Living Without Borders

Big Change to Mexico Auto Import Rules

March 2nd, 2008

This is big news in what’s always a tricky story for those who want to import a car to Mexico. Permanently importing your car took another turn for the worse in Mexico. As of Monday, tomorrow March 3, 2008, you can only import a car from Model Year 1998. That’s presumably until next year when you’ll only be able to import a 1999 model.

According to the AP story linked above, 98 models along the border are suddenly the must-have 2008 cars

It’s a tricky story because until this new law was passed, you still couldn’t ever permanently import a car built outside the NAFTA countries. And permanently importing any car seemed like it was probably a bit tendentious a proposition anyway for many of the readers we talk to here. Your author has done it, and standing around the customs department of the airport for 11 hours is not what we recommend. The rules vary widely from state to state, even from office to office, and they do change - frequently.
We’ve mentioned temporary and tourist car imports few times in past posts. And that seems still to be the way to go, whether yours is a 2008 Lexus, or a 1997 Chrysler, the Mexican Import Authorities are going to see the same thing.

That’s why our MexRetire page on permits for auto importation is still only concentrating on Temporary Imports. It might sound like a hassle to need a new permit every 6 months, (though with a residency permit, FM-2 or FM-3, you can renew the temporary permit with your visa.) But this new ruling seems to make permanent importation seem even more possible. Our advice, import temporary, or have some fun shopping the auto-lots in your new paradise destination.

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Entry Filed under: Living in Mexico, Getting Around, Paperwork & RedTape, News from Mexico