# Canadian-Plated Car in Mexico



## Lawgrrl (Apr 24, 2015)

Any Canadians with cars? We live on Vancouver Island, BC (think: expensive ferries!) and will be applying for RT visas this summer. We know that we can drive our current car down with our "stuff" but we intend to apply for RP status once my application for Canadian citizenship is approved. Has anyone sold a car with metric instrumentation in Texas? The thought of driving all the way back to Canada to sell a car (and the cost) is daunting.  Alternative solutions and suggestions warmly welcomed. TIA.


----------



## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Lawgrrl said:


> Any Canadians with cars? We live on Vancouver Island, BC (think: expensive ferries!) and will be applying for RT visas this summer. We know that we can drive our current car down with our "stuff" but we intend to apply for RP status once my application for Canadian citizenship is approved. Has anyone sold a car with metric instrumentation in Texas? The thought of driving all the way back to Canada to sell a car (and the cost) is daunting.  Alternative solutions and suggestions warmly welcomed. TIA.


In order to sell a Canadian plated car in the US, it would first have to be imported in the US. That requires import fees, environmental testing and possible retrofit, and a lot of paper work. It is probably cheaper and easier to drive it back to Canada. 

An alternative would be sell it in Canada before leaving. Then buy a car in Washington State. Drive it to Mexico then back to Texas and sell it there. You could get a used van or pickup that would be particularly suited for moving.


----------



## sparks (Jun 17, 2007)

Tons of Canadian plates here in the winter


----------



## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

sparks said:


> Tons of Canadian plates here in the winter


They will be Residente Permanente and want a Mexican car.


----------



## Lawgrrl (Apr 24, 2015)

Thanks for your comments and suggestions. We don't have a lot of "stuff" but we do have music & recording gear, plus art & crafts, all of which take up space. Yes, we would need to export our car from Canada and import it to a US state before we could sell it in the States. WAY too much hassle. And yes, we can drive a foreign-plated car in Mexico on a tourist or temporal visa, but we plan to apply for permanent residency in a year or so, at which point we can't have a foreign-plated car without "importing" it at expense & more hassle. SO, we plan to buy an expendable/disposable vehicle in Oregon (where my brother lives) and register it there, and drive it back to the Island (within 60 days of our departure, so we don't have to register/import in BC). That's the car we'll take to Mexico, selling our Canadian car before we go. Whew! Hard work but I know it will be well worth it!


----------



## Bobbyb (Mar 9, 2014)

If your car has a Canadian Federal safety standard plaque and a Canadian factory emission plaque it is eligible to be imported to the USA. No duties. Slight hassle. If it is in nice shape it will sell.


----------



## LMtortugas (Aug 23, 2013)

Bobbyb said:


> If your car has a Canadian Federal safety standard plaque and a Canadian factory emission plaque it is eligible to be imported to the USA. No duties. Slight hassle. If it is in nice shape it will sell.


Excellent point. Generally a check with US DOT providing the VIN, emissions standard, etc. can determine rather painlessly if import is feasible or not.


----------



## TurtleToo (Aug 23, 2013)

Lawgrrl said:


> . . . SO, we plan to buy an expendable/disposable vehicle in Oregon (where my brother lives) and register it there, and drive it back to the Island (within 60 days of our departure, so we don't have to register/import in BC). That's the car we'll take to Mexico, selling our Canadian car before we go. Whew! Hard work but I know it will be well worth it!


Is the discrepancy between the address on the registration and driver's licenses, passports, etc. likely to cause a problem at any point? 

.


----------



## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

TurtleToo said:


> Is the discrepancy between the address on the registration and driver's licenses, passports, etc. likely to cause a problem at any point?
> 
> .


Names should all be exactly the same, but I am not sure that the address would make a difference. Good question though & worth thinking about ahead of time.
I still have checks with a very old address. In the USA, one just writes in the new address, but in Mexico a check with such a change will not be accepted.


----------



## Jim from Alaska (Feb 20, 2017)

I have a question if I may. If everything goes my way(retiring in lakeside)I have a truck that I would like to keep and its currently plated in Colorado. Can I register my truck in Mexico once I was done with the move or would I have to sell it and buy a vehicle that is already in Mexico?


----------



## RickS (Aug 6, 2009)

Jim from Alaska said:


> I have a question if I may. If everything goes my way(retiring in lakeside)I have a truck that I would like to keep and its currently plated in Colorado. Can I register my truck in Mexico once I was done with the move or would I have to sell it and buy a vehicle that is already in Mexico?


This all depends on what visa status you are pursuing. Only a Residente Temporal CAN have a foreign plated vehicle in Mexico with a Temporary Vehicle Import sticker (yes, one can come in as a Tourist and get one, later switching it over to a Temporal). Said differently, a Permanente CANNOT have/drive that vehicle.

Generally speaking one can stay Temporal for 4 total years after which one must (with current laws) move to Permanente. At that time, the vehicle MUST be removed from Mexico as it cannot be sold there to anyone.

"Some" vehicles CAN be Permanently Imported into Mexico (only NAFTA manufactured vehicles of a certain age) but that is fairly expensive ($2500-$3500?) and must be done with a bonded Importer at the border. Some feel that, if one is pretty certain that they will stay in Mexico, it is easier/better to just sell the truck NOB (at some point) and buy Mexican.


----------



## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Do you mean some standard pick-up truck; not a dually, or a larger, commercial style truck? Anything larger than a standard pick-up may be prohibited. Yes, if you plan to be a resident, sell whatever you have and buy a replacement in Mexico. Life will be simpler and more economical & there are no hassles ore permits needed when crossing the border in a Mexican vehicle; unlike with a USA vehicle, etc.


----------



## Bobbyb (Mar 9, 2014)

Jim from Alaska: The rules for permanently importing vehicles have changed and are likely to change again. Presently it has to go to the border to import. Only certain years are eligible. I don't know if you can import the truck with a RT. Like RV ****** said it has to be a 1/2 ton.


----------



## RickS (Aug 6, 2009)

Yes, an RT can permanently import a vehicle.... at the border. Part of that process will be a mandatory EXPORT of it from the US by CBP division of Homeland Security, but all Brokers know and will have to do this. Not expensive but takes a couple of days. Larger than a 1/2 ton can be imported.... just not a dually nor diesel.


----------



## LMtortugas (Aug 23, 2013)

Mexico has defined what vehicles are eligible for import. Preference currently is given to 08/09 model years but newer/older models do qualify at a premium cost. $2500-$3500 import cost is an exaggeration for standard 08/09 NAFTA rides. Import expense to nationalize a 07 Ford Focus is about $1400; $1950-$2150 for a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu depending upon one's negotiating skills with the broker.


----------



## RickS (Aug 6, 2009)

I defer to your specific knowledge... that is why I put the "?"in my Post. But.... you are mentioning lower value vehicles like a Ford Focus. I am aware of import fees for more expensive NAFTA vehicles including a 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 for $2700 last year.

But non-the-less there is an expense involved and not something some folks feel they can afford or want to incur for an older car. Just sell it NOB and put the $2500 towards a Mexican car rather than in the pocket of someone else including the Mexican government.


----------



## LMtortugas (Aug 23, 2013)

I choose not to argue the virtues or vices of vehicle import; but I do think the expat considering such option should be provided accurate & relevant info & data. I do not think a 2007 3/4 ton Dodge Ram truck is a typical expat vehicle import. Its model year alone prohibits it from preferential status. I do think a 08 Chevrolet Malibu is.

Any vehicle purchased NOB is subject to a CBP export audit, MVD report, NHTSA recall alert, and a comprehensive CARFAX/AutoCheck condition history report which simply isn't available regarding Mexican used vehicles. Many expats think the additional insight is valuable data and worth paying a premium for.


----------



## RickS (Aug 6, 2009)

Uncle....


----------



## Bobbyb (Mar 9, 2014)

I thought that the rules for importing had changed so that with an RT you could not import a vehicle. I also thought that there was no flexibility on age. I do know the the cost has almost doubled. You pay IVA and some other import duties. One has to be very careful as some brokers were using an expired Amparo as well as other shenanigans A woman named Sonia spouts a lot of misinformation. I have yet to see a factual website with all the current information. I forgot to add that Canadian plated vehicles cannot be imported. I think this may be that there is no way to meet the requirements that were posted re US cars.


----------



## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

Bobbyb said:


> I thought that the rules for importing had changed so that with an RT you could not import a vehicle. I also thought that there was no flexibility on age. I do know the the cost has almost doubled. You pay IVA and some other import duties. One has to be very careful as some brokers were using an expired Amparo as well as other shenanigans A woman named Sonia spouts a lot of misinformation. I have yet to see a factual website with all the current information. I forgot to add that Canadian plated vehicles cannot be imported. I think this may be that there is no way to meet the requirements that were posted re US cars.


According to the lasted info. on the SAT website only Mexican Nationals can import eligible vehicles and foreigners cannot.

I presume the importers on the border now have a foreigner sell the vehicle to a Mexican National, import it, and then sell it back to the foreigner.


----------



## RickS (Aug 6, 2009)

_"A woman named Sonia spouts a lot of misinformation...."_

This "woman named Sonia" is Sonia Diaz of San Miguel de Allende. And for another point of view, I think that she is probably one of the MOST informed persons about any of these issues including immigration. One does not have to like her or her business, and several don't, but to suggest that she issues misinformation is not accurate in my view.


----------



## RickS (Aug 6, 2009)

AlanMexicali said:


> According to the lasted info. on the SAT website only Mexican Nationals can import eligible vehicles and foreigners cannot.
> 
> I presume the importers on the border now have a foreigner sell the vehicle to a Mexican National, import it, and then sell it back to the foreigner.


Alan, this has been the case for quite a while I think. I KNOW first hand that it was SOP back as far as the Fall of 2015. Some folks cringe when they first hear this (we are going to sell your vehicle to a Mexican and then......right!). But that is just what has to be done I guess.


----------



## Bobbyb (Mar 9, 2014)

Sonia was doing imports that were illegal. You did not have to go the border. I have read of people who checked the SAT website and their imported car was not listed. She is one of the reasons that the rules changed. At first I was impressed that she knew so much. Not now. The net is full of complaints.


----------



## RickS (Aug 6, 2009)

I'm not shilling for Sonia, but you may have your hearsay wrong. Sonia was using a legal ampro (Mexican Court Injunction) and cars were being imported without going to the border. Cars were legal and able to and did obtain titles/plates in several Mexican states. Her process had nothing to do with any rules being changed other than it was brought to the attention of CBP (by a friend of mine).
What this process did NOT do was conform to US law that said the vehicle must FIRST be Exported from the US by CBP at the border. But of course 10s of thousands of vehicles had not been conforming with this requirement for many years before the crackdown due to a Mexican oversight, intentional or not. That has now changed. 

How this may be affecting Sonia's "virtual" import business I don't know. I would have used her process prior to the US crackdown but not any more.


----------



## Canadiense82 (Jul 7, 2017)

Oh wow! This is much more confusing than I thought it was going to be. I am going to be moving to Mexico, with my daughter, for one year next year. We will return to Ontario for the following three years, so that she can finish high school. Once she's off to Uni and I'm an empty nester at the ripe old age of 40, I'll be heading back down to Mexico to live out my days...at least this is the plan.

I am currently searching for a new Jeep (2017/18) and planned on bringing it with me down there. I planned on driving it for at least 10 years and then selling it. Maybe I need to think ahead and not buy anything new right at the moment. I'll be financing, so that will probably be another headache down the road. I'll probably have to pay off the loan before importing, if I went that route. 

Here's a thought: Seeing that with the current laws you have to apply for RP after 4 years of holding your RT, and I will be only there one year and returning for the other 3. Could we live down there as visitors, drive to the boarder (or go on a trip) for a few days/week and then come back for the rest of the year? That way I wouldn't have to apply for RT until I come back to live there, have 4 years of RT to continue paying my loan on my new Jeep and then can deal with it all when that bridge needs to be crossed.


----------



## RickS (Aug 6, 2009)

Your plan to come in first as a visitor (FMM Visatante) might work under these circumstances: IF and only IF your vehicle finance company will write you a letter on their letterhead authorizing you to take "their' Jeep into Mexico, you can get a 180 day temporary import permit (TIP). If they won't, you just can't bring the Jeep into Mexico. Period.

If you do get the authorization letter, you can come in for up to 180 days, then drive back into the US and turn around and get another FMM and another TIP good for another 'up to 180 days', again requiring the authorization letter from the finance company.

Then you go back to Canada for 3 years. Now the Jeep is 4 years old. Maybe financing is done with, maybe not. If you then want to move to Mexico, you apply for an RT at a Mexican Consulate and (short story) move to Mexico with your Jeep (still financed, need letter) for up to 4 years with an RT. Now the Jeep is 8 years old and hopefully paid for.

At that point, using today's rules, you have two choices: 
1). Apply for an RP, remove the Jeep from Mexico (no, you cannot have it there as an RP nor sell it there no matter how many folks might like to buy it!) before your move to RP is final and buy you a Mexico vehicle to 'live out your days'.
2). Leave Mexico with your Jeep after your 4th year as an RT and apply, again at a Mexican Consulate, for another RT assuming you can still meet the then current financial requirement for said. If you make it through that you can move back to Mexico again, getting another TIP in the process, for another 4 years. Now the Jeep is at least 12 years old. 

BTW, there is the potential to Permanently Import the Jeep into Mexico at some point but it will be too young to do so for several years from new.


----------



## Canadiense82 (Jul 7, 2017)

Thanks RickS. That's great info. It sounds like it would be easier to just pay it off or wait until I am down there permanently to buy something. I have a brand new lease right now so maybe I'll stick with it and see what happens...*sigh* I really wanted that Jeep


----------

