We will be moving to La Paz at the end of November 2016 and will have applied for permanent resident status. We will conclude the process in La Paz. We intend to drive our vehicle from the USA to Baja and use it only there. From what I have read so far, it seems that we do not need a special permit for this. 1) Is this correct? 2) Do we have to get Mexican plates if we live in La Paz? 3) Do we need to get a Mexican driver`s license when we are there? 4) The most important question is: I have read different information about the years of vehicles we can drive and maintain permanent visa status. We had planned to bring (drive) a 2016 Toyota. Some reports I read later do not say that 2011 is allowed. Please tell me what is correct or where I can get an official answer. We don`t want to trade in our car before we move, but more importantly, we don`t want to be confiscated when we get there. I have not been able to get the answer on the Internet so far and it is almost impossible to reach a consulate. Well, to legally import your car into Mexico from the United States or Canada, the cost is around $2 to $8,000 USD. And this amount is completely out of reach for many people who don`t have the extra money or are on a very tight budget.
So, of course, many expats who move to Mexico drive their foreign cars illegally to Mexico because they can`t afford to buy a new one and import them. Here are the prerequisites to be eligible for the regularization of chocolate cars: Schokoladenautos “illegal imported cars” can now be regulated, if you or someone you know owns this type of vehicle, you care. There may be a procedure to “nationalize” your car if it was legally imported under the TIP program. However, the rules are complex and not all cars are eligible. We recommend that you seek the advice of a customs broker before importing the car. NB: Also make sure that the agent is accredited by the Mexican Ministry of Finance (Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público). According to the decree issued on January 19, 2022, the cost of regularizing chocolate wagons is 2,500 pesos for the concept of use and the corresponding procedures. The association called on President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to issue guidelines and allocate funds to address the root causes of smuggled cars. López Obrador explained that legalizing “chocolate cars” would help poor families who need them get to work, saying that “they use them because they can`t afford to buy a car from an agency.” With these cars, they can take their children to school,” he said. Bringing your car to Mexico can be one of the most pressing questions you can ask yourself when researching after your move. Every year, thousands of cars cross the border between Canada and the United States and Mexico to get to Mexico. Many of them have temporary import permits.
But many of them stay beyond the expiration of this permit, making them illegal in Mexico. “It`s a mistake to legalize contraband vehicles. This will have an impact on the economy and cause pollution and insecurity that will threaten people`s lives,” AMDA director Guillermo Rosales said Tuesday in an interview with Mexican radio MVS. Hello Kent, The rules for car imports have changed and been strengthened in recent years, hence the information in this article. Our article on “Living in Mexico without a car” (www.mexperience.com/living-in-mexico-without-a-car/) is more about considering lifestyle choices than avoiding car imports. Long-term residents who want/need a car tend to buy one locally and completely avoid the paperwork for importing a car. The pardon, which allows owners of “chocolate nauts” to pay a one-time fee of 2,500 pesos ($124) to officially legalize and register their vehicles, only applies to cars that were already in the country when the decree went into effect on Oct. 19, 2021. Only cars, vans, trucks and SUVs manufactured in North America can be registered in Mexico. The first digit of your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) starts with a 1 – 5, and then they are manufactured in North America. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador recently signed a decree legalizing used cars illegally imported into Mexico, also known as “chocolate nautos.” If you want to import your car into Mexico permanently – and by that we mean registering your car with the Mexican government – it varies across the country.
But first, a few tips. If you`re planning to import a car into Mexico, you may just want to sell your car and buy a new one once you`re a resident. It can be quite difficult to legalize your car in Mexico. Bringing a car permanently to Mexico is not easy, and there is a strict criterion for nationalization. There`s a good chance your beloved vehicle won`t meet these meticulous standards. Remember that this is important if you brought your car to Mexico and obtained the TIP authorization at the border, which is attached to the paper form on which the sticker is affixed (the sticker must be on your windshield); You must submit the original TIP permit and paper form to Mexican Customs before picking up your vehicle across the border. If you return to Mexico in your vehicle and have not returned your TIP, your vehicle is already in their system, which means they are preventing what looks like a second foreign vehicle in Mexico. Those protesting the new law have argued for a negative impact on the local economy and declining production and sales of new cars, putting 2 million jobs of people working for automakers at risk. In addition, a general impact of the decree on crime is debated, as many have criticized the fact that it appears to advocate more illegal activities and allows organized crime to launder foreign cars already in its possession, as well as negative effects on pollution and the health of residents due to their high mileage and age.
Please explain what you mean by which the issue of owning or driving a foreign car in VZs is a “contentious issue under the law”. I spent years trying to figure out whether a PR could legally drive a foreign-registered vehicle in the FTZs, and I didn`t succeed. When I looked at the websites of Aduana and SAT and found nothing. I also haven`t found any information on what I can and can`t do as a PR. Help, please. The current decree stipulates that cars lined with foreigners in Mexico that are not registered in Mexico will receive their Mexican license plates and can be legally registered. The cost of this operation is only MXN$2500 (about US$125) – which is significantly lower than the US$3 to US$4,000 that would traditionally be required to import your car. The number of chocolate cars circulating in the country is about 18 million, which is equivalent to 25% of the total vehicle fleet in Mexico in 2020, according to estimates in the Federation`s Revenue Law.