# what to do if state auto registration set to expire...can the auto be confiscated?



## Dtaylor (Aug 15, 2013)

I plan to drive my US plated vehicle to Mexico where I will live for 10-12 months. I have a one year temp resident visa and understand that my auto's permit is tied to such AS WELL AS MY US state registration. 

Moreover, my US state auto registration is set to expire in February 2014. When this happens, I understand from a Mexican auto insurance agent that Mexican authorities can (and increasingly do) confiscate US plated vehicles (because US state expired tags are tied to my Mexican auto permit). 

Bottom line, if my US tags expire in Feb 2014, my Mexican auto permit expires and the car can be confiscated. This was not enforced in the past. It is now...

Obviously, they do this to encourage people to buy Mexican cars. 

Questions: 

(1) is this accurate?

(2) what do folks do in the above situation beyond driving back to their state of origin in the US to register their car for the time remaining in their stay in Mexico? For me, I'm north of Mexico city and my car is registered in Washington, DC (not really feasible). 

(3) is registering a US plated car in Mexico, say in Feb 2014, a complex/expensive experience?

(4) what is the average cost for a decent car that permits travel in and around Mexico city, in Hidalgo, Queretero and Veracruz states, among others? 

(5) any thoughts or advice?


----------



## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

You should keep your US plated car registration current. If you cannot do that in your home state, then find another state and register your car there. Clay County in South Dakota is used by many; that county only! Find the county treasurer with Google, phone them and they can solve your problem. Otherwise, sell your US car in the US, or spend the big bucks to import it permanently to Mexico, if it is the correct age (over 10 years) and of NAFTA origin. The other option is to simply buy a car in Mexico, new or used. There is nothing difficult about doing that; in fact, it is usually easier than dealing with US auto dealer games.


----------



## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Dtaylor said:


> I plan to drive my US plated vehicle to Mexico where I will live for 10-12 months. I have a one year temp resident visa and understand that my auto's permit is tied to such AS WELL AS MY US state registration.
> 
> Moreover, my US state auto registration is set to expire in February 2014. When this happens, I understand from a Mexican auto insurance agent that Mexican authorities can (and increasingly do) confiscate US plated vehicles (because US state expired tags are tied to my Mexican auto permit).
> 
> ...


I only dare to make a comment on subject 4;
What exactly is a decent car for you? It is very subjective


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

GARYJ65 said:


> I only dare to make a comment on subject 4;
> What exactly is a decent car for you? It is very subjective


I agree. I was going to comment that the best solution would be no car at all. Use the subway and buses in Mexico City and take a bus to the other cities, but I decided that wasn't what the poster asked.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

TundraGreen said:


> I agree. I was going to comment that the best solution would be no car at all. Use the subway and buses in Mexico City and take a bus to the other cities, but I decided that wasn't what the poster asked.


Also, the OP said he or she would be north of Mexico City, not in Mexico City, so public transportation may not be a convenient option. Of course, right now it's not always an option in Mexico City, with the thousands of members of the CNTE creating havoc wherever they go with their demonstrations, marches and blockades! This is definitely not a good time to visit the DF.


----------



## Dtaylor (Aug 15, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> Also, the OP said he or she would be north of Mexico City, not in Mexico City, so public transportation may not be a convenient option. Of course, right now it's not always an option in Mexico City, with the thousands of members of the CNTE creating havoc wherever they go with their demonstrations, marches and blockades! This is definitely not a good time to visit the DF.


Thank you all. 

Much appreciated.

I am living in Pachuca 60 miles north of DF. My wife is there now working. And I'll be studying, volunteering and maybe working, too.

Ideally, I drive down from Ohio at the end of next week in my trusty 1999 Corolla. Public buses are options in Hidalgo state and we dont NEED a car, but it sure would be good/helpful to be mobile (we like to explore and are new to Mexico and the transport system in Hidalgo/Pachuca is not like DF). 

Still, good to know the challenges of navigating DF; I expect to drive in and out for networking/work and airport transport on occasion.

On the kind of car I consider decent, something like my 99 Corolla - few bells and whistles but is dependable, fuel efficient and gets me around Mexico.

On that note, I understand per extensive research that since my car is a 1999, I'll be asked to make a $200 deposit at the border (which I'll regain when leaving the country when turning back over the sticker/permit). That said, a colleague of my wife's reports that the figure is more like $1000???? I trust what I read more than this colleague but wondering if anyone knows better/different?

On the registration, I am just told by my DMV that I can secure a renewed registration from afar and have it sent to a temporary resident. As such, and with y'all confirming that this is critical, looks like I do this. OR, I look to South Dakota (bizarre).

Again, much appreciated. I will pay your kindness forward!


----------



## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

I won't suggest one way or the other but many gringos don't keep their registration current. My plates are from 2006 and never had a problem


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

Dtaylor said:


> Still, good to know the challenges of navigating DF; I expect to drive in and out for networking/work and airport transport on occasion.


The huge problems caused by the teachers union (the SNTE) have to do with their opposition to proposed federal changes to education policy, in particular the part which will require them to take some sort of test to evaluate them to see if they are fit teachers. The SNTE has a long history of staging protracted strikes and demonstrations and so on, but they usually confine their activities to their home states: Oaxaca, Tabasco, Chiapas and Michoacán. The horrible problems they're causing in Mexico City should be over in a couple of weeks :fingerscrossed:, and things should be back to "normal", which doesn't mean that driving in this city is ever a piece of cake.


----------



## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Isla Verde said:


> The huge problems caused by the teachers union (the SNTE) have to do with their opposition to proposed federal changes to education policy, in particular the part which will require them to take some sort of test to evaluate them to see if they are fit teachers. The SNTE has a long history of staging protracted strikes and demonstrations and so on, but they usually confine their activities to their home states: Oaxaca, Tabasco, Chiapas and Michoacán. The horrible problems they're causing in Mexico City should be over in a couple of weeks :fingerscrossed:, and things should be back to "normal", which doesn't mean that driving in this city is ever a piece of cake.


I agree on all accounts!

And those "teachers" should be put to sleep!
Those are the kind of people that keep Mexico undereducated, besides, they are criminals, since they are attacking the transportation networks, and authorities are so coward to take the proper control measures, they don't want to be labeled as repressive


----------



## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

sparks said:


> I won't suggest one way or the other but many gringos don't keep their registration current. My plates are from 2006 and never had a problem


Not a good advice


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

GARYJ65 said:


> I agree on all accounts!
> 
> And those "teachers" should be put to sleep!
> Those are the kind of people that keep Mexico undereducated, besides, they are criminals, since they are attacking the transportation networks, and authorities are so coward to take the proper control measures, they don't want to be labeled as repressive


I am angrier at the government at all levels for not dealing more firmly with this mess than I am at the CNTE, just another one of Mexico's labor unions that most Mexicans refer to as "mafias". It pains me to say this since back in the States I was a proud member of the AFT, when I worked for many years at the Community College of Philadelphia.


----------



## BriN (Sep 15, 2013)

*Decent Car*

While a decent car may be subjective, two of the best selling cars are the Nissan Tsuru and the Voltzwagen Clasico (Jetta). It will depend on how much you want to spend. Used cars can tend to keep their value. Having a DF or Estado de Mexico plate helps you disappear (compared to MI plates) to the cops in the Metroplex but it may cause a second glance in other states. Each state kinda is prejudice to others. Also if you are in Mexico City, you will want a car with a 00 o 0 so that your car does not "rest" once a week and one weekend a month.


----------



## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

GARYJ65 said:


> I agree on all accounts!
> 
> And those "teachers" should be put to sleep!
> Those are the kind of people that keep Mexico undereducated, besides, they are criminals, since they are attacking the transportation networks, and authorities are so coward to take the proper control measures, they don't want to be labeled as repressive


After suffering through several weeks of marches and demonstrations and other types of _desmadres_ committed by these "teachers", I have learned a lot about Mexican politics, none of it positive. I also have learned that in Mexico "repression" means not letting organized groups, like teachers unions, for example, do whatever they want to terrorize the population and manipulate the government into giving them what they want.


----------



## vantexan (Sep 4, 2011)

My wife and I are moving down in two weeks. Her 2009 Honda's plates just expired. From what I've read over the years Mexico is concerned with us having Mexican insurance, not enforcing NOB laws. The big problem, from what I've read, is driving in the States with an expired tag. Hopefully we can get some clarification on this. I personally would like to just bring the dogs down, put them in a kennel, drive back to get rid of the car and fly down. But she really loves her car. It will come in handy for trips north, as flying north and renting a car every year during the Holidays would be expensive.


----------



## chicois8 (Aug 8, 2009)

I was under the impression that only holders of an FMM or tourist permit were allowed to drive foreign plated cars in Mexico now a days.......

for a 1999 car the deposit is $200............and the FMM is good for 180 days........


----------



## Seeker127 (Feb 25, 2014)

RVGRINGO said:


> You should keep your US plated car registration current. If you cannot do that in your home state, then find another state and register your car there. Clay County in South Dakota is used by many; that county only! Find the county treasurer with Google, phone them and they can solve your problem. Otherwise, sell your US car in the US, or spend the big bucks to import it permanently to Mexico, if it is the correct age (over 10 years) and of NAFTA origin. The other option is to simply buy a car in Mexico, new or used. There is nothing difficult about doing that; in fact, it is usually easier than dealing with US auto dealer games.


Buy in a used car is as easy as handing over the cash, but to register the car you maaay need an FM2 or FM3 depending on which state your in. My research shows that some states don't care or even ask for proof of address or for anything other than a tourists visa. 

I'm on a tourist visa trying to register or otherwise get a motorcycle across the borders so I can ride it to panama. Any help is greatly appreciated.


----------



## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

GARYJ65 said:


> Not a good advice


If you notice it was not advise ..... simply fact !!


----------



## conorkilleen (Apr 28, 2010)

I live in Mexico City and have a car with expired registration (2 years expired). I have been stopped 8-12 times for not having a plate in front. All I do is show them my expired registration and my Temporary Import Certificate, also my current verification for the Hoy no Circula with my current Visa. Never had a problem. They NEVER ask for proof of insurance. I doubt they care about that since its really up to you whether you want to go to jail or not.


----------



## PanchodeSMA (Jul 25, 2013)

sparks said:


> I won't suggest one way or the other but many gringos don't keep their registration current. My plates are from 2006 and never had a problem


Over the last few days I have checked the registration on every US plated car I have come across in San Miguel de Allende. Most are expired the oldest being 2007. And this is a town where parking rules are strictly enforced.


----------



## conorkilleen (Apr 28, 2010)

I was told my my immigration lawyer that the temporary import permit and sticker "acts" as your registration in Mexico. It has your plate number and serial number of your vehicle....also has an expiration date that doesn't matter if its expired or not as long as your Visa is current. (this was all proved when I got stopped north of Chilpancingo at a toll plaza by a Federal officer...she checked all of my documents and let me go)


----------

