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tonynico

May 9, 2011, 4:18 PM

Post #1 of 14 (3381 views)

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What could happen if your U.S. plated car stays

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If you do not remove the car from Mexico and your fm2 is up and you move on to imagrato statues?
Or lets say you leave but never take the car out?

Just curious
Tony

chicois8

May 9, 2011, 4:31 PM

Post #2 of 14 (3376 views)

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Re: [tonynico] What could happen if your U.S. plated car stays

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I do not believe you can even have a US plated car in Mexico while on an FM2......

chinagringo

May 9, 2011, 4:39 PM

Post #3 of 14 (3374 views)

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Re: [tonynico] What could happen if your U.S. plated car stays

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Tony:

By now with all the questions you have asked, you should know that many answers can be found on Rolly's site:

http://www.rollybrook.com/car_things.htm
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

mazbook1

May 9, 2011, 6:41 PM

Post #4 of 14 (3345 views)

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Re: [tonynico] What could happen if your U.S. plated car stays

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tonynico, Actually, since Aduana has no idea ever (except on first issuance) of the status of your FMM, FM2 or FM3, nothing whatsoever will happen UNLESS you get stopped by an Aduana (SAT) inspector. Then your car can be taken from you permanently. And those SAT guys are few and far between in most of México.

Rolly

May 9, 2011, 8:05 PM

Post #5 of 14 (3320 views)

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Re: [chicois8] What could happen if your U.S. plated car stays

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I do not believe you can even have a US plated car in Mexico while on an FM2......
That is not a true saying...but it's close.
There is only one flavor of FM2 that allows a foreign-plated vehicle -- Inmigrante Rentista.
This is the form most people have.

Rolly Pirate

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

yucatandreamer

May 9, 2011, 9:24 PM

Post #6 of 14 (3297 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] What could happen if your U.S. plated car stays

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Having been stopped by aduana and been strongly warned because we had only the photocopies of our car papers with us and having gone through other aduana checkpoints here in Yucatan and Chiapas. I would not count on never running into an aduana inspector. Perhaps if you stay in one place and do not get near any country or state borders or pick up people at the airport in a foreign plated car you will never meet an aduana inspector.

mazbook1

May 9, 2011, 9:32 PM

Post #7 of 14 (3295 views)

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Re: [yucatandreamer] What could happen if your U.S. plated car stays

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yucatandreamer, Yes, I certainly accept that correction. If you have a foreign plated car and have any kind of FM2 except inmigrante-rentista, as Rolly says, you better only use it for an around town runabout. No highway trips or cross-border trips or you're likely to lose that car. In town, an old gringo in a car with foreign plates and a sticker isn't likely to have his visa STATUS checked by anyone from Aduana or SAT.
I just wanted to make certain that the old "tied to" some particular visa thing didn't come up, as it so often does, and should have expanded a bit on the subject. Thanks for doing so.

(This post was edited by mazbook1 on May 9, 2011, 9:34 PM)

chinagringo

May 10, 2011, 5:48 AM

Post #8 of 14 (3269 views)

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Re: [yucatandreamer] What could happen if your U.S. plated car stays

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Two words that we all would probably be best off not using when referring to any procedure or law in Mexico - never or always! It has been my contention that the only consistency in Mexico is it's inconsistency. While this can be one of the factors that makes living in or traveling Mexico so interesting and often humorous, it can be the source of great frustration and possible negative experience for those coming from a more regimented society.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

esperanza

May 10, 2011, 2:31 PM

Post #9 of 14 (3200 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] What could happen if your U.S. plated car stays

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Quite recently, a Morelia-based multi-police operation has stopped countless US-plated cars in and around the city. At last count, nearly 200 had been impounded because the owner had no current permission to have the vehicle in Mexico. It can happen even in the interior.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Anonimo

May 11, 2011, 1:31 AM

Post #10 of 14 (3152 views)

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Re: [esperanza] What could happen if your U.S. plated car stays

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Esperanza; it would be good to clarify that (as far as I know) no U.S. plated cars have so far been impounded among the 200 vehicles that have been stopped, checked and impounded by the multi-police Morelia operation.

Do you know specifically of any U.S. cars that have been impounded?

Yes, several have been stopped and checked. We know of one that has been stopped three times, and another friend of ours has been stopped and checked once. Impounded? Thank God, no.

Saludos,
Anonimo

playaboy

May 11, 2011, 5:55 AM

Post #11 of 14 (3139 views)

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Re: [tonynico] What could happen if your U.S. plated car stays

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If you leave you car in Mexico without the proper papers and permissions, than you are breaking the law. Can you lose you car? If pulled over, can you pay morbida to keep your car? Can you get completely away with it? Anything is possible in Mexico.

esperanza

May 11, 2011, 6:00 AM

Post #12 of 14 (3138 views)

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Re: [Anonimo] What could happen if your U.S. plated car stays

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Anónimo, I think maybe you are confusing cars with USA license plates owned by Mexicans with cars with USA license plates owned by expatriates. As far as I know, all of the cars that have been impounded have had USA plates; the various arms of the police have been looking precisely for those with expired temporary import stickers. I did clarify this and the latest number of impounded vehicles is 498, as of mid-April.

Read here: http://www.vozdemichoacan.com.mx/minuto/?p=63646

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Anonimo

May 11, 2011, 7:24 AM

Post #13 of 14 (3117 views)

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Re: [esperanza] What could happen if your U.S. plated car stays

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Esperanza, thank you for that clarification.

But, as far as we know, no expat-owned* U.S. plated cars have thus far been impounded in this operation. Or have they?

*By expat-owned, I mean vehicles imported into Mexico, tied to up to date FM3s or FM2s.

Saludos,
Anonimo

esperanza

May 11, 2011, 7:53 AM

Post #14 of 14 (3111 views)

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Re: [Anonimo] What could happen if your U.S. plated car stays

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The names and nationalities of the owners of the USA-plated cars have not been released, as far as I know.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com