BajaNomad

Any USA plated vehicles confiscated?

MitchMan - 12-18-2013 at 09:01 PM

Not much has been said lately about the issue of holders of Residente Permanente status driving USA plated vehicles in Baja.

Does anyone have first hand knowledge of any recent confiscations USA plated vehicle being confiscated from Residente Permanente drivers in Baja?

weebray - 12-18-2013 at 09:31 PM

Keep asking this question enough and you'll get the answer your're looking for. This burro has been kicked around enough. Put a sock in it!

CortezBlue - 12-18-2013 at 10:41 PM

wow big words

Hook - 12-19-2013 at 07:29 AM

It's a legitimate question, especially if someone is trying to decide whether to go permanente or not.

Hook - 12-19-2013 at 08:12 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by comitan
Just tell me how this would be policed if it was a law?, since the police do not check your immagration status(Its not their job)


Well, maybe by something like a RANDOM IMMIGRATION CHECKPOINT like the one in northern Baja, south of Maneadero.

bajaguy - 12-19-2013 at 08:29 AM

You have not been checked.....yet

And are you going to tell the Federal Highway Police "it's not their job" when they ask you for vehicle or immigration documents???
Quote:
Originally posted by comitan
Maneadero GN, Have not been checked lately and when checked never anything about the car. (Not their job checking cars.) ;D

gnukid - 12-19-2013 at 08:51 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by comitan
Maneadero GN, Have not been checked lately and when checked never anything about the car. (Not their job checking cars.) ;D


Any Police can ask for your immigration docs and they do lately. They can contact the INM to confirm status. I have had mine checked.

Mitch, there are no cases reported of cars being confiscated from extraneros who are documented properly including RP with USA plates, though mexicans driving foreign plated cars occasionally have there cars confiscated temporally in Baja.

An area of concern would be Federal Ports and Properties which may be under Fedderal law, so for example if your car is out of current registration and you pull into a Port such as Pichilengue to enter the Ferry there is an opportunity for the car to be confiscated temporarily.

Of course, traditionally Articulo 106 protected extraneros whose immigration docs were up to date but car reg had since fallen behind, paraphrasing, as long as the IMN status is up-to-date and contiguous the car was exempt from being current as long as all other things are correct for a period of 4 years (5 years in total).

There has been no law or actions passed to make RP unlawful to have USA plated vehicle in the Frontier in Baja and BCS. Though of course this is possible it is not being done now and doing so would present a problem, or burden, since so may people in Baja pass back and forth to USA, both Mexicans and Americans.

In fact, in California, USA plated vehicles that go to Baja are exempt from hi way taxes and smog etc. so the current stays quo is bilateral across both borders.

If the law should change there would be a long period to allow for compliance and likely discounted importation opportunities, TIP options, etc...

Clearly the current changes are about homogenizing the two countries border regions to become one common economic region which has been in progress for more than a decade.

Mitch if you have any evidence or reports of rapid change of the laws applying to residents of Baja and their requirements for imported vehicle please share. Though it doesn't make much sense to keep bringing up a fear of a change that has not occurred. If future changes are concern, you could maintain Temp Residencey or change to Temp Residency at that time, or renounce your residency and use FMM.


[Edited on 12-19-2013 by gnukid]

CaboMagic - 12-19-2013 at 09:55 AM

Yes

CortezBlue - 12-19-2013 at 10:26 AM

I think it would be, more difficult, in Baja as it is a free state.

On the mainland you need to process a car coming into the state and get a window sticker if you are going south a certain distance.

I have had an FMX and my PR for nearly 10 years and I have never been asked to see it, other than when it is time to renew.

CaboMagic - 12-19-2013 at 12:22 PM

One of our US plated cars was confiscated. There was documentation created by the abogado showing the mx driver had permisso to do so while the car was undergoing transfer. It didn't matter. YMMV

Hook - 12-19-2013 at 12:51 PM

What agency actually did the confiscating, Cabo Magic?

apple - 12-19-2013 at 01:06 PM

Fast Eddy posted this on the La Paz Gringos email group earlier this week:

"The city law on plates and driverīs license is been modified, In 2014 the city police is going to impound and fine the owner of a vehicle which is not imported when said owner has the immigration status of RESIDENT. To avoid this contact CAN-AM-MEX LAW FIRM / FIRMA JURIDICA at can-am-mexAThotmail.com or by calling 612 348 9793, they provide fully insured transportion to Otay and back plus broker service. "

Doesn't really pass the smell test

vandenberg - 12-19-2013 at 01:09 PM

Fast EDDY heh!!:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

[Edited on 12-19-2013 by vandenberg]

Hook - 12-19-2013 at 02:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by apple
Fast Eddy posted this on the La Paz Gringos email group earlier this week:

"The city law on plates and driverīs license is been modified, In 2014 the city police is going to impound and fine the owner of a vehicle which is not imported when said owner has the immigration status of RESIDENT. To avoid this contact CAN-AM-MEX LAW FIRM / FIRMA JURIDICA at can-am-mexAThotmail.com or by calling 612 348 9793, they provide fully insured transportion to Otay and back plus broker service. "

Doesn't really pass the smell test


No, I would say it doesnt pass the smell test because of the word RESIDENT. There are RESIDENTE TEMPORAL card holders and they can legally possess and drive a foreign plated vehicle.

Sounds like it's a scare tactic to drum up business for that firm.

CaboMagic - 12-19-2013 at 04:25 PM

Hook not possible answer your question. I was not in the car when it occurred. The car was never seen again. We spent the better part of a year attempting to trace the cars whereabouts - until we finally gave up. Surely you jest in question?

viabaja - 12-19-2013 at 05:23 PM

One more time - have a US drivers license, better be driving a US plated vehicle. Have a Mexican drivers license, better be driving a Mexican plated vehicle! They are not interchangeable. This regardless if you have a Residente Permanente card (which I have), Mexican Citizen card, or whatever. Those people who had their cars impounded where either Mexican nationals driving a US plated car ( usually with expired tags and no registration) which is about 10% of Baja cars or the above.

CaboMagic - 12-19-2013 at 05:28 PM

viabaja -mostly agree - and perhaps especially around holiday time which is when ours was confiscated ..

btw ours was current on tags/reg and we owned no financing.

MitchMan - 12-19-2013 at 08:16 PM

Thank you all for your input.

It is not my intent to foment fear; just trying to stay current as to what is going on.

In Mexico and even in the United States, the letter of the law and the actual application/enforcement policy can be different from each other. It is certainly possible for things to change in Mexico. I think it is prudent to stay current with some periodic corroboration. There is a lot money at stake.

So far in this thread, there has been no disclosure of any recent confiscations in Baja. This is in conformity to the predictions (of the more experienced nomads) that were mentioned months ago. That is quite comforting and reassuring.

Special thanks to gnukid for his comprehensive post.