BajaNomad - Vehicle Permits

Vehicle Permits

JRabbit - 2-12-2008 at 08:37 PM

Today I went to the Consulado General de Mexico in my hometown of Vancouver, Canada as we are leaving on our road trip to Baja/Mainland Mexico this week. I went there to ask if we could;

a.) Obtain our Tourist Cards (and then get them stamped upon arrival in TJ) which, FYI to anyone in Vancouver wondering the same, you cannot.

b.) If we need to return our vehicle permit to the office in which it was issued upon our departure from Mexico. Apparently we have to but I thought I remembered seeing a post on here saying that this was not the case.

I am sure they are correct but I just want to be sure as it will be a pain if we decide to leave through Mainland Mexico and not double back through Baja.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

vandenberg - 2-12-2008 at 09:14 PM

Only thing I remember coming back from the mainland on the Los Mochis- La Paz ferry was that the office for returning your vehicle permit was closed, ( Ferry delayed ) and we turned our permit in at the Santa Rosalia office several weeks later. No repercussion or even a frown, so must have been within the law. :saint:

Must mean that as long as you turn it in before you leave the Country you should be alright, ANYWHERE permits are issued. :?:

[Edited on 2-13-2008 by vandenberg]

bajalou - 2-12-2008 at 09:53 PM

I got permit near Sonoyta in Sonora and was told to return it at any port of exit. I returned it in Mexicali. No problems.

osoflojo - 2-13-2008 at 05:14 AM

If you leave the mainland via Hwy 15, there is a place (well marked) where you can drop off your permit. It is about 20 kms south of Nogales.

ursidae69 - 2-13-2008 at 08:31 AM

You can return your vehicle permit at any major port of exit. Just make sure you return it and get a receipt. You will give your CC to get the permit and if you don't return it you will eventually get charged a large bond fee on your CC. You also will never be allowed to get another vehicle permit if you don't return the old one. It is all computerized and associated with your name and passport #.

dtbushpilot - 2-13-2008 at 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ursidae69
You can return your vehicle permit at any major port of exit. Just make sure you return it and get a receipt. You will give your CC to get the permit and if you don't return it you will eventually get charged a large bond fee on your CC. You also will never be allowed to get another vehicle permit if you don't return the old one. It is all computerized and associated with your name and passport #.

dtbushpilot - 2-13-2008 at 09:15 AM

We found out the hard way that you can't return your import permit at Tecate. We chose to cross the border and return through TJ. What a hassle but that's another story.

Hook - 2-13-2008 at 09:51 AM

One cannot stress enough the importance of getting the receipt for turning it in. Ask if they are able to generate a receipt before you hand it over. I have heard stories of being charged the bond for not being able to produce the receipt or the sticker. Also heard of persons who turned in the sticker and later were accused of not turning it in. They had kept the receipt; end of argument. This part of the system is computerized all over Mexico, but I dont believe EVERY port of entry is set up to accept them.

BTW, I returned my mainland permit about 6 months late and suffered no repercussions but I had the original paperwork and the sticker.

About the sticker; it is a two part sandwich. I peeled off only the top layer and it left a very faint image on my windshield. When I got to the window, the gal told me to go back and get the remainder. I was surprised to see that it was more than just adhesive.

dtbushpilot - 2-13-2008 at 02:54 PM

We came down the mainland and crossed on the ferry to La Paz. I tried to return the permit in La Paz since we were planning on leaving Mexico in Baja. I was told that they had no provisions for taking the permits, only issuing them and that we could turn them in at any border crossing. We went to Tecate and were told that we had to go to TJ or Mexicali. We crossed the border into the US and drove to San Yisidro. I parked on the US side of the border, took the sticker off of the windshield and my paperwork and walked across the border.(this had been suggested by an official looking person in Tecate). When I finally found the place a few blocks from the border I was told that had to have the car with me.(of course I did) I knew it wouldn't be that easy. By then it was Friday afternoon and after waiting about 2 hours in the pedestrian line to get back to my car I was in no mood to go back across. I went home (San Diego) and came back first thing in the morning when my sense of humor had returned. From there it was easy and I was back home before lunch.

awfulart - 2-14-2008 at 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dtbushpilot
We came down the mainland and crossed on the ferry to La Paz. I tried to return the permit in La Paz since we were planning on leaving Mexico in Baja. I was told that they had no provisions for taking the permits, only issuing them and that we could turn them in at any border crossing. We went to Tecate and were told that we had to go to TJ or Mexicali. We crossed the border into the US and drove to San Yisidro. I parked on the US side of the border, took the sticker off of the windshield and my paperwork and walked across the border.(this had been suggested by an official looking person in Tecate). When I finally found the place a few
blocks from the border I was told that had to have the car with me.(of course I did) I knew it wouldn't be that easy. By
then it was Friday afternoon and after waiting about 2 hours in the pedestrian line to get back to my car I was in no mood to go back across. I went home (San Diego) and came back first thing in the morning when my sense of humor had returned. From there it was easy and I was back home before lunch.

Tourist Friendly Mexico ??