°µÍø½ûÇø

Jaded2 wrote:

I am currently in Mexico for a week and have missed a flight back due to a mishap with the airline and immigration.

I have an expired temp visa for Mexico. When I arrived last week I had the blank tourist visa ready to fill in.

I spoke to the immigration clerk, told her I had a temporary but expired visa but confirmed with her If should fill the tourist visa in? She said no and took me to a touch screen where I  filled in my details. They took my photo, stamped my passport and waved me through without issuing any paperwork.

Not having this for the return flight made me miss it and had cost me 2000 UK pounds for another flight.

I realise I should have got the tourist slip but was this also a mistake by immigration making use this stupid machine and not filling in the form?

I realise I have no come back here with immigration but I need to confirm before I complain to the airline.

They made me miss the flight by not checking my papers at check in properly and also the flight was late and I could not get back on the flight because airport security refused to let me back through pointing to the earlier but now incorrect flight time on my boarding pass. The plane was there but they didn't understand or even seem to care whilst I was pleading that the plane was still there.

Sorry to say this is very confusing jaded.

' You flew in with a expired temporary visa' Do you mean an actual visa temporal ? or a paper visa from a previous visit ? You were given a visitor visa on the flight ? It sounds like you actually had a temporal given the photo screen response, it also sounds like if you have a temporal it is not expired , so she just I.D.ed you and waved you on.

So you had no card or paperwork ?, so you missed your flight. If you were flying to the UK, wouldn't your U.K. passport be all you needed ? Wouldn't you correct your  boarding pass with the carrier ?.

Sorry if it's confusing. I'm typing on my phone which doesn't help.

I flew knowing my temp visa had expired and expecting a tourist visa.

I mentioned the  expired temp visa in case it mattered in any way.

The clerk as nice as she was didn't say much just took me to the touchscreen, checked and stamped passport, took my photo and finger prints and waved me through. She didn't ask any questions or ask to see the expired visa.

Because she waved me through without issuing paperwork I assumed all was in order but I think she should have issued a tourist visa form as normal?

The bigger issue is am now £2000 out of pocket and have to be clear on what happened so I can make a full complaint to the airline

The temp visa I refer to is from when I married my Mexican wife but now expired hence I expected a tourist visa but I mentioned it to her in case it mattered in anyway.  She never actually asked to see it.

I am wondering if this touchscreen she used was supposed to issue a tourist visa? Or was it exclusive to other visas.


ETA it was a one year temp residents visa that I used to have.

I came back to Mexico thru immigration last week with my permanent residence card and the bottom of the card completed when I left Mexico. This time they took everything put it in the computer returned my residence card and waived me thru. Are you sure your temporary residency card is expired, have you checked directly with the immigration office?

Hi "jaded2",

I understand that the INM officer did the correct process when you arrived giving you the opportunity to renew your temporary card but you didn't.

Thus said, if correct, at the  time of leaving, you could have gone back to the INM counter and ask them for FMM visitor and told them that you don't need the temporary card anymore paying for the FMM plus the fine, but I might be wrong.

So basically, no recurse against the airline nor INM.

Adios y buen dia a todos, GyC.

mexicogc, and getmeoutofhere both have valid points.

Your best recourse is INM to explain what you need, and what you can do. It is different from most because of your Mexican wife.Marrying a native is a whole different visa situation.
Is she native?, does she speak Spanish? and are you still together? If she is with you , she should be able to help with INM.   

buena suerte

Hi thanks for the replies. I checked with immigration today. They confirmed that I had a tourist visa and showed me the electronic it the girl should have issued me but didn't. It's a mistake on their part. I had already paid the fine but it was too late to stop me missing the flight

Good, at least you are going in the right direction.

Buena suerte

Pretty simple, you let your temporal visa expire!
So you caused the delay, no one to blame but yourself.