gwynne Posted March 29, 2019 Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 We're looking for a second car as a run-about. Found one that seems to have what we want, but it has Mexico City plates. Any problems changing to Jalisco plates? Anything special needed? Problems to anticipate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mainecoons Posted March 29, 2019 Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 It is a bit of a process. You have to take it into GDL to a place where they inspect it, find the VINs and make sure it is legitimate. There are local people who help with this for a reasonable cost. I believe RAFA at the car wash in Riberas (he's been there in the mornings lately although the car wash is not open until the fall) can help you with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHILLIN Posted March 29, 2019 Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 If it has Mexico City (CDMX) plates then the vehicle is probably "chocolate" and unlikely to have an original factura or the customs import document. The price of the vehicle would be about half of what a vehicle should sell for with full documents. Be careful, there is a lot of fraud and forgery out there - including V.I.N numbers. You would therefore only be able to obtain liability insurance, limited accident medical coverage and legal service, but if the car its totalled or stolen you would not be insured. It would not be entered as stolen in the national database, but would be registered in the CDMX database. As far as I understand it CDMX issues plates, but if you do not produce factura and pedimento, then the registration goes into their own database as pending and is not forwarded to the national one until those documents are produced. CDMX plates also require an annual fee, around 600 pesos, if you do not pay it, you are heavily fined. If you are stopped by police, you should produce a proof paid CDMX receipt for the Tarifa Circular, to prove the plates are legal in Mexico. You do not have to go to CDMX to pay this, places like Walmart or banks will accept annual payments, and you staple the receipt to the document (printed from the internet). Aduana seems to be not interested in taking on the giant CDMX bureaucracy, or politically charged, so called paper plates. Police, other than Aduana police, who I have never seen, are equally not interested in taking on jurisdiction or expense over customs enforcement. They consider that Aduana should have done their job stopping these vehicles (estimated to be about 2 million vehicles) from coming in the first place. The local police may threaten impoundment, but they are skating on very thin ice if your insurance, plates, and drivers license are all in order. They are not allowed to ask your immigration status (except if you have a temporary import sticker), or for your original factura or pedimento. In fact the police themselves recommend that you do not carry them in the vehicle. Even if you do have original facctura and pediment, you are best to pay an attorney an annual retainer, and ask him or her to keep these documents, and other valuable documents, locked up in their office. If you have an extremely pushy policeman, the type most often looking for mordida, produce your attorney's card as ask them if you would like to make an appointment Jalisco has a reputation for the toughest registration requirements in Mexico. I truly believe that their integrity has vastly improved over the last couple of years. Many other States, not so much. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwynne Posted March 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 I should have stated in the OP that this car is a model that was not produced for the US market and cannot be imported into the US. As such, I'm not really concerned about it being a 'chocolate'. The paperwork the seller has includes the original factura from a Mexico City VW dealer. We are having a third party go over the paperwork. Someone suggested that we just keep the plates that are on it. I wondered how in the world it's possible to stay legally current. You've answered that. Thanks. Still hope to hear from someone who has actually changed plates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiny Posted March 29, 2019 Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 2 minutes ago, sputnik said: so funny, we bought our honda fit 4 years ago in Coahilia . Dealer said he would never change the plates to Jalisco. Reason being Jalisco has different requirements that cost money. Also, govt in Chapala have been told to leave "tourists" alone. Also would have to go to GDL and stand in line ALL day. So weve never changed. Never been stopped and never had to get any more licenses. We have mostly mexican friends, and many of them. None of them have Driv. Lic, current tags, permits or insurance...and no one we know pays traffic tickets, the only way the ticket will show us is if the current owner sells the car and gets stopped then the new owner may have to pay. We are renting a building and the current rentor has not paid a water bill in 2 years. No mexican we know ever pays property tax on his house either as they plan to keep it in the family. But if he does ever sell then they will have to pay or the new owner...so funny Im not saying you want to do that.....just saying thats what exists out there.....maybe you already know. Thanks for doing your share. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted March 30, 2019 Report Share Posted March 30, 2019 I live in Chiapas and Ajijic. I have a Chiapas driver´s license and a Chiapas address and no one has ever questioned my Jalisco plates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted March 30, 2019 Report Share Posted March 30, 2019 23 hours ago, CHILLIN said: If it has Mexico City (CDMX) plates then the vehicle is probably "chocolate" and unlikely to have an original factura or the customs import document. The price of the vehicle would be about half of what a vehicle should sell for with full documents. Be careful, there is a lot of fraud and forgery out there - including V.I.N numbers. You would therefore only be able to obtain liability insurance, limited accident medical coverage and legal service, but if the car its totalled or stolen you would not be insured. It would not be entered as stolen in the national database, but would be registered in the CDMX database. As far as I understand it CDMX issues plates, but if you do not produce factura and pedimento, then the registration goes into their own database as pending and is not forwarded to the national one until those documents are produced. CDMX plates also require an annual fee, around 600 pesos, if you do not pay it, you are heavily fined. If you are stopped by police, you should produce a proof paid CDMX receipt for the Tarifa Circular, to prove the plates are legal in Mexico. You do not have to go to CDMX to pay this, places like Walmart or banks will accept annual payments, and you staple the receipt to the document (printed from the internet). Aduana seems to be not interested in taking on the giant CDMX bureaucracy, or politically charged, so called paper plates. Police, other than Aduana police, who I have never seen, are equally not interested in taking on jurisdiction or expense over customs enforcement. They consider that Aduana should have done their job stopping these vehicles (estimated to be about 2 million vehicles) from coming in the first place. The local police may threaten impoundment, but they are skating on very thin ice if your insurance, plates, and drivers license are all in order. They are not allowed to ask your immigration status (except if you have a temporary import sticker), or for your original factura or pedimento. In fact the police themselves recommend that you do not carry them in the vehicle. Even if you do have original facctura and pediment, you are best to pay an attorney an annual retainer, and ask him or her to keep these documents, and other valuable documents, locked up in their office. If you have an extremely pushy policeman, the type most often looking for mordida, produce your attorney's card as ask them if you would like to make an appointment Jalisco has a reputation for the toughest registration requirements in Mexico. I truly believe that their integrity has vastly improved over the last couple of years. Many other States, not so much. Why in the world would you think a car with CDMX plates is "probably" a chocolate? Customs import document? Liability insurance only? Your points are totally confused. I lived in Mexico City for 8 years, owned a car for a good portion of that time, never paid a 600 peso annual fee, and don't understand your reasoning. There is no such thing as a "tarifa circular"--maybe you are thinking of the annual smog revision sticker, but cars under a certain age are not required to have that. Can you please send me a link to an article that backs up your many points? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHILLIN Posted March 30, 2019 Report Share Posted March 30, 2019 It is called Tarjeta de Circulation, and you receive a CDMX issued hologrammed card, which you carry with your driver's license etc. When I was stopped by Transito, this is the card he carefully studied. He didn't notice my Canadian driver's license was expired, I received my Jalisco license the next day. The annual fee is on a barcoded form, printed from the CDMX website, the fee is called Tenencia, mine is 556 pesos this year. The customs import form is called Pedimento. If you don't have a pedimento or factura you can't get full insurance, because you would have no basis to claim value. In Jalisco at least. I get driver's license insurance, meaning I am insured to drive any vehicle in Mexico, I get it as a rider on a friend's policy also using his liability portion.This friend is an avid car collector and been tinkering with cars since he was 8 years old. He is a member of the track in Guadalajara. His roomate is an attorney. Many Guadalajarans and more and more lakesiders are running CDMX plates. There are many reasons, most common is chocolates, the other is to evade photo radar tickets, the other, on commerical vehicles, is to avoid high Jalisco license and registration fees. Jaliso requires annual fees and smog stickers as well. mas claro? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lakeside7 Posted March 30, 2019 Report Share Posted March 30, 2019 16 hours ago, bmh said: I live in Chiapas and Ajijic. I have a Chiapas driver´s license and a Chiapas address and no one has ever questioned my Jalisco plates. Could be the Transtos are not so Gringo hungry in Chiapas as here at Lakeside..sometimes a good deal can turn horribly bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmh Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 yes and sometimes a good deal is just that..a good deal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Liana Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 7 hours ago, CHILLIN said: It is called Tarjeta de Circulation, and you receive a CDMX issued hologrammed card, which you carry with your driver's license etc. When I was stopped by Transito, this is the card he carefully studied. He didn't notice my Canadian driver's license was expired, I received my Jalisco license the next day. The annual fee is on a barcoded form, printed from the CDMX website, the fee is called Tenencia, mine is 556 pesos this year. The customs import form is called Pedimento. If you don't have a pedimento or factura you can't get full insurance, because you would have no basis to claim value. In Jalisco at least. I get driver's license insurance, meaning I am insured to drive any vehicle in Mexico, I get it as a rider on a friend's policy also using his liability portion.This friend is an avid car collector and been tinkering with cars since he was 8 years old. He is a member of the track in Guadalajara. His roomate is an attorney. Many Guadalajarans and more and more lakesiders are running CDMX plates. There are many reasons, most common is chocolates, the other is to evade photo radar tickets, the other, on commerical vehicles, is to avoid high Jalisco license and registration fees. Jaliso requires annual fees and smog stickers as well. mas claro? "Tarifa de circular" is meaningless. Tarjeta de circulación is correct, it's the permission for any vehicle to be on the road. Thanks for correcting yourself. Yes, everyone must have one. As far as I remember, the tarjeta de circulación is permanent. New vehicles are eligible for the 00 hologram, which exempts them from further smog testing (verificación) for several years. There is no tenencia in CDMX unless your car is out of compliance with CDMX regulations. There IS what is known as "Refrendo"--the cost this year is 524 pesos. Odd that you can get driver's license insurance using a friend's liability policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noobdroid Posted September 3, 2021 Report Share Posted September 3, 2021 I just bought a car with jalisco plates but one of my friend suggested to get cdmx plates to avoid speed tickets and general police problems as they dont bother visitors. what do you guys suggest? Should i go with jalisco plates or cdmx would be good option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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