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Your Car's Permit, Insurance, and a Few Rules
Last Update 13 March 2012 The following information applies only to mainland México. The rules for Baja are different. Vehicle permits are not required in Baja. Foreign license plates must be kept current in Baja. Renewal of your car's permit: The car permit which you got at the border is valid so long as your visa is valid -- with renewals for as long as you wish. Look here to see the actual law that says your registration permit is valid so long as your visa is valid. Article 106 It also tells you who can drive your car. If you enter México with an FMM and while in country convert to an FM3, you will not be required to get a new car permit at that time. Your original registration continues to be valid so long as your FM3 is valid. However, if you ever drive out of México, at the border you are asked to turn in your FMM issued car permit and get a new one when you return that notes you have an FM3. You are not breaking the law by driving with the old permit, but at the border they will want you to correct the disconnect. BTW. You often hear people refer to the vehicle permit as being "tired" to their visa. This is not the case. The permit notes the kind of visa you had when the permit was issued. That is the extent of the connection between the two documents, except for the matter of the bond discussed brlow. Beginning in November 2006, Aduana asks that everyone turn in the permit when driving out of México even though you are planning to return. It is optional, but it is a very good idea because if something happens to your car that you cannot return it to México, you will have a problem getting the dead car off the books. I have read so many sad stories from folks who did not turn in the registration and then found themselves with a BIG problem because they could not return the car. If you find yourself unable to return with the car, look here for instructions. Be very sure to get a receipt showing that you turned in the permit, and bring it with you when you return in case the computer doesn't show that you turned it in. If you got your permit before 11 June 2011 and did not post a cash bond, you can skip the following section -- it doesn't apply to you, and you don't have to do a thing when you renew or change your visa. Your vehicle permit stays valid just like Article 106 says.
Updated 30 August 2011 If you have posted a bond guaranteeing the removal of your vehicle, you must notify Aduana of any change in your visa status (renewal, upgrade, etc.) in order to preserve your bond. This notification must be in the Aduana office several days before the expiration date of your visa. To be sure of meeting this vague deadline, you should plan to renew your visa at the earliest time, which is 30 days before the expiration date. As soon as you get your new visa card, file the vehicle papers with Aduana. If you must mail your paper to Aduana, you might want to use an express service rather than rely upon the Mexican snail mail. The documents required are a copy of your visa card and a copy of the temporary importation permit. You will be asked to fill out a form called Anexo 2 Adviso de Próeeunga, Ampllación o Refrendo which you can get from the Aduana office. The documents are to be presented to an Aduana office or a Banjécite CIITEV station. You will receive a receipt proving compliance with the rule. There is no charge. If there is no Aduana office in your city, you can mail the documents to the nearest office or to Aduana headquarters in DF at this address with this sample letter filled out and the English notes removed. The letter will serve as a substitute for Anexo 2.
Administración General de Aduanas
[*= number of days of your FM3 renewal – usually 365]
Estoy pidiendo a la autoridad para
extender el período de mi coche equal de mi estado de inmigración
como lo exige el Manual de Procedimientos para la importación
temporal de vehículos - Artículo 17
Possible New Car Permit
Rules
The following two items come from two
recent reports from people registering vehicles at Nuevo Laredo.
1. A vehicle permit is valid for 5 years, if your visa remains valid. [Good for only 5 years? Does that mean one must return to the border to get a new permit every 5 years? Are those of us who got permits before the bonding change grandfathered in?] 2. The car permit is associated with the date that your visa must be renewed annually . If you do not notify Aduana, your deposit will be forfeited, and you must reapply for a new permit. Not only will the bond be forfeited, but the permit itself will be void.. [This is in direct contradiction to Aduana Article 106.] None of this information appears in any Aduana webpage. I cannot verify it, so I offered it as a heads up. When you get a vehicle permit, it would be wise to spend some time quizzing the agent about the new rules.
FM2 and your
car:
The car rules under an FM2 are different from an FM3. The only
type of FM2 that allows
you to have or drive a foreign-plated vehicle is called At this time, it is unclear how this restriction will function under the new rules expected in November 2011 when FM2 and FM3 will be merged into a new classification to be called Residente Temporal. Traffic Laws: Traffic laws are a state matter, so they may not be exactly the same in every state. Almost all states publish the laws online. Do a Google search for reglamento de circulación or reglamento de vialidad transito y transporte for your state. Insurance in México: Automobile labiality insurance is required in some, but not all states, nevertheless it is VERY important to have it. I have devoted a separate page to this vital subject at Automobile Insurance. Insurance and registration back in the old country: Your car in México must have the license plates that were issued with your registration that you had when you arrived in México. (Or new plates if you change your registration.) From that time on, México has no interest in whether you keep that out-of-country registration up to date. Likewise they don't care what you do with your non-Mexican insurance. They are only interested in your plates for identification. Your "registration" in México is the permit you were issued at the border. Unless you need to drive back to the old country from time to time, you can probably save a goodly sum by letting registration lapse and canceling the insurance. If you return to the old country to live, all insurance companies will charge you a penalty for being uninsured for some period of time. Before you leave, talk with your insurance agent. He may be able to offer you a non-operating or storage policy that will keep you on the rolls for only a few dollars per year. Some of these holding policies also allow for short term re-activations when you want to return north for a visit. There are some states (NY, FL, perhaps others) that will suspend your driver's license if you do not maintain insurance on your car. This can cause you great problems if you want to drive in the USA at any time. (Unless you get a Mexican driver's license; it is recognized in the USA just as your USA license is OK in México. In those states you need to arrange non-operating registration and insurance to save you driver's license. Or you need to register your car in another state with easier rules. |
