Mexico Newsletter —
September 2023

Your monthly Mexico newsletter is filled with inspiration, meaningful knowledge, helpful connections, and tips for better living, lifestyle, and leisure in Mexico.

September: celebration and seasonal transition

In late August the ambulant vendors are already out on busy street corners selling flags and other patriotic paraphernalia—a sure sign that Mexico’s Independence Day, one of the country’s most important historical dates, is on the horizon.  Event centers, hotels and restaurants have begun inviting patrons to La Noche Mexicana on September 15th for an evening of food, music and celebration. September 16th is a Public Holiday.

September tends to be one of the wettest months of the year across the country’s mainland as the rain season peaks, and late summer is also a period when strong tropical storms can land along Mexico’s coasts—including along the Baja California peninsula that is typically quite dry during the summer.

The autumn equinox this month heralds the seasonal turning point as the halcyon days of summer yield to fall’s changeable climate. Sweltering summer temperatures along the coastal plains begin to moderate, and some living in the mountain highlands may begin to swap summer shorts for warmer attire, at least during early mornings and late evenings that become noticeably cooler from October.

Schools are returning from their summer recess, families have returned from their summer holiday, and Mexico’s “snowbirds” —part-time residents who live here in the months between the fall and early spring— make plans to for their overwintering stay in Mexico.

The Monarch Butterflies also return to the Oyamel fir tree forests situated in the mountains west of Mexico City, and if you’ve been intending to witness this extraordinary natural phenomenon (or return to see it again!) our travel associate can help you plan your visit.

The autumn season is a remarkable period to experience Mexico, defined by changing natural cycles across the country’s vast landscapes, and important cultural festivals and events including Independence Day and Day of the Dead which lead almost seamlessly into the Christmas holiday season that begins on December 12th.

This month’s Lifestyle & Leisure notebook shares tips and insights to help you welcome the start of autumn in Mexico. As the season turns again and summer yields to fall, we wish you wellness and abundance in your plans and activities.

Matthew Harrup is founder and editor of Mexperience.

Mexico Lifestyle & Leisure Notebook
September 2023

Enjoy highlights of hand-picked articles that have been recently added or updated, and gems from our archives.

Independence Day in Mexico

Mexico celebrates its Independence in September—a month when streets, buildings and establishments get dressed in the country’s national colors of green, white and red, and vendors of flags and other patriotic paraphernalia can be seen in every town and city across the country.

• Brief historical perspective: Independence and Revolution
• El Grito: Celebrating sovereignty in Mexico
• Articles about Independence Day

Residency cards renewals and exchanges

If you’re living in Mexico under the auspice of a Temporary Residency card, autumn is a good time to double check your card’s expiry date.  Temporary residency can be held for up to four years. When the card is due for renewal:

• After your first year of temporary residency, you can renew for a further 1, 2 or 3 years, although the card can never be valid for more than 4 years. (e.g. If you renew for a further 2 years after year 1, you can only renew for 1 year at the end of year 3.)
• At the end of the fourth year you can apply to exchange temporary residency for permanent residency, or you can allow the card to expire and then re-apply for 1 year of temporary residency (i.e. start again with the process).
• Permanent residency cards issued to people 18 years and over never expire.  Permanent residency cards issued to minors need to be renewed periodically until they reach 18 years of age.

Managing your residency card: Learn more about the differences between Temporary and Permanent residency, and learn about the renewal rules and process for temporary residency cards.  If your residency card has expired, read this. If your card is lost or damaged, read this.

Imported goods and food goodies

Mexico’s cuisine is varied, colorful, and bursting with flavor, although when living abroad most people at least occasionally enjoy a ‘taste of home.’  As we’ve mentioned before in these pages, when you’re looking for imported food items, you’ll usually have to attend one of the specialist retail supermarkets that stock fancy goods.

We noticed recently that City Market has been expanding its range of imported foods, notably for Brits, with Coleman’s mustard and ‘brown’ sauce; it has stocked Marmite for a while now. A wide assortment of popular US foods are available, and European and Asian food and ingredients can also be sought from specialist stores, and online.  Imported foods (and wine) trade at a premium here so it’s best not to cavil about the prices.

Monarch butterflies overwinter in Mexico, too

Mexico is host to the extraordinary Monarch Butterflies that migrate each year from the northern reaches of the continent to overwinter in the Oyamel fir tree forests situated in the mountains west of Mexico City.

A visit to the butterfly sanctuaries is a highlight of any visit to Mexico during the late autumn and winter months.  The butterflies begin arriving in November, and leave in March. Peak viewing season is between mid-January and late February.  Our travel associate can help you to make the most of your visit to see the butterflies this season.

Getting documents Apostilled for use in Mexico

For certain procedures, usually related to immigration, residency applications, investment, or marriage (or a combination of these) it may be necessary to present Mexican authorities (or Mexican consulates abroad) with foreign legal documents as part of an application procedure.

Key documents that were not issued in Mexico must be notarized and/or apostilled before you can submit them for processing in Mexico.

• US documents can be readily apostilled by contacting the competent authority in the State where they were issued or using an online service to manage the entire process and ship the documents to you.
• Canada just signed the Apostille Convention in May 2023, and it comes into effect in January 2024.  Until then, a separate ‘authentication’ procedure exists for Canadian-issued documents.
• Learn more about how to Notarize/Apostille documents for use in Mexico.

Bringing your car to Mexico this fall

The busy summer driving season draws to a close in September, although foreign-plated vehicles continue to stream in to Mexico for fall vacations, and also vehicles brought by part-time residents overwintering here.  Traffic volumes between the US and Mexico pick up sharply again at the start of the Christmas holiday season. Mexperience helps you to prepare for your visit to Mexico when you bring your own car.

• Our articles and insights about driving in Mexico share key things you need to know before you hit the road; and
• our guide to auto insurance will help you to get the coverage you need for peace of mind when you’re driving, that can include coverage for vehicle breakdown assistance.

Timeshare vs property ownership

Mexico has for decades been one of the top destinations for Timeshare sales, in large part due to its popular coastal resort locations where most Timeshare is sold. Timeshare is not in any way a form of property ownership and our article about key things to consider before you buy or sell a Timeshare in Mexico helps to clarify this and other things.

Fractional property ownership can offer a real share of a physical property provided the arrangement is properly structured through a Notary Public—there are considerations to take into account with this type of investment and the main ones are discussed in our article about Fractional property ownership in Mexico.

Mexperience offers extensive articles to help as you prepare to buy, rent, manage, or sell your home in Mexico:

• Key things about buying and owning a home in Mexico
• Putting your Mexican house up for sale
• Homes for sale in Mexico
• Latest articles about real estate

Mexico retirement choices, and costs

Mexico has a lot to offer people relocating here and it’s especially attractive to retirees as some of the features and benefits are especially helpful to them.

Many people planning or considering a retirement in Mexico ask how much money they need to retire here, and there are two calculations you will need to make to determine this: the first is related to the income or savings you need to qualify for residency and the second is calculating what your actual living costs will be.

• Learn about the key benefits Mexico offers retirees
• Is Mexico right for your retirement?
• How much money you need to retire in Mexico
• Latest articles about retiring in Mexico

Learning or improving your Spanish this autumn

Our PinPoint Spanish series is extensive and offers practical insights into the usage and nuances of Mexican Spanish in everyday situations and conversations.

For example: you can learn about the two verbs in Spanish ‘to be’ and the two words in Spanish to express the term ‘for.’

To accelerate your learning, connect with one of our associates that offer Spanish language learning and join a course to help you become more agile in your everyday Spanish conversations.

Getting well and staying well in Mexico

Health care and medical insurance is one of the most common concerns people have when thinking about moving to Mexico.  There are choices for those seeking health and medical coverages for long term stays in Mexico, including a state-run program, private health insurance, and medical evacuation insurance.

Discover and experience more of Mexico

Mexperience helps you discover Mexico and experience the wide range of opportunities available here for lifestyle and leisure.

Mexico Lifestyle

Whether you’re considering a move to Mexico, in the throes of moving here, and even if you’re already here and considering ways to reformulate your current situations, our Mexico lifestyle planning articles and eBooks provide invaluable help and local knowledge:

• Lifestyle Planning articles and updates
• Mexico Home Life updates—practical insights for daily living
• Discover places to live in Mexico
• Latest updates and real estate and property in Mexico
• Browse the latest updates about Spanish language study

Mexico Leisure

Whether you’re visiting Mexico or living here, there’s an abundance of travel and leisure options for you to explore and experience.

• Browse the latest Travel & Leisure updates
• Guides: Colonial Cities, Beaches, Pyramids, Big Cities, Nature
• Discover custom travel tours of Mexico

Mexico Essentials

Articles and insights about essential things you need to know as you make your Mexico lifestyle and leisure plans

• Latest Mexico Essentials insights
• Guides to transport and getting around in Mexico
• Insurance coverages for your Mexico lifestyle