Howard
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Nationalizing a pick up truck?
I just bought a 2000 pickup truck from a private party with Colorado plates. I am picking it up in December.
I am considering getting national Mexican license plates but looking for anyone with experience in this matter.
I have a Residente Permenente card and would occasionally like to travel to the mainland through La Paz.
What are the rules about going back into the USA with those plates? I will get American insurance when I travel north but what are the rules,
especially in California and other states?
Also, what are the major pros and cons by doing this?
Thanks,
Howard
We don't stop playing because we grow old;
we grow old because we stop playing
George Bernard Shaw
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DENNIS
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A timely question. Yesterday, my worker informed me of a rate increase for importation. He has my 10 year old Nissan pickup and was going to have it
imported six months ago......the cost being more or less 600 dollars at that time.
Today the cost for the same vehicle is 1000 dollars.
He'll stay with ANAPROMEX and keep his fingers crossed.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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Hook
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Assuming a Nissan pickup is made in Japan, I didnt think anything but a vehicle made in a NAFTA country COULD be imported.
Lots of people importing over here and if your VIN doesnt begin with a number, it cant be imported.
Now, the right amount of money in the right hands can accomplish much in Mexico.
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
Assuming a Nissan pickup is made in Japan, I didnt think anything but a vehicle made in a NAFTA country COULD be imported.
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Are you talking about "rules and regulations?" That's funny. 
Vicente also told me if the vehicle to be imported doesn't have a pink slip, the cost to import goes up by 300 dollars.
Figure that one out.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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Howard
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I was told the difference between a VIN starting with a # VS letter is the number at the start indicates a non commercial vehicle and the letter means
it is a commercial vehicle.
I am still looking for first or second hand experience driving a car with national plates into the USA and the California rules.
We don't stop playing because we grow old;
we grow old because we stop playing
George Bernard Shaw
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Bob and jane
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Yes, the VIN # on your vehicle has to start with a number. I posted the question regarding traveling in the States with a Mexican plated car on
another forum and was told by several respondents that they have had no trouble. It is legal to drive a foreign plated car in the US for up to a
year. I have no idea if California has different rules.
There is a difference between nationalizing a vehicle and importing a vehicle. A vehicle can be imported for use on the Baja peninsula and can have
Mexican plates, but it will have a different sticker in the back window and will not be allowed onto the mainland. A nationalized vehicle can be
taken to the mainland. Insurance costs are different for nationalized vehicles and imported vehicles. We have both.
U2U me if you'd like the name of a reputable agent in Otay. He will give you quotes on the cost and is very helpful. We e-mailed him our paperwork
ahead of time and we spent about 2 hours at the border finalizing the process. Very easy. Easier than finding our way out of Tijuana :-)
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Wally
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Be very careful that the vehicle is imported legally.
An individual in Los Cabos did what a lot of people did several years ago and paid a "guy" here to handle the importation for $1200 or so. After a
period of time the "guy" showed up with a BCS registration, plates and title.
This individual then sold the car to another Gringo and did whatever it is you do to transfer the title. The buyer claimed some issue was holding up
being able to get a new registration and asked the seller to renew the registration for a year so he'd have some time to workout the issue. Six months
later the buyer sold it to some other Gringo and just handed him the old title, the keys, said have a nice day and left the country.
So this new guy owns the car, has lived here in Los Cabos a couple of months, does not have a Mexican DL and gets stopped by the Federales at the
airport. The title is in the car and they ask to see it. They punch the VIN into the computer and see that the car was never legally imported and he
is off to jail--basic charge: driving a stolen, illegally imported vehicle or something like that. He spends whatever amount of time is necessary in
jail to get bailed out.
The Justice system then tracks down the original guy (his name it STILL on the title) and are prepared to charge him with illegal importation of a
vehicle. They are fully sympathetic to his situation but explain ignorance is no excuse. He has two options right now: 1. He pays a five figure
"settlement" and it goes away and they give him his now not registered car back or 2: the District Attorney charges him with the crime and he gets
shoved into the justice system where a fine is all but guaranteed and jail time is possible.
Do it right.
This is from carsdirect.com, not sure how much of it is still valid but gives you and idea.
1 Choosing the Car: Over the past few years Mexico passed an interesting law that to import a car into the country it has to be exactly 10 years
old. To qualify for importing the car has to be safe to use and in reasonable working condition. Passenger vehicles cannot carry more than 15
passengers. Pickups with a full load cannot exceed 7,056 pounds and the vehicle identification number has to correspond to a US car.
2 Documentation: You will need the following documentation when visiting the Mexican customs agency, known as the Aduana. Take with you the
registration documents, sales receipt with a description of the model, vehicle make, importer name and value. This receipt must be from the
manufacturer or a distributor. You will need a certificate of origin document, import permit passport and several copies of your passport and a bill
that is less than 3 months old that shows your name and address.
3 Fees and Taxes to Import into Mexico: When you see the Mexican customs broker, then you will need to pay an import tax between $50 to $300, a
document validation fee, new vehicle tax if applicable and the Mexican value added tax. You have to wait 72 hours after obtaining an export stamp from
the US before you can bring the car into Mexico. If you enter before this period is up you will be fined $500.
4 Where to Import: The only port where you can drive a car from the US to Mexico to import it is through the Santa Teresa Port of Entry. There is a
special US export lane that will look at all your documentation and make sure everything is in order.
5 Temporary Import Permit: If you are just travelling in Mexico, then you can get a temporary import permit. However, you do not need one to travel
in the border zone, Puerto Penasco and Baja. This permit can be obtained at the border crossing and is good for 6 months. However you must have your
car “checked out” before you leave the country and before the expiration date. This is very easy today as it is all computerized.
6 Coming back to the US: If you want to bring the car back into the US, then you can do this duty free. However, any repairs or accessories that
were done in Mexico will need to be declared. You will need proof of origin to be exempt from taxes. Your car also needs to meet all of the EPA
standards as many cars older than 1976 will not comply. The US government has several documents that detail how to import and export a vehicle that
can be very helpful.
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cabonotcho
Junior Nomad
Posts: 38
Registered: 10-31-2013
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There are several sites that can give you great info on this subject, somethings considered are the fact that rig cant be newer then 10 so Mx dealers
hv clients,cant be a heep b/c they dont want junk-also the inspection takes roughly 3 days-that said most expats will normally say they dont get
hassled having US plates but a Mexican driving US plates will. These are the postings I have seen. It use 2b an agent got 300$ and inspector 300$ plus
small plate cost-1st temporary then perminate plates awhile later.Hoping I helped some-good luck-heres a link, www.carsdirect.com.../import-car-mexico-6-steps-needed-to-im...
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Bob and jane
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Registered: 3-25-2004
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The car does not have to be exactly 10 years old. It can't be newer than a 2008 at this point nor older than 1983, I think. Not sure about that one.
And I will admit, yes, US law says that one is supposed to officially "export" a vehicle from the US before it is "imported" to another country. This
is a half-hearted effort to slow the trafficking of stolen cars to destinations south of the border. Mexico has no interest in whether the car has
been exported. They only care about the nationalizing or importing part in their own country. On the books one can be fined $500 in the US for
driving a foreign car in the US that originated in the US and was then imported to another country. Many folks apparently avoid the issue and hope
for the best. Exporting from the US requires a fee and a 72 hour impound period at the border. My agent in Otay can arrange for this as well. FYI
my agent was recommended by the folks in the Banjercito office next door. The aduana's office is also next door. And the US border is just a short
walk away. Very convenient. I have total confidence that his paperwork is on the up and up.
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Hook
Elite Nomad
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Thank you for the very thorough explanation of the process that you experienced. I had never heard about the US requirement that you EXPORT the
vehicle before importing it. Most people over here are importing a vehicle into Mexico with the idea that it will never return to the US. It becomes
their Mexican beater, for trips farther south.
And, yes, I can confirm that the 10 year old requirement is a thing of the past. It is a slot of years.
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
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bob and jane are correct...
when we imported a motor grader and excavator a few years ago we had to EXPORT it from the USA
a fee was involved to the USA
in essence it is a permission slip to take the thing out of the country
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by lencho
How about importing a Mexican vehicle to the U.S.? Toyota Mexico still sells the Hilux... |
Think it has to comply with Customs, DOT and NHTSA requirements
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bob and Susan
in essence it is a permission slip to take the thing out of the country |
That...is disgusting. Buying permission to take personal property out of the country?
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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Riom
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Posts: 492
Registered: 12-17-2004
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Howard
What are the rules about going back into the USA with those plates? I will get American insurance when I travel north but what are the rules,
especially in California and other states?
Also, what are the major pros and cons by doing this?
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When I imported my vehicle into Baja California (Norte) about three years ago, the rules were it must be made in North America and must be 5 to 10
model years old (the "exactly 10 years" is a mainland thing). I also needed a Mexican license to get the plates.
This gets Frontera plates which are legal everywhere but I understand are treated like US plates when visiting the Mexican mainland (needs temporary
import stickers for there).
The Mexican insurance policy premiums are higher for Frontera imported cars than they are for "Mexican since birth" cars (one of the reasons: imported
cars are more likely to have hard-to-find parts).
But, many policies with full coverage do include that full coverage even when visiting the USA and Canada, and also have US/Canada liability (which is
a separate but included free policy which is issued by a US company). Some policies exclude Alaska.
So, you should be able to avoid buying a separate US policy, if you're happy with what is included in the Mexican policy (the liability limits are
typically $100k combined, but easily meet the US legal minimums). Do check the Mexican policy carefully, they are all slightly different.
For travel in Canada, the Mexican companies can issue the required yellow proof-of-insurance card as well, if the coverage is high enough for the
higher Canadian limits. It's possible to get add-on policies to increase the US/Canada liability.
I've had no problems at all driving the car in the US and Canada, with my Mexican plates and license. Even in Arizona it doesn't seem to get profiled
and pulled over as "driving while Mexican". I'm not a resident or citizen of either of the US or Canada, so it may be a little different if you do
have a main residence north of the border, but I find it keeps it simple, having my license, plates, and Mexican residential address all matching.
However, all of this is irrelevant if you can't import that truck. It's worth checking with an importer or two to see whether the truck rules are
different or if there have been changes, but based on the rules in force at the time I imported, it wouldn't be eligible.
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