BajaNomad

Relocating to Baja from Vegas

Stanculovic - 7-17-2015 at 10:43 PM

I would like to know if your kids need to have a visa before they attend schools their in Mexico? My kids are 5 and 8. I will be locating in the rosarito or Ensenada area. What about insurance for your vehicles? Does a company cover you in the U.S. And Mexico at the same time since I will be crossing to San Diego

bajagrouper - 7-18-2015 at 06:39 AM

I do not believe your children can attend school on a tourist permit, you will have to have Mexican and insurance for the USA ........

maryellen50 - 7-18-2015 at 09:17 AM

I would consider Ensenada before Rosarito as the farther away from the border the less crime. Both TJ & Rosarito have had a spike in crime for the past 2 years.
You need to go to the Mexican consulate in your area for info about VISA's. You can't apply for them in Mexico; must be in your home country and there are various restrictions on the type of visa you are eligible.

Stanculovic - 7-18-2015 at 09:45 AM

Can you please tell me what companies you use for your Mexican and American car insurance? How much

desertcpl - 7-18-2015 at 10:09 AM


seems that you havnt done much home work yet on this

think it would be advisable to spend some time in the above mentioned locations first,

oh welcome to Nomads

David K - 7-18-2015 at 10:15 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Stanculovic  
Can you please tell me what companies you use for your Mexican and American car insurance? How much


See the banner ad at the top of this web page ^^^ BajaBound.com, they support Baja Nomad and are great folks that sell the top quality Mexican policies.

Whale-ista - 7-18-2015 at 01:28 PM

Hi Stanculovic- welcome to Nomad!

You will need both US and MX insurance for a car that is not imported into MX. There are many companies.

If you are a CostCo member, consider Bonita West Insurance: they issue policies online, offer CostCo member discounts, and are located in San Diego region near the border.

For schools: agree, Ensenada is a better choice. Not so much because of crime, but because it is a highly educated community with many international residents, and good quality colleges and universities (CICESE, Ciencias Marinas, UABC and others).

This means many families there want a good education for their children, and there are many people who have graduated college and have additional degrees, including teaching. So the choices of public and private schools are better vs smaller communities.

Sounds like you are just getting started. Ensenada is a lovely, family-friendly community and only 1 hour from US. But continue the research, keep asking questions, and good luck with your plans.

Alm - 7-18-2015 at 06:36 PM

As noted, you'll need both US and Mex insurance. US insurance is not valid in Mex, and places like Bajabound or Discover Baja or Lewis won't sell Mex insurance without US insurance (or if they do, it won't be valid).

Looks like you're jumping head-first. Well, it's your life.

bajaguy - 7-18-2015 at 08:52 PM

You are going to need US Passports for the family (including kids).

I believe you will need to get either Temporary or Permanent resident status to enroll your kids in school

Have you been to Ensenada before???

I suggest you come down for a week and look around
Quote: Originally posted by Stanculovic  
I would like to know if your kids need to have a visa before they attend schools their in Mexico? My kids are 5 and 8. I will be locating in the rosarito or Ensenada area. What about insurance for your vehicles? Does a company cover you in the U.S. And Mexico at the same time since I will be crossing to San Diego

healthdetective - 7-20-2015 at 03:54 PM

Whale-ista

Just read this from the Bonita West site:

As of midnight, Saturday July 18, 2015 Bonita West Mexico Insurance Services no longer sells discounted insurance for Mexico in partnership with Costco Warehouse. All insurance certificates sold up to that point will be fully honored and serviced by Bonita West and the Mexican underwriters Mapfre Tepeyac and Qualitas until the expiration date. Please call Bonita West customer service at 800-265-1365 if you have any questions. We would like to thank all Costco members for their business and their loyalty and wish you all safe travels.:(

BajaGeoff - 7-20-2015 at 05:01 PM

Alm...that is not correct. We sell "Resident Use" policies for people that live full time in Mexico but still have US/Canadian plates on their car but never bring their car across the border into to the US. They carry no insurance coverage north of the border. The coverage we offer them is completely valid and available through both HDI Seguros and ACE Seguros.

Quote: Originally posted by Alm  
As noted, you'll need both US and Mex insurance. US insurance is not valid in Mex, and places like Bajabound or Discover Baja or Lewis won't sell Mex insurance without US insurance (or if they do, it won't be valid).


[Edited on 7-21-2015 by BajaGeoff]

BajaRun - 7-20-2015 at 05:16 PM

BajaBound is the best. Geoff, Jennifer and Yara are some of the nicest people I have ever spoken with on the phone. Give them a call !!

Whale-ista - 7-20-2015 at 05:26 PM


Thank you for the update

Quote: Originally posted by healthdetective  
Whale-ista

Just read this from the Bonita West site:

As of midnight, Saturday July 18, 2015 Bonita West Mexico Insurance Services no longer sells discounted insurance for Mexico in partnership with Costco Warehouse. All insurance certificates sold up to that point will be fully honored and serviced by Bonita West and the Mexican underwriters Mapfre Tepeyac and Qualitas until the expiration date. Please call Bonita West customer service at 800-265-1365 if you have any questions. We would like to thank all Costco members for their business and their loyalty and wish you all safe travels.:(

Alm - 7-24-2015 at 12:50 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaGeoff  
We sell "Resident Use" policies for people that live full time in Mexico but still have US/Canadian plates on their car but never bring their car across the border into to the US. They carry no insurance coverage north of the border. The coverage we offer them is completely valid...

In my particular province of British Columbia this would've been difficult. Probably in some other provinces too. License plate here comes with insurance, and insurance sticker is linked to Canadian residential address. The driver has to be a resident at this address. If he is not, he has no right to carry this plate and sticker. If sticker expires while the car is in Mexico - the plate becomes invalid in Canada. Besides, there is a chance that Mex cops will stop the guy because the sticker expired or there is no sticker at all, and will ask questions (or will simply "want" something).

I'm also not sure whether a plate and registration can be valid in Canada if the owner doesn't actually live in Canada, and at best has some token mailing address in Canada or his house permanently rented out. Canadian IRS (called CRA) allows this in certain circumstances though, and are not - usually - after such "residents without physical residence" ;)... Not yet. This has nothing to do with you, it's up to the buyer to make sure his vehicle status is Ok.

It looks like people are buying Mex insurance when it is not clear whether their license plate is valid.

It's like with health insurance or evac plans - insurers are selling, people are buying. What happens later when sh-t hits the fan - who knows...

[Edited on 7-24-2015 by Alm]

David K - 8-19-2015 at 08:07 AM

When driving in Mexico:

Liability insurance must be obtained by an agent selling a Mexican insurance company's policies before entering Mexico, or ASAP once inside.

Baja Bound sponsors this site, so you get a lot of referrals to them from us. They are excellent people! If you would like the benefits of a club, Discover baja Travel Club has discounted insurance for members. They are also excellent people! Several agents are in San Ysidro or Calexico selling Mexican auto insurance, some with drive up windows.

Collision coverage on your vehicle: Some U.S. insurance companies will cover damages on your vehicle that happened in Mexico, sometimes only to a certain distance south of the border. State Farm covers you up to 50 miles south of the border line.

Getting full coverage with legal representation included, is the way to go, IMO. If your Mexico travels are more than 2-3 weeks long total per year, buying an annual policy for your vehicle will likely be a better deal money-wise, and no need to rush home before your daily policy expires if you stay longer than planned!