Were you or are you aware?

That for any of you driving a vehicle with non-Mexican license plates that there is a "tax" that one must pay when cancelling your vehicle permit after your vehicle is stolen? I have to admit that this is a new one to me as I had never read anything about this in the past. This is an interesting on MexConnect: http://www.mexconnect.com/cgi-bin/forums/gforum.cgi?post=170318;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

While the OP is still attempting to gather details, it appears that the tax can be as much as 40% of the value of the stolen vehicle, as determined by Aduana. As I understand the details he provided, this tax must be paid and a payment receipt presented to the insurance company before they will make a payout under the policy provisions. For those who bring a new expensive vehicle to Mexico, this could prove to be an expensive proposition and not recoverable under one's insurance policy. Adding this to one's deductibles could make having a vehicle stolen in Mexico a more than normal loss. To me, another good reason to purchase a Mexican plated vehicle with the more expensive insurance policy.

Good idea Neil. If one's car is totaled there's no need to cancel the permit unless one intends to bring in another NOB plated car.

Holy Moley, all the more reason to let the car look crappy. Good info.

David, if the car is totaled or broken down beyond repair, Aduana has a free procedure to get it off the computer.

The stolen car thing applies to getting the missing car off the computer. You can't prove the car was removed from the country, so you must pay a tax on the car in order to get it off the computer so you can bring in another one. Some insurance companies require a notice from aduana that you have cleared the record before they will settle your claim.

If your don't have insurance and don't plan ever to bring in another car, you can just blow it off.