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Vehicle permits and travel outside Mexico


Lost Dog

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I am trying to clarify some of the details regarding bringing a car to Lakeside and 180 Tourist Visas. If I bring a car from California to Ajijic while having only a 180 day tourist visa, if I need to fly back to California to take care of some business and then fly back in a week or so can I legally leave the car in Ajijic? 

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No.  As a tourist, your car must leave when you do.  It is only legally in Mexico when your Immigration status is legal.  Once you step outside of Mexico, your tourist permit becomes invalid, as does the permit for the car.  People do violate this, but it can cause serious difficulties, and insurance invalidation, if you were in an accident, as your new FMM tourist permit will indicate that you came in by air, not by car, and the dates will no longer match those on your car papers.

So, drive it out whenever you leave and get all new paperwork when you return.

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NOTE:  Written while RV was Posting:

This has been debated for 'centuries'.  :o

Legally, the law seems to say that you cannot do this... that if you leave Mexico the vehicle must also leave, even if you are 'coming right back'. Right on the Import paperwork, it states that "THE PERMIT WILL BE VALID FOR: The same duration allowed by their visitor status...."   When one leaves by air, one must give up their Visatante Visa (tourist card) thereby cancelling it; does this not mean then that your vehicle left behind is illegally in the country?

Practically, there are folks that do it. Some will tell you that the government's computer systems are getting so good that you will get caught. I have yet to be convinced that this is accurate across the board... but I'm not going to be the one to test it these days as I have done in the past (unknowingly, years ago).

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Thanks, I know there have been many discussions about this but wanted to get a fresh perspective. Also, I have no inclination to tempt Murphy's Law when dealing with immigration regulations in Mexico. I would assume (dangerous word) that if someone drives into Mexico as a passenger (my wife) and needs to fly back to California, her exit from Mexico would not invalidate the Vehicle permit if I and the car remain in Mexico. Am I wrong about that as the vehicle is registered in California in both of our names? 

 

 

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Although your wife is permitted to drive the vehicle imported by you, she was 'not a party to the importation' and can therefore come and go as she pleases. She will, of course, relinquish her Visatante Visa when she flies out and get another one when she flies back in..... and can once again as your spouse and with a 'new' Visatante drive the vehicle that you have imported previously.

 

 

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Thanks, my wife is a long-time spinal cord injury and has been driving with hand controls for the last 30 years but pretty sure that won't be the case in Mexico. The car title is in both our names for financial reasons. This is part of the logistical quagmire we are sorting out for getting a timeline for the types of visas needed to have me able to drive a car, getting her, our two cats, and me into the country. The cats are definitely not air travel candidates, my wife isn't really up to making a the long trip from the Bay Area by car including many nights in a hotel needing handicapped rooms through Mexico. It's complicated. I will get it figured out eventually.

 

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2 hours ago, RickS said:

One can temporarily import a foreign vehicle using either of a Visatante or Temporal visa. Permanente visa holders cannot temporarily import said vehicle (but CAN drive one that a spouse has temporarily imported).

Thanks Rick, I have added that to my list of information.

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De nada.  But I should have been a little more explicit...... a Permanente visa holder can drive the temporary vehicle of a TEMPORAL (or Visatante for that matter) spouse visa holder. Also don't forget that the Temporal holder must inform Aduana, at his/her annual visa renewal, that the vehicle is still in Mexico (as allowed by law). And once/if the Temporal starts the Permanente visa process, the vehicle must leave Mexico.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is a great post, because I am in a similar situation: how do I get my 2 cats from Florida to Lakeside? Can I, if Permanante (which I am not yet), drive my Florida registered car into Mexico, deposit the cats in the new house, then turn around and drive my car back to Florida to sell it?

If not, then should I remain Tourist, drive my Florida car with cats to Mexico, deposit said cats, drive car back to Florida, sell car, get a ride to the airport, hopa flight to Mexico, live in my new house with NO car, and then, in a couple of months, make a trip back to the US to go to the Mexican consulate to file for Permanante? 

Thanks.

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6 hours ago, kimanjome said:

This is a great post, because I am in a similar situation: how do I get my 2 cats from Florida to Lakeside? Can I, if Permanante (which I am not yet), drive my Florida registered car into Mexico, deposit the cats in the new house, then turn around and drive my car back to Florida to sell it?

If not, then should I remain Tourist, drive my Florida car with cats to Mexico, deposit said cats, drive car back to Florida, sell car, get a ride to the airport, hopa flight to Mexico, live in my new house with NO car, and then, in a couple of months, make a trip back to the US to go to the Mexican consulate to file for Permanante? 

Thanks.

If a pre-approved PR on the next entry in to Mexico you can get a TIP (car permit) good for 30 days allowing you to do what you asked. However once a PR no foreign plated car.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Seems like they need to buy a Mexican plated car. I know people who are here on Tourist visas who own a home and a Mx car and they go back and forth to the US all the time, keeping the status of Tourist visa.

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On 3/21/2017 at 4:49 PM, tomgates said:

Seems like they need to buy a Mexican plated car. I know people who are here on Tourist visas who own a home and a Mx car and they go back and forth to the US all the time, keeping the status of Tourist visa.

And if they sell their property while a tourist there goes a huge amount of money in tax, needlessly.

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