Nationalizing Update

[Sonia]

First, I am not here to debate the issue ,simply updating. If anyone has questions I suggest you call brokers or PM / email me. Moderators asked that when there is some new information to post. :-) So......

My comments are based on calls in in past two hours to the man I work with who speaks with Aduana at least every week plus a very well known broker at Laredo, Enrique Bautista with Super Importaciones. Aduana is starting to nationalize cars slowly. Fees are up.

Border nationalizing: At some border crossings one can nationalize but only 2006 and 2007 NAFTA made vehicles registered in the US. Cost is approx. $1600 to $3000 US. Canadian cars can not be nationalized at this time (unless you import into US first).

My process: Canadian and American registered vehicles 2009 and older. I am waiting for the cost on some new requests but told they will be higher. I have completed 87 vehicles and approx. 30 more pending with Aduana. Cars do not have to be driven to the border. The cars I have submitted will be nationalize but I do not have a time table. At least every other day I ask via phone calls, emails, text as to status. I have full confidence in funds being fully protected. The non-NAFTA cars that could not be done received refunds. Several non-NAFTA cars were nationalized and the last one should have his documents next week. Even though, in some instances, upwards to 10,000 pesos extra had to be paid to complete the non-NAFTA vehicles, my clients were not asked for additional payment, only patience. There is no legal way to nationalize a non-NAFTA vehicle in the past year and several working through others lost a huge sum of money while receiving fake documents as I discovered with the help of Aduana who reviewed what turned out to be cloned pedimentos.

The process is totally in the control of Aduana and while I believe it violates NAFTA and this issue has been addressed in the US Congress and with the Mexican government the issue is very political.

saludos

Sonia

Edit, if in doubt be sure your sources were honest and documents are legal. Others from Guerrero who thought they had nationalized through others, wrote me and clearly their vehicles were not nationalized. In these cases one could have their vehicle confiscated.

I just received this at 8:15 pm from Jack B. a client in Zihua whose Jeep I nationalized .... "My Jeep was nationalized in October 2013. I had no problem getting my plates for 2014. However, this year I've been trying to get the new plates since February. After 7 visits to Finanzas someone finally told me that they have about 1,500 imported vehicles for which the documents had to be sent to Chilpancingo, the state capital.

I have a feeling that they're checking retroactively all the imported cars back to some point in time. They have promised to phone me when they get the approval."

[puro guero]

As an alternative to Nationalization, consider Regularization.

Regularization is the permanent importation of a foreign vehicle into Mexico

and is different from Nationalization.

With Regularization, the vehicle retains it's original (US) title, but gets issued Mexican license plates.

It is legal for a Residente Permanente to own and drive a Regularized vehicle. Special rules apply

for a Regularized vehicle.

Do not take my word for it, nor ask me questions about the process.

Seek out an immigration/customs professional and they can explain it to you.

[cbviajero]

As an alternative to Nationalization, consider Regularization.

Regularization is the permanent importation of a foreign vehicle into Mexico

and is different from Nationalization.

With Regularization, the vehicle retains it's original (US) title, but gets issued Mexican license plates.

It is legal for a Residente Permanente to own and drive a Regularized vehicle. Special rules apply

for a Regularized vehicle.

Do not take my word for it, nor ask me questions about the process.

Seek out an immigration/customs professional and they can explain it to you.

I would be interested to hear from people who have regularized their vehicle recently.

[Ezzie]

"Regularization" is a confusing term that seems to mean different things to different people.

It is only semantics but I think instead you should use the word "Legalization" (ie - getting out-of-state plates for a foreign vehicle that has NOT been imported) so that it can be insured and driven on Mexican roads by anyone including Mexican citizens without fear of being confiscated. Most common are Estados de Mexico plates.

This topic is about "Nationalization" - the process by where a vehicle is exported from the US and permanently imported into Mexico under the scrutiny of Aduana. A new thread should be started to discuss the alternate of "Legalization" of a vehicle.

[puro guero]

"Regularization" is a very specific term, there is no ambiguity about it.

Talk to a professional.

[snowyco]

As an alternative to Nationalization, consider Regularization.

Regularization is the permanent importation of a foreign vehicle into Mexico

and is different from Nationalization.

With Regularization, the vehicle retains it's original (US) title, but gets issued Mexican license plates.

It is legal for a Residente Permanente to own and drive a Regularized vehicle. Special rules apply

for a Regularized vehicle.

Do not take my word for it, nor ask me questions about the process.

Seek out an immigration/customs professional and they can explain it to you.

"With Regularization, the vehicle retains it's original (US) title, "

Unfortunately, this point couuld be a non-starter since last October, 2014. Aduana changed the rules in October, requiring that all American-titled vehicles being brought into Mexico permanently using Aduana's processes, must have their US titles marked cancelled by the US CBP before Aduana processes them into Mexico permanently.

UCD processes are separate from Aduana's processing permanent imports.

Sonia is our resident expert on UCD processing, so she'd be the best one to ask about that.

[ComputerGuy]

Okay, please tell me why, if $3,000 U.S. right now is $45,000 pesos... and you can buy four years of temporary for $7,000 pesos... anyone would want the expense? Seems to me, going to the Chapala office to renew a temporale every four years is hardly a hassle, and you can do that 6 and 1/2 times for the price of a car nationalization. Once you are nationalized, you also need to always be renewing your plates and your DL.

That's 25 years; I expect to be dead by then.

[sparks]

I thought you could only start over outside Mexico if you want another 4 years of Temporal

[Mainecoons]

That's my understanding as well.

[ComputerGuy]

You have to go out and come back in, just like always.

[Sonia]

You can let TR visa expire by up to 55 days after 4 years and pay fine etc and many INM offices will let you start over in Mexico. For example, in SMA you need to prove $1500 / month of only pension sourced income as no other income nor home ownership will be considered. Bank statements and supporting documents from pension source need to be translated by a certified translator.

Note the $1500 / month is less than the $2000 it was up to late last fall.

For Chapala area ask Spencer if INM operates same on this issue.

In Mexico, there are usually options if one knows where to look and who to ask.

saludos

Sonia

[Ezzie]

OK then, let's all agree on what the definitions of the 3 terms describing foreign vehicles coming into Mexico are that get bandied about on here are then:

1. to "Nationalize"

2. to "Regularize"

3. to "Legalize"

I doubt we can all reach a consensus but maybe the "experts" can define it for me so that I am no longer confused.

Again, we are off topic. This post is for information on what is currently going on with the Aduana "Nationalization" process.

[Mainecoons]

Bear in mind that if you choose this approach, after 4 years you may find the income requirement has grown too high for you to qualify. If you get the permanente after the four year period, you are not required to provide income verification as far as I know.

This violation of the letter and the spirit of NAFTA by Mexico when it comes to cars is not the only example of one way protectionism being practiced by the Mexican government. It is annoying but a fact of life and IMO, trying to keep your U.S. car or import one is simply not worth the hassle. We tried it and it ended up costing a lot more than if we had simply bitten the bullet and gone Mexican on the car when I got my permanente.

Particularly now with the exchange rate so high, the difference in car cost between the U.S. and Mexico is minimal and this is a great opportunity to make the switch.

[ComputerGuy]

Well, I was worried for a while when they jumped the income requirement a couple of years ago, but it's back down to $1500/mo. And yes, it may go up again, but I've gone out and come back twice before, and that suits me.

[truebluegreen]

We are just finishing--maybe--the process of nationalizing our vehicle. The process has been very long and after hearing about all the troubles others have had also we want to double-check and make sure it is actually "done."

Can anyone tell me exactly what documents we should have, and where we can go online to check everything out?

Thanks in advance.

[sparks]

Since many of us think there is NO Nationalizing going on ..... you might fill us in

Certainly hope yours is not one of the scams

[Sonia]

1. Pedimento with VIN and at least 1 blue stamp. Dates on pedimento recent.

2. Factura with VIN and the name of person who supplied the ID to nationalize. With one's I nationalize a MX driver's license is required.

3. No license plates with nationalizing.

4. This is a national data base of vehicles, legal in Mexico. Enter VIN here: http://www2.repuve.gob.mx:8080/ciudadania/

5. This is another way to check but many may have difficulty in knowing what to enter what, where. Confirming pedimento with Aduana:

http://www.aduanas.sat.gob.mx/soianet/oia_consultarap_cep.aspx

If yours is nationalized soon, it will be good news indeed. Please keep us informed.

Buen Fin

Sonia