Puerto Vallarta Wedding Questions

[Nena2007]

I am being booked for a wedding in Puerto Vallarta in 2012. I haven't ever done a destination outside of the country and I don't really know where to start to get prepared. Do I need a work permit? How far in advance is it suggested to start the process of getting my passport? Any other tips or suggestions, this is totally unfamiliar territory for me.

Thanks! :)

[Tom]

Go ahead and start the process of getting your passport now. It is good for 10 years, so no reason not to.

You do not need a work permit if you tell the Mexicans that you are there as a tourist. Tell them you are working and it will create a lot of hassel.

[Nena2007]

Anyone have advice on how to do it legally? ;)

[Redneck]

Originally Posted by Thomas Campbell

You do not need a work permit if you tell the Mexicans that you are there as a tourist.

... which will make you working illegally. I particularly know of two German photojournalists who were entering Iran as tourists and who spent the last two years in an Iranian prison.
Not trying to scare anybody but I wouldn't risk it.

[Nena2007]

Redneck - Yeah I don't plan to ;) I just am looking to be pointed in the right direction to get work permits etc. :)

[ronocnikral]

Originally Posted by Thomas Campbell

Go ahead and start the process of getting your passport now. It is good for 10 years, so no reason not to.

You do not need a work permit if you tell the Mexicans that you are there as a tourist. Tell them you are working and it will create a lot of hassel.

agree. get your passport now. skip the lame card.

there is a big difference between telling people you are "working" and if you are "business." my passport only has business visas. most my business visas run about $300 or more. but i agree with thomas, just go. if you've traveled abroad before, you'd understand.

Start here Mexico

then call the mexican embassy in houston. Consulado de Mxico en Houston

my gut feeling is you either don't need a business visa or you'll end up wishing you never asked.

edit: here you go...(from the state dept website i linked to above)

Upon arrival in Mexico, business travelers must complete and submit a form (Form FMM) authorizing the conduct of business, but not employment, for a 30-day period. Travelers entering Mexico for purposes other than tourism or business or for stays of longer than 180 days require a visa and must carry a valid U.S. passport. U.S. citizens planning to work or live in Mexico should apply for the appropriate Mexican visa at the Mexican Embassy in Washington, DC, or at the nearest Mexican consulate in the United States.

[ronocnikral]

mas informacion...

Mexico Entry Requirements Immigration Customs Lone Parent

If you are traveling on business, or representing a company to conduct business in Mexico, and you hold a passport from a country on Mexico's "no visa required list" you do not need to apply for a formal visa to visit Mexico. You can, instead, use a visitor's permit known as a FMM—the same entry permit used by tourists to enter Mexico (see above).

We're under "E" on the "no visa required list."

Países y Regiones que No Requieren Visa para Viajar a México - Instituto Nacional de Migración

so...no visa needed

[Nena2007]

Conor, thanks for gathering all of that information for me! I've never left the country except to Canada (grew up in Michigan) and once we jumped across the boarder when traveling threw El Paso...yikes! Anyway, both times were when passports weren't required. So it just looks like I need to fill out a form when I get there. I can handel that ;)

[Tom]

Originally Posted by Redneck

... which will make you working illegally. I particularly know of two German photojournalists who were entering Iran as tourists and who spent the last two years in an Iranian prison.
Not trying to scare anybody but I wouldn't risk it.

Working as a photojournalist in Iran and shooting a wedding in Mexico are two very different animals.

[Redneck]

Originally Posted by Thomas Campbell

Working as a photojournalist in Iran and shooting a wedding in Mexico are two very different animals.

True, but it's still illegal. If someone enters the US as a tourist and does any kind of work and gets caught - he'll be put in jail until getting deported and the person may not enter the states for the next ten years.
Americans usually don't like it when foreign worker take their jobs illegally.

[lscottpht]

To legally shoot a wedding in Mexico it will cost you about $300, like someone said above. Be sure your bride is aware of that, and it's covered in your expenses. Also, make sure you are staying at the same hotel as the bride. Some hotels will charge you a day rate to come and shoot there, it can be quite expensive. A few hotels won't let outside photographers shoot the weddings there. All things you need to look into.

[Tom]

Americans usually don't like it when foreign worker take their jobs illegally.

Americans only care if it is a good job. If it is diggin ditches, roofing houses, or working fields, they are a little more sympathetic. Cause Americans dont want to do all that.

[ldelacruz]

Originally Posted by Thomas Campbell

Americans only care if it is a good job. If it is diggin ditches, roofing houses, or working fields, they are a little more sympathetic. Cause Americans dont want to do all that.

Imagine what a house would cost if we (Americans) had to build it!

[camera shy]

If a couple came to Oklahoma City from Mexico City to get married, and they brought their own photographer I personally wouldn't consider that "working". I think the intent of "working" is getting a job/position for a company/concern based in the entered locality. If you went to Mexico looking for clients to shoot you'd be 'working' there and subject to those regulations. Just my opinion and I've only spent a few nights at a Holiday Inn.

[WarrenG]

Sage advice from Leslie. If your shooting the wedding at one of the "resorts" that they are ok with outside photogs, although the bride should already know that info so I assume your good-to-go.

My .02 cents on the subject, if it were me, I am just visiting the wedding and taking pictures. I am not billing any clients in Mexico, nor am I conducting "business" in Mexico unless of course you suspect that you may be entering Mexico several times a year to shoot weddings. If it is a one off type deal, I would not worry about it....

W