FMT Visas &amp;Temporary Auto insurance in Mexico

FMT Visas &Temporary Auto insurance in Mexico

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Temporary Car Insurance --
As I said in a previous post, we are driving down, entering Mexico on FMT visas and will need Mexican insurance for our US plated car for up to 6 months. I don't know if we will actually stay that long. We plan to cross the border at Hidalgo/Reynosa.
Is it possible to get this insurance at the border, or is it best to arrange for insurance before starting out, or buy coverage for a few days at the border and then longer term insurance once arriving Lakeside?
I have searched this site and seen several names of companies for insurance (LLoyd, Lewis and Lewis online, AAA in US). Any recommendations amongst these or any others?

Visa question --
We understand that the longest we can get FMT visas for is 6 months. Is it easy to renew by driving back to the border? I have also heard that technically you can only bring a US plated car into Mexico for a maximum of 6 months in any 12 month period. Does anyone know if this is enforced or is even true?

May 30, 2007, 9:30 AM

Post #2 of 14 (1909 views)

Re: [ivy] FMT Visas &Temporary Auto insurance in Mexico

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We get insurance from Mexico Insurance Professionals on line. They handle a lot of different insurance companies.

www.MexPro.com

May 30, 2007, 10:43 AM

Post #3 of 14 (1902 views)

Re: [ivy] FMT Visas &Temporary Auto insurance in Mexico

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We too used www.MexPro.com to buy our insurance on the first car we brought down here for a visit several years ago, before we moved here. We bought the policy before we left home, it was mailed to us, and so it was no bother finding a broker at the border. I found that at that time, it was less expensive to buy a one-year policy than it would have been to buy a short-term policy for a month or two. MexPro is a very reliable company, and they are advertisers on Mexconnect.

You can call them on the telephone and speak to an actual, living, Mark I human being, and not get lost in voice mail. We continued to buy insurance from them for several years after moving here, until we nationalized both of our cars. We don’t use them anymore. I still keep their URL address and phone number because they also sell insurance for northbound Mexican plated cars, which is approved by all 50 states, and Canada.

I don’t remember which Mexican company issued the policy now, but we received very good service when we were involved in a couple of little fender bender accidents. Any American company selling automobile insurance for México is actually acting as a broker; a Mexican company must issue the insurance policies.

A word of caution: it is almost impossible to find a Mexican insurance company that sells anything other than liability insurance. In an accident the other car will be covered by your policy, but not the damages to your own car. You need to pray that the other driver has insurance to cover any damages to your car. It is critical that your policy has legal assistance coverage. Do not expect a Mexican policy to have all the bells and whistles that we are used to getting up north, like comprehensive coverage, etc.

Rex

"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

May 30, 2007, 2:46 PM

Post #4 of 14 (1882 views)

Re: [RexC] FMT Visas &Temporary Auto insurance in Mexico

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So, if I get my car licenced in Mexico, I can get insurance that will cover me while driving in CA, but if my car is licensed in CA, I cannot get temporary insurance to cover me while driving temporarily in CA?

If my car is licensed in South Dakota can I get insurance to cover me while driving in CA?

May 30, 2007, 4:28 PM

Post #5 of 14 (1867 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] FMT Visas &Temporary Auto insurance in Mexico

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Dick, if you check their website http://www.mexpro.com/ they state that insurance is available for Mexican plated cars for all the states in The US, and Canada. It is silent about being able to buy insurance for US plated cars while in The US. I don’t think it is available for those cars.

You might want to contact them directly. There is a link on their site to send them any questions via Email, or if you scroll down to the bottom of the page, including their home page, there is a phone number to call them. There is also a toll free 888 number, if you have Voip telephone service you should be able to call them toll free.

I used to call them every year and renew our policies via telephone. They were always very helpful and would answer any questions I asked them. Calling them will probably be the best way to get a definitive answer to your question.

Rex
"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

May 31, 2007, 4:45 AM

Post #6 of 14 (1848 views)

Re: [RexC] FMT Visas &Temporary Auto insurance in Mexico

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Unfortunately I have contacted them and they say they cannot insure CA plated cars in CA.

I can't fathom why CA has the procedures that it does, which make it difficult for people to be insured. You would think they would want to do everything that they can to assure that as many as possible are insured.

I guess that they are unwilling to insure CA plated cars of Mexican residents because we are not supposed to exist. In order to get my CA plates, I had to use my old address or my daughter's address and her address to get my annual Auto Club insurance. In order to get re-insured when needed, I have to keep the insurance in effect. If I should put it in effect, cancel it when not in Ca, put it back in effect, and then cancel it again, they would not be willing to re-insure me.

May 31, 2007, 8:43 AM

Post #7 of 14 (1830 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] FMT Visas &Temporary Auto insurance in Mexico

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They do a lot of strange things in that state now. I was born there and lived there for the first half of my life. It used to be a nice place to live, until the great influx of population from other states, starting in WWII and continuing throughout the 1940s and 1950s until California became the most populous state in the Union. I can never live there again.

One of the first things Governor Conan did after his election was to prevent undocumented Mexican aliens from using a Tarjeta de Matricula ID card issued by a Mexican Consulate to obtain a California drivers license. The result of that is that there are still thousands of unlicensed, uninsured drivers on the road in that state.

Some of my sons and daughters still live there, and they all voted for him, but that action disturbed them. Having uninsured motorist coverage in your insurance policy is important, but not pain free. I had an uninsured motorist claim when a hit and run driver hit our car when Doris was driving it when we still lived in Anchorage. I had to pay the $500 Dollar deductible, and my premium more than doubled for three years because I had made a claim on the policy.

The second time an uninsured, and unlicensed 16 year old kid hit my car in a parking lot up there a few years later, I paid for the repairs myself, it was cheaper than using my insurance.

Your problems with insuring your car in California is one of the best reasons I can think of for nationalizing it at the first opportunity in México. Changing the cars registration to South Dakota or Texas might be a viable option too.

Good luck, Rex

"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

jerezano

May 31, 2007, 9:01 AM

Post #8 of 14 (1825 views)

Re: [ivy] FMT Visas &Temporary Auto insurance in Mexico

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Hello ivy,

You asked:>>Is it possible to get this insurance at the border, or is it best to arrange for insurance before starting out, or buy coverage for a few days at the border and then longer term insurance once arriving Lakeside?<<

Nobody answered the question whether you could get insurance at the border or not. Yes, you can. Sanborns Insurance headquartered in McAllen on the left of 10th St just as you leave McAllen on the way to Hidalgo issues such insurance. They also issue the legal representation insurance which is a must have. They also have an Amigo club which will provide emergency air transportation to a stateside hospital. They also provide a detailed map and driving instructions mile-by-mile from Reynosa to Guadalajara.
Sanborns also has a branch office in Hidalgo on the right, just as you enter town from McAllen.

Of course, their rates may seem a bit higher in comparison with others, but for a first-time visitor to Mexico, the perks which you get just may be worth it. The insurance costs are the same all over México (national control), but the perks and company overhead, no matter what company, cost.

Years ago I used Sanborns for three or four visits to Mexico and my experiences were good. I didn't have any claims, however.

The one thing you should arrange with any insurance company is a long term policy if you can. Daily or monthly rates skyrocket. Compare the prices. If a six month policy is available it just may be more expensive than a one year policy, etc.

Good luck and enjoy your visit.

Adiós. jerezano.

jreboll

May 31, 2007, 10:43 AM

Post #9 of 14 (1809 views)

Re: [ivy] FMT Visas &Temporary Auto insurance in Mexico

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Another option is to go into your AAA website and buy it online. You pay only for those days that you need.
I usually get it only for those days that I am on the road. Most of the time my car is parked in the driveway so I don't pay for those days.
I can print out the policy as soon as I pay for it with my credit card.

May 31, 2007, 3:37 PM

Post #10 of 14 (1787 views)

Re: [jreboll] FMT Visas &Temporary Auto insurance in Mexico

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PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Tell me that this applies to CA AA. I'm sure it doesn't, but one can always dream.

Moisheh

May 31, 2007, 6:00 PM

Post #11 of 14 (1764 views)

Re: [RexC] FMT Visas &Temporary Auto insurance in Mexico

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RexC: I do not understand your statement about not being able to get anything other than Liability. Did I miss something? That is the case for very old vehicles but otherwise that is incorrect. My wife has 2 vehicles in Mexico and I have 2 motorhomes. They all have FULL COVERAGE and liability. This has been the case for the last 20 years. Never had a problem getting coverage and I have made claims that repaired my vehicle.

Moisheh

May 31, 2007, 6:18 PM

Post #12 of 14 (1760 views)

Re: [Moisheh] FMT Visas &Temporary Auto insurance in Mexico

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I don’t know if the age of the vehicle has anything to do with it or not. We checked with many Mexican insurers, and most of them simply do not write coverage for your own car. The only one that I am sure of that does it is GNP. They will also write coverage for partial theft, glass breakage, etc. I could not find any insurer here that will write comprehensive coverage. There may be others that do, I quit looking.

Rex

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"The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved" - Victor Hugo

Moisheh

Jun 1, 2007, 4:54 AM

Post #13 of 14 (1733 views)

Re: [RexC] FMT Visas &Temporary Auto insurance in Mexico

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rexc:

I am still confused by your post. There must be at least 10,000 tourists who get full coverage with no problems. You can even go online and buy your policies. Some that come to mind are : Lewis and Lewis, Mexpro, Sanborns at least 2 Baja Clubs that sell insurance and a whole bunch of online only storefronts. Maybe you have been contacting Mexican agents. You need to buy this insurance from a USA broker if you want a good price and proper service. Some of the Companies that underwrite this insurance are : Ace, Genpro (GE), Qualitas, Tepeyac and a few more. You can go to Lewis and Lewis, punch in your data and buy the policy online.

Moisheh

bournemouth

Jun 1, 2007, 6:23 AM

Post #14 of 14 (1719 views)