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JohnnyBoy

Sep 20, 2007, 12:57 PM

Post #1 of 9 (2439 views)

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Where inside Sonora to get a Car Permit

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Does anyone happen to know if I can get either the Only Sonora car permit or the All Mexico car permit here in Hermosillo, or somewhere nearby (I am not interested in driving to Guymas/Empalme Km 98 or to Nogales Km 21)?

I want to drive EAST out of Hermosillo, toward the Sierra, places like Yecora and Sauharipa, places which I understand are outside the Sonora Free Zone.

I have an FM-3 visa but I have never procured a car permit of any kind because I have never driven my car any place except between here (HMO) and Nogales...not even to Kino Bay or San Carlos, yet.

But I want/need to go to several little towns that are east of HMO, almost to the state of Chihuahua, and I think I need, at a minimum, the Only Sonora car permit. Question is, where do I get it?

(This post was edited by JohnBleazard on Sep 20, 2007, 12:59 PM)

mlnew

Sep 20, 2007, 2:00 PM

Post #2 of 9 (2430 views)

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Re: [JohnBleazard] Where inside Sonora to get a Car Permit

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Personal experience, San Luis Rio Colorado, not near Hermosillo I'm afraid, but they do Sonora only permits there.
MIKE

"Commitment is what transforms promise into reality" A. Lincoln

bournemouth

Sep 20, 2007, 2:31 PM

Post #3 of 9 (2427 views)

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Re: [JohnBleazard] Where inside Sonora to get a Car Permit

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John - you have no choice but Kl. 98 for Only Sonora and All Mexico. I think that Kl 21 now does visas and customs only. You need at a minimum an Only Sonora permit to do what you want. You cannot get these permits in Hermosillo - sorry. But if you get an All Mexico permit, as you already know, it will be good as long as your FM3 is good so that if you guys decide to go adventuring further into Mexico, you are covered. The cost is pretty much the same nowadays, so get the All Mexico one.

JohnnyBoy

Sep 25, 2007, 1:36 PM

Post #4 of 9 (2400 views)

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Re: [JohnBleazard] Where inside Sonora to get a Car Permit

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I wanted to reply to this thread that I started with some details of what I have learned.

If you are in the Sonora Free Zone with a vehicle and want to go out of the Sonora Free Zone you need to get a vehicle permit, which I will refer to as the "sticker." You can get a sticker just for All of Sonora or for about $5 more, you can get one for all of Mexico.

Other than at the various Sonora/USA border crossings, the only place you can get a sticker is just south of Guaymas, at Km 98. I got this information from several people here on MexConnect as well as from an agent on the VisitSonora website who responded to the question about this that I posted there. Someone replied to my inquiry within a matter of a few hours, verifying that the stickers cannot be obtained in Hermosillo.

I went to the very nice, large facility at Km 98 south of Guaymas. I am not sure I understood exactly who all the "players" were there, but there appeared to be people from the Mexican government who reviewed and copied the necessary papers (my passport, my FM3 visa, the title to my vehicle, and my driver's license). They made copies of these and sent me to the other end of the room to the Banejerito people (not sure if I am spelling that correctly.) Here they examed the papers and had me pay for the sticker. I think it was about $32 for all of Mexico and $27 for All of Sonora, only. It is best to pay with a credit card. If you want to pay with cash there is a bond or deposit you must pay, a couple of hundred dollars, I think, that is refundable when you turn the sticker in when you leave Mexico. Seemed simplest to pay with a credit card.

Of course there was some confusion and a few misunderstandings along the way. The Mexican government guy did not realize that I could get a sticker valid longer than 180 days because of my FM3 visa. He checked it out with his supervisor and then came back to me and told me he was wrong, I was right, and thanks for helping him learn.

At the Banejerito window they got all wrapped around the axle because my FM3 visa, that I got in San Francisco, had been stamped showing me entering Mexico on 20 April 2007, but the FM3 visa had not been "activated/registered" in Hermosillo until 8 May 2007. I had to train these people as well, informing them that FM3 visa holders had 30 days after entering the country to get the visa registered. They finally comprehended that but did not know which date to use to determine how many days my sticker should me valid.

Again I told them boldly and confidently that it did not matter because the sticker would be good as long as the FM3 was good; that when I renew the FM3 for another year the sticker will automatically be good valid for another year, too. This is what I learned here on MexConnect. Maybe I learned wrong.

At this point the Banejerito people really put their foot down. No way was this sticker going to be valid beyond the number of days they were going to make it valid unless I came back there or went to the border to repeat the process of acquiring another sticker (or possibly just extending this one) and, what is most important, paying another year's worth of fees for the sticker.

Now I had gotten my confidence and boldness about this matter from things I have read here on MexConnect. Maybe I misunderstood. Maybe others have misunderstood. But I am going to be prepared to renew the sticker as a process separate and independent from renewing my FM3 visa and I will have to go back to Km98 or the border to do it.

This raises a question/doubt in my mind however. How do so many people so far away from the border or Km98, like the majority of people here on MexConnect, down in Jalisco, etc. how do they get their stickers renewed or do they? Do they (whoever they are!) send reps out there to Ajijic to your country club now and then to renew your vehicle permits? Or are they (whoever they are!) actually wrong...and MexConnect is right, the stickers do not have to be renewed as long as the FM3s (or other appropriate visas) are valid? If so, where, when, how do you pay for the sticker fees for another year? Or do you really have to pay?

"Inquiring minds want to know."

bournemouth

Sep 25, 2007, 1:47 PM

Post #5 of 9 (2398 views)

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Re: [JohnBleazard] Where inside Sonora to get a Car Permit

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John, as long as your FM3 is good, your vehicle sticker is good, regardless of the expiration date on it. When we used to get the permit at Kl 21, they were well acquainted with the FM3 rule, and would give you a permit that expired when your FM3 expired - but they knew and we knew that the expiration date was of no consequence, as long as the FM3 remained in force.

I suspect that since they have moved the operation so far south, they have completely new staff who are not up on all the little details.

When we left Mexico in July, we asked at Kl. 21 if we needed to turn in our sticker, long expired, (yes, I know that many of you believe you should do this every time you leave the country) and the young woman there told us it was not necessary to do so as we are FM3 holders.

Nobody comes after us for expired stickers and none of us head to the border to renew them, unless we are living in the country on FMT - tourist cards - which can make life complicated and is not the intent of an FMT.

Now John, why would you think we, the residents of Ajijic, live in a country club? You've been absorbing some mis-information somewhere.

JohnnyBoy

Sep 25, 2007, 1:59 PM

Post #6 of 9 (2395 views)

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Re: [bournemouth] Where inside Sonora to get a Car Permit

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Hey, how are you?

I know the people of Ajijic do not LIVE in a country club. I am sure that would be a "come down" compared to the places they actually live in.

The people at Km 98 seemed most concerned about getting another $32 from me next year. It makes sense to me. We have to pay to renew our FM3 visas, why not have to pay to renew the stickers? But, hey, if we don't have to, great !!!

By the way, they told me down there that they cannot remove the sticker, in the event I need it removed. That can only be done at the border.

Believe me, I am not getting all loco about this. It will all come out in the wash somewhere. And it is probably not of much interest to very many people anyway.

Cuidate.

jb

bournemouth

Sep 25, 2007, 2:59 PM

Post #7 of 9 (2391 views)

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Re: [JohnBleazard] Where inside Sonora to get a Car Permit

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Interesting that they told you they couldn't remove the sticker as the San Carlos website is reporting that they can do all car paperwork there now, including returns and I trust the person posting that information. I guess one has to roll with what you are told - but you won't need to turn it in, so it should not be a problem.

Rolly

Sep 25, 2007, 3:18 PM

Post #8 of 9 (2387 views)

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Re: [JohnBleazard] Where inside Sonora to get a Car Permit

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The law is clear on the matter -- Article 106 -- your car registration is valid as long as your FM3 is valid. Read it here: http://rollybrook.com/article_106.htm

Make a copy and carry it in your car to use when you meet another uninformed cop, etc.

Rolly Pirate

thriftqueen

Sep 26, 2007, 6:41 PM

Post #9 of 9 (2368 views)

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Re: [Rolly] Where inside Sonora to get a Car Permit

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Obviously John did not read your (Rolly) detailed info on carrying a copy of the Article 106 law in his car at all times. Unless they have changed since September 4, 2007 you CAN still get an all of Mexico sticker at 21K.

Here's my latest brush with the guys at 21K: we have an FM3, we like Bournemouth do not turn in our sticker when we leave Mexico as we will be returning shortly. However in July we stopped at 21K and turned in our sticker as we felt that we would be buying a new car before returning to Mexico. I was in NM for a couple of months, my husband returned by bus to Alamos after 1 month. As our FM3s were up for renewal before I returned he took my FM3 with him so he could go to Guaymas and begin renewal proceedings. (I can't say enough how fortunate we are to live in Sonora after hearing some of the sur reports on renewing FM3s at various places.) As it takes a couple of weeks for the papers to be processed he was given our usual temporary paper in lien of the actual FM3s. No problema. He rode the bus to Nogales to accompany me back to Alamos. We stopped at 21 K and went directly to the car permiso windows. The permiso was to be issued in my name as hubby has another vehicle in his name. The usual trainee type person was manning the window. After turning the document over, around and about she sent us to the Aduana office as she had never encountered a temporary FM3 visa. The Jefe there stated I could not use that temporary permit to get a car permiso as that was for my person only not for a car permiso. We were told the car permiso and immigrado were separate departments, after our insisting he called the Guaymas office to a phone number they had given us and after much more discussion he decided to get rid of me by saying he would give me a FMT good for seven days so I could get a car permiso. I was told to turn in the FMT at the Guaymas office when I picked up my FM3. The car permiso was issued for the same number of days. Again no problem as I knew that the permiso would be good for as long as my FM3 was valid. The problem occurred because of that darn temporary FM3 paper so word of warning, be sure you have the "real" FM3 booklet in your hand when dealing with the permiso hombres. At one point in the discussion he even asked if we had a copy of the FM3 booklet, as if he might accept that.(We didn't) I pointed out to him that the FM3 number was clearly stated on the temporary paper but that was not good enough.

In our years of living in Mexico we have never been stopped or asked for the car permiso, however, the same day after that ordeal, just outside of Hemosillo the federales had a road block set up and we were asked for our car permiso. The officer took it back to his car for a moment and then returned, handing it to us without comment, other than a smile and vaya bien wave.