USA plated car in Ensenada perm resident
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Check and see if they talk about it in their info area.
jamesr3939 wrote:I am not but plan to become when time gets closer.聽 Do you have a US address?聽 That might be the issue.聽 We plan to keep a home base in either CA or TX once we retire and our condo is completed.聽 So we will still have a US license and registration address for our cars.
Thanks James but there lies the problem, I am a permanent resident and am prohibited by federal law from driving a USA plated car . My immigration attorney told me that. Now I am moving into a free zone in Ensenada and I am getting conflicting answers from people. Some say yes some say no . Sigh I might need to drive all the way into Tucson consulate before I go .
Seems problem with consulates is you don't get the same answer from different places.
jamesr3939 wrote:I am not but plan to become when time gets closer.聽 Do you have a US address?聽 That might be the issue.聽 We plan to keep a home base in either CA or TX once we retire and our condo is completed.聽 So we will still have a US license and registration address for our cars.
Thanks so much I found the answer there but it鈥檚 not really a answer lol but I am not going to take a chance
Please explain what you mean that the matter of Residente Permanentes owning / driving a foreign-plated car in the Vehicle Free Zones is a 鈥渕oot issue in the law presently鈥�. I have tried for years to find out if a RP in the free zones can legally drive a foreign plated vehicle and I鈥檝e had no success. If looked at the Aduana and SAT websites and haven鈥檛 been able to find anything. I also haven鈥檛 been able to find any info regarding what I can and can鈥檛 do as a RP. Please help.
Mexperience
Hi Stephan: By 鈥渕oot鈥� we meant that it鈥檚 subject to debate and uncertainty (as you鈥檝e discovered there is a lack of clear legal guidance); we understand that there are people with RP status who own and run foreign plated vehicles in the free zones without any apparent problem; however, as that situation is a well-known gray area in the law, it鈥檚 not therefore assured and anyone with RP and a foreign plated vehicle needs to be prepared to respond accordingly if and when the legal situation in this matter is made clear either way.
If you are just crossing the border you can have a U.S. plate, you can drive around in the free zone and have no problems. Once you drive beyond the free zone then you need to pay an import fee ( this is for visitors).
If you become a permanente and drive a U.S. plated car you can have problems and lose your car in MEXICO ( the country, not just the city).
I suppose you could risk it and figure you will never be stopped, but I wouldn't.聽 While driving a U.S. plated car I got stopped often, with a Mx. plated car rarely. T.J. and Ensenada get a lot of U.S. traffic, so likely the cops don't focus on plates that much. If they do they can get pretty unpleasant. Plus a U.S. plate says visitor and money, someone who will be in and out and if they have a problem who cares, they will be back in the U.S. soon.
I don't live in the T.J. area, but visit friends there. People living in the free zones T.J. areas, and Cancun area tend to get pretty confused about the rules of the country.聽 I'm permanent and have lived and traveled in Mexico for over 7 years.
Being an American citizen driving a U.S. plated is sort of a given, Even people who have Mexican parentage, as well as the U.S, are聽 American by law (so far).
Many born in the U.S. and living in Mexico who have Mexican parentage drive the U.S. plated cars to work and shop in the U.S. . It's easier, which should tell you something. Being a Mexican citizen is a whole new issue, so stick to the main question.
You are an American citizen with a resident Permanente right? The question is can you, a聽 R.P. drive a U.S. plated car, right?聽 The answer so far is no not legally. When you did the R.P. paperwork not having a foreign plated car was part of that paperwork. To ignore that could jeopardize your car, but also your R.P. status.
Mexperience is a good website I often recommend for general information, but even they have problems with the shifting laws and rules now. If I were you I would play it safe, and move to a Mx. plated car fairly quickly.
Always better safe than sorry. Plus sometimes people offering a service for money want to tell you what you want to hear.
If you pay attention to the current politics you should be very careful. I know the visitor information page changed radically after the election, and funding for many Mexican based programs and agencies were reduced or eliminated. My friend's daughter has seen radical changes in education and funding for many things.聽 She has a Ph.D. in education here.
Potential income for Mexico from tourists and sporting events have taken a back seat. Not a time to test limits or challenge laws
It doesn't really impact temp or perm residents.聽 But those of us who haven't gotten there yet and still just visit should be aware.聽 Prior to 2015 you could visit the northern Baja area without any permit.聽 This was the area people still want to call the "free zone" (20 kilometers from the border and less than 72 hours).聽 聽
After September 2015 everybody traveling into the former "free zone" has to have a Forma Migratoria Multiple (FMM).聽 It's free for stays of seven days or less or you can get one for $37 that's good for six months for multiple trips back and forth.聽 You can stop and get a FMM at the major border crossings.聽 聽 聽
There is one place wwwdiscoverbaja.com where you can purchase the FMM in advance.聽 They process and Email it to you.聽 Then all you have to do is get it stamped when you first enter Mexico.聽 We did that in February and it was an easy quick stop at the TJ crossing to get it stamped.聽 If you wait to purchase the six month FMM at the border you have to walk next door to a bank to pay for it and come back with the receipt.
Be aware that many things are changing and will likely change again.聽 Some things have changed just since last year. 2015 is sort of irrelevant., The current administration and president were not in office then.
travellight wrote:Be aware that many things are changing and will likely change again.聽 Some things have changed just since last year. 2015 is sort of irrelevant., The current administration and president were not in office then.
Change/likely change in Mexico?聽 No Way!聽 My info about 2015 wasn't聽 irrelevant the law DID change and did away with the "free zone" where no tourist card was needed.聽 There is no border check asking for your FMM.聽 You are on the honor system.聽 Discover Baja also sells MX insurance, which we do purchase in advance also.聽 They point out that for MX auto insurance to be valid you must obey all laws.聽 It might a ploy to sell FMM's but they mention that not having an FMM might not be obeying all laws.聽 Personally, I'm not taking the chance for $37.聽 聽
As of February 2019 nothing changed from what I posted when we last crossed into Baja.聽 So apparently the 2015 process after is still good, as of today (who knows about tomorrow).聽 I find the Discover Baja www site to be very up to date.聽 They are great at posting road changes (which happen often in Baja) and the tourist information stays current.聽
Since they are the only US vendor allowed to process FMM's I do give them some street cred.
jamesr3939 wrote:travellight wrote:Be aware that many things are changing and will likely change again.聽 Some things have changed just since last year. 2015 is sort of irrelevant., The current administration and president were not in office then.
Change/likely change in Mexico?聽 No Way!聽 My info about 2015 wasn't聽 irrelevant the law DID change and did away with the "free zone" where no tourist card was needed.聽 There is no border check asking for your FMM.聽 You are on the honor system.聽 Discover Baja also sells MX insurance, which we do purchase in advance also.聽 They point out that for MX auto insurance to be valid you must obey all laws.聽 It might a ploy to sell FMM's but they mention that not having an FMM might not be obeying all laws.聽 Personally, I'm not taking the chance for $37.聽 聽
As of February 2019 nothing changed from what I posted when we last crossed into Baja.聽 So apparently the 2015 process after is still good, as of today (who knows about tomorrow).聽 I find the Discover Baja www site to be very up to date.聽 They are great at posting road changes (which happen often in Baja) and the tourist information stays current.聽
Since they are the only US vendor allowed to process FMM's I do give them some street cred.
"Change/likely change in Mexico?聽 No Way! "
This is what I'm concerned about. There have been major changes in Mexico beyond just Baja. I live in Mexico and I know many jobs have been lost and people are concerned.聽 I know the new in-process airport in Mexico isn't in process since the election. Money spent but plans change. Contracted workers are not needed and most are contract workers now. Regulations to license my car changed since the year before. How police agencies function and who they answer to changed. One could almost write a book about the changes.
My point about 2015 was that was then, The changes are not set in stone and could easily change tomorrow, next week or next year, Noone should assume things will never change.
If you are driving a plated USA car then you must have a license from the USA that's it. It's not complicated.
Chilangolite wrote:If you drive your car into Baja California Mexico nobody is asking for a FMM or anything.
If you are driving a plated USA car then you must have a license from the USA that's it. It's not complicated.
They might not ask at the border for the FMM but it's still the law and our real estate agent said they might ask for it especially if you have a negative encounter with the police.聽 We have never gotten the red light crossing in.聽 I wonder if we did if they would ask for the FMM.聽 It's the law so I'm getting it.
That is what you have to be ready for. Know your rights and be clear and polite.
I was asked if I had an international license, they implied that I needed one. I knew it was a convenience not a valid required license so I just said I would check into that.
Another time I was asked ( in my Mx plated car) where I was going. I was going home and told them so. Then one of them said how long did I plan to be there? The other cop just looked at him and we all laughed. ( it was obviously a pull over all cars or truck that are red day.) Sounds silly, I know, but sometimes they seem to just choose criteria and use it.
jamesr3939 wrote:Chilangolite wrote:If you drive your car into Baja California Mexico nobody is asking for a FMM or anything.
If you are driving a plated USA car then you must have a license from the USA that's it. It's not complicated.
They might not ask at the border for the FMM but it's still the law and our real estate agent said they might ask for it especially if you have a negative encounter with the police.聽 We have never gotten the red light crossing in.聽 I wonder if we did if they would ask for the FMM.聽 It's the law so I'm getting it.
Red light/Green light entering Mexico is only ADUANA - Mexican Customs when driving. To see Mexican Immigration when driving you need to stop at the INM -Mexican Immigration office. If walking through San Diego at the San Yisidro crossing you pass through ADUANA and INM and they want to see your passport, ask you how long you will be in Mexico and give you an FMM form to fill out no matter how long you plan to be in Mexico.
Since we already had the completed form and payment receipt in hand we just went into the INM office at San Ysidro they stamped it and we were on our way.聽
Now that Discover Baja has our information on file I can just send them an EMail and they will process us another six month FMM.聽 Plus, they have pretty good rates for MX car insurance so I don't have to stop and buy that either.
Chilangolite wrote:They would not ask.
I know, before we realized it was the law we drove several time without FMM's.
Are you talking about a聽 Mexican counsel in the U.S or a U,S, counsel in Mexico? And help to do what?
聽 They are nothing like you see in the movies!!
Owning a vehicle
1- if your are a permanent resident of Mexico you can't own or bring in Mexico a foreign plated vehicle
2- if you are a temporary resident of Mexico (up to 4 yeras) you can temporarily import your foreign plated vehicle but you need the TIP (temporary import permit)
Driving a vehicle
1- no matter your residency status (permanent, temporary or visitor FMM), you can drive a foreign plated vehicle BUT
A- you must have a valid driver's license (Mexican or foreign)
B- if the vehicle is a foreign plated with TIP THAN the owner or spouse must always be present in the vehicle
Hoping this is helpful and sure there are many illegal vehicles in Mexico
Adios y buen dia a todos, GyC.
(in this case being a permanent resident than doesn't apply based on my understanding)
Adios otra vez, GyC
I found out the hard way. I skipped the 鈥渢emporal鈥� visa and got the Permanente. I wanted to drive my dogs to Los Cabos and get my Permanent Resident Card. I can NOT do that now and I haven鈥檛 figured out what to do!
Also, 鈥渢emporal visa鈥� is also okay to drive foreign plated vehicles in Mexico.
We've had extensive posts on this issue in the recent past.
You cannot take a rental across the border.
My friends have been discouraging me from moving to Mexico. They won鈥檛 ride or drive down there.
Oh well, maybe it wasn鈥檛 meant to be. Very disappointing. I was almost there!!
I also have left several messages at the consulate to see if I could change my visa from Permanente to Temporal but so far no reply.
Thanks for replying!
I actually went to my Visa appointment to get a Temporal Visa. But, since I had all the paperwork for either I decided to go for the Permanente.
That was my mistake. Now I am stuck without a car to drive in Mexico. I can鈥檛 even drive to complete my聽 Permanent Resident Card.
Can I change my card to Temporal? Do you know?
You can lose your status by waiting for the expiration and not renewing, another way is to enter into Mexico as a tourist, but that is NOT recommended, I am only stating a fact.
@Mel01
Hello. I drove my West Coast plated Ford truck ambulance into Ensenada through the Border in Sept 2021 easily enough and enjoyed a couple of weeks and driving and parking around the city with great ease. No one said a thing. No documents aside from my driver's license were requested at the border or anywhere else.
My service dog and I could have stayed longer if I did not have other obligations in the states at the time. I know a few of the entry rules have changed recently but I hope it is as easy for you now as it was for us last year.
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