We are thinking about driving our Honda there in Oct. Once we are there, we will get our FM3's. Will the expiry date on our import certificate be extended due to the FM3's? I know the actual cert. would not be changed, but could we then leave the Honda there & fly home? It would then become our Zihua car & live there. Also, once we leave it there, do we keep it registered & insured here? Can we register it there? Can we get insurance there? I know most Mexicans don't bother with insurance. What do most gringos do in this situation? Factual info only please.
I will relate how many handle this situation. Your FM3 allows you to leave a car in Mexico. You existing car permit ( s/b valid when you get your FM3) is good for the life of your FM3 (5 years). In other words: Even though your car permit is expired it renews automatically when you renew your FM3 every year. As for insurance: If you have the right insurance provider your tourist insurance will work. You are supposed to keep your Canadian registration current. You cannot register or insure your Canadian car in Mexico.PM me for some further tips.
I will relate how many handle this situation. Your FM3 allows you to leave a car in Mexico. You existing car permit ( s/b valid when you get your FM3) is good for the life of your FM3 (5 years). In other words: Even though your car permit is expired it renews automatically when you renew your FM3 every year. As for insurance: If you have the right insurance provider your tourist insurance will work. You are supposed to keep your Canadian registration current. You cannot register or insure your Canadian car in Mexico.PM me for some further tips.
That is for all of Mexico. It is a Federal regulation. Before Sonora became a partial free zone I used to carry a copy of the reg in our car. The Aduaneros do not know or understand any of the regulations. AS long as your FM3 is valid your car permit is valid.
I carry a copy of ley 106 that I printed from Rolly's site. You can get it here:
http://rollybrook.com/article_106.htm
Among other things, it says that your vehicle import sticker is valid as long as your visa is valid.
I have insurance from Lewis and Lewis on my Calif plated jeep, I haven't asked them whether it is valid if the sticker has expired or if I have an FM3. Both good questions and ones I intend to ask pretty soon.
I got in a fender bender today, my first accident in Mexico in 7 years. Not much damage to my jeep, or to the egg truck that hit me. We both called our insurance agents and his (ING) arrived in about 15 minutes, mine (Qualitas) took over an hour. This was in Merida centro. Still, they arranged it all and we all drove away and I have nothing more I need to do. I think I was in the wrong although the form I saw stated no fault to either party. I had pulled out a little into the street to try and see if it was one way, I was so sure it was that I didn't check the other direction right away. Blam! The egg truck hit my front bumper and pulled it out. He was going a little fast. Scratched his truck and broke a couple of flats of eggs.
The info that I want to share is that all the insurance company needed was the ORIGINAL of my policy, my driver's license and the Calif registration. Luckily, Mimi was able to get in a cab and bring the original of the insurance policy, I didn't have it in the jeep. In the past, we've crossed the border with just a faxed copy of the policy and never had the original. Take my advice, don't do that! He was very adamant that he had to have the original to file the claim. I had renewed early last year and actually had it, although it was in the RV.
Also, I have an FM3 and my sticker on the windshield expired in March, that was never a question or a problem. Perhaps he never looked at it as he also didn't ask to see my FM3. Which I was glad about as I am now not sure (from looking at the original policy) if I am eligible for this insurance since I'm not on a tourist visa.
On Monday I had renewed my insurance on my Mexican plated truck at ING and asked about covering the Calif Jeep. It would be approx $330 us per year for liability only. That's almost twice what I paid with Lewis and Lewis but... since I live here now and may or may not be eligible for tourist insurance, I think I'm going to switch. This is all to say that you can insure a US plated car here in Mexico, but an annual tourist policy is cheaper. I was impressed with the ING agent, mainly because he got there right away, but the Qualitas guy was efficient as well - just slower arriving.
Agreed. Copies are great for bureaucracy matters but you do need originals for legal matters such as insurance claims, immigration, etc. I keep my policy in the car as it has Mexican plates and I can get originals from the insurance company (my bank) and my title (tarjeta de circulacion) I can also replace if needed. I don't keep passports, factura (Mexican title), in the car. When I cross back into Mexico from the U.S. I also need to present the importation permit (pedimiento) for the travel trailer so I carry that in the car too. Granted, living here is much easier in terms of paper replacements.
I think you could get away with tourist insurance but if it were stolen, break in, injury accident, a report would need to be filed with the ministerial o judicial and they would for sure ask for your tourist visa. Worth the extra cost to be "derecho". We have all the vehicles and trailers covered by ING.
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