LEGAL
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This
subject is always full of speculation and rumors. The most common rumors
is whether or not you must go to the Mexico/US border to re-register your
vehicle once you obtain an FM2 or FM3. The answer is not. Every
foreigner is allowed to enter Mexico with a vehicle, which is not Mexican
plated (e.g. US or Canadian), as long as you have the following: Mexican
Insurance, FMT, FM2 or FM3, registration/ownership in your name, and a credit
card or cash to cover a bond for the vehicle. The Mexican government will
charge your credit card for $25, or you have to put up the cash for a percentage
of what the car is worth, and the type of car it is. The
government will then provide you with a temporary importation permit, and
a sticker for the windshield. Remember to turn this registration and sticker
into customs when leaving Mexico with your vehicle. If you enter Mexico
by vehicle on a Tourist Visa (FMT), you must drive out the vehicle you came
in with. It is illegal to leave your vehicle here that you entered with
unless you obtain an FM2 or FM3 while you’re here. According
to customs, you are not allowed to have more than one foreign plated car
registered in Mexico. You may have heard that some people do, but normally
customs does not allow it. Also, it is illegal to sell your foreign plated
vehicle in Mexico. The only legal way to do this is to legalize it in Mexico
(e.g. get Mexican plates for it), which is extremely difficult if not impossible.
If you do sell your vehicle here you will be fined next time you enter Mexico
with another vehicle. Also, if the vehicle you’ve sold here is in an accident
2 years down the road, and the person you sold it to walks away, you can
be held liable for that accident. Another
fact that goes along with what we’ve been discussing is if your vehicle
is stolen while you’re here. If your car is stolen, and reported to the
police, and to your insurance company, and even if you have gotten a return
from your insurance company, you may still be fined once you return to Mexico
with another vehicle. We recommend you do not mention the stolen vehicle
when entering Mexico with a replacement vehicle. If they do notice, you
will have to pay the fine if you want to bring the new vehicle in. You can
petition the government later for the fine and get your money back, but
you will have to put up the money to begin with. You
are now asking why would I have to pay this fine? Well, it’s actually quite
simple. In the past couple of years the Mexican government has found out
that a number of imported vehicles had actually been reported stolen in
the States and Canada. People were driving their cars down, and flew back
to the states, reported them stolen, claimed insurance, and now use them
down here and never bring them north of the border again.
Adriana Perez Flores |