Aduana will give you a letter documenting the current registration date and confirming that your car permit is still valid. If your vehicle status is questions by the police, this letter and a copy of Article 106 will answer their questions. Even if you are not required to notify Aduana because you brought your vehicle before 11 June 2011, it is still a good idea to get the update letter because there have been reports of police not understanding the fine points of the law. I have read a number of reports from people who were hassled over this.
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Your Car's Permit, Insurance, and a Few Rules
Last Update 17 July 2012
The following information applies only to mainland México. The rules for Baja are different. Vehicle permits are not required in Baja. Foreign license plates must be kept current in Baja. Renewal of your car's permit: The temporary import permit (TIP) which you got at the border is valid so long as your visa is valid -- with renewals for as long as you wish. Look here to see the actual law that says your registration permit is valid so long as your visa is valid. Article 106 It also tells you who can drive your car. If you brought your vehicle into México after 11 June 2011, you were required to post a bond. To preserve that bond, Aduana regulations require that you notify Aduana of any change in your visa status such as annual renewals or upgrades. If you entered before that date, you are not required to notify Aduana. HOWEVER there have been reports of people being harassed by the police because they had not updated thier status. All this is discussed in detail below. If you entered México with an FMM and while in country converted to an FM3/2, you may be required to return to the border to get a new permit before the 180-day permit expires. There seems to be some confusion on this -- some INM offices are sending people to the border, others are issuing update letters and notifying Banjercito to preserve the bond.. BTW. You often hear people refer to the vehicle permit as being "tired" to their visa. This is not the case. The permit notes the kind of visa you had when the permit was issued. That is the extent of the connection between the two documents, except for the matter of the bond discussed below. Aduana asks that everyone turn in the permit when driving out of México even though you are planning to return. It is optional, but it is a very good idea because if something happens to your car that you cannot return it to México, you will have a problem getting the dead car off the books. Be very sure to get a receipt showing that you turned in the permit, and bring it with you when you return in case the computer doesn't show that you turned it in. I have read so many sad stories from folks who did not turn in the registration and then found themselves with a BIG problem because they could not return the car. If you find yourself unable to return with the car, look here for instructions. There is a procedure for temporary exits without turning in your permit. It's called Partial Return (Retorno Parcial). Read about it here.
If you have posted a bond guaranteeing the removal of your vehicle, you must notify Aduana of any change in your visa status (renewal, upgrade, etc.) in order to preserve your bond. This notification must be in the Aduana office 15 days or more before the expiration date of your visa. To be sure of meeting this vague deadline, you should plan to renew your visa at the earliest time, which is 30 days before the expiration date. As soon as you get your new visa card, file the vehicle papers with Aduana. There are present reports of delays in the transmission of data from Aduana to Banjercito where the records actually reside. Hence the admonition to visit Aduana as early as possible. You must notify your local or area Aduana in person. Furthermore, it must be done at an Aduana office that is equipped to process the information. Unfortunately, not all Aduana offices are set up to deal with vehicle matters. Since not all offices are set up to process car papers, it would seem wise to locate a participating office before the actual time of need. For some folks, this may mean considerable travel. This sure makes having a 'Mexican' car look even more attractive. If there is no Aduana office convenient to you, you can mail the documents to the Aduana headquarters in DF at this address. Because of the tight time constraints and the typical slowness of the Mexican postal service, you probably should use an express carrier. Mailing to the national office is a desperation effort with no promise that it will work in a timely manner. In other words -- not recommended.
Administración General de Aduanas The documents required are a copy of your visa card and a copy of the temporary importation permit. You will be asked to fill out this form which you can get from the Aduana office or print this photocopy and fill out before you go to the office. You can fill it out by hand using black ink and box lettering. There is no charge.
Some Aduana offices are still accepting this old letter form:
FM2 and your
car:
The car rules under an FM2 are different from an FM3. The only
type of FM2 that allows
you to have or drive a foreign-plated vehicle is called At this time, it is unclear how this restriction will function under the new rules expected "soon" when FM2 and FM3 will be merged into a new classification to be called Residente Temporal. Traffic Laws: Traffic laws are a state matter, so they may not be exactly the same in every state. Almost all states publish the laws online. Do a Google search for reglamento de circulación or reglamento de vialidad transito y transporte for your state. Insurance in México: Automobile labiality insurance is required in some, but not all states, nevertheless it is VERY important to have it. I have devoted a separate page to this vital subject at Automobile Insurance. Insurance and registration back in the old country: Your car in México must have the license plates that were issued with your registration that you had when you arrived in México. (Or new plates if you change your registration.) From that time on, México has no interest in whether you keep that out-of-country registration up to date. Likewise they don't care what you do with your non-Mexican insurance. They are only interested in your plates for identification. Your "registration" in México is the permit you were issued at the border. Unless you need to drive back to the old country from time to time, you can probably save a goodly sum by letting registration lapse and canceling the insurance. If you return to the old country to live, all insurance companies will charge you a penalty for being uninsured for some period of time. Before you leave, talk with your insurance agent. He may be able to offer you a non-operating or storage policy that will keep you on the rolls for only a few dollars per year. Some of these holding policies also allow for short term re-activations when you want to return north for a visit. There are some states (NY, FL, perhaps others) that will suspend your driver's license if you do not maintain insurance on your car. This can cause you great problems if you want to drive in the USA at any time. (Unless you get a Mexican driver's license; it is recognized in the USA just as your USA license is OK in México. In those states you need to arrange non-operating registration and insurance to save you driver's license. Or you need to register your car in another state with easier rules. |
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