Importing Cars to Mexico
America’s southern neighbor is not as picky about the standards of cars in their country. Importing cars to Mexico involves much less trouble than taking them North.
The major problem with importing cars to Mexico from the United States involves paperwork. Recently, there has been regulations restricting imports to models no more than ten years old. It appears that Mexico does not want to become a dumping ground for outdated vehicles although there would appear to be quite a market there for them. The majority of people going into Mexico for more than a vacation receive a 180 day tourist permit.
When you are a holder of this permit, you may bring your automobile with you subject to some conditions. It is going to be important to have the proper paperwork with you to cross the border. You will need an original title. If there is any lien on the title you will need to have an affidavit from the lien holder giving permission to take the vehicle to Mexico. You need a valid State Registration and a drivers license from outside Mexico. This is obviously intended to prevent Mexican citizens from bringing in new cars purchased in the United States and avoiding the sales and import taxes.
It is also necessary to have a valid credit card. It can be a MasterCard, Visa, or American Express. It is used to pay a simple $11 fee, but not having it will require you to post a cash bond that is quite high. So, the credit card is a must. When you change your visitor status to what is called FM-3 which is the status for a more permanent foreign visitor, it is possible to change the status of your vehicle also. The process is a bit complicated and some advisors suggest keeping the six month status on your vehicles by taking a trip across the border every six months and coming back.
If you are importing the cars into Mexico for other purpose beside your own personal use, you are going to be subject to some taxes and importation fees that are rather substantial. The laws and regulations, including those that ban cars produced in non-NAFTA countries are complex and frequently changing. It is best to directly contact the Mexican embassy to get the most up to date information.
It is important to know that the Mexican border stations are going to make sure you are the owner of the car. If you are not, for example, if you are driving your mother’s car into Mexico, make sure you have a written and notarized letter from her giving you permission. It appears that many of these rules have been designed to discourage a black market in stolen vehicles over the border. If you keep in mind that you want to be prepared to prove ownership and honorable intent when you reach the border, you should be fine.