BajaNomad - Planning our move to La Paz.

Planning our move to La Paz.

BMG - 8-29-2007 at 11:20 AM

I guess this is going to be the beginning of my series of questions that we have about our move in October. I have found answers to many of my questions already on this forum - "Thanks!"

We are planning on getting a Menaje de Casa. Somes friends of ours recently did that for a Nogales border crossing and ended up never even showing it to a single official during their entire trip down to Las Bocas. Others on this forum seem to have problems even with the stamped documents in hand.

My 1st question: Seems to be some disagreement on whether it's best to get the Menaje de Casa or just pay a duty when crossing. We don't have a bunch of stuff since we've been living on our sailboat for the last 12 years but it seems everyone is loading us up on furniture that they've been paying storage on for years so we expect to have a 10' or 12' trailer load. Who here votes for Manaje and who votes for declaring and paying a duty?

2nd question: Is it better to let a border official know that you speak Spanish or to just play the iggy and pretend not to understand more than a few words?

I'll leave it at those 2 for now but any more suggestions, recommendations, or advice is appreciated.

BTW, just a reminder at to why we chose La Paz instead of moving back to Idaho.

car.jpg - 38kB

bajamigo - 8-29-2007 at 11:26 AM

Bajaguy just had a successful experience moving here. You may want to U2U him.

Diver - 8-29-2007 at 12:09 PM

With the small amount of goods you are taking with, might it be construed that you are just taking things to furnish a rental unit for a few months ?
In case you are challenged, receipts will keep the duty reasonable.
I would have "official loking" receipts (used value) for as much as you can of the larger items or just one for "furniture", just in case.

I don't know how much the Menaje and all that costs but your potential duty may not be much.

.

Bajagypsy - 8-29-2007 at 12:22 PM

Are you sure that was Idaho??? Could have been Saskatchewan!!!! It went down to 2 degrees last night :fire:

Edit:
I forgot to say congrats on moving down, lucky family!!

[Edited on 8-29-2007 by Bajagypsy]

Osprey - 8-29-2007 at 12:53 PM

Been a while but: I had every thing I ever touched in a great big long open trailer so I thought I had better do the manaje. Knocked my socks off to make everything just like they wanted it, had a pal, a street-wise Mexican national meet me at the border. We both made nice in every language and it still cost me 100 bucks for something the consulate said would be free. Keep your cool -- you'll only do it once. Suerte! You will love La Paz.

Diver - 8-29-2007 at 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bajagypsy
!! It went down to 2 degrees last night :fire:

Don't wait any longer; get out while you still can !!! :wow:

BajaWarrior - 8-29-2007 at 12:57 PM

BMG, check your U2U.

BW

805gregg - 8-29-2007 at 12:58 PM

I just spent 5 days in La Paz, we loved it, and you don't even have to stop at stop signs.

longlegsinlapaz - 8-29-2007 at 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 805gregg
I just spent 5 days in La Paz, we loved it, and you don't even have to stop at stop signs.

BAAAAAD advice 805gregg!!! If you DON'T STOP, then you're likely to rear-end me!!

I DO STOP....and being from Oregon, it's a complete stop versus a California rolling stop! :spingrin:

And YES, I have been rear-ended because I made a legal stop! :no:

edinnopolo - 8-29-2007 at 07:23 PM

Many years ago I asked a Mexican friend , a Paceno, why they kind of ignored the Alto signs, he laughed and told me they were only suggestions. Dead serious also.
Just to let you know what the natives think. :no:

msteve1014 - 8-29-2007 at 07:42 PM

maybe checking the mirrors when you are are driving would be a good plan, if you know LOTS of people run stop signs in mexico

longlegsinlapaz - 8-29-2007 at 08:30 PM

I CHECKED my rear view mirror and I checked the cross flow traffic & opted to get rear-ended rather than side impact from the guy running the stop sign to my left! You guys may think I'm dumb...I prefer to believe that I made an immediate judgment call in the best interest of MY physical safety! A skinny door versus a large trunk & TWO seat backs between me & the inevitable....it was a good call!! :yes:

jeffg - 8-30-2007 at 05:55 AM

We tried the Menaje de Casa (at Otay) when we took a trailer load of stuff down to our casa in Los Barriles. Everything was all detailed and approved by the consulate in San Diego. But at the border that didn't mean much. No one really wanted to deal with the Menaje. We were sent from one broker to the next, maybe in an hour, no, maybe you need to come back tomorrow. After 3 or 4 hours of this I asked if we could forget about the Menaje and just pay duty on the load. That was the ticket, about an hour later we were out of there. The duty was less than the original cost of the Menaje de Casa.

So my vote would be just go and pay the duty.

Jeff

805gregg - 8-30-2007 at 07:24 AM

I stopped for maybe 2 days, then just drove like the locals, I do stop for pedestrians, and got honked at, flipped off and had one guy behind me zoom past and almost hit the people walking. I didn't get it whats the hurry?

Thanks for the info.

BMG - 8-30-2007 at 09:31 AM

I've been getting even more via U2U. It's all very much appreciated. Looking forward to hearing from more of you about your experiences moving households across the border. We're getting antsy to get moved.

"Maybe you should put the top up at night..." - Then why buy a convertible?

"...might it be construed that you are just taking things to furnish a rental unit for a few months ?" - I never thought about how it might be construed. Would that be an issue for or against us?

"Could have been Saskatchewan!!!! It went down to 2 degrees last night." - I was really worried for you until I remembered you use C and I still think in F. Must have felt rather balmy. Did it help the bananas ripen?

"...ignored the Alto signs, he laughed and told me they were only suggestions." - I once asked my father-in-law why no one stopped at the alto sign at the railroad tracks. He told me you only have to stop if there is a train coming. Ya think?!?

"...(ie blink the brake lights)..." - Great, this means I need to get my lights working.

"The duty was less than the original cost of the Menaje de Casa." - This seems to be the general feeling unless the goods are being transported by a mover.

"I didn't get it whats the hurry?" - Kind of an odd thing. Race down residential streets weaving in and out of traffic while blowing thru stops to get somewhere 2 minutes sooner to do nothing.

CaboRon - 9-1-2007 at 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BMG
I've been getting even more via U2U. It's all very much appreciated. Looking forward to hearing from more of you about your experiences moving households across the border. We're getting antsy to get moved.

"Maybe you should put the top up at night..." - Then why buy a convertible?

"...might it be construed that you are just taking things to furnish a rental unit for a few months ?" - I never thought about how it might be construed. Would that be an issue for or against us?

"Could have been Saskatchewan!!!! It went down to 2 degrees last night." - I was really worried for you until I remembered you use C and I still think in F. Must have felt rather balmy. Did it help the bananas ripen?

"...ignored the Alto signs, he laughed and told me they were only suggestions." - I once asked my father-in-law why no one stopped at the alto sign at the railroad tracks. He told me you only have to stop if there is a train coming. Ya think?!?

"...(ie blink the brake lights)..." - Great, this means I need to get my lights working.

"The duty was less than the original cost of the Menaje de Casa." - This seems to be the general feeling unless the goods are being transported by a mover.

"I didn't get it whats the hurry?" - Kind of an odd thing. Race down residential streets weaving in and out of traffic while blowing thru stops to get somewhere 2 minutes sooner to do nothing.

BMG,

Thank's for starting the thread.... i too am moving to la paz

in october..... good luck to you.... as to the Manaja i am

leaning toward just going for whatever deal i can make at

the border..... no trailer just the bronco loaded ... with a

box spring and mattress on the roof rack :lol:

CaboRon

I will be crossing on the morning of tues oct 2
:bounce:

[Edited on 9-2-2007 by CaboRon]

fdt - 9-1-2007 at 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 805gregg
I stopped for maybe 2 days, then just drove like the locals, I do stop for pedestrians, and got honked at, flipped off and had one guy behind me zoom past and almost hit the people walking. I didn't get it whats the hurry?

Funny, I think the first stop light was at the intersection of 16 de Septiembre and Revolucion and a choyero was driving by there and got a red light, well as he waited and waited for it to change, he started getting desperate and started honking at it to change :lol: