# Permanent Auto Insurance in Mexico



## Roadtripper (Oct 4, 2010)

I searched back two years in the threads and can't find anything specific about this.

Does anyone have any input on a good permanent insurance agency in Mexico that I can use to insure a Mexican vehicle annually? I am looking for a reliable company that is affordable and where I can purchase insurance before I arrive to Mexico.

Thank you.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

I've always felt that it was a good idea to have our insurance with a local agent. There are several in our area and we have used two of them in the last decade. If you can't locate one in Huatulco, you could just use Google to find one to cover the trip, or maybe six months, then 'go local' when you've had a chance to settle in. Otherwise, send a PM and I'll give you my agent's contact information. He may be able to help you.


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## makaloco (Mar 26, 2009)

I've been insured for three years with Inbursa, which was recommended by a Mexican friend. My car is too old for full coverage, so I only have liability, and I've never had a claim (touch wood). I pay between 1400 and 1500 pesos annually. Here's the web info:
Grupo Financiero Inbursa
I don't know if they can issue a policy without your being here. The first time around, they wanted to see my tarjeta de circulación, drivers' license, proof of residence, passport, FM2, etc. I didn't go through an agent, since there's an Inbursa office in my town, but I agree with RVGringo that it would be preferable to deal with someone locally.


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

Really think RV ****** has the right answer. We have agent in San Miguel that we have used for years, She always has the latest info on the various companies and the options. Unlike agent in the US, she tends to often recommend changing for various reasons. Also unlike most of our friends, we have home insurance and she does that as well.


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## pappabee (Jun 22, 2010)

I did a lot of checking before choosing an insurance carrier for my trip and stay in Mexico. One company that stood out in almost every case was Sanborn. That's not the agent but the carrier it self. I found an agent who would issue me a policy while I was still in the States and would cover me while staying in Mexico. Since we have retired here they will renew my policy each and every year with very little problem.


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## ReefHound (Aug 9, 2010)

Are you sure Sanborn is an actual insurer not just a broker? Only Mexican insurers that are members of Asociación Mexicana de Instituciones de Seguros (AMIS) can issue policies. They must have a statement of financial health on file - Estados Financieros.


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## bournemouth (May 15, 2007)

ReefHound said:


> Are you sure Sanborn is an actual insurer not just a broker? Only Mexican insurers that are members of Asociación Mexicana de Instituciones de Seguros (AMIS) can issue policies. They must have a statement of financial health on file - Estados Financieros.


You are right Reefhound - Sanborns writes for a Mexican insurance company - I do not know who they are using now. Like RVGringo we prefer to be insured through a local agent, who can go to bat for you if things go wrong.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Sanborn's is convenient, with offices just north of the border and a few agents in Mexico; however, they are usually more expensive. It is wise to shop around. That said, the convenience of Sanborn's is exactly what we used when we first moved to Mexico. At that time, you could buy shorter term policies, which we did; changing to a local agent once we were settled.


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## Roadtripper (Oct 4, 2010)

Once again, thanks a lot for all the input. This forum has offered so much great information and has made planning this trip much easier. 

I like the idea of buying insurance temporarily and then getting permanent insurance when we get to our destination. I will probably pick up insurance at the Laredo border to cover us for a few weeks and then get permanent insurance in Huatulco. That way, like most of you say, I can use a local agent. 

I found a Sanborns in Laredo Texas and will pick up insurance when we are doing all of our paperwork there. 


Thank you for the information.


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

Actually, you can get temporary insurance comparisons online to compare to the Sanborn border quote. You will have an interesting decision on length/cost as cost falls pretty rapidly as you move from a month or less to 6-12 months. We actually found it cheaper to do 6 month insurance online and then agent and was close at pre-buying a year.


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## ReefHound (Aug 9, 2010)

bournemouth said:


> You are right Reefhound - Sanborns writes for a Mexican insurance company - I do not know who they are using now. Like RVGringo we prefer to be insured through a local agent, who can go to bat for you if things go wrong.


I believe they are affiliated with Inbursa (Grupo Financiero Inbursa).


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## pappabee (Jun 22, 2010)

You're correct that Sanborn is a general agent but the advantage was that I could do most of the work on line (living in Austin, tx. at the time) and get the policy issued with a specific start date. We needed the insuance to be able to get Ford Credit to approve our taking our car into Mexico and we needed that approval to get the import sticker. We intend to look into local a local agent here prior to our insurance renewal. Still in all, it was almost $50 USD less than anything quoted for long term coverage issued while I was still in the US. And, in Jalisco, you must have coverage.


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## ReefHound (Aug 9, 2010)

There are umpteen online brokers that will write Mexican insurance policies. We do that all the time. You get quotes from 3 or 4 insurers and usually "good, better, best" options from each. We always get the "better" or "best" that ups the liability from like $50k to $300k, pays US labor rates, and provides traveler assistance. Usually we go with Genworth or ACE. For our recent model van with $10,000 collision coverage, the rates this year were roughly $15/day, $250/six months, or $350/year. Those aren't precise numbers just ballparked from memory.


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## pappabee (Jun 22, 2010)

ReefHound said:


> There are umpteen online brokers that will write Mexican insurance policies. We do that all the time. You get quotes from 3 or 4 insurers and usually "good, better, best" options from each. We always get the "better" or "best" that ups the liability from like $50k to $300k, pays US labor rates, and provides traveler assistance. Usually we go with Genworth or ACE. For our recent model van with $10,000 collision coverage, the rates this year were roughly $15/day, $250/six months, or $350/year. Those aren't precise numbers just ballparked from memory.



I agree that it's best to check on what's available and then take the one that does the best job for the bucks. I have $100K liability with travel insurance, rental car and road service. I only wanted $25K collision and didn't need US labor costs because the car will not re-cross the border. My rate is $296.00 per year with a auto renewal at not more than 3% more per year. 

I used to write insurance and had my CPCU and almost my CLU back in the '70's.

The real trick is to find the best coverage for the buck and be very careful as not to over or under insure yourself. One of the "under insure" tricks that caught State Farm was not to stess PIP (personal injury protection). That saved clients hundreds of dollars until they were hit by someone who either had too little coverage or no coverage and didn't have a pot to collect from. 

It's always better to know what you are reading or go to someone who does and get their advise.


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## bigmutt (Aug 5, 2008)

pappabee said:


> ... and didn't need US labor costs because the car will not re-cross the border.


what do you mean by that part ?? sounds like your car will be in Mexico permanently.


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## pappabee (Jun 22, 2010)

*yep*



bigmutt said:


> what do you mean by that part ?? sounds like your car will be in Mexico permanently.


I have no intention of driving back over the boarder. Down here the car does not need an inspection, does not need registration nor does it need $156 insurance per month. If I go back to the states and need a car I'll rent one or have one of my kids drive me.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Pappabee,
You have signed a bond to insure that your vehicle is only 'temporarily' imported into Mexico and cannot ever be sold, parted out or otherwise disposed of in Mexico. You remain the responsible party and subject to serious consequences for violating that agreement with the federal government. Eventually, that car must leave Mexico, even if wrecked. Meanwhile, just because Mexico has no good way to enforce your registration (yet), you are supposed to have the vehicle legally registered somewhere; probably your home state, so that it is legal to drive on the roads. The 'importada temporal' does not actually give you that right. When 'push comes to shove', I wouldn't want to be begging my insurance company to bail me out after a disaster with an unregistered car. I know that lots of scofflaws do what you are planning, but it is so easy to keep registration current in some states, that it is worth the peace of mind for some $40 USD per year. Something to think about.


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## pappabee (Jun 22, 2010)

RVGRINGO said:


> Pappabee,
> You have signed a bond to insure that your vehicle is only 'temporarily' imported into Mexico and cannot ever be sold, parted out or otherwise disposed of in Mexico. You remain the responsible party and subject to serious consequences for violating that agreement with the federal government. Eventually, that car must leave Mexico, even if wrecked. Meanwhile, just because Mexico has no good way to enforce your registration (yet), you are supposed to have the vehicle legally registered somewhere; probably your home state, so that it is legal to drive on the roads. The 'importada temporal' does not actually give you that right. When 'push comes to shove', I wouldn't want to be begging my insurance company to bail me out after a disaster with an unregistered car. I know that lots of scofflaws do what you are planning, but it is so easy to keep registration current in some states, that it is worth the peace of mind for some $40 USD per year. Something to think about.



According to a conversation I had with the Mexican Counsel in Austin Texas, so long as my FM3 is valid, so is the permit to "import" my auto. I do need a valid driver's license but not an inspection or registration. In Texas you need valid insurance coverage in order to register on line and it will be validated. 

If my information is not correct, then I'm sorry but I can't see having insurance in the states and in Mexico on the same vehicle. Texas also requires an inspection certificate and without both you can not drive. How in the world am I expected to get it inspected when I can not drive it in the states? 

And to go one step further I strongly object to your use of the term "scofflaws" with regard to what I am doing. I am only using the information given to me. We crossed the boarder on May 2 and it took us over three hours just to try to have our visa's validated. No one in immigration even knew what form was needed let alone how to complete it. When we arrived at Ajijic we knew we had to register our address and went to immigration in Guadalajara to do so. They didn't know what was needed nor did they know again what form was to be used. It cost us a lot of money to get someone to walk us through the mess. 

We try to follow all laws but since they seem to change weekly we do the best we can.


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## ReefHound (Aug 9, 2010)

1. I don't think RV was saying you must carry insurance in both countries but that you might want to be sure you are in compliance with your Mexican insurance requirements. If they require your vehicle to be current on inspection and registration for the plates issued, then it is irrelevant what Mexico requires. Your insurer isn't going to issue you a traffic citation but they may reject a claim.

2. Advice from Mexican consulates may or may not be accurate. Sometimes they seem to know what is going on, other times they seem clueless. Either way, when it comes to dealing with authorities in Mexico, I have found that they don't give a flip what some consulate official said.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

OK, do as you wish and object if you like, but the consulate has led you astray. They are correct, as far as your car being in Mexico legally with the 'importada temporal', as long as you maintain current visa status. It can be here, but it isn't legal to drive it on the roads without proper registration, either in Mexico (which you can't do without nationalization), or in another country with reciprocal agreements with Mexico, such as the USA. Naturally, you'll have to choose a state that doesn't require that you maintain inspections or insurance in that state. You are in Ajijic; note the most popular US state for maintaining current, legal registration; actually, only one county in that state. The consulate says you, in that case, don't need to register your vehicle in Mexico, because they assume that it is registered in the USA.
Your arrival in May caught everyone at INM in total confusion with the new system. You're not alone in that situation. Now, six months later, most of the INM agents have a pretty good idea of how the new process works; not all, though. Welcome to Mexico, where it is wise to plan only one thing per day.

By the way, Consulates are hardly ever up to date on either INM or Customs procedures. They are part of the State Department and are quite separate. They do not communicate with the other agencies, so they often 'guess'.


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## telcoman (Feb 11, 2010)

Useful info, I am seriously considering buying an older Class C RV to leave in Mexico which means I would at least need year round liability. I don't intend on spending much on the vehicle so i don't have to worry about collision or theft. I am going to scout out possible storage areas at higher altitudes this spring


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