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Cars and tourist visas


una

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I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to this first question, but since I seem to be in a permanent (permanente) state of confusion, I'll ask anyway:

If we bring our personal auto into the country while on a tourist (180 day) visa, would we then be in violation of the law if we needed to fly out of Mexico and return, leaving our car here temporarily?  If so, would obtaining a temporary resident visa instead of a tourist visa allow leaving and returning to Mexico with the car remaining here for those brief periods out of the country?

Thanks in advance for any help in clearing up my confusion. :)

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I drive in late October, fly home for Christmas, fly back, fly home in March for a couple of weeks, fly back, and drive out in early April. Been doing this for years and never had a problem and always got my tip money back. It may not be "legal" but who's going to catch you on it??

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In the event of an accident, it can all catch up with you very quickly; or if some Federale simply compares your Importada Temporal with your current FMM and discovers how long your car has been in Mexico illegally......since your Christmas flight.

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5 hours ago, RVGRINGO said:

In the event of an accident, it can all catch up with you very quickly; or if some Federale simply compares your Importada Temporal with your current FMM and discovers how long your car has been in Mexico illegally......since your Christmas flight.

That's what worries me.  I don't want to take any unnecessary chances. 

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On 3/18/2016 at 3:39 PM, una said:

That's what worries me.  I don't want to take any unnecessary chances. 

Then you'd better go the Temporal route.......   There are those of us who have been doing the "drive in/fly out/fly back in/drive out  dance for years with no repercussions for years but.....

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The TIP is never checked against the Tourist/\ Visa, and vise versa. They have same expiration date, but never compared in 17 years of doing this. But, do what makes you happy !

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The tourist permit indicates your method of entry; air, sea, or land. As such, a Federale who asked for your FMM, would be mighty suspicious if he saw an entry by air and that you were driving a temporarily imported car.  It seldom happens, but it could.

The other concern is insurance coverage. Most policies state that the vehicle must be legally in the country to have coverage. If it isn‘t, you may find that you have no coverage in a serious accident.  That means jail and confiscation of the vehicle are very likely.

Granted, nobody is out there checking these details regularly, and many get away with it, either intentionally or by error. Nevertheless, I would not take the chance; especially if I owned property in Mexico and was too old to run fast to the nearest airport; passport always in my pocket with a lot of cash.

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