This is Part 4 of my 6 part series on Driving in Mexico. To jump to other parts, click here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5, Part 6
How to Get a Temporary Permission for Your Car in Mexico
Everything I have said up until now is academic if you don’t have a car to drive in Mexico. It is perfectly legal to bring your car into Mexico with you, but you’ll need to get a permit to do so and there are restrictions.
If you come to Mexico by car, you’ll cross the border at one of several border cities such as Laredo, Nogales, or Tijuana. The procedure varies slightly from city to city, but generally you cross the border and make a customs declaration (as necessary), get your tourist visa, your car permission, then on to the checkpoint. Usually, the first 3 items can be done right at the border, in some cases, such as Nuevo Laredo, you need to drive into town to get permissions after clearing customs at the border. Either way once you have your permissions and proceed into the interior of Mexico, you are going to run into a checkpoint.
Getting your car into Mexico takes a little extra effort, but it is well worth it
There is an agreement between Mexico and the United States that allows US citizens (and by default pretty much everyone else) to cross the border and visit Mexico without a visa so long as they go no further than 25 kilometers into the country. At the 26 kilometer mark there is a checkpoint where your documentation is checked. In order to proceed further you will need a tourist visa and vehicle permission. If you don’t have these two items you’ll be sent back to the border to get them. Fortunately neither is hard to come by (as long as you have come prepared).
While at the border, you simply need to present your passport (along with your application and a fee) in order to receive an FM-T tourist visa, which are both generally good for six months. Once you have your Visa, you can get your Vehicle permission. Vehicle permissions are a little trickier, you’ll need the following documentation:
- Temporary Vehicle Importation Application (Available at the border)
- Tourist Visa (The one you just got from immigration)
- Passport
- Drivers License
- Credit Card
- Copy of the vehicle’s title or, if the vehicle is financed, a copy of the letter of credit from the finance company, plus a letter from the finance company authorizing you to take the vehicle to Mexico. You’ll want to contact your finance company well in advance of your trip to get that straightened out… you don’t want to try to figure that out while you are stuck at the border!
- Copies of your visa, passport, driver’s license, credit card and vehicle documentation (there is usually someone there with a copy machine who will make your copies for a small fee)
Take all your paperwork to the vehicle permission representative, who will enter your information into the computer, charge your credit card for the application fee (around $20 US) plus they keep a copy of your credit card as guarantee that you will remove the car from the country when you leave Mexico. Once the paperwork has been processed, the representative will go to your vehicle to confirm the serial number and affix the permission sticker to the inside of your windshield. They will give you the permission documents and you are on your way. The car permission is granted for the same duration as the visa; usually six months. Crossing the border can take from one to many hours depending on where you cross and how busy they are at the time. I usually assume the crossing will take half a day and make my travel plans accordingly. Before you travel, you’ll want to check with your nearest Mexican consulate to confirm these requirements as they may change at any time.
As I mentioned, there are some restrictions. When you leave Mexico, you need to turn in the vehicle permission. If you don’t you may find a charge on your credit card for up to several hundred dollars. This varies depending on the value of the car. Also, you won’t be able to get another permission for future trips until the first permission is canceled. Another thing, Mexican nationals may not drive your car unless you are in it. The only exception being if the person is married to you and they have a marriage certificate to prove it. If a Mexican national is caught driving your car without you in it, the Mexican is likely to end up in jail and your car confiscated… it’s difficult, if not impossible to get your car back in such a case.
Next: Part 5 – What to do if you get into a car accident in Mexico
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