Importing & Driving a Car in Mexico

Over the years, there have been tons of repeated questions about driving cars into Mexico under Tourist Visas, FM2′s, FM3′s, and FMM’s. RollyBrook and others have lots of good stuff, but here’s a Yucalandia view: (Updated April 4, 2012)

Basically all foreign cars and pickups (no dually’s) can be temporarily imported by expats with FMM’s (Visitor and Tourist Visas), and FM3′s (No Inmigrante Rentista & No Inmigrante Lucrativo) or FM2′s (but only FM2-Inmigrante Rentista), by getting a Temporary Import Permit (permiso de importación temporal de vehículos) from Aduana/Banjercito.  

Advantages & Disadvantages of Permanent v Temporary Import Permits:

With a permanent importation permit:
~ You can sell the car here in Mexico.
~ You can keep the car in Mexico as long as you want, regardless of INM status.
~ Mexican drivers can drive your car, without you (or some other expat) being in the car.
~ You must license the car here, and renew your State registration every year ($$).
~ You may have to pay annual State ownership taxes (tenencias $$) depending on your State’s rules.
~ You can only import 8, 9, or 10 year old NAFTA vehicles for modest import duties.
~ You pay no cash deposit when you bring the car into Mexico.
~ You do not have to go to a (non-airport) Aduana’s office every year to register your new INM permit expiration date.

With a temporary importation permit
~ You cannot sell the car here in Mexico.
~ You can only keep the car in Mexico with current & select types of INM permits.
…~ ~ ~ (e.g. If you change from FM2 Rentista to Inmigrado, then you cannot keep the car here on a Temporary Import Permit-)
~ Mexican drivers cannot drive your car, without you (or some other expat) being in the car.
~ You do not have to license the car here, and many States do not require that you keep your foreign plates current.
~ You pay no annual State ownership taxes (tenencias $$).
~ You can import just about any car or truck.
~ You have to pay a cash deposit when you bring the car into Mexico the first time.
~ You must go to a (non-airport) Aduana’s office every year to register your new INM permit expiration date.

Specifics: NAFTA cars and non-dually pickups, 8-10 years old, qualify for a Permanent Import permit, but the expat must: be a citizen or resident (FM2, FM3, or Inmigrado); and the vehicle must be manufactured or assembled in a NAFTA country; and it must 8-9 years old for expensive duties for permanent importation or 10 years old to be permanently imported more cheaply.   The permanent import process is called  tramite => “nationalizing” in English, see Aduana‘s website: “Importing Used Autos”, where the Model Year is determined as the automotive year period between November 1′st from one year to October 31 of the following year. Check your VIN to see if your vehicle was made in a NAFTA country and to determine its manufacture date.

Note: If the first character of the VIN is a number, then it is a NAFTA vehicle.

Here is a link to the Mexican Govt’s official VIN Checker with import duties : http://paisano.prevalidadorcaaarem.org.mx/Cotizador/ .

Exceptions to the rules: Cars over 29 years old also qualify for free importation as “classics”. 8-9 year old vehicles designed to haul more than 16 people, cement mixers and other heavy vehicles are allowed to be permanently imported at 10% taxes. There are also special rules for importing 5-9 year old vehicles into the Baja California y California Sur, and special zones of Sonora, but these categories affect few expats, so, we will say no more on these exceptions:  http://www.aduanas.sat.gob.mx/aduana_mexico/2008/vehiculos/141_10175.html . There are also special exemptions from requirements to get a vehicle import permit, if the vehicle only stays in special “Free Zones”: along the border, parts of Sonora, Baja California, and Quintana Roo. The vehicle must enter Mexico with no Temporary Import Permint, and then stay within these zones.

There are also Temporary Permits are issued to FMM, FM3 (No Inmigrante Rentista), and FM2-Rentista (Inmigrante Rentista) visa holders that allow the visa holder to drive around Mexico, while the vehicle keeps its foreign license plates, and foreign title & registration.  (See below:  Articulo 106  de la Ley Aduanera.)     Temporary permitted vehicles must be returned at the end of the visa’s period, or the car can be confiscated by Mexican officials. Vistor’s FMM’s and hence their temporary permits are for 180 days, while vehicles temporarily imported under FM3 & FM2 Rentista are allowed to stay in Mexico as long as the visa remains valid. Whenever the vehicle leaves Mexico, the owner of the vehicle must stop at Aduana (Banjercito) offices at the border to either get a permit to exit and return multiple times, or have Aduana remove the import-sticker.

Leaving Mexico with the Vehicle and Returning Later:
For expats with FM3 or FM2 Rentista permits leaving and re-entering Mexico with their foreign-plated vehicle, there is a Partial Return program (Retorno Parcial). From Aduana’s website (Google Translation): “Banjercito records exit and return information in the system, and it delivers a partial return receipt to the importer, so you can make multiple entries and exits during the term of the permit.” “Exiting From and Returning To Mexico for Temporary Permit Vehicles”

The drive-out / drive-back-in dilemma is really common. Hundreds of expats report years of driving out of Mexico without stopping at the border Banjercita office to get their multiple re-entry and exit permit. Some expats are now writing back to say that their vehicles are NOT allowed back into Mexico, ever. A few expats w/vehicles under Temporary Permits later write back to say that their vehicles are not allowed back into Mexico, ever. Of those who write about NOT being allowed to re-enter with the vehicle, a few report 1-2 years of filing documents with Aduana in failed attempts to get the mess un-knotted.

Here are a few small cautions about intentionally crossing the border and NOT turning in the Aduana/Banjercito sticker:
~ If your car is stolen NOB, then you are likely screwed forever for bringing another foreign-plated vehicle into Mexico on a Temporary Import Permit.
~ If your car is wrecked – or the windshield smashed while NOB, … you will likely find it very difficult and time-consuming to get the Mex. Gob. to honor your claim for returning the old sticker.
~ If you sell the car abroad, … you will likely find it very difficult and time-consuming to get the Mex. Gob. to honor your claim for returning the old sticker.
~ If you choose to return to Mexico with a different vehicle, … you will likely find it very difficult and time-consuming to get the Mex. Gob. to honor your claim for returning the old sticker.

Keeping those items in mind, I don’t think the choice to turn-in the sticker to Aduana or to keep the sticker is an automatic “gimme” as you leave Mexico. I suspect some people choose to turn in their stickers to avoid future hassles – and to be allowed to easily drive a different vehicle on a future return. Others come and go with no hassles. To each his own.

The negative consequences of leaving and a failed attempt to return without the permit:
~ The owner is never allowed to have another foreign-plated vehicle in Mexico under their visa;
~ they have to find a place to store or sell their car/truck in the USA or Canada while they are in Mexico;
~ they have to find alternate transport to their Mexican home;  and
~ if they want to have a car in Mexico, they have to buy car in Mexico, because they aren’t ever allowed to temporarily import a different one under their FMM, FM2, or FM3 again.

Can you live with this set of consequences? Do you like to roll the dice.*
If not, then stop at the Banjercito office at your border crossing and get a multiple exit and re-entry permit (see web address in the article above for details).

*Rolling the dice on INM and Aduana catching ex-pats breaking the rules, had much much better odds in the past, when paper systems ruled these operations, but now in the era of computerized data-bases, I think we will be hearing of much more enforcement of these easily-tracked easily-detected violations.

Want to end the “no front license plate” hassles?
Many foreign vehicles are only issued a single license plate for the back. Having no front plate triggers minor hassles across Mexico, since Mexican police at retens (police checkpoints) frequently pull over vehicles for 5 – 30 minute inspections and document reviews. Solutions? Friends of ours simply took their license plate into a print shop (the kind that makes small signs) and had them create a plastic front plate for about $8. Alternately, you can instead scan your rear plate, print a high quality color copy, and laminate the color copy.

They install the mock plate while in Mexico, and fly through the retens.

Mexican Customs Law Governing Expat Vehicle Operation and Temporary Importations:
The main part of Mexican Customs Law (Ley Aduanera) that covers expat driving and importation issues is Article 106, and the Operations Manual for Temporarily Imported Vehicles, page 45, Sec. 17-17.4 (“Manual Importacion de Vehiculos”“ and the section describing how your car’s permission to stay follows some changes in Immigration status: “Obligación de registrar y retornar el vehículo““)
Article 106 basically says two things:

• Your car registration is valid as long as your FMM, FMT, FM2, or FM3 is valid; and
• It describes who is allowed to drive your car. (see below)

Article 106 allows foreigners to temporarily import a car into Mexico for the duration of the registered importer’s immigration status: e.g. 180 day FMM visa gives 180 days for their car; FM3 & FM2 holders have the 365 days for their car (plus any extensions or re-applications).

It is also worth noting that:

1. The car import sticker is valid as long as the holder’s Visa remains valid, regardless of the expiration date shown on the import sticker. FM3 period = Vehicle’s approved period. Except you put your Bajercito deposit at risk if you do not notify Aduana annually of INM visa renewals or changes in your visa. ~ See instructions below on how to do this.
2. As long as you made your original deposit with a Credit Card before June 11. 2011, there is no requirement for the driver to go to a border crossing / car permit office to renew it.
3.  You are required to notify the Mexican Customs office IF YOU MADE A CASH DEPOSIT TO REGISTER YOUR CAR or if you made a credit card deposit after June 11, 2011. This notification (including copies of the vehicle permit and copies of the renewed Visa) is made by taking a letter to your Aduana office describing your name, INM visa type, the new expiration date for renewals, NUT, address, your passport, your driver’s license, your comprabante, and the car’s information, along with copies of “everything” – including the 3 copies of this notification letter – all submitted within 14 days of the visa change or visa renewal.
4. Aduana’s practices appear to have recently changed, where the Progreso Aduana office is now telling expats with Inmigrante or No Inmigrante visas that they must keep an approved copy in the car of the renewal notification letter they give to Aduana when they have renewed or changed their visa with INM.

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Example Letter Notifying Aduana of changes-in or renewals-to your INM Visa

Your Location and Today’s Date
Lic. ______   _______
(For Progreso Aduana Office: use Mariano Bueno Guerrero)

Administrador de la Aduana
de _______ (city of your Aduana office),  _____________, (your State)

For Progreso, use:
Administrador de la Aduana de Progreso

Presente,
Por este medio la gue suscribe _______ (your last name), ____ _____ (first and middle names), pasaporte no. __________________ (enter passport number), notifico a esa autoridad aduanera mi:  “cambio migratorio de ingreso a Mexico” (for changes in visa status) or “cambio de fecha de caucidad a _______ (enter your new visa expiration date)  de mi  ______ (your visa category:  e.g. No Inmigrante Rentista for FM3′s or Inmigrante Rentista for FM2′s), de NUT  ______ (your NUT number from your FM2 or FM3), esto a fin de esa autoridad esta notificada y se me de una extension de permanencia de mi vehiculo.

Mi dirección es:
(enter your address and official postal code)

Mi número de teléfono es: (enter your telephone number)

Mi información de coche es:
Marca:
Modelo:
Con VIN:

Entrego para constancia copias de:
1. Permiso temporal de vehiculo
2. Pasaporte (first 2 pages)
3. Cambio migratorio nuevo  (or)  Renovación de mi permiso INM
4. Comprobante domiciliario

Atentamente,
_____   _____  (Your Signature)
_____ _____ (Your Printed Name)

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After you submit this letter for notifying Aduana/Banjercito that your visa status or visa expiration date has changed, Aduana will approve your letter/application and they will either:

~ ask you to return to their office in a few days (typically 2), to pick up one of the (now approved) copies of your letter (since you gave them the original and 2 copies) to keep in your car to show the Police during any future stops;

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There have been many reports on the internet of Mexican police rejecting/challenging ex-pat drivers’ claims that their sticker expiration date is the same as their FM3′s or FM2′s exp. date, so, we suggest you keep the following items in your car:
~ A copy of Sec. 17-14.4
~ A copy of Article 106 in both Spanish and English (Spanish for the Police to read, see below)
~ The Aduana approved copy of your letter notifying Aduana of any visa status or visa expiration date changes;   and
~ A copy of the Visa and passaport of the expat to whom the Temporary Import permit was issued.
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It is worth noting that you may keep your US or Canadian licensed vehicle here even when you have Inmigrante (FM2) status, but only if that FM2 does not allow you to work in Mexico (Inmigrante Rentista). If your FM2 includes a work permit, then you may not keep a foreign plated vehicle here. FM3′s with or without work permits are allowed to keep foreign plated vehicles here in Mexico.

In another twist of the regulations, you must notify Aduana in person with a simple letter and supporting documents, formally notifying Aduana within 15 days of your change in visa status from FMM to FM2 or FM2 or “prórroga”  (extension or renewal of your visa), so, Aduana can change the temporary status of your vehicle in their computer records, per:

“Obligación de registrar y retornar el vehículo
Si usted no retorna el vehículo, su garantía se hará efectiva y Banjército transferirá el monto a la Tesorería de la Federación, a más tardar al segundo día hábil bancario siguiente a aquel en que haya vencido el plazo de la importación temporal. Si usted dejó una garantía y obtiene prórroga, ampliación o refrendo a su calidad o cambio en la calidad migratoria de no inmigrante a inmigrante rentista, siempre que exista continuidad en las calidades migratorias, para que la misma no se haga efectiva deberá presentar de forma personal en cualquiera de las 49 aduanas del país un escrito en formato libre, dando aviso de dicha circunstancia, dentro de los 15 días hábiles siguientes a aquel en que le hubiere sido otorgada la prórroga, ampliación, refrendo o cambio en la calidad migratoria de inmigrante a inmigrante rentista, debiendo anexar copia del comprobante de dicho trámite, así como del permiso de importación temporal del vehículo y, en su caso, la tarjeta de internación.

Readers may note the bolded section that says that the applicant must make the application in person to Aduana within 15 days of renewal/change, along with the documents and letter listed above in this article.

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Documentos necesarios para comprobar la calidad migratoria Para Extranjeros:
Official list of documents for notifying Aduana of your new/changed INM visa information:

Original y copia de su identificación oficial vigente la cual puede ser:
Tarjeta de residencia emitida por la autoridad migratoria en el extranjero
Pasaporte:  Passport Card
Enhaced Driver License and ID Card (EDL/ID)
Certificado de naturalización emitido por el Departamento de Justicia de los Estados Unidos de América
La documentación expedida por el Instituto Nacional de Migración que acredite su calidad migratoria autorizada para el trámite. ”

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Here is a slightly different form of the registration letter to deliver to Aduana: (from Rolly Brook’s excellent site) with some modifications requested by the Progreso Aduana office.

Fecha:  Today’s Date

Administración General de Aduanas
Insert your local Aduana Offices Administrators Name
and Address  here

Por medio de la presente me permito informarle a used que El Instituto Nacional de Migración de este país me ha concedido prorroga (for visa renewals) en mi calidad migratoria por el tiempo de __*__ días para permanecer en México, con vencimiento del día __**____.

[*= number of days of your FM3 renewal – usually 365]
[**= expiration date of your renewal]

Lo que estoy avisando a esta autoridad para los efectos del Articulo 106, fracción IV, inciso a de la Ley Aduanera, con respecto a la importación temporal de mi vehículo:

Mi dirección es:(enter your address and official postal code)

Mi número de teléfono es: (enter your telephone number)

Mi número de pasaporte es: (enter your passport number and nationality)

La categoria y el NUT de mi permiso de INM es: (enter your visa type and NUT from your INM visa)

Marca:_____________________  [Make of car]
Modelo: ___________________  [Model of car]
No de serie_________________  [VIN]
Efectuada por la Aduana de _______________________ [where you got the permit]
Amparo del Permiso de Importación Temporal No. _______  [hologram number]
Fecha de Entrada del vehículo: _______________  [date of entry with vehicle]
Fecha de Vencimiento del Permiso: ___________  [expiration date of permit]

Para que pueda prolongarse el plazo del vehículo mientras dure mi calidad migratoria.

Atentamente,

[Your signature]
[Your name]

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Leaving Mexico with the Vehicle:
When you leave Mexico with the vehicle imported under a Visitor Visa (FMM), the sticker must be removed-by and retained -by the Mexican Customs Authorities. If you do not have them remove the sticker, and have them register the exit of your vehicle from Mexico, then their computer tracking will not allow you to bring in any future vehicles, as there is only one vehicle allowed per visa/person – and their computer system will show that you already have a vehicle in Mexico.

When you leave Mexico with the vehicle imported under a No Inmigrante or Inmigrante Rentista (FM3 Rentista or FM2 Rentista), you have to decide if you are returning to Mexico with the vehicle later or if you will not return the vehicle to Mexico. If you are NOT returning the vehicle to Mexico later, the sticker must be removed-by and retained -by the Mexican Customs Authorities. If you do not have them remove the sticker, and have them register the exit of your vehicle from Mexico, then their computer tracking will not allow you to bring in any future vehicles, as there is only one vehicle allowed per visa/person – and their computer system will show that you already have a vehicle in Mexico.

For expats with FM3′s or FM2 Rentista permits leaving and re-entering Mexico with their vehicle, there is a Partial Return program. From Aduana’s website (Google Translation): “Banjercito records exit and return information in the system, and it delivers a partial return receipt to the importer, so you can make multiple entries and exits during the term of the permit.” “Exiting From and Returning To Mexico for Temporary Permit Vehicles”

Specifics: Remember the Banjercito office you registered your car at when you entered? When you are leaving Mexico, you need to return to the corresponding BANJERCITO office at the border crossing where/when you are crossing back into the USA with the vehicle. They will check your vehicle & your Temporary Import Permit, and log your vehicle into their computer system as having exited Mexico officially. Banjercito gives you a return certificate to document the change. As with all similar papers, keep this receipt for when you drive back into Mexico in the future (proof that you are allowed to bring another vehicle into Mexico, since the prior vehicle was not left in Mexico).

On the off chance that you drove out of Mexico without canceling the permit, then you must return with the car with the Mexican Aduana sticker intact. If that is not possible, it takes special actions and several months of Mexican Gob. actions to clear up the mess. (A good friend from Louisiana reports that it took her over a year to unknot the problems…) At last word, you can call 1 877 448 8728 from the USA or Canada for more information (in Spanish of course). You can then file a formal written request to document your proof that the vehicle cannot be brought back to the Mexican border to:
Administración General de Aduanas
Administración Central de Operación Aduanera
Administración de Operación Aduanera “3”
Av. Hidalgo No. 77, Módulo IV, 1° piso, Del. Cuauhtémoc
Col. Guerrero, C.P. 06300, México D.F.

If you choose this route, here are the basics of what’s needed (Note: this is only if you drove out without registering the vehicle’s exit, and cannot take the vehicle back to the border due to vehicle’s sale, accident, theft, loss in a divorce settlement etc.):
- A notarized letter that explains precisely why you cannot bring the vehicle to the border (in Spanish) and describing the current legal / physical status of the vehicle.
- Copies of the title & registration you used when you took the vehicle into Mexico.
- Your original permit from Banjercito & the sticker from the vehicle (plus a foto of the VIN is very helpful).
- Sufficient documentation to prove your claim of: sale of vehicle, accident, loss in a divorce settlement, theft. Fotos of accidents/total wreck, police reports, official bills of sale – notarized, copies of divorce papers, insurance company reports, etc and other documents that prove your claim are usually necessary. Some past claimants have found that fotos of a wrecked vehicle showing the sticker intact were helpful.
- Your current contact information: home address, phone & e-mail.

Does all this make it clear why it’s worth it to remember to stop and register your vehicle’s exit from Mexico, and let the Aduana folks remove the sticker?
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Leaving Mexico without your Vehicle Registered under an FMM: (Hint: Don’t)
If you entered Mexico with a valid FM2 or FM3, then there are no issues leaving Mexico without the vehicle. If, however, you enter Mexico on an FMM, then you must leave only with the vehicle. The vehicle’s permit sticker has control numbers associated with your FMM, and when you leave the country (e.g. by flying), then when you depart Mexico, they take your old FMM.

When you re-enter Mexico, they issue a new FMM, and the number on the new FMM will not correspond to the control number on your car’s sticker, which will potentially cause big problems when you attempt to leave Mexico with the vehicle.

What to Do If Your Car Becomes “Illegal”:
If your car becomes illegal due to visa changes, visa’s expiring, or whatever reason, you can apply for a free temporary permit that gives you 3-5 days to remove the vehicle from Mexico. Check out Aduanas website for instructions on how to apply: “Safely Returning Autos”“

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IMPORTANT RULES FOR OPERATING FOREIGN PLATED CARS IN MEXICO:

Many people who drive across and around Mexico in their Temporary Import Permit cars swear-by keeping a copy of Article 106 and Article 17-17.4 (of the Customs Law) in their car, because many/most Mexican Police do not know the rules.

Here are a copies to print and carry in the car:

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Que Se Entiende Por Régimen De Importación Temporal
ARTICULO 106 de la Ley Aduanera
Se entiende por régimen de importación temporal, la entrada al país de mercancías para permanecer en el por tiempo limitado y con una finalidad especifica, siempre que retornen al extranjero en el mismo estado, por los siguientes plazos.

FRACCION IV. Por el plazo que dure su calidad migratoria, incluyendo sus prorrogas, en los casos.Las de vehículos que sean propiedad de turistas,visitantes, visitantes locales y distinguidos, estudiantes e inmigrantes rentistas, siempre que los mismos sean de su propiedad a excepción de turistasy visitantes locales. Cuando no sean de su propiedad deberán cumplirse los requisitos que establezca el Reglamento. Los vehículos podrán ser conducidos en territorio nacional por un extranjero que tenga algunas de las calidades migratorias a que se refiere este inciso, por el cónyuge, los ascendientes o descendientes del importador, aun cuando estos ultimo no sean extranjeros, o por un nacional, siempre que en este ultimo caso, viaje a bordo del mismo cualquiera de las personas autorizadas para conducir el vehiculo.
Los vehículos a que se refiere este inciso, deberán cumplir con los requisitosque señale el reglamento.
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Manual de Operación para la Importación Temporal de Vehículos y Motocicletas:  Articulo 17 de la Ley Aduanera
17.- El plazo para retornar los vehiculos que hubieran sido importados temporalmente al amparo de las calidades migratorias señaladas en la ley, será el de la vigencia de la calidad migratoria, sus prórrogas, apliaciones o refrendos otorgados a dichas calidades migratorial conforme a Ley de la materia.

17.1.- Para estos efectos la prórroga de la vigencia del permiso de importación temporal del vehiculo se acreditará con el documento oficial que emita la autoridad migratoria, sin que se requira autorización de las autoridades aduaneras; en este caso, el permiso de importación temporal se mantendrá vigente aún y cuando el importador haya obtenido cambio en la calidad migratoria de no inmigrante a inmigrante rentista, siempre que exista continuidad en las calidades migratorias.

17.4.- En caso de que el trámite de importación temporal se haya efectuado mediante tarjeta bancaria, y la documentación esté completa, el responsable del CIITEV de la aduana que corresponda, procederá a informa al interesado que no es necesario la presentación de dicho aviso, en virtud de que su vehiculo se encuentra legal en el territorio nacional mientras continúe vigente su calidad migratoria, incluyendo sus prórrogas, ampliaciones o refrendos.
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English copies of Article 106 and Sec. 17-17.4

Customs Law: Temporary Vehicle Importation Regulations

ARTICLE 106.

Temporary importation is understood as the entry of merchandise into the country, which will remain in it for a limited period of time and for a specific purpose, so long as it is returned abroad in the same condition. The former applies for the following term:

PART IV. For the term of his or her migratory status, including extensions, in the following cases: Vehicles owned by tourists, visitors, local visitors and distinguished visitors, students, and immigrants who are tenants, whenever said vehicles are their own, excepting tourists and local visitors. When the vehicles are not their own, requirements established within the regulations must be met. Such vehicles may be driven within the national territory by a foreigner –the importer holding one of the migratory status referred to in this paragraph, by his or hers spouse, parents or descendants, even when the latter are not foreigners: and by a Mexican as long as one of the persons authorized to drive the vehicle travels with him or her in the car.
Vehicles referred to in this section must meet the requirements pointed out in the regulations.

Manual de Operación para la Importación Temporal de Vehículos y Motocicletas: Sec. 17-17.4
17.- The deadline to return the vehicles [that] had been imported temporarily under immigration grades defined by law, this means the effect of immigration status, extensions, or endorsements given to these qualities migratorial [types of immigration status]under the Act.

17.1.- For this purpose an extension of the duration of the temporary import permit of the vehicle will be credited with an official document issued by the immigration authorities, without the required authorization of the customs authorities, in this case, the temporary import permit will remain valid even and when the importer has obtained the change in immigration status of No Inmigrante to Inmigrante Rentista, provided there is continuity in the immigration status.

17.4 .- If the temporary importation procedure has been made by credit card, and the documentation is complete, the head of CIITEV of the customs office, shall inform the person concerned that it is not necessary to submit such notice, which is required for those with a cash deposit guarantee (referring to paragraphs 17.2 and 17.3], under as their vehicle is legal in the country while their immigration status remains in place, including extensions, extensions or endorsements.

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Here are a few other things to carry in the car, that really help (are necessary?) if / when the Mexican police stop you:

1. All original documents that were issued with the car’s Mexican importation sticker.
2. A copy of the visa associated with the car’s sticker: FMM, FM2, or FM3.
3. A copy of the passport associated with the car’s sticker.
4. A copies of Article 106 & Sec. 17-17.4 (shown above).

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Oct. 2011 Addition:
If your foreign plated car is stolen in Mexico, you owe Aduana a 40% tax (as the Import tax) for not being able to take the car out of Mexico, as you agreed-to when you got your Temporary Import permit. Aduana instituted this fee because past expats would dump their foreign plated cars that they did not want to take back to the border, and then claim that “My car was stolen.” to get around the Aduana requirements.

If you choose to not pay the tax, you forfeit your future rights to Temporarily Import another car and drive it here with foreign plates.

http://www.aduanas.gob.mx/aduana_mexico/2008/vehiculos/141_11258.html

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Happy Trails,
steve

Please Continue to Make Comments and Replies to Help Keep This Information Current!
Disclaimer: This information is not meant as legal advice. It is for educational and informational purposes only. Government policies vary between States and offices, and Mexican Government officials have broad discretion in how they individually enforce policies, so, your personal experiences may vary. See a professional for advice on important issues.

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Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry
Read-on MacDuff . . .