hydrants, with additional sections on who is allowed to install topes, what you are supposed to keep in your Emergency Road Kit, approved types of cellular phone usage and another 250 or so odd pages on baby seats, helmets, insurance requirements, emissions testing and drug testing. We now have laws governing everything from "no red lights on top of your car" to the red lights required for night-time use as part of your emergency kit, and from fire extinguishers to fines based on one-hundred times the Minimum Wage.

There is even a whole section on the special officers in Bright Yellow Vests who will help guide us through the first 180 days of Yucatan’s plan for implementing the key points of the new road rules, in what looks to be a lifetime’s worth of Spanish-English translations of legalese.

Where The Rubber Meets The Road Rules

So what we all want to know is the nitty gritty, the details, where the rubber meets the road (especially this one!), where the tough get going while the meek go home, whether to run with the big dogs or stay on the porch, to be or not to be… yes, there are a lot of questions, and that is only one of them.

After reading it through, we think this is the bottom line: There are so many details in this 288-page law that it staggers the mind to imagine any single article like this one that could accurately and completely describe and condense what may be as many as 4,050 details that are catalogued here.

Frankly, there are so many requirements and miniscule details covering Peritos (the name for the special police officer that comes out to investigate auto accidents. These officers are specially trained and work for SSPPE del Gobierno del Estado de Yucatan) to peatones (pedestrians), that Yucatecan officers could study for a year to learn just one half of the rules they are supposed to enforce. Not to mention that it could take a decade to get a state full of laid-back Yucatecans to comply.

Read more here

Roundtrip Airline Tickets: Merida to Houston

I just scheduled a business trip back to the states via Continental/United Airlines. Continental is the only airlines that flies directly from Merida to Houston, TX. Their direct flights come into Merida on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday nights and they fly back out to Houston the following morning after each one of those days.

Normally I book through Expedia because they show cost comparisons between competing airlines like Aeromexico and the Continental. Usually I have found that Expedia's prices always match the prices found on Continental's website.  Not tonight!!! For the past two weeks Expedia has been charging an additional $64 for the same flight I was looking at. 

Word to the wise. Check http://www.continental.com/ for their prices in addition to the travel sites. It was worth it for me tonight.

Have a good one.

JEB
jayblackshear@yahoo.com

Updated Fees for FM3 or FM2 Visas

The fees for FM2 or FM3 visas have been updated at the Mexican Immigration Office as of 2010. To apply for an FM2 there is a one time application fee of $669.00 MX Pesos and a yearly fee of $2,800.00 MX Pesos. Both fees are charged by the immigration office for each person applying for a visa.

The fees for the FM3 are as follows: Yearly fee of $1,294.00 MX Pesos and a one time application fee of $491.00 MX Pesos.

Each visa is good for a period of 5 years but must be renewed annually. When renewed you must pay the yearly applicable fee again but the application fee that is paid the first year is not charged again. That means that if you have an FM2 or FM3 right now and you need to renew it, you will pay either $2,800.00 or $1,294.00 when you renew each visa. You will not pay the initial application fee again. Hope that makes sense. Email me with questions at jayblackshear@yahoo.com.

Saludos,
Jay

Salsa In Merida Yucatan Mexico

Apostilles for Expats

What is an apostille and why do I need one as an expat moving to the Yucatan? Good question. I wish we had known about this before we moved down. If you are married and/or have children that will live with you here in the Yucatan and you want to come down and apply for FM2 or FM3 residency visas you are going to need to have your marriage certificate and all of your children's birth certificates apostilled by the Secretary of State in the documents state of Origin.


An apostille, in the most basic terms, is a notarization that is recognized internationally by all foreign governments. It is recognized by international law. Your bank notary does not have the power to issue an apostille. Only the Secretary of State in all 50 US States or appointed government agencies in your country of origin has the power to issue an apostille. Check out the following link: http://www.ehow.com/video_4872231_apostille_.html

Let me give you an example of how this applies to our family. My wife and I met and married in the state of New Mexico in the US. We also had our first son in New Mexico. Our second son was born in Texas because that was where we were living when we had him. I have to order an apostilled birth certificate from Vital Records in New Mexico for my oldest son. Then Vital Records ships that birth certificate to the Secretary of State in New Mexico to have the document apostilled. The Secretary of State then ships out the apostilled document, in this case my son's birth certificate. We go through the same steps with my youngest son with both Vital Records and the Secretary of State's office in the state of Texas.

If you come down to the Yucatan and you have a marriage certificate, divorce decree or birth certificates that do not have apostilles and you want to apply for residency visas (FM2 or FM3) then you are going to have to send back for them in the US or Canada and pay the international shipping rates via FedEx, UPS or DHL. Word to the wise. Get this taken care of in advance. No one ever told us this before we came down and we did alot of research on necessary documents before we came down. Aargh!!! We just don't want you pulling out your hair unnecessarily. Hope this helps.

About Us and the city of Merida

My name is Jay Blackshear. I live with my wife and two yougest sons in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. My family and I decided to move here after 3 years of due diligence. And I mean due diligence. While looking at Mexico we narrowed it down to four cities: Guadalajara, Guanajato, San Miguel de Allende and of course...Merida. We found that Guadalajara was too big for our young family, Guanajato was not quite modern enough and real estate in San Miguel de Allende was overpriced for what it offers. Merida is just the right size for us, modern enough for us to enjoy our lives and raise kids, and affordable enough for us to operate a small business in the states and live here with all of our needs met.

My professional background centers mostly around Real Estate Investment and Sales. After faith, family and friends, real estate is one of the few things I have done in life that I can say I have a degree of passion for. Since 2001 I have been involved in over 400 Real Estate transactions in roughly 15 states within the United States. During that time my experiences were centered around the REO foreclosure industry. Based on my experiences in the industry, I believe I can say with confidence that the real estate market in the Yucatan is stronger and healthier than anything in the USA. There are few if any appreciating markets in the US as we speak. On the other hand, Merida is an emerging market with appreciation of around 10% to 15% per annum. The growth here has been steady, safe and modern. 

Because of its geographic location (3 hours from Cancun/Playa Del Carmen), modern amenities and reputation for being the physically safest region in Mexico, Merida has seen some pretty consistent growth over the last decade. The population of our city is around 1.2 million but I can tell you it feels like it's about half that much. It just doesn't look or feel like a large city. And it is continuing to grow at a healthy rate. There are two groups of people buying homes here: 1)Expats mostly from the US and Canada and 2) Middle to upper class Mexican nationals who are relocating here for the many of the same reasons we moved here: It's affordable, modern, not too big and....it's close to some of the best beaches in Mexico.

Prices in real estate here can range anywhere, in US dollars, from $40,000.00 to $2 Million and up. There is a very broad range. The cost of housing here is comparable with most of the Texas real estate market which just happens to be some of the most affordable real estate in the US. And I would say the overall cost of living here is about two-thirds of what it is in the state of Texas. If you are from California or New York it is at least half. The same applies to most Canadian cities and states.

Merida is a very safe city with modern amenities. We have police.... lots of them. Federal, State, Local, Military. We have it all. The government of Mexico takes preserving the safety of our region very seriously. Tourism is big business for Mexico. Progresso is a little beach town about 20 miles to the North of Merida. It gets 2 U.S. cruise ships a week that port there. Cancun and Playa del Carmen are three hours to the East of us. Lots of tourism obviously. The whole region appears to be safe. We also have modern amenities. Costco, Sam's, Wal Mart and Home Depot. Restaurants, 4 shopping malls...one even has an ice skating rink for the kids.

 There are no established Real Estate Agencies in any of the states of Mexico so most real estate companies in Merida are self-licensed. We don't have a centralized MLS system like the US or Canada but the market has a way of establishing itself and the prices of the real estate market fluctuates and sets itself just like any other market does. It is very important that you have a reliable and trustworthy buyer's agent representing you, regardless of whether you are looking to buy or rent, regardless of whether you speak Spanish or not. You need someone on the ground in this market full time to let you know that you are getting a good, fair and honest deal. If you need a referral let me know. I will put you in touch with the people that have helped me in the past, the people I feel will help you the most, who are trustworty in the process of things.

We have a section on the blog here called FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions). We can go into more detail about more issues in that section. And if you have questions on things we have not posted or written on as of yet then just give me a call or send me an email. My contact info is below. Just know that we are here and available to help you make this transition if you feel this is what is right for you. Let us know how we can help you navigate one of the biggest decisions you will ever make.

Saludos,

Jay Blackshear

210-241-3366

jayblackshear@yahoo.com

New Family Member

Missy is the newest member of our family! We found her at the local Pet Sanctuary run by Sylvia, Jill & Steve. We have not had a dog in several years, and we promised the boys we would look once we moved in. We went to local Mall to see all the pure bred, 100's of dollar dogs & then started to inquire about a local dog pound.

We thought it strange that several of the locals did not even know they had a dog pound. Jill was gracious to explain to us that the Mexican culture here in Merida does not usually look at dogs as pets, they are interested in guard dogs. They also do not subscribe to spay & neuter, so the Sanctuary has workshops to educate the locals. Many mixed mutts run the streets here and calls will come into the Pet Sanctuary to pick them up.

Missy was found on the street several years ago and was taken to the Sanctuary with her newborn puppies. Her pups were all adopted out, but Missy was overlooked for 2 years. Surprizing to us as she looks mostly chocolate lab & has a great disposition. Sylvia named her Mama, but our son, Joel was confused about having 2 Mamas in the house, so we chose Missy as her name.

Santuario Evolucion always needs donations of dog food and other items. If you are local and wish to help, please contact Jill Benson at  http://www.santuarioevolucion.blogspot.com/

Merida, Yucatan Mexico

Merida is the Capital and largest city of Yucatan, the population is about 1 million and its known in Mexico as the "White City" because of his antique white spanish and french style buildings. Merida is rich in culture and people that maintain their Mayan costumes.

Merida is also known for having great typical food, like the Poc Chuc, Salbutes, Panuchos, Pavo Relleno and Sopa de Lima. The people from Yucatan speak spanish with a very special accent that can be recognized. A third of the population of Yucatan still speaks Mayan language although mostly in small Towns and villages.

Merida is located in the Northwest part of Yucatan, at the east is Quintana Roo and to the west the state of Campeche. Merida is just about 20 minutes from the beach of Progreso (pictured left) and about 2 hours from cancun and playa del carmen.

Merida is growing quickly and has been developed a lot in the last few years, with new malls, parks, hotels and centers of entertainment being developed. Here is known as a secure city with peaceful population that love tourism.

Most of the tourists usually go to Cancun, Cozumel and playa del carmen, however more people are wanting to visit and know Merida for its beauty, antique buildings, theaters, museums and people. Also if you stay in Merida, you are near many of the archeological areas like Chichen Itza, Uxmal and Cenotes.

Yucatan is known for all its great Haciendas that you can visit. There are very beautiful haciendas that are classic like the Hacienda Temozon which is also a Hotel, Hacienda Teya with a great Restaurant and Hacienda San Antonio Cucul which is inside the North part of Merida.

As you can see there is a lot to discover in Merida not to mention its churches, Cathedral and handcrafts of its people. The pyramids is what attracts a lot of tourist to Merida which are about an hour from here.

Join us on our Journey!