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Alegria

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I'm not sure I understand your point. The question here is whether the Transitos, who tend to operate at least locally like a gang of extortionists, have the right to shake you down for your immigration documents including car papers.

How would the transitos or federales know if your NOB plated vehicle is legal and protected under Articulo 106 if they don't see your immigration documents???
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How would the transitos or federales know if your NOB plated vehicle is legal and protected under Articulo 106 if they don't see your immigration documents???

Exactly. This is the question I asked in another post a few days ago and got 117 views and no answer.

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It was my understanding, years ago, that Transito or state police could only ask for license and registration. Only INM or Federales could ask for immigration documents and only Aduana could ask for importation documents. It was part of the strategy to keep these agencies separate and to prevent any one government agency from getting too powerful.

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It was my understanding, years ago, that Transito or state police could only ask for license and registration. Only INM or Federales could ask for immigration documents and only Aduana could ask for importation documents. It was part of the strategy to keep these agencies separate and to prevent any one government agency from getting too powerful.

Thank you Sir. With almost 9,000 posts and your record on this board, I will take a deep breath and know what I have to present (I assume insurance also) to to the weasels if I get stopped.

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Doesn't much matter what RVGRINGO'S understanding was years ago, if you have foreign plates and your TIP is expired you can expect local Transito to ask for your immigration document under the premise that if it isn't legally in the country, it isn't legally on the road.

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So I was at the SAT office today and the attorney for the government told me that transitos cannot ask for car papers. I said nobody has told them that and he said they want bribes and it is a crime, I said welcome to our world.

As I have said in other posts it looks like NOBODY KNOWS NUTHIN[' about this subject. So I am going to go on my merry way and if push comes to a shove I will play the age old game here...and you know what I mean.

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As I have said in other posts it looks like NOBODY KNOWS NUTHIN[' about this subject.

No, that's actually not true. A lot of people really do know a lot about this topic. I think maybe you just aren't successfully reading between the lines of all the posts in this thread (and many others). And, let's be honest gringohombre, if you REALLY boil down your question, doesn't it amount to this?:

"As a Permanent Resident of Mexico, how can I get around the fact that my foreign-plated car is no longer legal for me to drive here? How can I successfully continue to drive it here with only the most minor of inconveniences?"

I know it sucks, but let's be honest about this stuff. And don't anybody dare call me unsympathetic on this topic, 'cause I'm working the same ugly puzzle.

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How would the transitos or federales know if your NOB plated vehicle is legal and protected under Articulo 106 if they don't see your immigration documents???

Yes, exactly. That is why I suspect they can and increasingly are doing so. Plus, it really is a nice new opportunity to threaten people and extort money from them, isn't it?

At least until they get fed up and leave the country. Which seems to be happening more and more these days. I sure hope they make enough money from this game to compensate for all the out-of-country income, purchasing and jobs for Mexicans that this will cost.

But somehow I doubt it.

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Who coined the term TIP? The Importada Temporal is the proper name of the temporary import permit; the latter being a description, not the name of the permit.

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I still have no answer to my question "who can ask to see your visa"? on another thread. There are 121 views but 0 responses. I am talking about traffic stops not Immigration or customs etc. our resident expert actually said in a response to this thread "So I was at the SAT office today and the attorney for the government told me that transitos cannot ask for car papers. I said nobody has told them that and he said they want bribes and it is a crime, I said welcome to our world." It looks like if you have the sticker on your winshield all you need to provide is valid drivers license, registration and proof of valid insurance. An i wrong?

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I still have no answer to my question "who can ask to see your visa"? on another thread. There are 121 views but 0 responses. I am talking about traffic stops not Immigration or customs etc. our resident expert actually said in a response to this thread "So I was at the SAT office today and the attorney for the government told me that transitos cannot ask for car papers. I said nobody has told them that and he said they want bribes and it is a crime, I said welcome to our world." It looks like if you have the sticker on your winshield all you need to provide is valid drivers license, registration and proof of valid insurance. An i wrong?

All depends. I've never been asked by a tránsito for my import papers. But If you are ever traveling in Mexico and you are pulled over by a military checkpoint, you might want to have all of your papers in order. We've been stopped twice, and the commanding officer wanted to see the import papers. Both times they checked the VIN against the papers and waved us through. Also we were stopped by a Federale on the way back from Barra de Navidad. He also checked the VIN and the import papers. I would hate to think what would happen if some :() took out a cell phone and tried to take their pictures.

I don't know how long you've lived here, but here's some advice. Don't argue with the Army or the Federales. Take whatever steps you can to have all of your papers in order, especially when driving on Federal Highways. If you've taken these precautions, well then, problems with the local cops will take care of itself, for better or worse.

P.S. Both times we were carrying copies of import papers. If I still had a US plated car, I think I would get my copies notarized. Thank god we now have MX plates.

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Good advice from All Day. It doesn't matter what you think you need to show or what the law says. If they ask for something show them or they can give you a bad time.

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Good advice from All Day. It doesn't matter what you think you need to show or what the law says. If they ask for something show them or they can give you a bad time.

The police here have a tough guy attitude, some say. If you take a photo of them with your cell phone, I presume you will regret it, bad advice coming from people who know nothing or very little.

I was downtown on Thurs. evening and parked down a side street. Walking to go shopping I watched a police truck go by slowly with 4 cops in back. They has a guy on the floor in a corner who looked about 40 or 45, not a punk kid, one cop was sitting on his head and another was punching his face.

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I'm not sure I understand your point. The question here is whether the Transitos, who tend to operate at least locally like a gang of extortionists, have the right to shake you down for your immigration documents including car papers. Spencer is trying to determine just what the limits of their authority is, if any.

Could you elaborate on how you think what you posted relates to that? Are you suggesting that what you posted gives them the authority to look at immigration papers? Car papers?

Thanks.

Three reasons:

  1. The Temporary Import Permit (TIP) is the document issued by a “proper federal authority” proving the car legally entered the country.
  2. Your current immigration document , issued by INM, shows the vehicle remains legal under Article 106 of the Aduana law once the original TIP permit expires.
  3. Article 156 of the Jalisco Traffic Law cites justification for confiscating cars that are on the road without proper permits.

If you still don’t get it, I suggest you go to the June 10 meeting at LCS and ask traffic authorities to explain their legal reasoning.

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I know two people who were pulled over (one in Chapala and one in Ajijic) who did not have their TIP papers, or visa or drivers licence. Nada.

They both had the same approach to dealing with it. Admitted it was bad that they did not have their papers, said they were stolen, would they get a ticket? Here is all the money I have, would that be enough? Thank you and good bye. One had an old beater car and paid 50 pesos and the other had a Rav 4 and paid 500.

While these local tranitos are corrupt, at least they make it easy to get out of trouble when you need a break.

No Wonder Transitos are still stopping people - It's folks like this, no drivers license, no car registration, no visa NADA- expats who might end up having their car impounded and then moan and complain about the illegal Mexican Transitos-

With these kind of friends and neighbors driving around Chapala -and bragging about getting away with it -that encourage others to break the law in the same manner-----Transitos are just increasing their odds of getting MAS Mordida--

It's a losing battle for those who are trying to use common sense and follow the law ......

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No Wonder Transitos are still stopping people - It's folks like this, no drivers license, no car registration, no visa NADA- expats who might end up having their car impounded and then moan and complain about the illegal Mexican Transitos-

With these kind of friends and neighbors driving around Chapala -and bragging about getting away with it -that encourage others to break the law in the same manner-----Transitos are just increasing their odds of getting MAS Mordida--

It's a losing battle for those who are trying to use common sense and follow the law ......

I guess they think they will have nothing to worry about however in Calif. you would get a ticket with no driver´s license and registration. Commonly called a "fix it ticket". You would then have to take the time to go to a Highway Patrol Office with your stuff and show them the license and registration and they sign off the ticket. Then you would have to go to the court building where the ticket was written on and hand in the written off ticket. No charges or fees to pay except now the Highway Patrol is charging about $10.00 US I have heard.

They might feel they are back home.

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It is like Spencer's interview in the on-line Expat Press that people are going to huge expenses to keep a foreign car with them in Mexico. Folks, the rules have changed. Go permanent if you can, ditch the foreign car and buy a Mex car. It is that simple. You wouldn,t think of driving an illegal car NOB, what gives you the right to think you can drive an illegal car here??

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ditch the foreign car and buy a Mex car. It is that simple.

Got some money you'll loan me?

I've checked the Mexican ebay. To replace the two cars we have would cost about $14,000.00 USD. We'd get about $6,000.00 (maybe) selling them NOB. Then there's the expense of a trip to the border. Come to think of it, if I'm going to the border with the car, why not just nationalize it and turn around and come back? Sounds like the best way to go. The other car is on the verge of being a classic. It will probably go into storage here and we'll see what the winds bring in a couple more years.

We've gotten as far as we have by being cautious with our spending and looking at all our options. YMMV.

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It occurs to me that nobody in this thread has directly answered the most relevant question.

After being pulled over for making an illegal left-hand turn, I was asked by local transito to show my importation papers (after he noticed the expired TIP in the windshield) and I was asked to show him my current immigration document to demonstrate that the car remained legal under Article 106. That was in 2009, I think.

The car was legal, but amid all the copies of all the documents I kept in the glovebox I didn't have the page that showed the current Prórroga/extension of my old, booklet-style FM3. The car was legal, but I couldn't prove it to his satisfaction. Doh.

He threatened to impound the car and bla bla bla....but that didn't end up happening. Nor did I get a ticket. And I didn't bribe him either.

Point being: In the future I'm fairly certain you can expect to be asked to demonstrate that your car is legally on the road. Are they "entitled" to ask for those papers? You can talk to your lawyer about that if it makes you happy. Will they ask you for those papers? Almost certainly, yes.

So the only question that really matters is.....what will you do when you are asked?

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Quote: He took every single peso (except coins) I had from my purse as well as the U.S. money I was taking to Intercam to exchange.

Have you considered reporting this robbery to the Ministerio Publico?

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Hi all.

I don't have much constructive to say. I too would value having something in writing that specified the law. I was stopped several months ago on a rather deserted stretch near San Juan Cosala by the worst cop I've ever interacted with in my life. It cost me a lot of money and a lot of tears.

My car is legal, my visa is up-to-date, I speak a moderate amount of Spanish, and I was so scared by how threatening he was, I could barely concentrate to speak. I've lived in some pretty dangerous places, am pretty savvy, and am not one to get hysterical or cry easily. This man was truly a thug. He took every single peso (except coins) I had from my purse as well as the U.S. money I was taking to Intercam to exchange.

I very much enjoy living here, I'm not a complainer, and I don't sweat the small stuff. This, however, was robbery and borderline assault. While I have no delusional ideas about changing the mordida culture, this was beyond any level of reasonable or sane behavior. Even if I'd had a clear understanding of the law, I don't know that it would have made a difference with this guy. Sometimes you just get the worst of the rotten apples.

I don't understand why you gave him your money. Or did he just take it?

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