Expired auto permit - help

[erocha]

I am here on an FM3 and my husband has alien resident status in U.S. He was supposed to return his truck to the U.S., unable to return with a permit in six months. His sticker expired 11/11/05. Has anyone had experience with an expired permit. Mostly we need to return the truck to the U.S. for six months before he can apply but I don't want them to confiscate it. We have applied for legal status but that could take years. We have it in the garage and are not driving.

Hola.
l. Where did you come thru at the border?
2. Is the sticker for FM-3?
If you have the sticker and the papers which came w/ it, expiration date really doesn't matter once you turn them in at the aduana as you will re-apply when you return and pay your $27.00US (this is what is done at the Nogales check point which is south of Nogales).
Other crossings may have different rules as much of what is done hasn't hit all the aduana's check points.
BE SURE THAT YOU GET A RECEIPT FOR YOUR STICKER & PAPERS. I didn't once and it cost me five days at the border & a 33 hour bus trip for my wife to have the car put in her name.
Buena suerte

[erocha]

Thanks Mofles, for your comment. We came through Nogales. The truck is a 2003 Dodge Ram, diesel with a fifth wheel We also brought a 30" trailer. My husband is a Mexican citizen but didn't come on a FM2 because he didn't want to jeopardize his alien resident status. He was supposed to return the truck to the U.S. and not allowed another permit for six months. Mine is also expired but I am on an FM3 and have been told I don't have to renew it until my FM3 is renewed. We have a home in Colima near Cuouhtamoc, retired here last June. Any suggestions? We have the sticker on the truck due pending leglization of the truck, you know the large round seal-like sticker, so I don't think that will fly at the border either. We are supposed to stay in the area.

My tags expire this month on my 1989 560 SL. Since I am on a FM3, does it matter that the U.S. license is expired? or do you know? I don't want to drive back to the U.S. for smog check and insurance just to renew my tags.

Thanks for your input, Elaine

[moisheh]

This is very confusing. Of course anything to do with the Mexican border is confusing. If you are a month or so overdue on your Federal sticker that should not be a problem. Just stop and turn it in at Nogales. BUT I dont see how you can legalise your pickup. Diesels, 3/4 tons, and trucks less than 10 years old cannot be imported. Please expalin a little more???

Hola again.
So, you live near me. I live in Suchitlan, just over the hill. My truck was a Ford diesel & I pulled a 30' fifth wheel also. Turning in your permit is necessary (supposedly), but my friend from Colima drives up to the states on a regular basis and never turns his in. He just comes back and goes thru customs & home. HOWEVER, as I said before, IF you do turn your sticker and paper in, GET A RECIEIPT. Diesels cannot be sold down here unless the vehicle is in your husbands name & he is a national. Even then, the veh. division here in Colima will make him jump thru hoops. I just legalized & transferred a Triumph motorcycle into my name & used a "coyote" here to do most of the paper work. Send me a private message & I will see what I can do.

[erocha]

Hi Mofles -

Our truck is in his and my name and he is a mexican citizen, is that a national? I don't know how to send a private message. My husband, Carlos got all excited when I told him where you live. We really close to your house. Maybe we could meet and talk. Or tell me how to send a private message. My e-mail is elerocha@prodigy.net.mx. Talk to you soon.

[RVGRINGO]

If the truck is in both your names, you (with the FM3) should be able to take it out and the fact that the sticker date is expired means nothing so long as your FM3 is current. However, always have aduana remove an "importada temporal" sticker whenever you leave Mexico. Should you have your vehicle stolen or totaled in the US, it would still be legally in Mexico and you would be prevented from importing another. Get a fresh one when you return to Mexico.
Some folks drive with expired US plates here, but the law does require that they be current. Imagine the implications in the event of an accident and the fact that you would be an obvious scofflaw. It could also void your insurance. Find a state or area which doesn't require the emissions test. If you use a mail service in that state, Like Mail Boxes Etc. with a Texas address, your problem is solved; register in Texas and maintain a minimum "Border Policy" in Texas just to keep the tags current and to cover you if you need to run north. You could possibly add collision and comprehensive for the trip, then cancel that part when you return to Mexico.

[erocha]

Doesn't it matter that my FM3 allows me to have only one car? The car is not the Dodge truck but a 560SL. Would they have that info at the border? That might just work. The 560SL also has both our names also. Would a car dealer take the truck in on trade, maybe they could import it. The Dodge dealer in Colima is getting three just like it (Dodge 3500, deisel) this month. Maybe they would like to buy ours???? It's a great truck. Would pull a tank I think. It pulls a 30' trailer with two slide-outs with no slowing up hill to speak of.

[RVGRINGO]

1. Neither you nor your husband can sell a US titled vehicle in Mexico.
2. The current "nationalization of vehicles program" only applies to vehicles from NAFTA countries which are 10-15 years old.
3. You have posted a bond on a credit card to temporarily import your vehicle to Mexico and are now subject to finding that value charged to your credit card by the aduana as soon as they catch up with the fact that your truck has exceeded its stay in Mexico.
4. It would seem that your husband must take the truck out of Mexico ASAP and get a receipt from the aduana when they remove the sticker. A modest fine may be imposed for being late in departing.
5. A Mexican dealer may offer to take your truck in trade, but you would still be in violation and subject to fines and import duties on the truck. The same situation would apply even if it were stolen or totaled; you must remove it from Mexico unless the owner/importer has a current FM3. If you have a vehicle already on your own FM3 the truck is your husband's responsibility; as you noted, you can only have one vehicle per person on an importada temporal.
6. The simple solution: Head for the border. Return with proper documentation for both the truck and your husband. The complication is that he is a Mexican national and the truck is a US plated vehicle. You may need to just sell the truck in Texas and buy another one down here, in spite of the loss that would entail. You really need to talk to a customs agent, attorney or customs broker to see what can be done. On the web, we are all really just amateurs and you have a rather unique situation.

[erocha]

The truck has that aduana sticker on the rear window (I don't think I remembered to state that) indicating we have applied for legalization. If we take the truck back we will have to pull that off and store the truck for six months as he is not allowed an extension. He is allowed 180 days, then the truck has to go back to the U.S. for 180 days before he can have another permit. That is what the consulate told us in San Bernardino, CA where we got out permits. I see a lot of cars and trucks driving around Colima with that sticker on the rear window. Some have expired tags which I guess the mexicans don't care about and some look pretty new. Some have even pulled the little month/year tag off and just have the license plate. Our truck plates are good until Sep 2006. My husband thinks we should just keep driving it around here and eventually it might be approved for registration here since we own a home here and are permanent residents now. He is a mexican national, doesn't that count for anything? We didn't pay for the permit with a credit card. We got our car permits in San Bernardino where I received my FM3.

It just seems we could pay the import fees and that would take care of the problem. We paid $35,000. cash for that truck, so import fees would be pretty stiff I think, probably about $6000. Has anyone ever heard of doing that?

Elaine