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tiashea

May 23, 2007, 11:59 AM

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Bringing American Car to SMA

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Hi Everyone,

I apologize in advance if these questions are repeats of previous questions. I've been all over the internet attempting to find the answers and haven't found them.

If I live in SMA and drive my 2003 Ford truck, can I keep it there permanently or must I drive back to the border and have the paperwork renewed every 6 months? Can this be done year after year? Or is there a way to keep my vehicle without doing the every 6 months renewal trip?

Is the best solution to the car dilemma in Mexico to purchase a car in Mexico?

Thanking you in advance for your help!

Trish in Atlanta

Rolly

May 23, 2007, 1:20 PM

Post #2 of 6 (2814 views)

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Re: [tiashea] Bringing American Car to SMA

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If you have an FM3, you do not need to return to the border; the car permit will be valid so long as your FM3 is valid. If you have an FMT, both you and the car will need a new permit each 180 days.

Rolly Pirate

E-visit me http://Rollybrook.com
On Facebook as Rolly Brook

(This post was edited by Rolly on May 23, 2007, 1:20 PM)

jennifer rose

May 23, 2007, 2:14 PM

Post #3 of 6 (2804 views)

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Re: [tiashea] Bringing American Car to SMA

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Rolly's correct. If you have successive FM-3s, you could keep the car there until you take your final breath. If you opt to graduate to an FM-2, you can continue to have the temporarily-imported American vehicle for the duration of the FM-2, viz. 5 years, until you become inmigrado.

tiashea

May 23, 2007, 4:09 PM

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Re: [Rolly] Bringing American Car to SMA

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Gracias to Jennifer Rose, Rolly, and Lisa for your help. You all are so kind! Now I think I can get this all sorted out.

Trish in Atlanta

ronfel

Jul 8, 2007, 6:55 AM

Post #5 of 6 (2714 views)

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Re: [tiashea] Bringing American Car to SMA

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I was pleased to see this thread since I had the same questions as Trish. I am interested in the answer to one of the options she presented. We plan to be back and forth on tourist visas for the next few years. We would like to have a small, inexpensive car that would remain at our home here in Mexico but can't always predict when we will be here and the return to the border every 180 days may prove difficult. Is there any reason not to consider purchasing a used Mexican plated car and thus avoid the problem? Are there issues that arise doing this on a tourist visa? Drivers license issues?

Thanks

Ron

Rolly

Jul 8, 2007, 7:26 AM

Post #6 of 6 (2711 views)

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Re: [ronfel] Bringing American Car to SMA

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Rules about licensing cars and drivers are state matters, and the rules do vary among the states. You should inquire in the state were you have your home. If your FMT is allowed for registering the car, having a Mexican-plated car is a good solution.

A Mexican driver's license is easy to get and a good thing to have even if it is not officially required.

Rolly Pirate

E-visit me http://Rollybrook.com
On Facebook as Rolly Brook