Hi there

I am planning to spend the next year or so down here and need a car. I'm a European citizen, so my choices would appear to be

1) go to california and buy one and drive it back down here

2) buy a US plated car down here

3) buy a Baja car here.

My questions are :

1) How strict are the Mexican authorities on their temporary import laws?

2) Are they enforcing the max period US cars can be here before going back to the States? Im in Todos Santos though I would drive to La Paz and Cabo from time to time.

3) How strict are they on expired US registration tags?

3) Am i even allowed to own a Baja car as a tourist here?

Any help / advice anyone can give me would be REALLY appreciated !

Thanks a lot

I'm pretty sure the following information is correct. I've lived in Baja (Mulege) for over 10 years and have some knowledge of the laws.

1. California cars are OK in Baja but they need to be currently registered. The Federales will nail you if it isn't.

2. You can buy a Baja car and drive it also but get a Mexican drivers license (easy).

3. In Baja, they don't enforce temporary importation laws.

4. I don't know (legally) if you can own a Baja car if you have an FM-T. I know people who do and no one has ever had a problem to my knowledge. I've had a Mexican registered car for years but I've gone through the FM-2, FM-23, and am now a naturalized citizen. I've never been checked and don't know anyone who has.

Hope this helps.

My understanding is there are no longer Import Permits needed in all of Baja.

I've had my U.S. car here for 5 years without any problems.

good luck,
G.

quote:

Originally posted by #2 Pindock Mews:
1) How strict are the Mexican authorities on their temporary import laws?

You don't want to import your vehicle temporarily if you can avoid doing so. It's not a matter of strictness, it's the paperwork.

quote:

2) Are they enforcing the max period US cars can be here before going back to the States? Im in Todos Santos

Presumably the entire peninsula allows U.S. vehicles to circulate without a Customs declaration. If you do have a Customs sticker on your windshield, though, someone will be bound to stop you at some point and ask you about it. That would mean presenting your own papers as the registered owner of the vehicle.

quote:

3) How strict are they on expired US registration tags?

Here in Baja California (the state just north of you) they're not strict at all. In fact, they have a huge problem with "carros chocolates" (cars with expired gringo tags) because they're in a grey area of the law. But the law in question is a state law and you're in a different state. It might be the same for you ... but to make sure, I'd stop someone in your town with expired California (gringo) tags and ask them, if I were you.

quote:

3) Am i even allowed to own a Baja car as a tourist here?

No, you may not. That would require a minimum of an FM3. You would also need to get a local driver's license. You may, however, rent a car as a tourist. If you're really worried you could always transfer title to your neighbor and then rent the car back from him.

quote:

Any help / advice anyone can give me would be REALLY appreciated

The best advice would be to find a good administrative attorney in your area and ask him or her. There's nothing like making sure your status is all shipshape and Bristol-fashion.

The history of Baja California was built on bending the rules. But that has only worked for those who have had friends who interpret those rules while they're being bent. As a friend of mine likes to say, "the French might have turned anarchy into a philosophy, but only the Spanish could have made it an art form". If you want to be completely safe, get your FM visa and your local driver's license and your local tags. Otherwise work with what you have until someone in authority tells you otherwise and then do whatever it takes to make him happy.

No one ever said art had to be pretty.

A similar question...I am a Canadian presently living south of Guadalajara. I have a State of Jalisco drivers license and an FM3,(but no car). I am thinking of moving to Ensenada or Rosarito Beach, renting a condo there and I will want to buy a car there.

What documentation will I need to buy a car? Will I need some proof of residence? Will I need to get a Baja license to replace my Jalisco license?

Or, can anyone recommend a lawyer I can phone and who can answer my questions? I don't want to move there and not be able to buy a car. Thanks.

watch out for them lawyers", you can drive your own car with your canadian licence as long everything is in order, registration, licence, everything in your name, then, you get to meet people that live there and ask them if they need a baja lic. to drive, if you need any info, go to transito del Estado,( like DMV), and ask them what you need.fernando from Ensenada

I forgot to tell you take your Jalisco licence and thel them you want to transfer your Jalisco lic. to a Baja Calif. lic, and they should tell you what you need, like the amount you have to pay for your new lic. WATCH OUT FOR THEM LAWYERS, I don't think you need a lawyer for this. As long you have all your documents in order, if you was drivin in Jalisco you can drive in Baja, as simple as that, suerte. FC

Thanks Fernando.

I don't have a car presently. I want to move to Baja and buy one there.

I am trying to find out what documents I will need in Baja to register my new car I buy there, and what documents I will need to transfer my Jalisco drivers license to a Baja licence.

Here in Jalisco, for example, you can not register a car you buy here unless you can show them a copy of a deed to a house you own here, or a copy of a rental lease showing I have a rental term greater than 12 months.

I want to find out what documents I will need in Baja if I buy a car in Baja.

Thanks.

Hello everybody:
Like I said before, if you have your canadian lic. up to date you can use it with a car with foreign plates as long everything is up to dte and in your name or You can go to transito del Estado which is located by the blvd costero, and turn in your Jalisco lic. and aply for a Baja lic. pay some fees, I don't think you have to make any tests since you're driving allready, or send me your e-mail and I will give a phone number for sombody to help you in Ensenada, He use to wor for transito, so,<><there you are my friend... remember don't see a LAWYER,,,He will squezzz you to death, LOL fernando

oh, the papers that you need is green, if you buy a car with mexican plates you have to use your mexican lic, or you buy a car with foreign plates use your canadian lic.fc

Fernando, I am sending you an email.