BajaNomad

FMM checkpoint near San Lucas, BCS

bajamary1952 - 11-16-2018 at 09:58 AM

Yesterday as I headed out of Santa Rosalia towards San Lucas there was a Federal police & Federal Immigration officer who were checking passports & FMM. This is the first time anyone has ever asked me for any documentation but had everything. I assume if you don't have those documents they will send you back to the border and possible fine.

BajaUtah - 11-16-2018 at 11:11 AM

I drove through southbound on 10/25 about sunset and there was nothing there so I'd guess it's just a random setup and not a permanent checkpoint.

RnR - 11-16-2018 at 12:00 PM

BajaUtah - You missed the checkpoint by a few hours!

We drove southbound about noon on Oct 25th (same day) and the checkpoint was in place just south of the Santa Rosalia prison.

The checkpoint was manned by an INM (immigration) officer and several Federal Police.

The INM officer checked our immigration papers. Two of us with Permanente cards and one of us with an FMM. He used a phone app to scan the barcodes on the documents and took a photo of the corresponding passports.

The Federal Police checked my US drivers license and verified that the US vehicle registration was current.

Nobody made any mention of the fact that I showed a US driver's license, US vehicle registration, and a Mexican Residente Permanente card other than the INM officer was slightly surprised by the Permanente cards but his response was something along the lines of "Welcome, Have a nice trip".

Police and INM officer spoke perfect english and we were on our way in less than five minutes.

I do not know what would have happened if our documents were not in order.....?

Interestly, this checkpoint was ONLY for US plated vehicles. The Mexican vehicles were being waved on by.



[Edited on 11-17-2018 by RnR]

sancho - 11-16-2018 at 12:22 PM

Quote: Originally posted by RnR  
He used a phone app to scan the barcodes on the documents and took a photo of the corresponding passports.
Nobody made any mention of the fact that I showed a US driver's license, US vehicle registration, and a Mexican Residente Permanente card
[Edited on 11-16-2018 by RnR]









Impressive, so much for the 'I've never been checked in 30 yrs.
travellers'. I'm not that familiar with it, what, one can't drive
a foriegn plated vehicle vehicle in Mex with a perm resident
card?

RnR - 11-16-2018 at 01:09 PM

Quote: Originally posted by sancho  
Quote: Originally posted by RnR  
He used a phone app to scan the barcodes on the documents and took a photo of the corresponding passports.
Nobody made any mention of the fact that I showed a US driver's license, US vehicle registration, and a Mexican Residente Permanente card
[Edited on 11-16-2018 by RnR]









Impressive, so much for the 'I've never been checked in 30 yrs.
travellers'. I'm not that familiar with it, what, one can't drive
a foriegn plated vehicle vehicle in Mex with a perm resident
card?



We have never been checked by INM, either, in 23 years of travelling to Baja. (Except for about two years at the G. Negro/Eagle statue at the state line.)

".... what, one can't drive a foriegn plated vehicle vehicle in Mex with a perm resident card?"

That is the million dollar question! Seems to be enforced at times on the Mainland.

I tried to take the ferry from La Paz to Mazatlan two years ago and Aduana in La Paz would not issue a TIP for my US vehicle because I had a Permanente card rather than an FMM. Without the TIP the vehicle was not allowed on the ferry. So, visiting the mainland for us in our US plated vehicle is out of the question.


[Edited on 11-17-2018 by RnR]

sancho - 11-16-2018 at 02:42 PM

I was a bit off in my wording, I know one can't legally drive a US
plated vehicle in Mex with a perm card, OK with a Temp Res. card.
In Ca., it is my UNDERSTANDING, one can't drive a vehicle
registered to them, with out of state plates with a Ca. drivers license. I believe it's Montana, where paper LLC' s are set
up to avoid that issue, bypassing Ca. sales tax/registering fees.
Generally new Motor homes, etc.
Not having the vehicle registered to them, but to the LLC

BajaMama - 11-17-2018 at 06:21 AM

I heard the check point was there but I didn't see it latter half of October when I was down, so I agree, temporary.

mtgoat666 - 11-17-2018 at 08:25 AM

Quote: Originally posted by RnR  

We have never been checked by INM, either, in 23 years of travelling to Baja. (Except for about two years at the G. Negro/Eagle statue at the state line.)


So you have never been checked, except that time you were checked :lol:

David K - 11-17-2018 at 08:49 AM

Like RnR, since mid-2000 (when they began charging money for the formerly free FM-T (now FMM), I have only been checked for the tourist card at the state border (Eagle Monument) southbound in 2001, 2007, and 2009. In 2012, the officer just glanced up from his chair in the open doorway of his booth and waved us on. Nobody there in 2015 or the following years.

The point is that this random field checking is not common but does happen. They also go along residential areas where gringos have vacation homes and check immigration status. Good for them! Getting a 'tourist card' has to be one of the easiest "visas" to obtain for international travel.

weebray - 11-17-2018 at 09:21 AM

Welcome to Mexico where anything can happen - expect it. There is always a fairly painless solution. We are now going to get an endless supply of posts telling you what the laws are and how it is going to ruin our lives here. I know, I've been hearing it since 1973.

RnR - 11-17-2018 at 09:23 AM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  
Quote: Originally posted by RnR  

We have never been checked by INM, either, in 23 years of travelling to Baja. (Except for about two years at the G. Negro/Eagle statue at the state line.)


So you have never been checked, except that time you were checked :lol:



Yeah, you are right, Goat. :lol: Let me put a modifier in front of "never".

'ALMOST' never. Out of 60 or more trips up and down Mex 1, we have been checked only twice. Going southbound at the G. Negro state line. (And that was more than ten years ago.).