Purchasing/driving a car in Mexico as a non-resident on tourist visa

Last activity 11 August 2024 by Anita Kulp

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johndegriogoMember02 August 2023 20:57:41

Hi - Due to financial difficulties and for other reasons, I have had to resettle my mother and her husband to Mexico. They have been living in Mexico for 5 months on a tourist visa. This has allowed us to save tremendously on the cost of living and rent, and my wife and I have bene able to support them financially and to supplement their social security while they live in Mexico. So we hope to continue this for the time being.

We are trying to figure out a way to get them a car in Mexico. It is my understanding that an American citizen who is not a resident of Mexico cannot register or drive a car that was purchased in Mexico. In other words, it has been my understanding that one needs to be a resident of Mexico to purchase/register a car down there. Can someone confirm if this is actually the case, and is there any kind of work-around to this?

We know that there is an option to drive a car that was registered in the US down to Mexico, and they would be legally allowed to drive it on Mexican roads. But we are trying to avoid this option for various reasons. We wanted to know if there is any way for them to privately purchase (or even rent for the long-term) a car that's already owned by a Mexican citizen and to drive it legally while they are there.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

davedavis71Member02 August 2023 23:03:39

@johndegriogo You need a temporary resident visa. They are easy to get and you can buy a new or used car. A tourist visa won’t work.

johndegriogoMember03 August 2023 01:29:15

@davedavis71 HI Dave - Thank you for your reply. We know that a Temporary Resident allows for car purchase. The difficulty we are facing is that the Temporary Resident visa has stringent financial requirements (56k USD parked in a bank account for 6 months) and we are not sure that we can meet those requirements at this time. Maybe down the line in the future we may be able to put together such a sum and qualify for the financial requirements for the Temporary Resident visa - but not at this time unfortunately.

davedavis71Member03 August 2023 18:57:22

This the way I got around the requirement - you need proof of $3500 a month income for the last 6 months . ****

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Gaby PellicerNew member04 August 2023 15:42:26

There's an Amnisty program without financial requirements and can be done without leaving the country. I'm an Immigration specialist in case it sounds like an option, I'll be glad to help.

sweetlotusMember08 June 2024 15:24:43

@Gaby Pellicer

hi. I’d welcome talking with you. How can i get in touch?

Anita KulpMember11 August 2024 16:22:34

@Gaby Pellicer

I am just beginning to look at Mexico as a place to retire permanently and San Maguel de Allende looks very interesting; possibly feeding the artist in me.

I will be selling a small house in the US - you mentioned an amnesty program for residency? Also, is there a way I could live temporarily in Mexico waiting for the $56k/6 months in a bank requirement to be fulfilled?

What services are you able to offer and what is your pricing structure?

Please advise. I haven't joined expat.com as yet.

Anita Kulp

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