# El Paso Border Crossing



## ffejcat62 (Sep 9, 2016)

My wife and I and our corgi dog, will be driving into Mexico through El Paso next month with a Prius packed full with the back seats down. 90% of the cargo will be clothes and blankets and such. We will have an older 32in flat screen TV also. We are taking some things down to Chihuahua for our new home we purchased back in July and are moving to permanently this coming June. Our daughter is currently there and most of the stuff is her clothes. We will only be staying for a week. My question is...should I be worried about anything crossing the border. I don't plan on having the document (don't remember what it's called) for moving your stuff to Mexico, because it's really not much stuff and my thinking is we will not even be bothered at all. Usually when driving into Mexico they just wave you on. But have never had the car packed with stuff before either. We plan on doing the same thing in June with the rest of our things. Again, mostly just clothes. So, should I have concerns? Gracias!


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

ffejcat62 said:


> My wife and I and our corgi dog, will be driving into Mexico through El Paso next month with a Prius packed full with the back seats down. 90% of the cargo will be clothes and blankets and such. We will have an older 32in flat screen TV also. We are taking some things down to Chihuahua for our new home we purchased back in July and are moving to permanently this coming June. Our daughter is currently there and most of the stuff is her clothes. We will only be staying for a week. My question is...should I be worried about anything crossing the border. I don't plan on having the document (don't remember what it's called) for moving your stuff to Mexico, because it's really not much stuff and my thinking is we will not even be bothered at all. Usually when driving into Mexico they just wave you on. But have never had the car packed with stuff before either. We plan on doing the same thing in June with the rest of our things. Again, mostly just clothes. So, should I have concerns? Gracias!


Every experience is different so take this with a grain of salt.

A couple of years ago I crossed at El Paso-Ciudad Juarez with a van filled with 20 or 30 boxes of stuff, no papers, no list, not anything. They shined a flashlight around inside the van and looked in a couple of the boxes on top and then we were on our way. I don't know if it is relevant but we crossed the border at about midnight. The border guards only seemed to look at all because they were bored. After crossing we found a motel in Ciudad Juarez and continued the next morning.


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## LMtortugas (Aug 23, 2013)

I cross semi regularly at BOTA. Usually an officer will peer inside and waive us on as generally traffic is mildly congested. I have crossed through Ciudad Juarez and Nogales, Sonora loaded up and only a couple times required to pull over for a routine inspection, nothing further. 

Be sure to properly post your vehicle TIP as I have been stopped when it's not in plain view and required to present it for inspection. My barber who is from Ciudad Cuauhtémoc was recently stopped south of Ciudad Juarez without it and was required to return to the border.


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## ffejcat62 (Sep 9, 2016)

Thanks, what is the TIP and where do I get it?


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

TIP means nothing at all to Mexicans. It is an acronym invented by expats on webboards to indicate the temporary import permit for a tourist‘s or temporary resident‘s vehicle to operate in Mexico. The proper name for you to use, when searching Mexican websites, or dealing with Aduana or Banjercito, is “Importada temporal“. It is obtainable online, but even more easily when you cross the border and get your tourist permit nearby. Both INM (immigration) and Banjercito (the bank part of customs, or Aduana) are usually very close, if not right next to each other at the border crossings. INM deals with your personal permit or visa, while banjercito deals with your vehicle permit.


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## RickS (Aug 6, 2009)

*What is the TIP?*



ffejcat62 said:


> Thanks, what is the TIP and where do I get it?


The TIP will cost a few dollars/pesos AND you will be required to post a refundable deposit using either cash or a credit card (recommend CC).... probably $400 for your Prius. The deposit will be refunded when you remove the Prius from Mexico... usually within 3 business days.

In order to take your foreign plated vehicle into Mexico it should not have a lien on it, and the name on the title must match the person getting the TIP. Also the credit card used should have the exact same name as is on the title.... not Bill for William etc.

And, of course, you must have Mexican insurance on the Prius.

Many people who cross at El Paso actually use the San Teresa crossing just west of El Paso. Smaller and keeps one from crossing through Juarez. Connect quickly to the same road going down to Chihuahua.


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## ffejcat62 (Sep 9, 2016)

Hi Rick, thanks. My car does have a lien.  Will that be a problem? I have the registration, that matches my license and my credit card.


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## RickS (Aug 6, 2009)

Most lien holders aren't interested in letting 'their' vehicle be taken into Mexico. I suggest contacting them to get their position AND get a letter on their letterhead stating that it is OK if they will allow you to do so. Mexico will require this letter


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## ffejcat62 (Sep 9, 2016)

Yes, I've called Toyota and it seems they will. They are sending me some paperwork. Seems like a hassle and I may not have enough time to get it done.  We have an older Prius that is paid and we'll probably just take that even with it's 220,000 miles.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Didn't I read on here in another thread someone else recommending paying the refundable deposit with cash? I think they wrote that if you do when you take the car back NoB and turn the TIP back in you get cash refunded, immediately. That would naturally eliminate any issue with the CC name not matching. I have no personal experience myself to go on, but had been planning to bring in my car and was going to pay cash based on that other advice.


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

eastwind said:


> Didn't I read on here in another thread someone else recommending paying the refundable deposit with cash? I think they wrote that if you do when you take the car back NoB and turn the TIP back in you get cash refunded, immediately. That would naturally eliminate any issue with the CC name not matching. I have no personal experience myself to go on, but had been planning to bring in my car and was going to pay cash based on that other advice.


I have paid several times with cash. Yes, they give it back to you right away with whatever difference in the peso/dollar exchange from the time you left the deposit.


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## LMtortugas (Aug 23, 2013)

RickS said:


> Many people who cross at El Paso actually use the San Teresa crossing just west of El Paso. Smaller and keeps one from crossing through Juarez. Connect quickly to the same road going down to Chihuahua.


POE Santa Teresa is certainly a viable option but connect promptly to MX Hwy 2 south as so advised. Good directions and a hardcopy map are a must as one wrong turn can land you lost in the hinterland. The exit off I10 and the drive through Ciudad Juarez is easily navigated.

I certainly recommend auto insurance and procuring permission from a lender to remove collateral from the U.S. but interestingly I have never been asked to present either document.


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## LMtortugas (Aug 23, 2013)

correction MX Hwy 45, not Hwy 2, south to Ciudad Chihuahua.


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