Non-Mexican photographer is illegal??

Hi all - I was talking to a wedding planner in Cabo the other day about taking my own photographer down and she informed me that this was illegal because they needed a work visa or something? Have any of you experienced this? She said the government came in and canceled the wedding at one of the events? She said it was better to get a photographer who lives there just because you don't want to risk it.

I know some of you have taken your own photographers down so I thought this was a little weird. Thoughts?

Hmmm considering how many brides in the past have brought their own photog without any problem I would initially say But maybe there is actually a rule, and it just goes ignored and is repeatedly broken? Perhaps some of the Mexico based vendors or locals can chime in

i know this was a concern in the cancun area i believe, but if you do a search you will find the threads that have to do with thoses discussions. i havent heard anything about cabo.

I think some resorts require them to have a permit and some don't. Best to ask your resort. I asked mine and they said they are fine with me bringing in whichever vendors I wish.

Hello Jess,

this is correct, you have to get an FM3 work permit. A photographer would probably qualify as an artist for this category. It costs 100$-150$ per professional so if you have a team of 2 it would be 200-300$. An informed photographer will probably not accept to travel without it.

More info here or isntance : working-FM3

You can google "FM3 work permit".

WTF?! This sounds VERY odd to me....

I was definitely allowed to bring my own with me-as long as she was staying at the hotel. I didn't encounter any issues at all with having my own photographer!!!

yeah its weird...they say that some people get away with it but some don't...they need to stay at your resort and they need to have a place card at the table - they need to be a friend of yours attending your wedding, not just a photographer you brought in

yes, they do need a work permit. there is one they can get at the airport for about $20. they take care of it when filling out the visa info on the flight before customs. many photographers do not do this. they say they are traveling as a tourist instead. there is also a limit on the number of cameras & memory cards. There is also the FM3 visa mentioned before. Those are about $100 but are good for the whole year. Still, when you read about FM3s they sound like they are really for a US citizen living in mexico.

I read so much info & really couldn't come to a conclusion if this is legal. They are being paid in the US to do work for a US citizen. but, the work is done in another country. The information wasn't consistant either.

Some hotels require the paperwork be showed.

Also, this is country wide, not just in some areas of mexico. it's just more talked about for cancun because of EDRs policies. there are similar laws for all countries, including the US.

http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t18465

we had a long disscussion about this stuff here. still, I don't really understand the rules.