Your first days in Monterrey
Arrival tips
The first thing that we would like you to do, in order to alleviate the stress, is to investigate a little bit about Mexico and Monterrey. Our suggestion is for you to visit the following websites:
2. In the flight to Mexico, you will get a Multiple Migratory Form (FMM Forma Migratoria Múltiple) which you must complete and present to the migration officer at Monterrey’s airport (Aeropuerto Internacional General Mariano Escobedo).
If you already have a student visa on your passport please show this as well to the migration officer. Make sure the officer stamps your passport and your FMM.
3. After you pass the immigration area, you may go to get your luggage. After picking your luggage you must go through customs and then you move on to the main area of the airport. If you do not have Mexican pesos then it’s the moment to get some cash. Nearby the exit of the airport and near the area of the international arrival you will see an exchange booth. They usually have good exchange rates.
To start with, we recommend you to get about $1,000 MXN (about $50 USD or $45 euro).
4. Transportation from the airport by taxi is very safe and not very expensive. Go near the international arrival area and to the taxi booth and buy a ticket, these have already fixed rates depending on the city area you are headed to.
The International Programs Office closes at 5:30 p.m., and transportation from the airport to the university takes around 45-50 minutes depending on traffic.
Provisional lodging
Here you will find some accommodations where you can check-in in your first days in Monterrey.
Wyndham Garden Hotels
Location: Blvd. Antonio L. Rodríguez 3062, Col. Santa María, Monterrey, N.L. México C.P. 64650
Phone number: 52 81 8173-8000
Transportation to UDEM: The hotel is located about 10 minutes by car from UDEM. Free shuttle to UDEM might be available. The approximate cost of a taxi from the airport to the hotel is $700 MXN ($35 USD).
Cost: $1050 MXN + tax
Hoteles hi! By intercity
Location: Blvd. Gustavo Díaz Ordaz 338, Col. Protexa Industrial, Santa Catarina, Monterrey, N.L. México C.P. 66170
Phone number: 52 81 8526-2020
Transportation to UDEM: The hotel is located about 15 minutes by car from UDEM. Free shuttle to UDEM might be available. The approximate cost of a taxi from the airport to the hotel is $700 MXN ($35 USD).
Cost: $650 MXN + tax
La casa del barrio
Location: Diego de Montemayor 1227, Col. Centro-Barrio Antiguo, Monterrey, N.L. México C.P. 64000
Phone number: 52 81 8344-1800
Transportation to UDEM: It is located about 30 minutes by car from UDEM, so using a taxi is the best option.
Cost: $TBA MXN + tax
Basic Spanish
Notice that Spanish has informal and formal ways of speaking.
This is because there is more than one meaning to "you" in Spanish (as well as in many other languages.) The informal you (“tu”) is used when talking to close friends, relatives, animals or children. The formal you (“usted”) is used when talking to someone you just met, do not know well, or someone for whom you would like to show respect (a professor, for example).
Safety tips
Complete your information on the directory DIPI will send you at the beginning of the semester.
Take special care of your wallet and official documents.
Keep your valuable belongings in a safe place at home.
Be respectful to authorities at all times. If you are arrested, they should not take your original documents.
Have a Mexican mobile number and always have enough credit to make calls.
Memorize some friends’ numbers in case you lose your mobile or in case of an emergency.
Acquire a health insurance that covers all medical expenses in Mexico and have the information always at hand.
Have a credit card that you can use in case of emergency.
Email yourself a copy of your visa, passport, and important documents.
If you are traveling, notify DIPI, your roommates, I-Buddy or any friend. Leave a copy of your itinerary.
It might be possible to be drafted for antidoping while at UDEM.
Dont's
Do not carry around your original visa and passport, a copy is usually enough.
Do not carry around unnecessary documents in your wallet (stuff you just use in your home country or university)
Do not carry too much cash, take just what you will need for the moment.
Leave any valuable belongings (electronic devices, backpacks) inside vehicles, but not in plain sight; they could draw someone’s attention.
Do not leave your keys under the rug, the pot, etc. You never know who is watching.
Do not consume drugs, they are illegal.
Do not drink on the streets, it is prohibited and you may get arrested.
Do not hail taxis from the street, call a Safe Taxi.
Do not pack valuable belongings or electronic devices in your checked baggage when traveling.