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tourist visa - purchasing car?


DT22

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OK, so you can buy a car in Mx with a tourist visa. Can you leave that car in Mx if you leave Mx on the tourist visa, such as a snow bird? Years ago I was told I needed an FM-3 to leave my car in Mx while I returned NOB.

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OK, so you can buy a car in Mx with a tourist visa. Can you leave that car in Mx if you leave Mx on the tourist visa, such as a snow bird? Years ago I was told I needed an FM-3 to leave my car in Mx while I returned NOB.

That's for a US plated car .... not Mexico plated

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Can someone on a tourist visa purchase a vehicle in Mexico?

Yes, you can purchase a Mexican-plated vehicle in all states in Mexico. Note that tourist or visitante visa holders cannot register or license that vehicle in many Mexican states. It is officially illegal to buy a car, and then continue to drive it using other people's registration and plates. Make sure your state allows visiting foreigners to register Mexican plated cars.

Another pitfall, several of Mexico's major insurance companies deny accident coverage to people illegally driving cars. When the police and insurance adjustors find out that you do not have valid registration, and are driving an illegal car, the insurance adjustor can refuse to pay any claims (leaving you personally liable for up to $5 million pesos per person killed accidentally). When you have no insurance fiscal bond coverage that guarantees payment of damages, the police put you in jail indefinitely, until you prove you can pay all damages and any possible medical bills resulting from the accident.

It is no fun to sit in a Mexican jail, no food and water for days. Your family or friends must bring food and water.

Also note that most insurance salesmen do not know the "fine print" buried deep in their policies, they mistakenly tell their customers that it is OK to drive an illegally registered car, and when an accident comes, the adjustor and jefes use the invalid registration as a legal excuse to deny accident coverage.

In real world terms, the "expert" that advised you to not buy a Mexican-plated car was giving you good practical advice, unless your state allows you to license it and register it.

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So now to the burning question: is Jalisco one of the states where a tourist can register his car he purchased using an FMM? And is so, would his tourist status create any other loopholes that a Mexican insurance company could use to get out of paying a claim?

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It is no fun to sit in a Mexican jail, no food and water for days. Your family or friends must bring food and water.

That is not true about the food and water. Actually, I enjoyed my 12 hours, just don't want to go there again. There was a bed, with a nice concrete pillow, and they put a drunk in with me, who had been in a fight. He liked "gringos" and so did the Puerto Ricans across the aisle, in another cell. We discussed Old ML Baseball stars. :)

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Note that tourist or visitante visa holders cannot register or license that vehicle in many Mexican states.

Can you supply the original source of this info? I've bought 2, in 2 different Mexican states, without a problem to register them. Thanks.

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In Puerto Vallarta, (Jalisco) one of our neighbours has a Mexican-plated car. They come down App. 3 months per year to use their condo, and only have a tourist visa. They have renewed every year at the licencing office. No problem.

I did not have any problems registering or renewing or insuring. Also Jalisco.

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