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Please note this is archived information and only here for your interest. It may have changed. If you have any concerns, use the contact page and contact us direct with questions..
Note: Vehicle permits are not required for Baja, northern Sonora State & Quintana Roo.
You cannot get a vehicle permit if you hold Mexican Residente Permanente status, you can if you hold Residente Temporal.
Important note (Jun 3, 2016): I am getting reports of people being refused permits for 3/4 ton trucks & up. This is because they are taking the GVWR figure off the registration or door sticker, which is the max loaded weight of the truck & cargo. In these cases the 3500 kg limit is exceeded. Banjercito's own website is contradictory on this subject (see images for downloading below). Problem crossings appear to be the Guatemalan border, El Paso, Laredo and la Paz (ferry from Baja). I have had no reports from Nogales which is my recommended crossing. In the interim, I strongly suggest anyone with a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup, download these files and print them out and I also suggest taking your unloaded truck to a commercial scale and get a print out of its unloaded weight. Ask them to put the VIN number on it if they can.
To confuse matters more, the SAT website (they set the laws) states it's 3500 Kg (7710 lbs) cargo capacity. This is NOT GVWR. GVWR is the safe max loaded weight of a truck to where the axles and braking system (whichever is less) can withstand the load. GVWR is the Curb Weight of the truck plus the maximum cargo capacity (including Passenger weights) set by the manufacturer for safe operation. It is NOT just cargo capacity, as they appear to be interpreting it as. GVW is the weight of a vehicle, loaded or unloaded with cargo, at any given time. GVW is fluid number, GVWR is not.
I believe this all boils down to an issue with translation from Spanish into English in Banjercitos documentation. SAT sets the regulations, Banjercito applies them.
I suggest you print all of these out so you have ammo. (except the banjercto English page which contains the error, and they likely can't read it, anyway)
You can download the offcial SAT regs HERE. See Page 22. Here is an image of the page in question Image 3
Here is an image in Spanish from Banjercito on line permit page Image 1
Here is the mistranslated English version of that. Image 2 I believe this is the source of all these problems. (do not show this to officials at the border)
Here is an explaination of how weights work, HERE
Update Aug,2016: The latest is that if you are over, they will send you to customs to inspect the truck to make sure it is a passenger vehicle, not a commercial one. I will have more info in November 2016, after I cross myself, with my 1 ton.
Update Oct,2016: The latest is that this problem has been resolved. The individual who caused it no longer works fo Banjercito and things are back to the way they were before. We will see.
Update Sept, 2017: The issue seems to be back, Mike & Terri Church who write books on Mexico Camping, were refused a permit on theri 1 ton PU, at Laredo (both Crossings).
Update Oct, 2017: I am now getting lots of reports of people being denied permits at all Texas crossings if they have a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck or E350 van. I do not know at this time if they are blocking people who already have obtained permits on line (see Vehicle Permits). If anyone manages to get across with a pre-approved permit, I would like to hear from you ([email protected]).
I did successfully get a permit for my 1 ton on-line. I advise anyone with a 3/4 or 1 ton truck get their permit on line ahead of time.
The Nogales, Az crossing does not seem to be an issue, so at this time I advise anyone with a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup to use that crossing rather than any of the Texas crossings. The advantage of Nogales is that they are unlikely to walk out and look at your door sticker, as it is 5 minute walk for them at that crossing, and you are already clear of the border bsing in the free zone. This is what Mike & Teri Church did afer being refused at Laredo. and they got across OK.
Update Feb 2018: I have encoutered a few rigs with Travel Trailers or 5th wheels who have obtained a 180 day permit covering both the truck & trailer. I have been assured by Customs that this is not legal, although they got away with it, due to the ignorance of a Banjercito agent. The only trailer you can add to a truck permit is a cargo or utility trailer, not an RV. You must obtain a separate 10 year permit for the trailer. If you manage to cover it with a single 180 day permit, you will have a lot of difficulty at the border if for some reason you write off that trailer in Mexico. You will also have issues if you cross through the mandatory inspection station on the road to Palenque where they are sticky about rules. I saw 2 impounded RV's there this season who had improper parerwork.
Update Oct 2018: So far this season I have no reports of refusals. However there was a new wrinkle at Nogales. They wanted a photo of someones Truck & trailer, taken from the front, down the side, showing the truck and trailer. Also a photo of the door sticker. Best to be prepared and do this ahead of time and print it out. Don't offer it, but you have it if they ask.
New: Step by step on line permit procedure with screen shots Procedure
ULSD Diesel : This should be universally available in 2020, iN 2019 about 2/3 of stations were pumping it
Changes to Immigration 2010
The New Immigration Laws - Friday, August 06, 2010
by Lic. Jacques-Edouard Beaulne, LL.B.
Previously, anyone that wanted to enter Mexico, either as a tourist or for any other reason, had to fill out an FMT known as a tourist card. The maximum time one could be legally in Mexico was 180 days, but this maximum period was at the discretion of the immigration officer at point of entry. This document is no longer available, and the discriminatory factor has been removed by the new law.
The new system provides established time periods in Mexico of up to 180 days depending on the activity an individual will be doing while in Mexico. In the event that a person wishes to be in Mexico for a period of 180 days or less, he or she only has to acquire an FMM, fill it out indicating the reason for entering the country and present it to the immigration officer at the point of entry of Mexico. If entering via land, individuals can acquire this document at any Mexican Embassy or Consulate. If coming via air or sea, individuals can acquire the FMM from the transporter. The cost of the FMM is included in the ticket, otherwise payment is due at time of issue at the bank. The new system permits lucrative and non-lucrative activities anywhere in Mexico without the need to have an FM-2 or FM-3. This being said, individuals must still remember that the law does not permit a foreigner to displace a national in a working place. In other words, a person can not come to Mexico and do work when there is a Mexican who can do the work. Also, for some permitted activities under an FMM, the time allowed is reduced, and at the end of the permitted time, the person must exit the country. Finally, and very importantly, the new system does not permit a child of a person holding an FM-2 or FM-3 to be able to stay in the country after the time has terminated.
When an individual wants to enter Mexico to establish a permanent or temporary residence, he or she must first request a Visa at any Mexican Embassy or Consulate; once holding the Visa they must obtain an FMM from any travel agency, air or sea transporter or at any point of entry in Mexico. The FMM will be valid for 30 days in which time, a request for either an FM-2 or an FM-3 will need to be made. At the end of the 30 days, if the individual is still in Mexico without having requested the change, he or she will be considered illegal in the country and sanctions will be applied. This being said, the law also indicates that anyone who is considered illegal could be legally admitted into Mexico under certain considerations.
Individuals may apply for Mexican visas directly, in person, or may hire a representative to do the paperwork and administration on their behalf. If coming to work or run a business, additional files for that business must be presented. The immigration documents are good for five years and must be renewed within 30 days from the expiry date. The person must be present to sign, present pictures, and provide fingerprints. In other words, individuals must be in Mexico when renewing, since the new form is an ID card.
Contrary to what you may have been told, FM-2s can be acquired at the time of entering Mexico for the first time if individuals can prove that they are immigrating permanently.
With fewer requirements, the new system is more liberal than the previous one, and it removes some of the discretionary powers the immigration officers once had. Hopefully, it will be more efficient and save everyone time and money.
Note: New rule re Dogs & Cats:
As of February 11, 2011 you must present an original and a copy of a Health Certificate issued and signed by a licensed Veterinarian, from the country of origin of the pet. Your vet should have a copy of this form, but you can download it here (US Citizens), or here (Canadian). If not, the vet may use a sheet of paper on his letterhead, showing his license number, address and phone. It should state the animal has been examined and found to be in good health and all its shots are up to date
Warning: There have been very rare reports of the occasional customs agent only accepting the original International Health Certificate which includes a folio number.
In 2011/2012 it stated that certificate must be dated no more than 10 days prior to entry to Mexico.
That requirement appears to be dropped by Fall 2012, but I would advise having it as recent as possible.
Vehicle requirements:
Note: You may NOT bring in a vehicle if you have Residente Permanente staus. You may if you have Residente Temporal status, but the procedures may be different as you cannot enter on a tourist visa and the vehicle will have to be tied to your temporary status card. More info can be found at https://yucalandia.com/
Permits can now be obtained on line. Link Early reports indicate this process is working well. Banjercito contact email is [email protected]
If you want to do it online, THIS SITE, click here has a visual walk through. NOTE: It is very difficult to cancel a permit without doing it in person. If you have to, here is some info: LINK
You may also get permits at consulates in the following cities
California: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Sacramento
Arizona: Phoenix
Texas: Dallas, Houston, Austin
New Mexico: Albuquerque
Colorado: Denver
Illinois: Chicago
You require a passport, a credit card, drivers license & all your vehicle registration. If the vehicle is leased, you require the lease agreement plus a legally notarized permission to take the vehicle into Mexico, even if you own the company. It is best to have this in Spanish. Make 2 copies of everything before leaving home, it will speed things up. There is usually a copy machine at the border. You will need copies of your tourist card, but it will speed things up if that is all you need. At the border you will have to purchase tourist cards & a vehicle permit. Allow about $100 for everything, other than your vehicle deposit which I describe later on. Try to have $100 US worth of Mexican Peso's, for incidentals, until you can find an ATM.
Note: Under new rules as of Spring 2011, you will have to pay a deposit of $200-$400 depending on vehicle year (<2000 $200, 2001-2006 $300, 2007 & newer $400). This is to ensure the vehicle is returned to the US. The money will be returned or credited back to your credit card when you leave the country. You have to use either Visa, MC or US Cash. I have seen reports of problems getting the credit card credited on exit, I recommend using cash. You will be refunded cash on the spot upon exit. The rates & years for vehicles were valid as of January 2012. I presume the years will advance by one in each following year, so that a 2007 vehicle who pays $400 this year, will pay $300 in 2013.
It can take up to 4 hours to clear the border, but an hour is more usual. Please note that at some crossings you have to do all this, maybe 20 km south of the border, rather than at the border itself. Vehicle permits are not required for Baja or for the northern part of Sonora State. You still need a tourist card. Even so, make sure you have all the legal documents for your vehicle.
Yet another twist: I observed an incident in Jan 2012 while crossing at Lukeville. A couple ahead of me had a truck & Camper towing a small trailer with an ATV. The ATV was only in the wife's name while the truck was in both. They refused to issue a permit unless they produced their original marriage certificate. So based on this my advice is, make sure all vehicles are in both names. However, this could cause an issue if you cross without your spouse. That eventuality should be able to be handled with a notarized letter providing permission for one party to take the vehicles into Mexico. It should show the VIN numbers, plus models & years
Vehicle permits are good for 6 months, although you will get a 10 year one for some RV's (Class A's & C's & some Class B's, plus 5th Wheels & Trailers (but not the tow vehicle). Unless you plan to leave the vehicle in Mexico for a few years and not bring it back into the US, you may want to cancel it on your way out. It can cause you a lot of grief if you write the vehicle off or sell it sometime during those 10 years. However, it does allow you to leave the RV in Mexico & fly home. (See section on returning sticker further down this article) If you do write off a vehicle in Mexico, get the hunk of windshield with the sticker attached , plus ensure the police & insurance reports show the vehicle VIN number. Unless you turn these in at the border, you will not be permitted to take another vehicle into Mexico at a later date. If you do have an accident, phone your insurance provider immediately and do not admit blame. They will provide a lawyer. You may or may not need a separate permits for motorcycles & ATV's. It depends on the engine size. If you have a scooter, the word for that is "motoneta".
Up to 3 items can be added to a vehicle permit, including trailers, scooters, ATV's (Maybe a Truck Camper) but see the "Gray Area's" section below.
You can have only one 6 month permit & one 10 year RV permit in your own name. Eg. A Motorhome towing a car.
Example 2: A PU truck with a Slide in camper, towing a car will likely require 2 six month permits and require 2 individuals. Like a husband & wife.
So, photocopy the following
Note: Not all crossings have a copy booth so make copies ahead of time.
1) Your passport front page
2) Any vehicle registrations
3) Photocopies of your drivers license (or licenses if more than one vehicle) - front & back
4) Photocopies of your credit card
5) Copies of notarized permission to take any leased or company vehicle into Mexico. Also if you are driving into Mexico alone with a vehicle co-registered in another name, have a notarized letter, preferably in Spanish, stating that the other individual has given you permission to take that vehicle into Mexico.
Note: If you scan & print, ensure the printed images are the same size as the originals. They can be sticky over that.
You may or may not need all of those. You will have to get photocopies of your Mexican visa at the border itself at some crossings. At smaller crossings with no copy booth it won't be required usually because in those cases the Banercito booth and the visa booth are often combined.
It is very important to get a receipt for your vehicle permit when you cross back into the US, no matter what crossing you use. Failure to do this may prevent you from entering Mexico in future and even if you have returned it, their record keeping system is far from perfect, so you should retain a receipt. You cannot return it at all border crossings. You can no longer return at Tecate, for example.
Crossing back into the USA can be a 2 or 3 hour experience. You may not bring any Pork or Chicken products across and some vegetables are not allowed, specifically potatoes & avocado's. If your remove the pit from the avocado's & cook the potatoes, they are OK. Most fruits are prohibited.
Please note your vehicle may be searched by US border control on the US side and again by Mexican border patrol on the Mexican side. They are looking for guns going south & drugs going north. Both governments stepped this up in 2010.
IMPORTANT: I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to return you permit before you cross back. If you do not, you will not only forfeit the $200-$400 bond you placed on your credit card, you may also be unable to ever bring another vehicle into Mexico again. If you write off your vehicle in Mexico, or have the windshield replaced, ensure you keep the glass with the permit on it and have a police report showing the VIN number of the vehicle. In the case of a windshield, it is not so important since you will have the original vehicle &, its VIN number shows on the sticker. You need all of that sticker, however, even if it is pieces. As a precaution I always take a copy of the sticker before applying it to the windshield on the way down. If the original is unrecoverable, at least that may suffice. Maybe.
Gray areas:
Unfortunately there are some gray area with regards to vehicle permits. I have been unable to get a straight answer from Banercito on any of these issues, and believe me, I have tried. They are:
Truck Campers
Motorcycles & ATV's
Cargo Trailers
Can you leave a vehicle in Mexico while you fly home, for eg over Christmas?
Truck Campers: These seem to fall between the cracks when it comes to RV rules. You cannot seem to get a 10 year RV permit for them, in most cases, but you can manage it if you do it on line. I did, and got away with it 3 years running until I sold it. Simply classify the truck as an RV and use its VIN number. Normally they appear to consider it part of the truck. What worries me is if I am in an accident or it is stolen. I would try to obtain some sort of documentation with its VIN number to prove you own it. Insurance certificate and/or Bill of Sale.
Motorcycles: From what I can determine you can bring in a motorcycle under 150 cc (it may actually be 250 cc, another thing I cannot get a straight answer on) without a separate permit. They have added my 50 cc scooter to my truck permit each year. The rule actually states it should be unlicensed, so my advice is remove the plate when entering or leaving Mexico & put it back on when in Mexico. Make sure you do show them the registration when you enter, however.
ATV's: In theory to bring an ATV in you must have a passenger with you. One gas powered vehicle per passenger, although as with scooters this appears to be flexible. It will likely be added to the main permit. If unregistered you will need the sales receipt.
Cargo Trailers: These can be added to the towing vehicle permit. You may have trouble if they have no VIN number such as in the case of a homemade trailer.
Temporary trips home: From what I can tell (And I have had contradictory info on this one as well), you can definitely leave an RV with a 10 year permit in Mexico & fly home, you cannot leave a vehicle with a 180 day permit in Mexico & fly home. Lots of people have done it, but now they are supposedly tying Passport numbers to vehicle permits, you could find yourself in trouble. In my case my wife does fly home. I make sure the vehicle permit is in my name, not hers.