# Mexican Auto Insurance Will Only Pay A Claim if Your Car Is Legally In Mexico



## Caribbean Cat (May 2, 2013)

I have heard that Mexican Auto insurance companies will check to make sure that your TIP is current and legal before paying a claim. They will sell you the insurance, but it is up to you to keep your vehicle legal in Mexico. I assume this is also true for Mexican plated vehicles as well, you need to keep the registration up or your policy will not pay.

*The Process:*

As a new foreigner coming into Mexico, with your temporal application process completed at your local Mexican consulate, at the Mexican border, you will receive a TIP, good for 180 days. You will want to have Mexican auto insurance upon crossing the border if not purchased before hand online. 

When you update your immigration status to Residente Temporal within that 180 days, you also have to notify Aduana of your residency change. This is where I have heard that as long as you notify Aduana of your visa change, your TIP is extended to match your residency status, which buys you 4 years to own a foreign plated car in Mexico. To have valid insurance, your car needs to be absolutely legal.

*No Point Insuring An Illegal Car*

The trouble will begin when you move from a Residente Temporal to a Resident Permanente and your vehicle is no longer legal and you have to either get rid of it or Mexanize it. It appears that, for the good many people who now have illegal vehicles in Mexico, buying Mexican auto insurance may be a waste of money if the insurance company won't pay a claim on an illegal vehicle. 

Can anyone in the Mexican auto insurance industry speak to this?


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