Forums > General > Traveling Mexico

Lisa

Jul 18, 2002, 7:34 PM

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keeping U.S. registration while in Mexico

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I'm driving to Puebla from North Carolina and plan to stay at least a year. My U.S. registration expires one month after I leave the U.S. In order to keep a NC registration I would have to keep insurance valid in NC on the vehicle even though the vehicle would not be in the United States. This is rather expensive since I would also have to purchase Mexican insurance for the duration of time that I keep the car in Mexico. If I let my NC registration expire does anyone know how I can drive legally in the U.S. after I bring my car back in one year's time? Is there a temporary regitration that can be purchased at the border? Any help would be great.

Rolly

Jul 18, 2002, 10:00 PM

Post #2 of 7 (279 views)

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keeping U.S. registration while in Mexico

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Lisa,The first thing you need to do is to talk with your insurance company and with your state DMV. There are two issues you need to check on before you let your registration and insurance expire.1. Can you arrange for a reduced rate insurance policy based on the fact that you will be absent the country for a year?2. What will it cost to reinstate your insurance and registration after a year's lapse? It may be that you will have to pay a penalty to be reinstated.With these facts in hand you can make an informed decision as to the most cost effective way to proceed.If you let your registration expire, you can get a 30-day transit permit from the State of Texas. I don’t know the details. Your own DMV may also have a solution for you.I assume you are coming to Mexico with an FM3. If not, there are other issues to consider. If you are not going to have an FM3, come back here for more info.Enjoy your stay in Mexico.

Lisa

Jul 19, 2002, 7:28 AM

Post #3 of 7 (277 views)

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Rolly's response

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: Lisa,: The first thing you need to do is to talk with your insurance company and with your state DMV. There are two issues you need to check on before you let your registration and insurance expire.: 1. Can you arrange for a reduced rate insurance policy based on the fact that you will be absent the country for a year?: 2. What will it cost to reinstate your insurance and registration after a year's lapse? It may be that you will have to pay a penalty to be reinstated.: With these facts in hand you can make an informed decision as to the most cost effective way to proceed.: If you let your registration expire, you can get a 30-day transit permit from the State of Texas. I don’t know the details. Your own DMV may also have a solution for you.: I assume you are coming to Mexico with an FM3. If not, there are other issues to consider. If you are not going to have an FM3, come back here for more info.: Enjoy your stay in Mexico.Thanks Rolly for the info. No I am not entering Mexico on an FM-3. I am a dual citizen and was told I only need my matricula consular to enter the country. I did check with my insurance agent and the most they can do will be to just charge me for liability which is what I already pay for now (my car is too old for full coverage). Unfortunately that's about 500 a year and with my other moving expenses is more than I can afford.

sermextr

Jul 19, 2002, 9:19 AM

Post #4 of 7 (278 views)

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keeping U.S. registration while in Mexico

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Texas will be glad to sell you a trip permit. Then you have to get another one for each state you cross, except that some states have reciprocity agreements.Here is an excerpt from the US Customs Service web site:MOTORISTS FROM CANADA AND MEXICO are permitted to tour in the U.S. without U.S. license plates or U.S. driver's permits, under agreements between the United States and these countries.This comes from http://www.customs.ustreas.gov/imp-exp2/informal/car.htm. Look under Driver's Plates and PermitsIf I were in your situation, I would register the car in Mexico. Actually, I think you have to because your temporary import permit is only good as long as your NC license is current. I talked with a couple who had registered their car and they said the procedures were not cumbersome, though I also have heard the opposite. I think that you can even keep your NC plates and driver's license so that when you get back you can just renew them instead of re-registering.If your insurance company works like mine, you can just turn the insurance off and on with a telephone call.So the only concern is that you could find a policeman who thinks Mexican plates aren't valid in his state. In Texas they're used to Mexican plates so where this question might arise would be somewhere else. I actually don't think policemen care about issues like this, but if you carried a copy of the Customs service's statement you should probably be able to convince a policeman in the event he stopped you.I don't think it would hurt to post your question on the General and LWR forums. It's possible someone has first-hand experience.: I'm driving to Puebla from North Carolina and plan to stay at least a year. My U.S. registration expires one month after I leave the U.S. In order to keep a NC registration I would have to keep insurance valid in NC on the vehicle even though the vehicle would not be in the United States. This is rather expensive since I would also have to purchase Mexican insurance for the duration of time that I keep the car in Mexico. If I let my NC registration expire does anyone know how I can drive legally in the U.S. after I bring my car back in one year's time? Is there a temporary regitration that can be purchased at the border? Any help would be great.

Rolly

Jul 19, 2002, 9:52 AM

Post #5 of 7 (280 views)

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keeping U.S. registration while in Mexico

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:If I were in your situation, I would register the car in Mexico. Actually, I think you have to because your temporary import permit is only good as long as your NC license is current.That is not correct. Mexico does not care whether your US registration is current. They just want plates on the car. This point has been thoroughly hashed out on this board in the past. The temporary import permit is good as long as your personal authorization to be in Mexico is good – FMT or FM3. In the case of the Lisa, she claims dual citizenship, so the rules for her may be different. She should check with the Mexican authorities.As for registering a US car in Mexico – it is not easy, the rules are complex, and it is costly, to the point that it rarely happens. In the time I have been reading MexConnect, I have seen a post from only one person who has accomplished this feat. If you know someone who has done this, ask them to post a report on how they did it.

Lisa

Jul 19, 2002, 10:18 AM

Post #6 of 7 (280 views)

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keeping U.S. registration while in Mexico

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: :If I were in your situation, I would register the car in Mexico. Actually, I think you have to because your temporary import permit is only good as long as your NC license is current.: That is not correct. Mexico does not care whether your US registration is current. They just want plates on the car. This point has been thoroughly hashed out on this board in the past. The temporary import permit is good as long as your personal authorization to be in Mexico is good – FMT or FM3. In the case of the Lisa, she claims dual citizenship, so the rules for her may be different. She should check with the Mexican authorities.: As for registering a US car in Mexico – it is not easy, the rules are complex, and it is costly, to the point that it rarely happens. In the time I have been reading MexConnect, I have seen a post from only one person who has accomplished this feat. If you know someone who has done this, ask them to post a report on how they did it.
Yeah, I checked with the Mexican authorities and like you said, I cannot register the car in Mexico. I can however, renew my permit twice in a years time because of my Mexicna nationality. Obtaining the transit permit in Texas sounds like the best and cheapest way to go in my case. Thanks for your input it's been very helpful.
Lisa

rich

Jul 22, 2002, 6:12 PM

Post #7 of 7 (277 views)

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keeping U.S. registration while in Mexico

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Rolly is correct as usual. One other point that I learned the hard way is that if you plan to re-enter the U.S. and have canceled all of your ins. ,when you return they will most likely put you in a RISK catagory, due to no record of ins. for a year or so. Although I have a perfect driving record, it happened to me:i.e. higher rates for a while. Solution: play their game and continue coverage for at least thieft and comp. while you are gone.