If you’ve lived in Mexico for any length of time, you’ve probably experienced your share of frustration when dealing with the country’s many layers of bureaucracy. I have personally spent countless hours and made multiple trips to various government agencies, banks, and utility offices trying to accomplish what I thought would be a straightforward process – like transferring internet service from one account holder to another (it turns out I needed my passport and a signed statement from the previous account holder) – and more complex processes like applying for permanent residency.
Luckily, there is a network of professional facilitators who can help. Facilitators, or “fixers” as they are sometimes called, are people with the expertise, connections, and Spanish-language skills who can help you navigate Mexico’s various administrative and bureaucratic processes. Most are also highly-trained professionals such as lawyers, accountants, former government employees, and healthcare workers.
My husband and I had been living in Mexico for eight years before we finally broke down (more accurately, Mexican bureaucracy broke us down) and hired a government facilitator (we have used a medical facilitator for years, but more on that later.) Since we speak Spanish reasonably well and had already navigated lots of bureaucratic processes on our own (not that any were straightforward), we assumed we could handle getting our RFCs (Registro Federal de Contibuyentes), or tax ID numbers, which we needed for a purchase of a condo, without outside help. At some point, everyone hits a wall dealing with Mexican bureaucracy. This was our moment.
We thought we had it all figured out. We made our appointments on the SAT (Servicio de Administracion Tributaria) website, waited a few weeks for our official confirmation, and then drove the two hours to our nearest SAT office. We arrived at our appointed time with our confirmation letters and correct documentation in hand — only to be turned away at the door.
It turns out we were too young to get our RFCs at the time. Nothing on the SAT website indicated there were different timelines for different ages. We had entered our birthdates and ages on the website when we registered, so why did SAT give us appointments in the first place? We may never know. But we did know that next time, we were hiring a facilitator.
Our real estate agent put us in touch with Dave Conrriquez, an independent tax accountant and RFC facilitator. Dave took care of the whole process from start to finish. He made our appointments, met us at the SAT office, translated everything for us, and even held our place in line so we could sit on comfortable chairs in an air-conditioned waiting room. A few hours and $200 dollars later, we had our RFCs.
“When clients work with me, they have nothing to worry about. I prepare the paperwork and appointment and accompany them to the SAT office. We arrive with everything done and ready to go,” said Conrriquez, who has been an RFC facilitator for two years.
Professional facilitators often specialize in more than one service. Conrriquez also helps people set up and transfer utility services and open bank accounts — surprisingly challenging tasks in Mexico.
Eden Davis, a U.S. immigrant who has lived in Mexico for six years, has used the same facilitator to help her with everything from replacing and renewing residency cards, handling the formation of her hotel business, and filing taxes and insurance claims.
Davis says hiring a facilitator has saved her time and hassle and has been worth every peso.
“You have to decide what your time and patience are worth. If you are content to sit in an office all day waiting for your turn with a book in your lap, great. But I have 47 things to do and I don’t have that kind of time or patience. It’s worth it to me to spend a few thousand pesos to have someone else get it done in one shot,” she said.
Davis advises newcomers to Mexico to establish a relationship with a trusted facilitator early on. “At some point, you will need assistance with some process, or something unexpected will happen where you need an inside track – like a car accident, a robbery, or a lost residency card. Already having someone you trust who can help is a valuable tool in your immigrant toolbox,” she said.
Handling medical needs is another time when having a facilitator can help. Pamela Thompson is the International Services Coordinator at Joya Hospitals in Puerto Vallarta and founder of HealthCare Resources, which offers English-speaking assistance for finding physicians and hospitals, scheduling diagnostic services, and other healthcare needs.
“I do everything from air evacuations to assisting someone who has just had a family member die, to preparing insurance claims to making doctor appointments and 1,000 things in between,” said Thompson. “I never have a boring day.”
I can personally vouch for Pamela as she’s helped our family find excellent English-speaking doctors in the Puerto Vallarta area and arranged countless medical screenings. Best of all, since Pamela is a hospital employee, there is never a fee for her services.
“I enjoy making a tourist or newcomer feel more comfortable in a foreign place,” she said.
While you might hope you’ll never need one, facilitators like Pamela and Dave are invaluable friends for the foreigner who can take the stress out of stressful situations and ease your transition into life in Mexico.
Looking for a professional facilitator? Here are some tips for finding and working with one:
- Hire someone local. Every government agency, utility office, etc. has its way of doing things, and requirements change frequently. Hiring a local facilitator who knows how things work in your area, is up to date on the latest requirements, and has existing relationships with local agency/office staff is key.
- Don’t rely solely on Facebook: Not everything people share on Facebook is up to date or accurate, and there have been instances of people getting scammed by false fixers they find online. It’s best to do your research, ask local friends and fellow foreigners for fixers they recommend, and ask for references of any fixer that someone recommends to you.
- Prioritize what you pay for. If you live on a tight budget and speak a little Spanish, things like opening a bank account (which you must be physically present for anyway) and renewing residency cards for children can usually be done in one day. Save your pennies for hiring outside help with more complicated and less common processes, or ones that require faster turnarounds.
- Plan ahead and be patient. Always account for more time than you think it’s going to take to accomplish whatever it is you are trying to do. Even when working with a fixer, there could be hiccups. But rest assured there will be far fewer if you hire one!
Debbie Slobe is a writer and communications strategist based in Chacala, Nayarit. She blogs at Mexpatmama.com and is a senior program director at Resource Media. Find her on Instagram and Facebook.
I thought I subscribed to a newspaper. This is a stealth ad, just like the plastic surgery “article” earlier today. Uggh, Mexico News Daily you need to get your act together — differentiate between article and Ads!
M’thinks the lady doth protesteth too much. Get a grip….Cheers from Mexico City!
Agreed. Sounds like a paranoid person.
Hi Dawn! This is a fully independently researched and written story.
Debbie, it’s not so much your fault as editorial choices at MND that lead us to not trust content like this or to be skeptical at a headline that is telling us to hire someone or buy something.
I also thought this was going to be “partnered content,” but repackaging advertising as news is mostly done by Henrietta Weekes nowadays.
[You can search for her on the site to see.]
They used to make it VERY obvious and explicit but lately you have to read the article a lot more carefully to find where they’ve disclosed that it’s an ad.
And at least they do tell us. They don’t respect us, but they do tell us.
Jeremy – We’ve had several conversations about this. Sponsored content is labeled.
95% of MND content is pitched by the writers on people, places and topics they feel our readers would benefit from knowing about.
The comment section is intended to be a productive forum for subscribers to discuss the article and how it might impact their experience in Mexico. It is not within our community guidelines for you to disparage our writers, our staff, or the publication.
We have offered you a refund if you find the content is not in line with your expectations, but please know we will refund and terminate your subscription if you continue to disparage the work and our team.
This is a perfectly good story, I’m not disparaging it at all. I was just trying to let Debbie know why someone else might have been skeptical so that she knows it’s not related to her writing.
If she didn’t have that background she would likely be confused.
How is this an ad? Its giving their own experience with using these people, not here is who we used and we are endorsing them? I’m sure some people found it useful. I personally think a lot of these types do things you can do yourself, like renewing residencies, change address, etc…
Good story for newbies. Here is San Miguel we use Sonia Diaz. Been in Mexico 16 years and we have used several facilitators.
Thanks Bill! And I agree Sonia is a great resource!!
My wife & I have have also worked with Sonia Diaz (permanent residency) & we acheived the desired & promised results. We couldn’t get to first base on our own. I will ask for her assistance again in the future.
I have lived here 24 years and ALWAYS had a “ helper” from originating a business to complicated tax issues like residency/citizenship. It is extremely good advice for newcomers and old hands. No matter your linguistic skills- this is it’s own culture with it’s own rules- that constantly change over time – And I want up-to -the minute advice – not 15 trips and repeated failures. My time is my most valuable commodity. I like to work with a local professional expert/ I don’t want to become one. Just saying – not a stealth advertising- very good advice for many many people.
. . . I have a “fixer” related question not addressed in the article . . . nationalizing or importing a US plated car, any “fixer” recommendations? I am too old, my Jeep is paid for, not interested in buying another car ( in Mexico or USA ), and would like to spend more of my twilight years in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas running the few errands I have to Soriana, or Chedraui when needed . . . curious, any suggestios?
Try Pat’s Plates in PV. He did it for a neighbor of ours.
. . . muchas gracias thank you, I just last month started following his fb posts . . . intend to contact him in near future . . .
Fixers are OK, but they shouldn’t be allowed to use underhand methods to facilitate their clients avoid queuing outside offices to the detriment of people who actually queue for and appointment. We shouldn’t have to stand in line behind a lot of empty camping chairs which have been placed by an employee of the fixer and are filled up just before opening time. This constitutes bad manners and in fact is not normal in normal society.
Very nice article Debbie! Chuckled the whole article as I recalled being in the same pickle over my last 43 years in Michoacan! No doubt about it: fixers are the key to getting through the maze of the burocracy!
Thank you! You definitely need patience and a sense of humor. 🙂 My current challenge is getting my Telcel bill to auto-pay from my Bancomer account. It’s been 4 trips to my local bank so far and I still haven’t made it work. Hahahaha!
“Fix” your life in the US so you don’t have to move to Mexico!👍
Thanks for your comment Malibu, but I think it’s more of a “want to” than a “have to” for many of us! 🙂
Hi Debbie. No one I know came to Mexico because they wanted to. I don’t mean that in a negative way. It was always, “go to Mexico and buy a 5000 sq ft house, retire by 55.” It wasn’t that it was people’s first choice but rather became a solid option versus staying in the US and working until 65. So that’s what I did. Then it grows on you and the Guadalajara airport gets you out.
However I am no longer advising anyone to come to Mexico and purchase. You can now buy a house in a beautiful gated community in California for the same or less than Ajijic and other expat places.
What Mexico seems to be attracting the last few yrs is people looking for 1 and 2 bedroom rooms or apartments. The Mexicans are renting to poor Americans and Canadians. It has completely shifted.
This was a great article.. Many of us go through the “Dare I tackle this one?… I really don’t want to waste money on something I could do on my own with just a little stamina”. It can be hard to know WHEN you need help. I certainly agree the RFC operation is a hot mess. Last month I went back for a SECOND visit after my bank pointed out that they entered my address incorrectly. Grrrr
All documents in hand – let me at em- FIVE hours. FOUR interviews. Photographed. Fingerprinted. Eyeball scanned. A MOUNTAIN of paperwork created. To change. My street. Address.
(I loved the article)
OMG JSmall – what an ordeal! Hope it’s fixed now. It’s good you have a great sense of humor! 🙂
I have a fixer here in PV and have used him for a number of situations.
Alejandro was instrumental in helping me get my Permanent Resident Visa and all of the requirements that it entails. My car was towed and was basically held hostage in order for the car rental company to
demand an exorbitant amount of money to get it bailed out of the towing yard while adding their fees on top which were outrageous. Then, after
losing all ID, credit cards and Perm. Resident Visa plus passport due to thieves, Alejandro helped me figure all of that out. His talent with immigration is amazing. So yes, I am a big fan of having a fixer. He’s
also an incredibly nice guy. I’m not new in PV but do not know the ropes
in all situations.
Geez Sandy you could write the book on why fixers are so essential! Thanks for sharing your story.
Some of the comments! LOL. Amazing… and not in a good way!
Anyway..We had a great assistant in CDMX but she has left the country. Anyone know of a good one in CDMX?
Thanks All!