Temporary Vehicle Import Permit for Mexico

mexpro.com

If you plan to drive a vehicle beyond the Mexico "Free Zone" you will need to purchase a Mexico Vehicle Import Permit. The Mexico Free Zone, also known as the the Liberated Zone, or Perimeter Zone or Free Trade Zone is a customs designation only for that area located along the Mexican international land borders and which run inward up to the point at which the Mexican Customs authorities have their first "interior" check point (this is usually about 20 to 26 kilometers in from the border towns - exceptions are on the peninsula of Baja California and places like Puerto Peñasco where it runs to the ocean front along the main highways.)

NOTE: YOU DO NOT NEED A VEHICLE IMPORT PERMIT FOR DRIVING IN ANY PART OF THE BAJA PENNINSULA OR THE SONORA FREE ZONE (In Sonora, you are only required to obtain a permit if driving further than kilometer 98 of Mexican Federal Highway No. 15.)

NOTE: YOU CAN OBTAIN A "SONORA ONLY" VEHICLE IMPORT PERMIT IF YOU ONLY PLAN TO TRAVEL IN THE MEXICAN STATE OF SONORA.

The temporary vehicle import permit can be obtained from Banjercito, the official Mexican issuing agency. It is valid for any type of vehicle, weighing less than three tons, for up to six months (180 days). The permit may be purchased online at the Banjercito website, at the border or at a Mexican consulate. One can purchase the permit up to six months prior to travel into Mexico.

Despite any advice, official or unofficial, to the contrary, vehicle permits cannot be obtained at checkpoints in the interior of Mexico.

Important Documents Needed to Apply for a Mexico Vehicle Import Permit

It is recommended that one carry three copies of each of these documents.

1. Evidence of Citizenship, i.e. a Government Issued Passport
2. If you are not a Mexican citizen, a Mexican immigration permit-such as a tourist, business or immigrant permit.
3. The Vehicle Title and registration certificate. A bill of sale is not valid proof.
4. A Valid Driver's License with photo.
5. Certificate of canceled import permit for any prior temporary import permits.
6. If the vehicle is financed, is a rental car, is leased, and/or a company car, a notarized letter of permission for importation of the vehicle into Mexico is required from the lien holder or lending institution.
7. An International Credit Card (American Express, Mastercard, Visa) in the name fo the driver of the vehicle (importer).
8. If the title of the vehicle is in the name of a spouse, child, or parents - a birth certificate must be presented or a marriage license.

These documents are needed when you travel to Mexico whether or not you purchase your vehicle import permit online or not.

Tourist Permit

If you are traveling to Mexico as a tourist, you must obtain an FMT tourist permit. The FMT allows you to visit or make multiple trips to Mexico for a maximum period of six months (180 days). The Mexican Immigration official issuing the FMT has sole discretion in determining your length of stay and may ask you the expected duration of your trip. As a tourist, you are not authorized to conduct any type of business activity in Mexico.

Business Permit

An FMN business permit is required in order for you to conduct any business activity, including attending business conferences, conducting meetings, or visiting maquiladoras. The FMN allows you to remain in Mexico or to make multiple trips for a period of up to 30 days. The FMN is required within the border zone (within 18 miles of the border) as well as for business travel to the interior of Mexico.

Obtaining a Vehicle Import Permit Via the Internet

Apply online on the Banjercito Website. After submitting the required information to the website, you will receive a pass code. After 24 hours and within 15 days of obtaining the pass code, you can visit any Banjercito location to obtain your permit document.

Purchasing a Vehicle Import Permit Online: You have the option to purchase your Mexican vehicle import permit online.

• Mexico import permits may be purchased online for auto, RV and boat/watercraft.
• The permit will be mailed to you.
• The permit may be purchased up to 60 days before you depart to Mexico.
• You need a minimum of 10 days between when you apply online and pay for your permit via credit card and your departure to Mexico date.
• You must cancel your permit at a Banjercito location on the border upon your return to the US.

Applying for a Vehicle Import Permit Online: You have the option to apply for a Mexican vehicle import permit online.

• Mexico import permits may be applied for online for auto, RV and boat/watercraft.
• Speeds up the process of obtaining your permit at the Banjercito location at the border.
• The permit may be applied for up to one-day before you depart to Mexico.
• You will be issued a pre-registration code which you will need to take with you to the Bajercito location at the border.
• You must cancel your permit at a Banjercito location on the border upon your return to the US.

Temporary Import Fee

The fee for importation of a vehicle is $44.00 USD plus IVA; this fee is the same whether the permit is obtained at the border, consulates or online.https://www.banjercito.com.mx/registroVehiculos/

Temporary Import Deposit

A guarantee deposit for the return of the vehicle to the US, regardless of the form of payment, we be applied to all vehicles. The amount of the guarantee will be determined by the year of the vehicle. The guarantee will be refunded upon cancellation of the permit at Banjercito offices, as long as it is prior to the expiration date of the permit. The refund will be made in the same form as the deposit was made.

• 2007 - Newer $400 USD
• 2001 - 2006 $300 USD
• 2000 - Older $200 USD

If the vehicle is not returned to the US prior to the expiration date on the permit, or the permit is not canceled upon exiting Mexico, the guarantee deposit will be forfeited.

Before Banjercito issues a permit, they will verify the VIN # to make sure the vehicle does not have any restrictions to be driven in the US or Canada, in which case the permit will not be allowed.

It is important that we remind our customers to cancel the permit at the border prior to returning to the US, to ensure that they receive their guarantee deposit back.

As long as the customers have enough time (between 7-10 days), it is recommended that they process the temporary importation permit online. This will improve their experience and avoid the time spent at the border crossing.

Accepted credit cards for securing the deposit are MasterCard, Visa and American Express. Your card will be imprinted by a Mexican official but the deposit amount will not be charged to your card unless the vehicle is not returned to Banjercito upon the completion of your trip for permit cancellation.

Mexican Auto Insurance

Temporary Mexican automobile insurance is required in order to obtain a temporary vehicle import permit. Buy Mexican Auto Insurance now from www.Mexpro.com.

Multiple Entries with your Vehicle Import Permit

Once you have a vehicle import permit you may drive your vehicle across the border multiple times during the valid length of your permit.

CANCELING THE PERMIT UPON EXITING MEXICO

You do not have to exit Mexico from the same port as you entered to cancel your permit. Your temporary vehicle import permit can be cancelled at any Banjercito location along the border. You MUST CANCEL YOUR VEHICLE IMPORT PERMIT UPON YOUR FINAL RE-ENTRY INTO THE US. If you do not, you may not be allowed to drive into Mexico again without the permit.

Other persons driving your vehicle in Mexico

If the documentation shows the vehicle is registered in the name of a spouse, the importation can be done as long as the marriage certificate (and a copy) is presented.

A vehicle temporarily imported by the owner may be driven in Mexico by a 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.

Warning

Travelers should avoid individuals outside vehicle permit offices offering to obtain the permits without waiting in line, even if they appear to be government officials. There have been reports of fraudulent or counterfeit permits being issued adjacent to the vehicle import permit office in Nuevo Laredo and other border areas. If the proper permit is not obtained before entering Mexico and cannot be obtained at the Banjercito branch at the port of entry, do not proceed to the interior. Travelers without the proper permit may be incarcerated, fined and/or have their vehicle seized at immigration/customs checkpoints.

New Temporary Import Permit for US Boaters in Mexico

Capt. Pat Rains - TheLog.com
go to original
July 21, 2014

Last year, problems with the TIP form, which allows foreign boaters to keep their vessels in Mexico tax free for up to 10 years, lead tax investigators to impound 338 yachts - several in the Banderas Bay area.

San Diego — Revamped import permits for boaters entering Mexico were unveiled last month by three federal officials during a seminar at the San Diego International Boat Show.

Dina Madrid, the Federal Administrator of Mexico Customs Operations (Aduana,) flew up from Mexico City to announce the newly released 10-year Temporary Import Permit (TIP) to a room packed with recreational boaters and marine industry representatives. Last year, problems with the TIP form, which ordinarily allows boaters to keep their vessels in Mexico tax free for up to 10 years, inadvertently lead tax investigators to impound 338 yachts in nine marinas.

Madrid described in detail the 22 specific changes on the new TIP forms and explained how each improvement clarifies in English and Spanish some of the more confusing terminology, and how each change corrects past deficiencies.

She explained that one of the first changes is that the vessel owner’s name may be different from the person bringing the boat into Mexico, but the TIP will always be carried in the owner’s name. If ownership changes, the original TIP must be cancelled before the new boat owner can obtain a new 10-year TIP for that vessel.

Another major clarification is the difference between the hull identification number (HIN) and the vessel’s state registration or Coast Guard document number. Mistakes in these three areas caused most of the impoundments.

Madrid, who is the liaison officer between Aduana and SAT (Mexico’s IRS,) is the highest ranking official to represent Mexico’s efforts to resolve the problem. She also announced newly streamlined rules for how US boaters can obtain and renew TIPs in the future. It can be obtained for $45 in advance online, or in person for $51.

Madrid gave boaters a sneak peek at the new English/Spanish website where the new TIPs will be available starting in August of 2014.

Alejandro Santander, director of the Mexico Consulate, assured boaters that Mexico has taken the impound issue seriously and has been working for months on changes to the federal tax and importation laws so this problem doesn’t happen again.

Santander said boaters who already have a TIP and need to make changes – such as replacing boat parts brought down from the US - may do so at the nearest Port Captains or Aduana office. They don’t need to exit Mexico to update their TIP. But he reminded boaters that they are legally required to keep the TIP onboard the boat while in Mexico.

He made the analogy of driving without your driver’s license. "You can’t just tell the officer that you have one but you left it at home," he said.

Santander’s office is in the Mexican Consulate Building in downtown San Diego, and he invited boaters to contact him if they encounter problems with the new TIP.

Tere Grossman, president of the Tourist Marina Owners Association of Mexico, came from San Carlos, Sonora, to speak about the most common mistakes boaters have made in filling out the TIP forms, and how to remedy these problem.

Grossman said the marina owners group has been working with the federal tourism department for 15 years to iron out paperwork wrinkles – usually before they occur.

Marina managers and dockmasters from 13 different marinas along Mexico’s Pacific coast were also present at the seminar. Each marina manager presented a brief show displaying the beauties and amenities of their marinas, and invited boaters to visit.

For more information on TIP, visitsat.gob.mx/aduanas/vehiculos/importacion_temporal/Paginas/embarcaciones.aspx.

Original Story

Officials Recommend Paying 2014 Car Permit Online

by Maureen Dietrich on 21 Jan 14 
mazmessenger.com
 

To avoid long lines and time-wasting, Felipe Parada Valdivia of the Recaudación de Rentas recommends owners renewing their annual vehicle license do so online through the internet.

The internet is the best option, he said. Owners can go to www.sinaloa.gob.mx, then to the page “Trámites en linea” followed by “Pago de tenencia” where they enter their license plate number. You are given the option to pay online with a credit or debit card, or the option of printing the form to take to a bank or commercial store for payment.

Alternatively, he pointed out, owners can visit the office of Recaudación de Rentas at the module in the Gran Plaza. Annual license renewals must be paid before the end of March to avoid penalties.

(from Noroeste)