Car Permits

[jimkirwan]

Hi,
Was in Mexico in Dec. 04. I came back to the states late at night, kids crying everyone tired etc. I did not turn in the car permit, I am driving back to Mexico in June with the same car. Will there be any problems? Anyone with experence in this area. Cannot get a straight answer from the consulates or an answer from MexMike. Dont want to pay $200. for insurance if they dont let me in. Anyone that had this problem out there?

Jim Kirwan

[davide]

Take all registration tags from 04 to present showing and proving that you did not part with the car either in Mexico or the USA. Take your ownership certificate. Park on the USA side of the border and walk across to the SHCP SAT module, put a huge concerned smile on your face and then prepare to beg for mercy. Brace yourself for a torrent of admonishment and then the announcement of a really large fine. It's time to plead and beg (take my word for it---you have them exactly where they want you). Let your heart rate return to normal and then plead your case again and again, until just maybe they get a bit tired of the scene and let you off with a fine ranging to maybe a hundred or so dollars. Pay your fine and then and only then return and drive the vehicle to the complex and pay for your new hologram and temporary import permit. Having a lady along that could shed a few tears would be a good idea. Even a hardened Aduanero softens slightly after hearing a story about someone not being able to stand not going back to Mexico.

[HolyMole]

On a somewhat related topic, our car was stolen in Zihuatanejo in Feb/07 and recovered a day or two later in the hills north of town, badly smashed up. Our Mexican insurance company determined, within about two weeks, that the car was a total loss. We remained in Zihua for two months after the theft, hoping to get the insurance settlement finalized before leaving Mexico, but no such luck. Finally, after 5 months of exchanging e-mails, we reached a settlement on the write-off value of the car....(about $1500-$2000 less than what I felt was a fair price, but that's the way insurance companies operate, isn't it? - Mexican or otherwise).
While we were still in Zihua, the insurance company asked for the original of the vehicle's Temporary Import Permit, which I provided, assuming that the insurance company would handle any issues with Mexican Customs. That assumption, of course, was incorrect. Long story short, I later learned that it was up to me to have the Temporary Import Permit cancelled. Fortunately, I had kept a photocopy of the Permit, and had reams of other documentation, including photos of the smashed vehicle, and a news story of the theft in one of the Zihua newspapers, complete with our photograph.
Finally, my Mexican insurance company e-mailed me a form to complete, along with the mailing address of Customs in Mexico City, and said there were two ways I could get the Temporary Import Permit cancelled:
1. Mail the completed form, along with all my other documentation, to Customs in Mexico City, with a request that the Import Permit be cancelled.
2. Go to Customs at any border crossing and provide all the documentation to them.

Since we were returning to Mexico in a few months, I opted for #2.
Wrong choice.
In November/07, we crossed the border at Piedras Negras....obviously in a new car... and proceeded directly to the Customs/Immigration building located perhaps 30 kilometers inside Mexico. There, Customs officials said they could not cancel the Temporary Import Permit. They said I had to send all my documentation to Customs in Mexico City. They also suggested that the Customs office back in downtown Piedras Negras might be able to handle it....but they weren't very convincing.
(You'd think they could have simply telephoned Customs in Piedras Negras to ask......).
I wasn't prepared to drive back to Piedras Negras with only a suggestion that they might be able to help. So, there we were, facing a dilemma because the computer showed I already had a vehicle in Mexico, and Customs would not allow me to bring another vehicle into Mexico unless I paid the customs duty....probably $3000 - $4000 .....on the first vehicle, the one that was stolen. What to do?
Fortunately, my wife and I are listed as co-owners on our current vehicle registration. So, the "work-around" was for my wife to import the vehicle. And, because I didn't want her to use one of her credit cards, (admittedly, I was a bit paranoid - afraid she might get dinged for customs duty on the vehicle that was stolen), we had to leave a $300 cash deposit. We received a full refund of the $300 when we crossed the border at Nogales 5 months later.
After this 'work-around", I immediately e-mailed my car insurance agent in Los Angeles to change my current policy to show my wife as the policy holder, with me as an occasional driver. No problemo.
A month or so ago, I finally mailed all my documentation to Customs in Mexico City, requesting that they confirm the cancellation of the Temporary Import Permit for the car that was stolen in Feb/07. I'm not holding my breath.

[jimkirwan]

well i am in zihuatanejo, had no problems. we returned with the same car & told them that i had medical problems and that is why we didnt return the permit. no fine at all just go inside & get a new permit. i learned a leson just turn your permit then you can go back with any car.
jimbo