Nationalizing a car from the US

Two articles cover this really well:

"Bringing Your Car Into Mexico"

and

"Taking Your Car Out of Mexico"

Itpelle

We have addressed this topic many times , so Let me refer you to this group of posts in the forum database. Just scroll down until you see this topic    'How to nationalize an american car in Mexico'

Let me say it is a great deal more  trouble, and expense than it used to be. If you plan on just crossing the border and staying in that area( Rosarito or T.J. for instance), you can just cross back and forth , doing pretty much nothing.

If you plan on going deeper into Mexico it becomes complicated and requires things like import fees. You will need mexican auto insurance which you can check out on line.

buena suerte

travellight wrote:

Itpelle

We have addressed this topic many times , so Let me refer you to this group of posts in the forum database. Just scroll down until you see this topic    'How to nationalize an american car in Mexico'

Let me say it is a great deal more  trouble, and expense than it used to be. If you plan on just crossing the border and staying in that area( Rosarito or T.J. for instance), you can just cross back and forth , doing pretty much nothing.

If you plan on going deeper into Mexico it becomes complicated and requires things like import fees. You will need mexican auto insurance which you can check out on line.

buena suerte

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=289766

cant do it! leave ur car licensed from the state u r coming from. they wont bother u. but if they catch u with mexican plates(a no no) big trouble cause it is not allowed. unless u r a fm2 or fm3 temp resident, permanent resident. have to be a naturalized citizen to have either permits or married to one. my son is married to a mexican. his car is registered in texas and has a texas drivers license but she has a mexican drivers license cause she is a citizen. if your car is over 20 years old u wont be able to register.
mexico considers vehicles over 20 years old as junk.

grapenut wrote:

cant do it! leave ur car licensed from the state u r coming from. they wont bother u. but if they catch u with mexican plates(a no no) big trouble cause it is not allowed. unless u r a fm2 or fm3 temp resident, permanent resident. have to be a naturalized citizen to have either permits or married to one. my son is married to a mexican. his car is registered in texas and has a texas drivers license but she has a mexican drivers license cause she is a citizen. if your car is over 20 years old u wont be able to register.
mexico considers vehicles over 20 years old as junk.

Interesting opinion grapenut,

U.S. cars can cross at the border and do nothing , as long as that is where they are going. If they plan to go beyond the border they need an import sticker.

No, residente permanente people can not have American plated cars.  I'm not sure what you mean by permits, permits for what ? To own a U.S. car ?  When you say they don't bother you, who are they ? The police definitely bother you with a U.S. plated car once you get past the border cities. If you are saying don't buy a Mx. plate and slap it on your car you are correct, there are some people who claim they can do that , but it is illegal and if you are stopped you can find that out pretty quick.

A U.S. car has to be imported and not all U.S. cars are qualified for import. It's very expensive and time consuming.
Naturalization is a whole other topic.

wow- so bringing my 20 year old car from Washington state to say Mazatlan, SMA or San Cristobal will be a problem?
I was hoping to get some kind of Mexican insurance and perhaps registration down the line..
it sounds like the latter will be impossible?
my 20 yr old Toyota is still running strong!

so after reading all this i am gathering that I can probably get a temporary import sticker for my car for an extended (6 month) stay in Mexico.. and a 6 month visa - but if I wanted to register it permanently probably not.
Is that correct?
Sorry if I am being obtuse..it's feeling a bit challenging.
And I am gonna guess that if this much bureaucracy is challenging, I better get ready for a whole lot more, living there...
do I need any kind of paperwork to rent an apartment?
any tips on where I go to get a work permit for the time I am there?
thanks folks.

lizdragon wrote:

so after reading all this i am gathering that I can probably get a temporary import sticker for my car for an extended (6 month) stay in Mexico.. and a 6 month visa - but if I wanted to register it permanently probably not.
Is that correct?
Sorry if I am being obtuse..it's feeling a bit challenging.
And I am gonna guess that if this much bureaucracy is challenging, I better get ready for a whole lot more, living there...
do I need any kind of paperwork to rent an apartment?
any tips on where I go to get a work permit for the time I am there?
thanks folks.

Yes, that is pretty much correct car wise. But there are expensive ways around that depending on the car and your budget. The thing is they have been hurt by U.S. imports ( Katrina for one) and they would prefer you buy here. People were bringing in truckloads of questionable cars

What you need to rent is someone who is willing to rent to you and a contract. The contract spells out what you pay and what they pay, and you have to negotiate that.

Working is another can of worms.  This should give you some reading material on that.https://www.mexperience.com/lifestyle/living-in-mexico/visas-and-immigration/
Basically, if you have a U.S. employer like a tech company, they will help with and do most of the paperwork. A part-time job in Mexico does not pay well and is much harder to get.  Just for a short time would be doubtful due to the work to get the job in the first place and time needed to obtain visas etc..

thanks much!

I was thinking of teaching English as a second language, and I have a portable healing practice that is very easy to set up for me.

I dont want to get in trouble for working, but I want to contribute and not sit around on my butt...any easy answers for me on that one?

lizdragon wrote:

thanks much!

I was thinking of teaching English as a second language, and I have a portable healing practice that is very easy to set up for me.

I dont want to get in trouble for working, but I want to contribute and not sit around on my butt...any easy answers for me on that one?

"Some private language schools will take teachers with the certificate only, and others that will require nothing more than native-level fluency. Conversely, some universities require a Master's degree. But for the most part, a bachelor's degree and the TESOL certificate will qualify you to teach in Mexico." There are many seeking this answer. In the local plaza is a company "interlingua" that set up shop recently. I have been approached and would do it for nothing with a friend, but I am not really interested in doing that or teaching nursing or psychology.  I was asked about a nursing position because there is a shortage I'm told, but it only crossed my retired mind briefly LOL

So I have no actual experience with getting one of those jobs. I do know that my friend's daughter who is bilingual, native and is finishing her Ph.D. didn't have a simple easy time getting the teaching job she wanted. You will have to do some research.

mexico law; no registering of vehicles older than 20 years. keep it registered in your home state and forget about changing dr license. only mex citizens have mex dr licenses

grapenut wrote:

mexico law; no registering of vehicles older than 20 years. keep it registered in your home state and forget about changing dr license. only mex citizens have mex dr licenses

You are living on the border more or less grapenut,

To crossing over and not get a Mexican car, import fees, or a license would be easy for you. Your status is like being a visitor who crosses over to visit. Once you get past the border zone that all changes and you are required to have an import tag. Mexico has few free zones. You don't mention Mexican car insurance, but that is required if you drive in Mexico. The further you get away from the border the more attention your non-Mx. plated car will get.

As for drivers licenses, as far as I know, permanent residents have Mx. licenses, not just Mexican natives. I can't imagine handing over a U.S. license while driving in southern Mexico in a car from the U.S. without Mx. insurance, or an import tag. Getting a Mex. license needs more than just a visitor visa.

thank you so much! will work on getting my TESOL cert and research where they might need me. I know it helps the peeps down there to have more English.

maybe it is a time for u to move to a more safe  expat friendly town like juarez. sure; i have el paso across the river, but i havent been there for over a year. all i need need is right here n juarez; meds cheaper, housiong dirt cheap, food, gas for my wifes(she is a mexican national who speaKS GREAT ENGLISH)car. vehicle repairs cheaper.; whats not to love. cartels r either deaD OR DOING THEIR BUSINESS ELSEWHERE SO JUAREZ REAL SAFE PLACE  i feel well protected with thousands of mexican federales roaming the streets with sub machine guns in tow. heard that 36 people died this week in  cancun sounds like a war zone. so how secure r u where u live?

grapenut wrote:

maybe it is a time for u to move to a more safe  expat friendly town like juarez. sure; i have el paso across the river, but i havent been there for over a year. all i need need is right here n juarez; meds cheaper, housiong dirt cheap, food, gas for my wifes(she is a mexican national who speaKS GREAT ENGLISH)car. vehicle repairs cheaper.; whats not to love. cartels r either deaD OR DOING THEIR BUSINESS ELSEWHERE SO JUAREZ REAL SAFE PLACE  i feel well protected with thousands of mexican federales roaming the streets with sub machine guns in tow. heard that 36 people died this week in  cancun sounds like a war zone. so how secure r u where u live?

Who are you talking to grapenut ?

"Jun 29, 2018 - Murders in Mexico border city of Juárez continue to rise as deaths top 160" In Cancun there have been deaths, but The chances of a tourist being murdered are still very slim as most killings are gang-related.
Tourism in Cancun is a big money maker, so as they did in Cabo, the police are on it. Juarez is a known cartel area, not a tourist spot. I don't live in either area and don't plan on doing so. Buena Suerte grapenut.

I had a Mexican license when I lived there on a spouse visa 8 years ago. Have the laws changed since then where I won’t be able to get a license? We will likely import/naturalize one vehicle and leave the other in the States for when we return in a few years.