Permanent Resident Card?

[mexicoruss]

Hola Mondone, Not sure who your agent is but down the road doing it this way you may run into some problems in the following scenario. If you decide that you want to make a road trip out of the Frontera "Free Zone" you will need to obtain a temporary import permit for your car. Let's say your car has Arizona plates and you are a permanent resident of Mexico "paperwork wise", You drive to the importation place to do the import permit (which is only good for tourist at this time) You show them your perm card, they deny your entry with that car, you then produce your American Passport and verify that you qualify for temp permits for your car, you have just declared to them that you are not a perm resident just a visiting tourist. It has happened in the not too distant past that you have just given up your permanent residency and must reapply if you choose to do so. The law says if you are permanent, you must plate and register your vehicle in the country of your residency. In the Frontera this rule is not enforced it is overlooked since so many people who have perm res here also are living in the states part time and have a perm address there so no harm no foul "in the frontera". Everything changes when you start to travel. Let's say you decide to visit the wine country in Ensenada and you are coming from Rocky Point. Before you get to the Rumourosa part of the trip you are pulled over by Mexican authorities checking for your Mexican papers (IE Tourist visa, perm res card) of course you whip out your perm res card but your car plates say AZ.........It can be a major problem. It's the law, just because it is widely ignored here does not make it merely a suggestion. Going from here to Phx you are never likely to be questioned. If you travel outside of this zone you may have some answering to do, just sayin.

I imported my Van and my Jeep in the last couple of years. Number one my Full coverage insurance dropped a lot on my cars, they are Mexican cars insured by a Mexican Insurance Policy which by the way covers me in the States. The importation also frees me from the heavy renewal fees imposed by ADOT, my late model van is 900 pesos a year for renewal of plates at 15 to one thats reasonable. Drivers licenses are more expensive here to be sure about 200 pesos a year.

All in all I would prefer to be legal that not. I do not want to be limited on where I can drive.

Just my 2 cents worth. or more based on the length of this comment

 

[Southbeacher]

Per my insurance agent in Penasco last month- "if you obtain the permanent resident , you have the right to have a Mexican Driver license and Mexican vehicle , but is not required by the law , it is not necessary is just an option.
Our recommendation to all the Americans that they leave their vehicle the way they are because it is more convenient you. Importation is expensive and you have to buy the Mexican Driver License plates and the insurance will be Mexican too."

If your insurance agent is correct (and that is really the only interpretation I've heard that makes any sense at all) I can breathe easier. . . . . Oh wait -- I just read Russ's response . . . . breathing slightly labored again. But thanks for the clarification, Russ.

 

[mondone]

Hola Mondone, Not sure who your agent is but down the road doing it this way you may run into some problems in the following scenario. If you decide that you want to make a road trip out of the Frontera "Free Zone" you will need to obtain a temporary import permit for your car. Let's say your car has Arizona plates and you are a permanent resident of Mexico "paperwork wise", You drive to the importation place to do the import permit (which is only good for tourist at this time) You show them your perm card, they deny your entry with that car, you then produce your American Passport and verify that you qualify for temp permits for your car, you have just declared to them that you are not a perm resident just a visiting tourist. It has happened in the not too distant past that you have just given up your permanent residency and must reapply if you choose to do so. The law says if you are permanent, you must plate and register your vehicle in the country of your residency. In the Frontera this rule is not enforced it is overlooked since so many people who have perm res here also are living in the states part time and have a perm address there so no harm no foul "in the frontera". Everything changes when you start to travel. Let's say you decide to visit the wine country in Ensenada and you are coming from Rocky Point. Before you get to the Rumourosa part of the trip you are pulled over by Mexican authorities checking for your Mexican papers (IE Tourist visa, perm res card) of course you whip out your perm res card but your car plates say AZ.........It can be a major problem. It's the law, just because it is widely ignored here does not make it merely a suggestion. Going from here to Phx you are never likely to be questioned. If you travel outside of this zone you may have some answering to do, just sayin.

I imported my Van and my Jeep in the last couple of years. Number one my Full coverage insurance dropped a lot on my cars, they are Mexican cars insured by a Mexican Insurance Policy which by the way covers me in the States. The importation also frees me from the heavy renewal fees imposed by ADOT, my late model van is 900 pesos a year for renewal of plates at 15 to one thats reasonable. Drivers licenses are more expensive here to be sure about 200 pesos a year.

All in all I would prefer to be legal that not. I do not want to be limited on where I can drive.

Just my 2 cents worth. or more based on the length of this comment

Russ, you are 100% correct. What local immigration is telling us and our agent is that locally here in the free zone is that no one is going to hassle us. True, outside the frontera would be an issue, but I'm not concerned with that. That's what the "Russ Bus" is for!

 

[garyd]

How do you go about importing your car and what are the rules (ie limit on the year or make and model etc)?

 

[playaperro]

How do you go about importing your car and what are the rules (ie limit on the year or make and model etc)?

talk to the broker when you cross, laws change daily, http://rollybrook.com/nationalizing.htm

 

[wildtoucan]

If you are on facebook....sonia consulting and business ....she has been doing them and comes highly recommended. Same with immigration stuff.

 

[marybna]

We come down Monday to finish the permanent resident card and finish paying the fees. Good thing we had a lot of rentals this summer. I know Monday is a Holiday but we will start on Tuesday. We haven't been down for awhile. Looked at all the restaurant reviews. I really want to have some beach and pool time and eat out. I will poat how we do in finishing up this project.

 

[mondone]

We came down this weekend to hopefully find our vIsa cards ready for us and YES!, they were here. Mission accomplished,thank God!

 

[Wood Spinner]

I see no reason to be a citizen of Mexico except if the world goes to hell and the USA is not safe you can cross the border into Mexico.
Not to likely in my lifetime but who knows ?

 

[mondone]

I see no reason to be a citizen of Mexico except if the world goes to hell and the USA is not safe you can cross the border into Mexico.
Not to likely in my lifetime but who knows ?

We are NOT citizens, that's a whole different ballgame. We are not becoming Mexican nationals, merely legally obtaining visas to live there permanently, which by the way I need to do anyway to get a application through for a bidirectional electric meter with CFE.

 

[garyd]

We are NOT citizens, that's a whole different ballgame. We are not becoming Mexican nationals, merely legally obtaining visas to live there permanently, which by the way I need to do anyway to get a application through for a bidirectional electric meter with CFE.

What's a "Bidirectional" meter?

 

[mondone]

What's a "Bidirectional" meter?

It will give me the ability to sell electric back to CFE through my solar electric equipment.

 

[mis2810]

I see no reason to be a citizen of Mexico except if the world goes to hell and the USA is not safe you can cross the border into Mexico.
Not to likely in my lifetime but who knows ?

Why not? I like the idea of having dual citizenship. Besides, there are RECORD numbers of US citizens renouncing their citizenship. The good 'ol US of A ain't what it used to be.

 

[MIRAMAR]

How much is the bi-directional meter?

 

[garyd]

It will give me the ability to sell electric back to CFE through my solar electric equipment.

I thought so but did not want to "ass u me"

 

[marybna]

We stopped at Lukeville to get our Visas. There were a few other people there doing the same thing. My husband got a permanent one and I got a temporary. Tuesday and Wednesday he got his picture and fingerprints and paid his fees. Seaside will keep it till we come back again. I will just keep getting a temporary visa each year.