At the border, they will take your temporal application and exchange it for a “Visitante” Visa.

If you are bringing your own auto, RV, motorcycle or boat over the border, you should apply for your Temporary Import Permit as far as 60 days in advance, but requires at least a 7-10 day lead time before your trip.  Once filed, all documents can be mailed to you by FedEx or other service.

Regions That Do Not Require Permits

If you are bringing your car over the border temporarily, there are regions of Mexico that do not require a permit.  A permit is not required if you plan to stay within the border zone, within the Sonora permit free area or within the entire Baja peninsula.  The border zone encompasses 25 kilometers (16 miles) of the border and the entire Baja California peninsula.

If you are visiting Rocky Point, Guaymas, San Carlos, Hermosillo, Bahia de Kino, Caborca, Father Kino Missions, Magdalena and Santa Ana, you will not need a vehicle permit.

If you are only going to Sonora, there is an “Only Sonora” permit you can purchase.

Quintana Roo is another Free Zone.  However, to get to Quintana Roo from the U.S. or Canada, you will need a TIP and if you want to drive outside the state of Quintana Roo to visit other states, you will need the Temporary Import Permit.  However, Quintana Roo is a border state of Belize and Guatemala, and therefore a Free Zone once it is there.

Regions That Require A Permit

If you plan to drive south of the border zone or outside of the Sonora permit free area or outside Baja, you must obtain a “Temporary Import Permit” online at the border, or from certain Mexican consulates.  Banjercito – Mexico’s Banco Nacional del Ejército Fuerza Aérea y Armada, is the government authority who issues vehicle permits.

Completing the process on-line is the most straight forward way to go.  

Print out everything and make 3 copies.

How Long Can My Permit Be?

Temporary vehicle importation permits (Temporary Import Permits or TIP’s) for tourists and for expats crossing the border for the first time, are valid for up to six months.  Within this six months, you may enter and exit the country with your vehicle as many times as you want but the time frame must match your immigration document length of time.

Within this six months, if you are planning to stay in Mexico, you will need to go to your local INM office to get your Resident Temporal Visa.  At this time, your TIP permit will be tied to your immigration status.  Make sure that you notify Aduana if when you change your immigration status.

Apply For Your Immigration Pre-Authorization First

If you are a U.S. citizen, Canadian, or a permanent resident of the U.S. or Canada, before starting the application process for your permit, you must go to the National Migration Institute in order to apply for your immigration pre-authorization.

Your vehicle permit will be issued for the same period as that stated on your immigration pre-authorization.

Once you are at the border crossing of Mexico, you must approach an immigration officer in order to exchange your pre-authorization form for the proper immigration document.

You Must Purchase Mexican Insurance

In order to bring your auto, RV, motorcycle, or boat into Mexico, you must purchase Mexico Car Insurance.  Your domestic auto insurance will not be honored in Mexico.  Remember to buy Mexican insurance before your trip on-line.   It is easier to buy Mexican insurance online than at the border.

You must keep your vehicle legal while in Mexico in order for your Mexican insurance to pay a claim.  If your immigration status changes, you must notify Aduana.

***If you plan to nationalize your vehicle fairly quickly in Mexico (purchase Mexican plates for your car), purchase a short term insurance policy as this insurance is intended for foreign plated cars only.   You may keep your foreign plates up to 4 years, or until you obtain Residente Permanente status.  For more information on nationalizing your vehicle, read more here****

Apply For Your Permit at Banjercito

Documents You Will Need To Apply Online

• Passport
• Your INM Immigration Preauthorization Number
• Date you will enter Mexico
• Email address to send a confirmation email with a reference number
• Number of passengers in your vehicle
• Address the permit will be mailed to
• Your vehicle’s VIN number
• Credit or debit card that allows foreign transactions in the name of the person applying for the permit – Very important at border crossing

Apply For Your Permit

Once you have made your payment, Banjercito will send the permit to your address within 7 business days.  Upon receiving your permit, send a copy of the documents you provided, along with copies of all of the documents you used to apply online, in one of the following ways:

• E-mail the scanned documents to:  itvnet@banjercito.com.mx
• Through courier service to the following address:  Av. Industria Militar 1055, Col. Lomas de Sotelo, Del. Miguel Hidalgo, México, DF, CP.
• Deliver them in person to any Banjercito office (List of offices are at the bottom of this page)

Temporary Permit Rules

• You may ONLY request a permit for a vehicle that is registered to your name or that of your spouse, your children, or your parents.
• The holder of the credit card by which will pay the temporary import procedure, must belong to the same applicant.
• The applicant should be of legal age (18 years old), pursuant to Mexican law.
• If you are currently making payments on your car to a bank, many banks and finance companies require you to get a letter of permission to bring your car into Mexico.  In order to issue the letter of permission, many companies will require proof of Mexican Auto Insurance first.  Contact your bank or finance company and let them know your plans.  They will provide you their specific instructions. 
  
• If you have a co-signer on the lien, you must also have a letter of permission from them to take the vehicle over the border.

Cost for Auto’s

• 2007 and newer models, USD $400.00 deposit required
• 2001 – 2006 models, USD $300.00 deposit required
• models previous to 2000, USD $200.00 deposit required

• USD $44.00 + IVA at the border, from Mexican consulates or online at the Banjercito website
• A guarantee deposit is also required

Cost for RV Permits

Fees in USD, including IVA are:

• $680.82 Pesos from the Banjercito website

(about U.S. $50.58 as of 10/19/11)

• A guarantee deposit is also required

Cost for Boat Permits

Fees in USD, including IVA are:

• $680.82 Pesos from the Banjercito website

(about U.S. $50.58 as of 10/19/11)

• A guarantee deposit is also required

What is the guarantee deposit?

The Banjercito guarantee deposit will be returned once the vehicle and permit are returned.  If you do not return your vehicle and the permit by the time your permit expires, Banjercito will keep the deposit.   Deposit amounts are:

• 2007 and newer models, USD $400.00 deposit required
• 2001 – 2006 models, USD $300.00 deposit required
• models previous to 2000, USD $200.00 deposit required

Significant points to be aware of when importing a vehicle temporarily are:

• A temporary import is only possible for a single vehicle at a time, except in the case of an RV towing a vehicle – then both can be registered at the same time, by the same person.
• The maximum load capacity for a temporary vehicle import is 3.5 tons, not including the weight of the vehicle.
• You may tow with your vehicle, one – three off-road motorcycles, dune buggies, four-wheel motorcycles, ATVs, up to the number of people traveling inside the vehicle.  You must be able to provide proof of ownership for the vehicles being transported and they must be returned along with the towing or transporting vehicle.
• You cannot sell a “temporarily imported vehicle” in Mexico, or use it for commercial activities.
• Your TIP is only valid for “Visitante” and “Resident Temporal” Visas.   Resident Permanente Visa holders may not have a foreign plated car in Mexico.

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Once in the country, we recommend keeping the following documents in your vehicle at all times while traveling through Mexico:

• Original valid driver’s license from your country of origin and a printed out copy
• Original and copy of your passport
• Original and copy of visa
• Vehicle registration document, or title, in the driver’s name.   If the vehicle is owned jointly, a copy of the joint holder’s passport.
• If the vehicle is still owned by a creditor, your creditor’s permission letter
• Vehicle permit you received from Banjercito and the sticker to adhered to the inside of your windshield
• A copy of your Mexican insurance policy

The Banjercito Sticker

Along with the permit, Banjercito will also send you a sticker.  It should be affixed to the inside of the vehicle’s windshield, next to the rear view mirror.  This needs to be done before entering Mexico.

With your sticker, you will also receive a request for three copies – of the personal information page of your passport, of your vehicle title and of a signed “Promise to Return” letter.  You can send the document copies either by snail mail, or electronically to the provided e-mail address.  You must do this before the permit expires, or you will never be allowed to get another advanced permit.

When approaching the border crossing, watch for the “Módulo de Control Vehícular“ or Mexican Customs (Aduana México) signs that say “Importación Temporal de Vehículos”.  Have all of your documents in a plastic sleeve, or packet.

Leaving Mexico

To terminate your permit when you leave México:

• Visit the branch unit at the border when leaving Mexico.  Submit your vehicle and Temporary Import Permit, and the Banjercito will issue a return certificate.  Keep this receipt, and bring it if you drive to Mexico again. You may need it to prove that you processed your car out.
• At this time, the Banjercito will return your cash bond, or issue a credit to the credit/debit card that you used for the bond (at the daily exchange rate at that time).
  • It usually takes three days for the refund to be posted on your card account.
  • If they have deleted their cash reserves for the day, you will be asked to return the next day to collect it (a good reason for not using cash).

It is very important that you complete the “vehicle return” process.  If you do not, you will not be permitted to bring the vehicle into the country again.

If the vehicle is returned after the expiration date, the deposit is automatically forfeited to the Office of the Treasury on the day following the expiration date. 

For more answers to questions about vehicle permits, please call Banjercito at 011-52-555-328-2329

Need Information On How To Nationalize Your Car?

List of Banjercito Offices and Hours of Operations

Baja California Norte

• Tijuana
  8am-12am – 7 days a week
• Otay Mesa
  8am-12am – 7 days a week
• Tecate
  8am-8pm Monday-Friday
  10am-2pm Saturday
  Closed on Sunday
• Mexicali
  24 hrs – 7 days a week
• Mexicali – Annex
  8am-4pm Monday-Friday
  10am-2pm Saturday
  Closed on Sunday

Baja California Sur

• La Paz (Pichilingue)
  9am-2pm – 7 days a week

Chihuahua

• Cd. Juarez (Km. 30) 
  24 hrs – 7 days a week
• Palomas
  8am-12am – 7 days a week
• Pte. Int. Ojinaga
  24 hrs – 7 days a week
• Piedras Negras (Km. 54.3)
  24 hrs – 7 days a week
• Acuña
  24 hrs – 7 days a week
• San Jeronimo
  24 hrs – 7 days a week

Sonora

• San Luis Rio Colorado
  8am-12am – 7 days a week
• San Emeterio (Sonoyta)
  8am-12am – 7 days a week
• Nogales (Km 21)
  24 hrs – 7 days a week
• Naco – Anexo
  8am-12am – 7 days a week
• Agua Prieta
  24 hrs – 7 days a week
• Cananea
  8am-6pm Monday-Friday
  8am-1pm Saturday & Sunday

Tamaulipas

• Nuevo Laredo (Patio Fiscal)
  24 hrs – 7 days a week
• Nuevo Laredo (Puente Internacional I & II)
  24 hrs – 7 days a week
• Reynosa
  24 hrs – 7 days a week
• Nuevo Amanecer
  8am-12am – 7 days a week
• Ciudad Camargo
  8am-12am – 7 days a week
• San Jeronimo
  24 hrs – 7 days a week
• Matamoros Pta. Dos 
  9am-6pm Monday-Friday
  9am-4pm Saturday
  Closed Sunday
• Puente Nuevo
  24 hrs – 7 days a week
• Puente Ignacio Zaragoza
  9am-9pm – 7 days a week
• Puente TLC
  9am-6pm Monday-Friday
  9am-4pm Saturday
  Closed Sunday