# Bringing Household Items on a Visitor Visa



## Angelpie99 (Apr 4, 2015)

I've been reading that it's illegal to import household items on a visitor visa, yet I know of at least one person who drove a truck of stuff down from CA to Ensenada Baja with no problem. She says that Baja is different, because it is a free trade zone for the U.S. Is this true?

My question is if it is possible for someone on the mainland to import household items with a visitor visa? I don't qualify (right now, might by the time I move) for a temp visa, but I can't leave everything behind either. 

It was suggested elsewhere that there are transport companies that can get your stuff imported to you as long as you have a rental agreement in Mexico, but you can't believe everything you hear. 

I understand this is to discourage people from coming down to live permanently on visitor visas, but my plan was to live in MX for a year or two where I would be able to save enough money to qualify to get a temp visa, then apply later. 

Any help would be appreciated. I won't be moving for at least two years, but I'm trying to get as much info as I can now.


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## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

What household items ???

I came down twice with my van full but no furniture or appliances. Just a lot of kitchen stuff, bedding, clothes, computer, DVD's and a kayak. Bring what you might for a 3-6 month winter vacation.

Buy all the big stuff here


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## Angelpie99 (Apr 4, 2015)

sparks said:


> What household items ???
> 
> I came down twice with my van full but no furniture or appliances. Just a lot of kitchen stuff, bedding, clothes, computer, DVD's and a kayak. Bring what you might for a 3-6 month winter vacation.
> 
> Buy all the big stuff here


I'm mostly thinking of personal items like collectibles I would want to bring; things passed down through my family or childhood things that mean a lot to me. I know you can bring books, but can you bring that sort of stuff? It's mostly decorative, not functional.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

sparks said:


> What household items ???
> 
> I came down twice with my van full but no furniture or appliances. Just a lot of kitchen stuff, bedding, clothes, computer, DVD's and a kayak. Bring what you might for a 3-6 month winter vacation.
> 
> Buy all the big stuff here


I brought in a van full of miscellaneous boxes. It was midnight when I crossed the border and the 3 or 4 agents on duty weren't even interested in looking at my visa. They didn't ask about my status. The van had Mexican plates (it was a rental) but they didn't seem interested in that either. They shined a flashlight through the windows then looked inside the one or two boxes on top. This was in Ciudad Juarez.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

I don't understand why it would be "illegal" unless the value of the goods exceeds the allowed duty-free amount (US$500 if entering by plane, US$300 if entering by land). Even if it does exceed the allowed amount, as long as you declare that and pay duty on the excess amount, it would be legal.

Also, non-residents can own property in Mexico (except for the restricted zones along the coast and borders), so it would make sense for them to bring down household goods. I have brought a lot of household items down over the years, and even when I've been inspected at customs, there was no problem with bringing these items into Mexico. This included sheets, pillows, towels, a blender, a coffee maker, dishes, cutlery, tools (e.g. screwdriver, drill, Vice-Grip) and other miscellaneous items. My husband is Mexican, but he wasn't with me when I entered with all these items, and I was not questioned at all about bringing these things in as a non-resident entering on a 180-day visitor's permit.

Good luck!


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## Angelpie99 (Apr 4, 2015)

Well, I have a couple of years to work it out. I guess what I'm hearing everywhere is that you can't bring furniture or large appliances, but you can bring things like toaster ovens, microwaves, etc. The area I'm looking at is pretty ex-pat friendly and has a Wal-Mart and such, so I'd probably just buy all that stuff new there.

Thanks for your help. I'll miss my family antique furniture, but maybe I'll keep it in storage until I figure out if I'm going to stay in Mexico. I'll have to visit and stay for a vacation and see how I like it first, although it sounds absolutely lovely.


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## ojosazules11 (Nov 3, 2013)

Angelpie99 said:


> Well, I have a couple of years to work it out. I guess what I'm hearing everywhere is that you can't bring furniture or large appliances, but you can bring things like toaster ovens, microwaves, etc. The area I'm looking at is pretty ex-pat friendly and has a Wal-Mart and such, so I'd probably just buy all that stuff new there.
> 
> Thanks for your help. I'll miss my family antique furniture, but maybe I'll keep it in storage until I figure out if I'm going to stay in Mexico. I'll have to visit and stay for a vacation and see how I like it first, although it sounds absolutely lovely.


I'm not saying you can't bring in furniture. I fly from Toronto, so taking furniture is obviously not even on my radar. I think the key point is the value of what you are bringing, and paying duty on the amount over the duty-free limit. Up to $1000 the duty is about 16%, I believe. Someone entering with a residence visa is allowed a "menaje de casa" (exemption for bringing in household belongings), which you wouldn't qualify for on a tourist permit. But I haven't found anything indicating furniture is prohibited -unless customs officials think you are going to be selling it, i.e. earning money in Mexico while on a tourist permit, which is not allowed. 

I think that you can explain that you want to experience living in Mexico for 6 months and if you adapt well, then you plan on applying for residency. Nothing illegal about that, as long as you leave the country by the 180 day mark.


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## Andreas_Montoya (Jan 12, 2013)

I pulled a 24' trailer so stuffed you had to crawl over things to get to the bed. One looked inside and just waved me on.


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## Angelpie99 (Apr 4, 2015)

Andreas_Montoya said:


> I pulled a 24' trailer so stuffed you had to crawl over things to get to the bed. One looked inside and just waved me on.


I think it depends on where you cross. I've read some people say what you're saying and some saying that they were stopped and boxes pulled out and searched, even when they had a manifest with them. Some said they tried to show them the manifest, but they just waved them through.

The furniture would definitely be worth more than $300, so I'd have to pay duty, which is not a big deal. I'm prepared to do that anyway. I'll just store it until I can spend a few months and see how I like it, then I'll arrange to bring it in. I'm thiinking I'll probably just bringing the essentials at first, whatever I can pack into a couple of suitcases and carryons, then worry about the big stuff later. 

It seems like what the law says and what the country actually lets you get away with are two different things. I've read on two sites that those with visitor visas cannot bring in furniture. I guess they figure what are you going to need it for if you're not staying?


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Angelpie99 said:


> It seems like what the law says and what the country actually lets you get away with are two different things. I've read on two sites that those with visitor visas cannot bring in furniture. I guess they figure what are you going to need it for if you're not staying?


Were the people who posted that information about not being able to bring in furniture basing their comments on Mexican rules and regs, on their own experiences, or on hearsay? You can find all sorts of information on websites that may or not may be true, as I'm sure you know!


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## Angelpie99 (Apr 4, 2015)

Isla Verde said:


> Were the people who posted that information about not being able to bring in furniture basing their comments on Mexican rules and regs, on their own experiences, or on hearsay? You can find all sorts of information on websites that may or not may be true, as I'm sure you know!


It was a site that had the laws and regulations on what you can import into the country. I'm trying to find it again, but I can't. It said that you couldn't bring in furniture with a visitor visa. Everything I find now says you can, but you have to pay duty on it.

I was also looking at shipping regulations, since I live in FL, so shipping would be better than overland travel. Maybe that was the difference. Shipping it in vs. bringing it across the border, but I can't see why it would be different as long as you paid the duty.


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