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tmtuttle
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Do any of you drive your Mexican plated car deep into the US?
I'll try and keep this short. My wife and I have property in Baja, share a home with family on mainland Mexico, and spend Jun-Sep in the western US.
We both recently got our permanent residency. The problem is, I can no longer drive our US plated cars on the mainland since we're both PRs. I'm
thinking about buying a car in Baja and using it to travel to mainland and the States, but I can just imagine that every cop that sees our BCS, MX
tags is going to stop us because they don't know the rules.
So, my question, are my concerns unfounded or should I just expect to get pulled over a lot while traveling around UT, AZ, CO, ID, MT, etc in my truck
with MX tags? Any paperwork I can carry with me to convince an unknowing cop that the vehicle is legal for short periods in the US?
[Edited on 1-17-2022 by tmtuttle]
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Howard
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Mood: I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done.
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It's my understanding that in your scenario Baja plates will still not comply with the laws. You would need a nationalized plated car to comply with
Mexican law.
I have wondered the same thing about crossing the border and what law enforcement NOB would react.
We don't stop playing because we grow old;
we grow old because we stop playing
George Bernard Shaw
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tmtuttle
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Quote: Originally posted by Howard  | | It's my understanding that in your scenario Baja plates will still not comply with the laws. You would need a nationalized plated car to comply with
Mexican law. |
Really!? So, even if I bought a vehicle from a Mexico car dealer in La Paz or CSL, I still couldn't take it to the mainland?
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mtgoat666
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Mood: Hot n spicy
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| Quote: Originally posted by tmtuttle | I'll try and keep this short. My wife and I have property in Baja, share a home with family on mainland Mexico, and spend Jun-Sep in the western US.
We both recently got our permanent residency. The problem is, I can no longer drive our US plated cars on the mainland since we're both PRs. I'm
thinking about buying a car in Baja and using it to travel to mainland and the States, but I can just imagine that every cop that sees our BCS, MX
tags is going to stop us because they don't know the rules.
So, my question, are my concerns unfounded or should I just expect to get pulled over a lot while traveling around UT, AZ, CO, ID, MT, etc in my truck
with MX tags? Any paperwork I can carry with me to convince an unknowing cop that the vehicle is legal for short periods in the US?
[Edited on 1-17-2022 by tmtuttle] |
I see cars all over socal with foreign/mexican plates. I have also seen foreign/mexican plates throughout the USA. Same as I see USA plates all over
mexico.
Laws of the nations allow cars to drive in other countries, just follow the rules.
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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Howard
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| Quote: Originally posted by tmtuttle | | Quote: Originally posted by Howard | | It's my understanding that in your scenario Baja plates will still not comply with the laws. You would need a nationalized plated car to comply with
Mexican law. |
Really!? So, even if I bought a vehicle from a Mexico car dealer in La Paz or CSL, I still couldn't take it to the mainland? |
Yes, it is my understanding that Baja plates are not valid in mainland. I would love to hear someone's feedback if this is not true. I am talking
about below Sonora. I assume that one can get nationalized plates when buying a car from a dealer in Baja.
I am talking about if one holds a Residente Permenente.
[Edited on 1-17-2022 by Howard]
We don't stop playing because we grow old;
we grow old because we stop playing
George Bernard Shaw
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tmtuttle
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[/rquote]Yes, it is my understanding that Baja plates are not valid in mainland.[/rquote]
Baja plates are not valid in the mainland at all or Baja plates are not valid for permanent residents?
Because, we're actually in the mainland right now and our neighbor's cars all have BCS plates.
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David K
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Living in San Diego County, we see plenty of Baja California license plates.
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surabi
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Baja only plates are not valid on the mainland, regardless of your immigration status or even if you are a Mexican national.
Of course, if your vehicle is nationalized, you would still have Baja state plates, just as from any other Mexican state where the vehicle is
registered, but it's a different type of plate.
It isn't just a matter of getting pulled over on the mainland- you won't even be able to get on the ferry to Mazatlan or Topolobampo with Baja-only
plates.
[Edited on 1-17-2022 by surabi]
[Edited on 1-17-2022 by surabi]
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Howard
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Mood: I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done.
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Slight hijack
Hopefully this not too much of a hijack.
Anyone have any experience of taking a US plated and current registered car (RV), getting nationalized plates and then eventually trying to get it
back registered in the states?
In my la, la perfect world, would be to nationalize my RV, take it to the mainland and then eventually bring it back to the states and then try and
sell someday which would need an American title.
Question, if and when you nationalized a car here do they take your certificate of title and issue a Mexican certificate of title?
Gracias de antemano (or is it por antemano?)
We don't stop playing because we grow old;
we grow old because we stop playing
George Bernard Shaw
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Ateo
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One thing you may want to expect is getting stopped at border patrol checkpoints in the United States if you have Mexican plates.
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Howard
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Mood: I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done.
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| Quote: Originally posted by Ateo | | One thing you may want to expect is getting stopped at border patrol checkpoints in the United States if you have Mexican plates.
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Makes sense.
We don't stop playing because we grow old;
we grow old because we stop playing
George Bernard Shaw
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chippy
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I have driven my Colima plated vehicles to all those states and wy,nm,nv and ca. I have alot of years doing it with multiple vehicles and have never
been stopped for the Mex plates. Same goes with the border and immigration stops.
Just make sure you have liability ins. for the U.S.
[Edited on 1-17-2022 by chippy]
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John Harper
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What do you do about a driver license when you become a PR? If you must have a Mex registered car, do you need a Mexican license to drive it in
Mexico? What about the USA?
Seems I saw something about Mex licenses needed for Mex cars in US?
I see lots of questions about registration issues, but not about a DL.
John
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BajaBlanca
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We are now Mexican citizens and both our cars are nationalized Mexican plated. We use them in the US without any issues at the border, or in the
city, ever.
Now, I just asked Les (who is the expert with an uncannily great memory) and he says that back in the day when we were driving baja plated vehicles.
we had to pay a TAX to be able to drive the car onto the ferry and all around the mainland.
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chippy
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| Quote: Originally posted by John Harper | What do you do about a driver license when you become a PR? If you must have a Mex registered car, do you need a Mexican license to drive it in
Mexico? What about the USA?
Seems I saw something about Mex licenses needed for Mex cars in US?
I see lots of questions about registration issues, but not about a DL.
John |
I´m a Mex citizen so I don´t know about PR.
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chippy
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I just talked to a good friend who lives between BCN and Nayarit. He brought a Baja state plated vehicle (Ford f 250) across on the ferry 6 mos. ago
with no problems.
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luna negra
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I think the only issue you'll have is if you have a US residence with that state's driver license while driving a car with Mx plates. Similar to how
it is in Mx. In Texas, I see a lot of Coauhila and Nuevo Leon vehicles here long term. As long as your immigration status is legit, I don't see any
issues but like you said, it will attract attention.
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bajagregg
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I have driven a BCS plated car all over the western US as well as on the La Paz ferry with zero problems.
Traveling Baja for 50 years.
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John Harper
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What Driver License do you have? US, or Mexico? You are a Permanent Resident, not a citizen, like Chippy?
John
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tmtuttle
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Thanks. All good information.
I'll definitely get a MX driver's license if I get a MX plated vehicle - that makes sense. And I won't stress about driving throughout the West in my
MX plated vehicle.
I think I stumbled onto something on the interwebs - there are two plates for BCS, one with an orange stripe and one with a blue stripe.
From what I could suss out from the article, the plates with orange stripes were imported into Baja from the States and thus can only be driven in the
Free Zones. The plates are called fronterizas (from the border).
The BCS plates with a blue stripe can be driven anywhere in Mexico. I'm actually at our family home in Vallarta now and there's a house down the
street and they have cars with blue BCS plates.
So, as far I see it, I could buy a car in Baja, put the BCS plates on it and then drive it to all the areas I listed in my original post.
Problem solved?
[Edited on 1-18-2022 by tmtuttle]
[Edited on 1-18-2022 by tmtuttle]
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