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rayitodeluna

Aug 20, 2011, 8:10 AM

Post #1 of 7 (1961 views)

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Yet another car import question(s) but with a twist...

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I have Rolly's very VERY helpful website bookmarked, and have browsed it and this forum several times trying to find this answer. If it has been addressed before, please direct me there if you wish, and I apologize for missing it!!

We are moving in 6 weeks, from the US to Mexico City. We are two adults and two children. I am a US citizen, and my fiance is a MX citizen ( not a resident here or a green card holder at all. His visa here has long since expired)

Both of our vehickes are registered in my name, as is our enclosed carge trailer. He can not register vechiles in the state we live in because of his lack of social security number and valid US drivers license ( we have tried several times at different offices here in our home state, to no avail)

My question is : how to we bring both vehicles if they are both registered in my name? I was planning on importing the vehicle that tows the cargo trailer and the trailer in my name. Does anyone know the process for a returning mexican citizen to import a vehicle? Since it is not registered in his name, can he even do that? On Rollys site it does mention the documents required for Mexican citizens to import vehicles, but those rules ( if I am reading correctly) apply to mexican citizens that have current "papers" if you will. Which he doesnt.

All the mexican citizens that we know here ( many of which are in the same situation my fiance is in) tell us it is easy for him to import a car and they hace all done it before, no problem. They say he just pays to legalize it at the border, no problems. I just need a little more confirmation that iot will be so easy for him to import or other vehicle.

And, to specify, the vehicle he will be importing was my fathers, and I just am not ready to sell it. I dont want to get all the way to the border, and be told that we cant take his pickup into the country, as I have no one in Texas to keep it for us until we find a long term solution. It also isnt a big enough vehicle to be our primary vehicle ( as we have two children and the pickup only has a front seat), so we cant really get rid of our other vehicle either.

If you made it this far, thank you and bless you! Any advice or direction is helpful!

* please note I am on our iPad and this post may be riddled with typos and mispellings*

~~~~~~ Enjoying the big city life in D.F. with our family of Americans and chilangos.
Family and expat blog here : http://threecurlygirlys.blogspot.mx/ ~~~~~~

mazbook1

Aug 20, 2011, 1:31 PM

Post #2 of 7 (1912 views)

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Re: [rayitodeluna] Yet another car import question(s) but with a twist...

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"My question is : how to we bring both vehicles if they are both registered in my name?" Easy to answer this one. You can't!

For the second vehicle, the pickup, go to your DMV and put the title/registration in "your name OR his name". Then he should be able to either legalize the vehicle (be prepared to get a customs broker and spend some $$$) or, at the worst, get a 6 month temporary importation permit for it. There is no way he can bring a vehicle into México unless his name is on the title.

rayitodeluna

Aug 21, 2011, 7:35 AM

Post #3 of 7 (1851 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] Yet another car import question(s) but with a twist...

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In Reply To

Thank you mazbook1 for your response. I was afraid of this. I don't *think* he can regist any car in his name in our state, at least we have been told that at the DMV in the past. Perhaps it will be different since we are just adding his name to a title? This is a question for our DMV I guess. Thank you again.

~~~~~~ Enjoying the big city life in D.F. with our family of Americans and chilangos.
Family and expat blog here : http://threecurlygirlys.blogspot.mx/ ~~~~~~

mazbook1

Aug 22, 2011, 4:16 PM

Post #4 of 7 (1770 views)

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Re: [rayitodeluna] Yet another car import question(s) but with a twist...

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I "think" that nearly every state DMV will issue an "OR" vehicle title/registration without all the ID required of the first person on the title. At least I have recommended this to many folks in the last 10 years and never had a negative reaction from anyone. My former state, NM, certainly will, and they are really tough about registering (not) non-residents. I put my Mexican wife's name as the "OR" name on our car title with no problem at all.

(This post was edited by mazbook1 on Aug 22, 2011, 4:18 PM)

Aaron+

Aug 27, 2011, 11:28 AM

Post #5 of 7 (1590 views)

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Re: [rayitodeluna] Yet another car import question(s) but with a twist...

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As for a Mexican citizen definitively importing a vehicle etc into Mexico that is titled to him (may well include joint ownership), see the Paisano program intended to make facilitate visits or returns to Mexico by its citizens: http://www.paisano.gob.mx/. Currently there is a link at that site, on the lower right side of the first page, to new regulations regarding vehicle imports.

Mexican consulates in the USA counsel prospective returnees on this and other Paisano program benefits.

rayitodeluna

Aug 27, 2011, 11:52 AM

Post #6 of 7 (1579 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] Yet another car import question(s) but with a twist...

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Good, hopefully this will be the case when we try at the DMV this week!
Thanks again.

~~~~~~ Enjoying the big city life in D.F. with our family of Americans and chilangos.
Family and expat blog here : http://threecurlygirlys.blogspot.mx/ ~~~~~~

rayitodeluna

Aug 27, 2011, 11:54 AM

Post #7 of 7 (1577 views)

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Re: [Aaron+] Yet another car import question(s) but with a twist...

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Aaron, thank you for the information. I will check out the link provided and learn more about the program you describe. Unfortunately, the MX consulate in our city is less than helpful and we have recieved various answers to our questions when we go in to get help. I will ask them though, maybe they do know about that.

~~~~~~ Enjoying the big city life in D.F. with our family of Americans and chilangos.
Family and expat blog here : http://threecurlygirlys.blogspot.mx/ ~~~~~~