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 Vallarta Living | January 2008 
Mexican Citizenship Laws Have Changed
 Bonnie Sumlin - HELP!
Bonnie Sumlin, the General Director of the Manzanillo Foreign Community Association A.C., will be at the Santa Barbara Theater in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday, February 10th at 2 pm to provide HELP! for expats who want to obtain Mexican Citizenship. To reserve your space, send an email to vallartahelp(at)yahoo.com.
| | A very emotional and grateful Jack Roberts of Sayulita, Nayarit, embracing Bonnie Sumlin after receiving his "carta" (Naturalization Certificate as a Mexican Citizen.) | 
| | Paula McCord of San Pancho, Nayarit, kissing her FM3 goodbye, after receiving her "Carta." | 
| | Bonnie Sumlin at the 2007 Red Cross National Convention in Veracruz. Chosen for her creativity, she is the first American in the history of Mexico to hold the post of President of the Mexican Red Cross. | 
| | Bonnie boarding the buses at the Port of Manzanillo filled with foreigner's from the Carnival Cruise. She was #1 in the State of Colima as an individual during the National Collection of 2007, and Manzanillo was #1 in the State of Colima. | | |
First of all, my name is Bonnie Sumlin, and I am the General Director of HELP! (The Manzanillo Foreign Community Association, A.C. All of Mexico and Beyond.) More Americans and Canadians have received Citizenship through HELP! than anywhere else in the country of Mexico. In fact, over the last 10 years, we have assisted more than 200 happy recipients of Naturalization.
As a Mexican Citizen I have the right to voice my opinion in every way, as opposed to a foreigner who does not have the right to voice his or her opinion, pro or con, about the government. So here goes...
Just recently the laws changed in which a person must have an FM2 for at least five years and the start of their sixth year before proceeding with Naturalization in Mexico.
The Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, (S.R.E.) also gives an exam of six questions from at least five sheets of paper. I consider these questions profound in that when I learned what some of these questions were, I asked around, and those that I asked, people born and living in Mexico, did not know the answers either! I had to ask my Secretary at the Red Cross, who is also a Director of a grade and intermediate school here where we live for the answers.
That does not mean that one could not prepare for the exam, but if someone only has the required amount of time in Mexico to apply and does not read the newspaper or study the history of Mexico but is retired and enjoys the reasons they have chosen to be here, the questions could not be answered without review and study. There is a mini-history book that is available and I am told that it should cover any questions that may be on the exam. Any fifth grade history book would help, too.
I will be working with the Senators of my adopted State of Colima in an effort to revert this law back to where it was.
If you ask the reasons for the change in requirements that make it more difficult to become a Mexican Citizen, it is obvious to me and others that we are not wanted here as citizens, when there are so many Mexican Nationals stateside and Canada who have applied and have immigrated.
We are not wanted here as Mexican citizens. As it is obvious by the change, it is felt that we, as foreigners, do not contribute enough to the Mexican culture or community, whether or not we bring in a monthly pension and have homes and contribute more economically to the country than natives born here. We are wanted here to continue to pay the yearly fees of an FM3 or an FM2 and remain under the thumb of Immigration Services, no matter what.
As a highly respected (Naturalized) Mexican citizen in our community, I look forward to changing this new law back again so that others who have spent many years here and who, although they do not speak fluent Spanish like myself, or may not be Mexican history buffs, can live here and enjoy the same rights (which they deserve) as those born in this country. Their primary reason for living in Mexico is because they love it! And even though most do not integrate with the natives such as my husband and I do, it should not be a requirement and one should be able to live a private and comfortable life in Mexico.
 Bonnie Sumlin is the General Director of HELP! (The Manzanillo Foreign Community Association, A.C. All of Mexico and Beyond) and the first person of American origin to hold the post of President of the Mexican Red Cross in Manzanillo, Colima and anywhere in the country of Mexico, appointed by the Red Cross State Delegate, Dr. Guillermo Villa Godinez, and the Governor of the State of Colima, Lic. Silverio Cavazos. Questions or Comments? Contact her directly at
bonniehelpsinmexico(at)gmail.com. |
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