Hi everyone,
I'm a newB here.
I'm planning to cross over into TJ next week and I was told as long as I stay within 25 miles of the border that I don't need a permit. Is that true.
I'm planning on getting the 180 FMM or whatever it is.
And I believe I can get one at the border when I cross?
I;m also wondering about insurance. I'm only driving a few miles into TJ and will park for a month or two.
Any correct information would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks again,
Garymotoged - 6-3-2014 at 12:32 PM
Your vehicle's insurance is invalid in Mexico....you require Mex Insurance if you want any vehicle coverage for theft, collision, etc.
Have a good trip.woody with a view - 6-3-2014 at 03:38 PM
^^^yep^^^, search here for the term "FMM" it is your 180 visitor permit. you can then go anywhere in Baja for 180 days.Garcam - 6-3-2014 at 03:53 PM
Thanks Guys I really need to know about my 24' Class C 1987 RV.
Can I just drive it to where I'm staying in Playa De Tijuana? It's 7 miles.
Thanks again,
Garybajaguy - 6-3-2014 at 03:57 PM
Yup, no problem. Just get in the Declare lane......even if you don't have anything to declare. Mexican Customs will do a walk through and you will be
on your way. Ask if it's OK to park there while you get your FMM........then on to Playas. Don't forget to buy your Mexican insurance from Bajabound
Quote:
Originally posted by Garcam
Thanks Guys I really need to know about my 24' Class C 1987 RV.
Can I just drive it to where I'm staying in Playa De Tijuana? It's 7 miles.
Thanks again,
Gary
Garcam - 6-3-2014 at 06:14 PM
Thanks To ALL!
This is just what I need to know.
I really looking forward to being in a Latin country!
I spent quite a bit of time in Puerto Rico, as a construction manager and surfer.
Hope to meet some of you locals and work on my beer investigation!
Thanks again.....
Gary
If you see me, I'm an old guy with a goatee riding an old beach bike with baskets all over it. I spent the last couple of winters at the slabs in
Niland. Some of you will know it I'm sure.DENNIS - 6-3-2014 at 07:32 PM
You don't even need an FMM for your destination if you stay only 72 hours. I was told by IMN that that has extended to seven days, but......whatever.
By the way, [and I'm not suggesting anything] you could probably stay in Playas with that status for fifty years and no one would ever request your
paperwork unless you got jambed up with the law, but it's cheap so get the permit.
You won't need one for the vehicle.
Lastly.......lock up your bicycle along with everything else.Garcam - 6-3-2014 at 07:39 PM
Thank you Dennis, you made me laugh out loud! I lived in Puerto Rico for a time and I know just what you mean. Somebody would almost do me a favor
to steal the bike I have now. That's part of the charm of it this it's old and tired, but you are right, it could get legs quickly!
I getting some insurance from Baja Bound and I'm hoping I can make the 7 miles without any trouble!
Thanks for the laugh! And in PR boy we ate good rice and beans and chicken!
I'm looking forward to the food! oh, and beer too! and tequila and and and!bajaguy - 6-3-2014 at 07:41 PM
Garcam.....I can picture it now......you waking up one morning and not having any tires/wheels on your M/H......lol
Keep us posted on your adventureHook - 6-3-2014 at 08:04 PM
Playas is a bit different than Slab City. You have a clear idea where you are going in Playas?
How long were you in Slab City?dasubergeek - 6-3-2014 at 10:33 PM
You can drive your RV all the way to Cabo San Lucas without a temporary importation permit, and as far southeast as Empalme, Sonora. The 25-kilometer
thing is for the states of Coahuila, Chihuahua and Tamaulipas.
You must buy insurance. If you're going to park for a month it will be cheaper to buy six months' coverage than 30 individual days' coverage. If you
get into any kind of accident, your insurance company is your first phone call. They send a representative to assess the damage and promise to pay,
which keeps your norteamericano keister out of jail. Do not drive in Mexico without insurance, even for ten minutes! Bajabound is your best bet;
there's an ad at the top of the screen, the owner is a nomad.mtgoat666 - 6-3-2014 at 10:50 PM
Park a motor home in TJ...
It will be broken into first time you leave it!
Have you found an rv park with guard?Hook - 6-4-2014 at 04:52 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by mtgoat666
Park a motor home in TJ...
It will be broken into first time you leave it!
Have you found an rv park with guard?
I'm agreeing with the goat, on this one. It's a very strong possibility.
That's why I was asking if he knew exactly where he was going. It better be a relatively secure location or he will be using that insurance.
Of course, guys from Slab City probably aren't buying collision and comprehensive. Garcam - 6-4-2014 at 06:25 AM
Yer so right Hook! No collision or comprehensive for the old camper!
I'm renting a room for the duration in Playa de Tijuana and do have concerns about security. Perhaps I should put the camper in storage in San Ysidro
and walk over?
As it is I'm told there will be parking outside the apartment.
Is there such a thing as cross border taxis?
I'b ok with that arrangement too.
Thanks again for your advice!
I spent the last 2 winters at the slabs. It was nice enough, but one can only drink so much and even that can become boring and expensive!tjsue - 6-4-2014 at 07:58 AM
All you have to do is walk across the border and catch a taxi. One of them will be more than happy to take you to your destination.Garcam - 6-4-2014 at 08:07 AM
Thank you Sue.
I guess I'm thinking of driving the camper to the apartment and putting my stuff inside then taking it back to San Diego and putting it in storage
there and taking public transport back to the border.
Group, I haven't ever stored it in a public storage, so I guess it could be robbed even there in Dan Diego even behind a locked fence?
Opinions please.
Thanks,
Gary
100 degrees here in Vegas today! I need to get the fu....er hell out of here!Hook - 6-4-2014 at 08:30 AM
Leave the camper in the US. Although, even some of the US communities right along the border can be risky.
Start trolling for a Nomad who might be able to park it on their property for minimal cash.dasubergeek - 6-4-2014 at 11:35 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by Garcam
Yer so right Hook! No collision or comprehensive for the old camper!
I'm renting a room for the duration in Playa de Tijuana and do have concerns about security. Perhaps I should put the camper in storage in San Ysidro
and walk over?
As it is I'm told there will be parking outside the apartment.
Is there such a thing as cross border taxis?
I'b ok with that arrangement too.
Thanks again for your advice!
I spent the last 2 winters at the slabs. It was nice enough, but one can only drink so much and even that can become boring and expensive!
Leave it in the US. Look for a secure RV storage lot near the trolley, then take the Blue Line trolley to the southern end at San Ysidro. It's
literally two hundred feet to the Mexican border from there, and once you cross over there are a million taxis available to take you to Playas.
Negotiate before you get in, unless they have a meter, in which case make sure the meter is zeroed before you leave. (This has never been an issue in
TJ, only in the DF and GDL for me, but still...)
Price to go to Playas should not exceed US$10. Once you're there you can learn to use the taxis de ruta to get around. The fixed-route taxis are
technically called "los amarillo y blanco" but everyone just called them "los taxis a las playas". They leave from 3rd and D (that's Carrillo Puerto
and Miguel Martinez, three blocks west of 3rd and Revolución) and shouldn't cost more than about 10 pesos in the daytime. At night if you can't fill
up the taxi you'll have to pay more but it will still be cheaper than a private taxi.Alm - 6-4-2014 at 11:44 AM
You don't need a "permit" (correct name is Tourist Card) only if yo stay within ~25km (km, not miles, though it's approximate and varies from about 20
to 30 km in some places), AND if you stay 3 days or less. So if you go 7km from the border for more than 3 days, you do need a tourist card. They
might never ask to show it, but you must have it. They sell it at the border crossings.
You don't need any other permits for your vehicle or trailer, though your US insurance won't cover you there so it's desirable to get a Mex insurance.
Optional, but highly recommended.
PS: I agree with other people that there is no need to take any vehicle or camper across the border if you are not going to use it. Public
transportation and taxis between the border and Ensenada do exist. Though in some places having a car makes it easier moving around, because local
transit buses are not available at every small town, and big Greyhound-like buses cost upwards of $US 10 even for a short few miles ride. For
comparison, transit bus (where there is one) costs 80 cents.
[Edited on 6-4-2014 by Alm]805gregg - 6-4-2014 at 06:02 PM
Get insurance on that thing, park it in San Ysidro with the keys in it, it will disappearSlyOnce - 6-5-2014 at 07:19 AM
I live in Playas. I don't have a FMM or any kind of permit. You don't need one. Save your 300 pesos. Playas is safe and clean. Playas does NOT
have much room for parking an RV. You could park it at Parque Mexico or on the side of the road by Plaza Monumental. Private places, like my
apartment, have plenty of secure space for parking an RV, but you are going to a hotel. Most hotels are very tight parking. You could park at
Walmart for a while.
By the way I can recommend the Hotel Las Misones, right by Parque Mexico, 1 block for the malecon, directly across from Walmart. Cost 300 pesos.
Safe, secure, very friendly staff. Small rooms. But quiet and clean and great location. Tell Adolpho I said hello.
If I was you, for my first trip, I would park the RV on the US side in Border Station Parking. Cross on foot (just follow all the people). Once
crossed, walk across the pedestrian bridge to the McDonalds and find a white Taxi Libre. Ask for a ride to Playas. Should cost about $US10 to 15.
Always negotiate price first with any MX taxi. Yellow taxi guys will be right by the border and will be hawking rides and they are cool but will
probably ask a little more. On subsequent visits you can take a taxi to Ave. Revo and then a collectivo to Playas.
Scout the area on your first trip. There are great places to eat and drink along the malecon. I love Ruben and Charlie's mariscos, and Ukulele café.
If you would like to know more, send me a PM. Perhaps we could get together for a fish taco.DENNIS - 6-5-2014 at 07:40 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by SlyOnce
I live in Playas. I don't have a FMM or any kind of permit. You don't need one. Save your 300 pesos.
That's right. You don't need one...... that is, if you don't mind that you volunteer to live as an illegal alien in Mexico......and that you choose
to ignore the immigration laws in that country.
This conversation has gone about as far south as I care to go with it. You experts in morality carry on without me.David K - 6-5-2014 at 07:50 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
Quote:
Originally posted by SlyOnce
I live in Playas. I don't have a FMM or any kind of permit. You don't need one. Save your 300 pesos.
That's right. You don't need one...... that is, if you don't mind that you volunteer to live as an illegal alien in Mexico......and that you choose
to ignore the immigration laws in that country.
This conversation has gone about as far south as I care to go with it. You experts in morality carry on without me.
I think he was asking about a vehicle permit (that you need for all of Mexico except Baja and the Sonora Free Zone)...?
See dausubergeek's reply above...David K - 6-5-2014 at 07:58 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by SlyOnce
I live in Playas. I don't have a FMM or any kind of permit. You don't need one.
You LIVE in Playas??? Are you a Mexican citizen? Do you think Garcam is a Mexican citizen?
An FMM is for travel or stays in Mexico up to 180 days... It is required for any time in Mexico's Border Zone OVER 72 HOURS (or any time at all south
of the zone).
Until INM officers go checking on foreigners papers (as they have done in La Paz and Los Barriles), you may get away with not having an FMM or
Immigrant Visa, but don't say you don't need one to a new Nomad who is asking for details. Baja is in another country even though you can just drive
or walk into it without showing any papers at the border.SlyOnce - 6-5-2014 at 08:17 AM
I am not a MX citizen. I cross the border every day. I signed a lease. I have 2 CA registered cars parked at the apartment. I have my SENTRI.
When stopped by MX Aduena agents when I get the red light crossing the border, I tell them I live in Playas. When I cross the US border north, when
asked, I tell them I live in Playas. When stopped by TJ Municipal Police at a DUI checkpoint I tell them I live in Playas.
MX Aduena (customs), TJ Municipal Police, US CBP, the people that rent the apartment NEVER have asked for an FMM.
My cars do not have import permits.
No one has them in this part of Mexico they simply are not needed. I have numerous American friends who rent or own in Playas, Rosarito, and places
south NO ONE has an FMM.
I DO have MX liability insurance on the cars.
The OP DOES NOT need a FMM nor a car import permit to drive, walk or visit Playas or any part of Baja down to Ensenada.
I do not recommend driving the RV on the first visit because it will be hard to park in Playas and it will most likely be sent to Secondary both by MX
crossing south and by US when crossing north. I don't think it will be robbed, that is not the reason.
When I flew out of TJ to MX City and other places in mainland, I got my FMM at the airport.
I also don't stop at stop signs in Playas. I do slow down, unlike most.DENNIS - 6-5-2014 at 10:14 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by SlyOnce
MX Aduena (customs), TJ Municipal Police, US CBP, the people that rent the apartment NEVER have asked for an FMM.
It's not about what you can get away with. It's what's right.
You know what's right as well as the rules. Do what you want to do and quit asking. Some here won't agree with your neighbors advice.Garcam - 6-5-2014 at 12:46 PM
thanks everyone! I'll just get the visitor's permit and the insurance on my RV.
Thanks everyone for your advice!bajaguy - 6-5-2014 at 01:06 PM
It's called an FMM
Quote:
Originally posted by Garcam
thanks everyone! I'll just get the visitor's permit and the insurance on my RV.
Thanks everyone for your advice!
Garcam - 6-5-2014 at 03:40 PM
That would be a
Effe Mie Mie ?
Thanks again Everyone!DENNIS - 6-5-2014 at 04:45 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Garcam
That would be a
Effe Mie Mie ?
