BajaNomad

FMM required just for south or north too??

Tony Lee - 1-27-2017 at 12:17 PM

Had some good advice here before so thought I would try again.

FMM??

See on lots of web pages that since ? 2015, an FMM is required for all visits to Baja extending beyond a few days.

Confusingly, I also read elsewhere that this is only for Baja Sud and for any length entry to Baja Nord, no FMM is required.

TVIP is not required for the whole of Baja.

Any authoritative information please.

My thinking says that if you don't need an FMM for Baja N then there would be an office at the N-S "border" where you could get your FMM for Baja S and as far as I know, this is not the case. To back that up, a TVIP is not needed for Baja, but is needed for the mainland which is why you can get a TVIP at the ferry leaving from LaPaz

[Edited on 1-27-2017 by Tony Lee]

sancho - 1-27-2017 at 12:26 PM

Here's the official version, as of a few mo's ago, ALL tourists
entering Mex are required to get an fmm. No free border zone,
3 day whatever. 7 day fmm is free, or pay for 180 day fmm.
How many tourist get an fmm? My experience in border travel
is a few/some do. I'm very cautious in Mex, personally I go
out of my way to comply with their regs.
Chances of being asked for an fmm? Basically nil, but
wouldn't want to be asked for one and not have it





[Edited on 1-27-2017 by sancho]

[Edited on 1-27-2017 by sancho]

Udo - 1-29-2017 at 11:52 AM

I second Sancho's response (from one who lives here.)

FMM

bajaguy - 1-29-2017 at 12:01 PM

Is REQUIRED as soon as you cross the border.

Be safe, get one at the Immigration office at all crossings

Follow Sancho's advice

David K - 1-29-2017 at 03:16 PM

YOU NEED a valid PASSPORT or the equivalent card to get the FMM from Mexican immigration (INM office).

7 days or less FMM is FREE, but (some) INM officials will scan your passport and tell you it must be returned to INM when you leave Mexico (and the passport is rescanned)... in 2016. It can be difficult to get close to the south border crossing when you are headed home.

180 days or less FMM is about US$23 but is good for multiple crossings during that period, so informed by INM officials in 2016. You don't need to turn it in.

bajamary1952 - 1-29-2017 at 04:32 PM

The FMM price has gone up. I think I paid $30 at Tecate on the 4th of January when entering Mexico.

Rossman - 1-29-2017 at 04:43 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajamary1952  
The FMM price has gone up. I think I paid $30 at Tecate on the 4th of January when entering Mexico.


Yes the FMM cost has gone up to 500 pesos. What that is in dollars depends on the exchange rate. At todays rate a bit over 23 bucks as David said but can't see it being near $30 any time during January. Still a bargain at twice the price.

Tony Lee - 1-29-2017 at 10:04 PM

OK, I guess that settles it - an FMM is required for Baja and the rest of Mexico at the border.

Some people on other forums are still living in the past and when they give the wrong advice, people can get into trouble.

JoeJustJoe - 1-30-2017 at 11:12 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Tony Lee  
OK, I guess that settles it - an FMM is required for Baja and the rest of Mexico at the border.

Some people on other forums are still living in the past and when they give the wrong advice, people can get into trouble.


No it doesn't settle it.

There is the law, and rules, and there is also the practice.

The practice, says many people still visit Mexico, especially the border areas without a passport, or without getting a FMM, especially for day trips across the border.

You should also listen to those others on different forums, especially if they cross the border often, and see for themselves that Americans cross the border in their cars, with nothing more than a driver's License, and birth certificate, and then cross back into the US with those same documents, without any trouble or hassle at all.

yellowklr - 1-30-2017 at 08:47 PM

ITS the law so follow it!! If not wanting to follow another country's law then don't go..........ITS RESPECT

BajaMama - 1-31-2017 at 08:24 AM

Yes, you can re-enter the USA at the border w/o a passport - entry cannot be denied to a U.S. citizen. However, it is the law in Mexico that you possess a passport to enter. It is also required for you to obtain and have properly processed by Mexican immigration at the border an FMM. If you are driving you are required to obtain Mexican automobile insurance for the days you will be operating your vehicle.

Whether or not anyone chooses to follow the law is their own choice. Personally I always have my paperwork in order when I enter Baja. I do not want to explain to an officer why I don't have it on my way to a jail cell...

David K - 1-31-2017 at 08:37 AM

BajaMama has it down. The insurance deal is mainly that you need liability at least for peace of mind. Your U.S. insurance is not valid in Mexico for liability. It also may have a limit for damage in Mexico to your car. Best to get full coverage for your trip south!

sancho - 1-31-2017 at 08:59 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
The insurance deal is mainly that you need liability at least for peace of mind.












Having Mex Auto Ins has nothing to do with 'peace of mind',
that is a thing of the past. It is not only recommended, it is a REQUIREMENT to have Mex Auto Ins.
Mex plated vehicles are also required
to have Ins. One can guess to the % of Mex vehicles with
Ins





Tony Lee - 1-31-2017 at 09:04 AM

Yes, it is settled. The claim that there is the law as applied may be valid to a certain extent but it does not apply when advising people about the ramifications of following the example of others. Too much advice is given on the basis that "I got away with it so you will be OK" and that is a very irresponsible bit of advice to give. Advice needs to be conservative rather than speculative.

My inquiry was partly for myself, but more on behalf of the large number of my fellow international overlanders who are more concerned with worst case scenarios than what the locals get away with, and one example which has been repeated several times is the overlander who listens to advice that no FMM is needed for south Baja, or even the whole of Baja, and heads down without a TIP and FMM and then comes to a grinding halt at La Paz when there is nowhere to get an FMM which is needed to get the TIP to board the ferry. Two of the couples I know about were Americans who got caught. La Paz is not exactly Algodones so what is acceptable within a couple of miles of the border doesn't apply further away and rules are tightening up rather than being relaxed, especially from now on.

The other continuing problem is of course out of date information being passed on as factual and current, and that seems to be part of the problem here. Rules change.

Another major factor is you get to the US border heading north and get funneled by razor wire and cages so there is no bypassing immigration, but on the way south the Mexican border people check out your vehicle (sometimes) and wave you on so the newbie just heads south not realizing there is a tiny office off to the side where you are supposed to get the FMM.

Unfortunate combination of factors, but that isn't much comfort to those who have to drive from La Paz back nearly to the border just for a twenty dollar bit of paper.

Thanks for the good information. I will pass it on.


Ah yes, insurance. Also comes up all the time. People who should know better giving advice along the lines of "well nobody asked me for insurance papers so you obviously don't need it". Yellow fever is another. Travelers ask if anyone gets asked for the vaccination proof and decide not to get the vaccinations on that basis just to save a few dollars, oblivious to the fact that up to 20% of those infected die as a result.

[Edited on 1-31-2017 by Tony Lee]

bajaguy - 1-31-2017 at 09:09 AM

Why do you think there are so many hit & run accidents and accidents with abandoned vehicles here in Baja.......no insurance, no drivers licenses and no vehicle registration
Quote: Originally posted by sancho  
.....it is a REQUIREMENT to have Mex Auto Ins. Mex plated vehicles are also required
to have Ins. One can guess to the % of Mex vehicles with
Ins

DENNIS - 1-31-2017 at 10:16 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
BajaMama has it down. The insurance deal is mainly that you need liability at least for peace of mind.


Yeah...that's kinda right and a whole lot wrong. If you get in a wreck and the other party is hurt, your fault or not, you'll be in dire need of some peace of mind.
There are people here who carry neck braces in their car and will blame you for the wreck even if your car was parked and empty when it happened.
As mentioned...hit 'n run is a national sport. Drive down a residential street and look for cars parked by houses with tarps covering them to get them out of site.
Foreigners face an extra risk for blame with their unfamiliarity with the process. Any questions...and there will be questions..... and the vehicle will be impounded for a nightmare of time...and money.
Buy insurance. Liability at least. Get it on your drivers license instead of the vehicle. It doesn't cost much.





[Edited on 1-31-2017 by DENNIS]

Tony Lee - 1-31-2017 at 10:40 AM

When we first bought the motorhome in the US, I was told that if anyone ever ran into us, to quickly get out and take lots of photos of the other vehicle and the driver because too many were uninsured and would do a runner if they got half a chance. World wide problem not confined to Mexico, especially when combined with the large number of unlicensed drivers and unregistered vehicles.

JoeJustJoe - 1-31-2017 at 12:38 PM

Again the practice of thousands of Americans, especially Mexican-Americans, who travel back and forth between Mexico and the US border region, is that many do not have US passports, nor do they bother to fill out FMM paperwork, especially if it's a quick trip to Tijuana, Rosarito, or Ensenada.

My last few trips of walking over the border, Mexican customs, only asked me for the purpose of the visit, and duration, and when I told them it's only a day trip, they waved me through, without having to fill out the FMM. It's getting more lax by the month.

If I'm just going to visit Mexico within 100 miles of the border, I'm not going to stop and get a FMM, and I know for sure, many if not most Americans, skip doing this too, although I'm sure fresh off the bus American tourists might follow the rules. Now if I'm driving to Cabo, or staying in Mexico for any length in time, I might and probably fill out and get a FMM, but not for a day trip, why bother, nobody cares?

Mexican liability insurance is now required in Baja, and I understand that now extends throughout Mexico now. However, I doubt all if even most Mexicans comply with getting car insurance.

I also never heard of any Americans, being given a traffic ticket for solely driving in Baja without car liability insurance. Now I'm not saying the law isn't there, I just never heard of a case of getting a Mexican traffic violation ticket, just for not having car insurance, although if you get into an accident, that's another story, and there are a lot of horror stories with car accidents in Mexico. And I have actually seen fines listed for traffic violations like not having a valid driver license, but I never actually seen on paper any fines for not having car insurance, although I hear it's a requirement to have at least liability insurance.

So day trips to Baja in my car, I'm going to do what most Americans do when visiting Baja, and that''s not buying car insurance, because it's' a bother, and over priced. Of course I know if I get in an accident, I may pay the consequences, but then again, fender bender repairs in Mexico are cheap. Of course I leave the nice car at home, and take the clunker to Baja.

Now it would be nice for everybody to visit Mexico with a passport in hand, but there are many reasons, why people don't have passports, for example, they have a large family and can't afford 4 or 5 passports for family members. We also have a large number of Americans, who owe back child support, and we also have small number of ex-cons even on "Baja Nomad" especially with some banned members, with felony records, who have found it impossible to get a passport.

Shouldn't everybody be able to enjoy Mexico, even if they can't comply with all the rules, when we know for a fact, that thousands of Americans visit Baja,without having a passport, without getting a FMM, and without Mexican car insurance.

It's Mexico, quit being so uptight with Mexican rules, that most local Mexican ignore, or US WHTI requirements about passports, that many Americans still cross the border with only a driver license, and birth certificate.

It's a myth, you get sent to secondary automatically for not having a passport when coming back into the US from Mexico What usually happens you get passed through just like everybody else with a passport.

gsbotanico - 1-31-2017 at 02:51 PM

On Saturday I drove with passengers to have lunch in Popotla. I have Permanent Residency in Mexico, but none of my passengers had current FMMs. I left the decision to stop for FMMs to them. We stopped.

In Mexican Customs I discovered that one of the passengers had lost her passport, unsure of where. I told her we would skip her FMM. At no point in Mexico were we checked for FMMs on the trip. At the border I went into the regular lanes. I was confident that with my Sentri pass and her drivers license we would get through. We sailed through with the agent hardly blinking.

The only negative was the very long wait in the regular lanes. Almost 3 hour at Otay! I hadn't crossed at Otay from the regular lanes in a long time. I learned that going east on Blvd. Industrial there is no sign to make the left turn into the regular lanes. I had to loop back around to make the right turn going west, which is signed. Oh, well. It would have been the same long wait.

BigBearRider - 1-31-2017 at 03:35 PM

I was asked for my FMM while fishing in Ensenada in October 2015. I had it. In my car. On land. We were told we had to go fetch it. We did.

y2kbaja - 2-2-2017 at 03:21 PM

I heard (rumor) that if you're in an accident, and you're on day 8 of your trip with no FMM your insurance may not be valid. Anyone have and accident and try to use your insurance and they ask for the FMM? I would rather be safe than sorry so I always get my FMM. Because I'm cheap though I keep my stay at 7 days.

sancho - 2-2-2017 at 03:35 PM

Quote: Originally posted by y2kbaja  
I heard (rumor) that if you're in an accident, and you're on day 8 of your trip with no FMM your insurance may not be valid










That has been asked for yrs. As I remember, Bajabound Ins
responded to that ?, with 'it depends on your Mex Ins Co.'
Never have I read nor heard of that happening. HOWEVER there
always is a first. At the least it would open the door for
some serious mordida without an fmm

bajaguy - 2-2-2017 at 08:26 PM

Rumor or fact, wouldn't want to be in that position. When we had our accident the police wanted to know our immigration status
Quote: Originally posted by y2kbaja  
I heard (rumor) that if you're in an accident, and you're on day 8 of your trip with no FMM your insurance may not be valid. Anyone have and accident and try to use your insurance and they ask for the FMM? I would rather be safe than sorry so I always get my FMM. Because I'm cheap though I keep my stay at 7 days.


[Edited on 2-3-2017 by bajaguy]