Hi. I am a new member but have crossed several times by car going to my house in BCS. I stop at Tecate and get tourist cards but never register the
car as I don't know when I will return it. I often fly back and forth. (I have a nice Jeep and a clunker down there.) I get papers at La Paz if I
decide to drive back by way of the mainland.
I am going to now use the Jeep to bring down a small fishing boat and trailer. They will stay down indefinitely. Boat and trailer are legally
registered in the US and insured in Mexico on my car policy. The boat is 15' 11" which gets it under the 4.5 meter length that some say determines if
anyone really cares. I am told that at one time a "boat license" was also needed but this has perhaps been dropped. And some say that you need an
import license for the boat but it is good for 10 years. Others say not if it is under 4.5 meters. And the trailer, who knows? And does any of this
apply in the Frontier region (Baja)? Compounding all this is I really don't want to register the car importation as it will likely stay down for
several years. And as they will be connected at the crossing it is hard to point at just one.
Does anyone have advice on what the real deal is?
Thanks for your help.
JJdtbushpilot - 7-25-2010 at 08:02 PM
I brought my 14' boat down on top of an enclosed trailer with a quad inside. Later I brought the boat trailer down with a kayak on it. Wasn't asked
for anything either time. The boat and both trailers were registered in the US and I had current registration and insurance for all although none was
asked for. Don't tell them that you plan to leave anything in Mexico, just smile and say "bacation"........dtfishabductor - 7-25-2010 at 08:05 PM
Bring all the papers for everything. I have been checked the last 2 trips down. They wanted papers for the trailer and the quads. and the other time
the boat and trailer. Oh yeah and once on a travel trailer...so the last 3x!!BajaJeeper - 7-25-2010 at 09:00 PM
Got it. I guess the question really is when I fish BCS will I need anything other than my US registrations and titles. I don't on my car (as long as
I am on "bacation"). But I don't want to be fined because of the lack of some BS paper for the boat. Obviously all on board will have fishing
licenses.
JJDavid K - 7-25-2010 at 09:08 PM
Hi BajaJeeper (you need to meet Ken Cooke),
You say you are on a Tourist Card... so you know that this: "I am going to now use the Jeep to bring down a small fishing boat and trailer. They will
stay down indefinitely" ... is illegal for you... Perhaps worse than bringing beef into Baja Sur or driving on a deserted beach
Because 'Tourists' cannot leave personal property in Mexico at the end of your vacation. You would no longer be a 'tourist', but instead a 'part time
resident' requiring an FM-3 or whatever the new visa is called. I am sure it is a common violation, but your 'rights' to your property are probably
lost should something happen to them... Just some news that you or others might want to be aware of.
[Edited on 7-26-2010 by David K]dtbushpilot - 7-25-2010 at 09:27 PM
Like I said, you aren't leaving anything in MX, you're on "bacation" weather you have a FMM, FM3, FM2 etc. has always worked for me. Be sure to have
any paperwork with you. Keep your US registration current on your stuff and you won't have an issue.....I think. Smile a lot and act like a dumb
gringo.....easy for me.
The requirement for a boat permit was elimimated a while back.....again, I think. Be sure that you and everyone else has a fishing licence on the
boat. None needed if fishing from the shore.
Where do you live in BCS?
[Edited on 7-26-2010 by dtbushpilot]MitchMan - 7-26-2010 at 06:08 AM
The questions that BajaJeeper is asking, as I see it, is whether or not he needs some kind of Mexican license to have his boat and boat trailer in the
Baja given that his boat is 15' 11" and that he is a holder of an fmm and has a house in the Baja.
Whenever a question like this is asked, we nomads answer in one of two ways: 1)What one can successfully "get a way with", and 2) the existing
letter of the law, that is, the "official" correct and complete legal answer.
While both types of answers are actually significant and important and should be known from a practical standpoint. I am usually only interested
specifically in what is the legal, correct, and complete answer. What one can get a way with is very subjective, ultimately unreliable, and will
differ widely from location to location and from person to person within the Baja.
So far on this thread, I am hearing only the "what I can get away with" answer.
DT gives good practical advice here. Personally and more and more I am using the "dumb" gringo and the "yo no hablo espanol" approach together with
the "don't look the police in the eye" as you pass them in your vehicle method.
What I would be most concerned with is the lack of rights you have with regard to your ownership of your Baja house and the "left behind in Baja"
personal property due to your holding only an FMM instead of an FM3 or FM2. If nothing ever comes up, you'll probably be fine, but if you ever need
to defend your ownership of either the real estate or the vehicles and boat, you could be extremely vulnerable to loss.
BTW BajaJeeper, 4.5 meters = 14 ft, 7.6 inches.
[Edited on 7-26-2010 by MitchMan]BajaJeeper - 7-26-2010 at 06:21 AM
dt - My place is in San Jose. And when I'm there, I am truly on"bacation".
Mitch - I agree about needing to understand both answers, and hopefully someone will weigh in with more information. And your math is no doubt better
than mine. But actually I typed it wrong, and the boat is 13'11", so I am in fact under the 4.5 meter cutoff (if it in fact exists under the law). I
tried to get the US title issued in meters, but the form would not allow it.
JJfishabductor - 7-26-2010 at 07:26 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by BajaJeeper
dt - My place is in San Jose. And when I'm there, I am truly on"bacation".
JJ
You US papers are all you need. This is just to insure that the items are actually your and not stolen. Lots of stolen property gets brought to MX.
If you have a house in San Jose. You need a FM3. It is in your best interest and it is the law. Even with the FM3, you still are not supposed to bring
things in that are not imported and leave them here. We all do, but it is against the law. I'd sure hate to have them start enforcing it. We'd all
lose a lot of items that were smuggled in!!
You don't need a boat permit in Mexico anylonger, however if you are fishing out of a boat you will need fishing licensesfor all involved. They did
away with the boat permit a couple years ago.Alan - 7-26-2010 at 08:40 PM
It was my understanding that with the new changes in the immigration law an FM3 isn't required to leave belongings or own property in Mx. I heard it
was all of matter of length of stay. Under 180 days at a time no problemo. Of course I think I read that in the GG so who knows?rts551 - 7-26-2010 at 09:07 PM
Are you part time resident? or a tourist?
do you wish to risk confiscation of your property and deportation?
Ownership papers are all that is needed to come down as a tourist. Leaving stuff behind at a house you "own" is another issue.
FM3 to buy property?
1bobo - 7-26-2010 at 09:19 PM
If that's true it's something new. I bought & sold a property along the corridor (bank trust) 2000-2006 with only an FMT.Bob and Susan - 7-27-2010 at 05:36 AM
that's just another "urban myth"
to buy and sell property you ONLY need to be in the country legally
