If your travel is within the Border Zone (usually up to 20 kilometers south of the U.S.-Mexico Border) or the Free Trade Zone (including the Baja California Peninsula and the Sonora Free Trade Zone) there are no procedures to comply with. However, if you wish to pass these zones, the following procedures will apply. You must secure a permit by following the next few steps.

Applying for at the Mexico Border

Step One

• Valid proof of citizenship (passport or birth certificate)
  In the case of dual citizenship, the solicitant must present his or her Mexican passport or proof of Mexican nationality.
  
  
• The appropiate immigration form (FMT or "tourist card")
  
  
• The valid vehicle registration certificate, or a document, such as the original title that certifies the legal ownership of the vehicle. It must be in the driver's name.
  
  
• The leasing contract (if the vehicle is leased or rented), which must be in the name of the person importing the car. If the vehicle belongs to a company, present the document that certifies the employee works for the company.
  
  
• A valid driver's license, issued outside Mexico.
  
  
• If the documentation shows the vehicle is registered in the name of the spouse, the importation can be done as long as the marriage certificate (and ne copy) is presented.
• An international credit or debit card, also issued outside Mexico (American Express, Mastercard or Visa), in the name of the driver of the vehicle.

Note: If you do not possess an international credit card, you will be asked to post a bond, payable to the Federal Treasury, issued by an authorized bonding company in Mexico.

Banco del Ejército now has a website wherein you can obtain the most recent rates and regulations. In addition you may now apply in advance via Internet. A complete section devoted to online applications is available to subscribers... it isn't expensive. A monthly subscription is just $5.00 USD - that's $1.15 per week. An annual subscription costs $30.00 USD - only $2.50 per month or 58 cents per week. We think you'll find it's money well spent.

Step Two

All documents and the credit card must be in the name of the owner, who must also be in the vehicle when crossing the border.

Step Three

Your international credit card will be charged an amount in national currency equivalent to US $27.00 USD at the Banco del Ejército.

If you do not have an international credit card or debit card, Banco del Ejército will accept a cash deposit in an amount equal to the value of your vehicle (see table). Your deposit plus any interest it may earn will be returned to you when you leave Mexico. Or, you may choose to obtain a bond through an authorized Mexican bonding company located at all the border crossings. The authorized bonding companies will require a refundable deposit equal to the value of the vehicle, according to the table below. The bonding company will also assess taxes and processing costs for this service.

Step Four

The car permit can be requested at the following border crossing points

Arizona Border Points

• Agua Prieta
• Naco
• Nogales
• San Luis Rio Colorado
• Sonoyta

California Border Points

• Mexicali
• Otay Mesa
• Tecate
• Tijuana

Texas Border Points

• Ciudad Acuña
• Ciudad Juarez
• Ciudad Miguel Alemán
• Columbia
• General Rodrigo M. Quevedo
• Matamoros
• Nuevo Laredo
• Ojinaga
• Piedras Negras
• Reynosa

Requesting Car Import Permits in Advance and Via Internet

If you wish, you can apply for the import permits up to 6 months before the vehicle enters Mexico. This can be done through any of the following Mexican embassies in the United States:

• Chicago , Illinois
• Austin, Dallas, Dallas Fort Worth y Houston , Texas
• Los Angeles, San Bernardino y Sacramento, California
• Albuquerque, Nuevo México
• Denver, Colorado
• Phoenix, Arizona

By presenting all the documentation and requesting the import permit from Banjercito you will then be charged the equivalent of $36.00 USD plus tax (I.V.A. 15%), and this will need to be billed to an international credit/debit card issued inside the U.S.

Insurance

U.S. & Canadian auto insurance is not valid in Mexico. Mexican auto insurance is mandatory in many states and cities and you should NOT drive without it. If you are in an accident or other vehicle-related problems and you do not have insurance, you may be arrested and your vehicle impounded until the authorities can figure out the situation. Here are some insurance companies that allow you to buy insurance over the phone, fax or Internet.

Answers To Commonly Asked Questions

1) The temporary authorization for the importation of vehicles is valid for any type of vehicle weighing under three tons for periods up to six months (180 days).

2) The temporarily imported vehicle may be driven across the border multiple times during the authorized period.

3) Always carry with you the importation permit when driving your car in Mexico. Do not leave this document in the vehicle; it is indispensible in the case of damage, theft, or accident.

4) The sale, abandonment, or use of the vehicle for financial gain will result in its confiscation.

5) The vehicle temporarily imported by the owner may be driven in Mexico by the spouse or adult children, as long as they have the same immigration status. Other persons may drive the vehicle as long as the owner is in the vehicle.

Sonora Only

• The state of Sonora operates a program known as "Sonora Only". Designed for visitors staying in the state of Sonora, the program eliminates the need for a credit card and waives the proceessing fee. In addition to normal proof of citizenship documents (needed by all visitors to Mexico's interior) "Sonora Only" visitors need only present a valid drivers license and proof of ownership or legal possession by the driver. Legal possession can be proven with one or more of the following documents:

• Vehicle registration (in the name of the driver) or original title
• Lease contract (for leased vehicles)
• Proof of labor relationship between driver and car owners (for company-owned vehicles)
• Notarized permission from the leasing company or bank (if money is still owed on the car) giving owner permission to take the vehicle to Mexico.

Permits are valid for 180 days and may be obtained at the check point at Kilomete 21, south of Nogales on Highway 15. If you are entering from another border crossing, please call 1-800-4-SONORA. Permits must be returned to this check point within the allotted six-month period.

Subscribe and read all the complete articles . . .
Her Bio
Her Stories
Her Home Page

	Published monthly. ISSN #1028-9089 For MexConnect.Com LLC & Conexión México S.A. de C.V. © Mexico Connect 1996-2007