Vehicle Import permits, aduana notifications & deposits

So as many of you know we have done a whole lot of notifications to aduana for people's vehicle permits and as such have learned alot. We do get back responses from time to time from Aduana requesting more information as well as notifications if somebody had not met the strict time deadlines for their vehicle.

We received a certified letter for a client today and I wish to advise / warn everybody so that nobody will have problems. Also I see a grave danger for those living in San Miguel de Allende and the immigration head's policies there which in my opinion will have a negative effect on the foreign community and their vehicle status forcing them to lose their deposit and forfeit their vehicle's legal status in Mexico.

Aduana is now getting tough on people who do not have continuity in their immigration documents and who have a foreign plated vehicle temporarily imported.

For those who paid a cash deposit (or on their credit card) for the temporary import permit issued on or after June, 2011 you must do a notification to Aduana in writing in the proper form before your vehicle permit expires or earlier within 15 calendar days of receiving your new immigration document or you will lose your cash deposit.



Many people assume wrongly that immigration will notify aduana or that a form they get online will suffice. It is very important to do the notification properly and have a receipt for it and to do it timely.

Failure to notify aduana properly will forfeit your deposit, ignorance is no excuse.

Also if you renew your immigration document late (like SMA immigration guy is saying will be necessary for foreigners under the new system where they have to let their document expire) you will not have continuity in your immigration documents (the lapse breaks continuity) and WILL LOSE YOUR DEPOSIT and aduana WILL DEEM YOUR VEHICLE ILLEGALLY in Mexico.

A client renewed late (actually had to leave Mexico and left vehicle and then came back on a new FMM which had a new expiration date but originally importing the vehicle aduana had the original one to use to calculate dates) and then when the notification was done aduana checked with immigration and saw the lapse and sent back a notice that as there was a period with a break in their immigration document (original FMM issued when vehicle imported expired January 29, 2012 and new FM3 was applied for a few days after that date but still on time per the new FMM) that their deposit was lost and that their vehicle was now not legal in Mexico and that they would need to return to the border.

I see this as problematic for people who renew at the last minute or who renew late or where they live in SMA where the immigration head is advising people where they will be forced to renew late and thereby forfeit their deposit and legal status of their vehicle.

Now as far as the illegal vehicle status goes only you, the importer, aduana and God know this fact and not anybody else however if there was to be some sort of crazy accident or ways for the police to check then you would have real problems but could open the door for a crafty insurance company to deny a claim.

Note how Mexico is welcoming tourists and expats who want to live here, making it more and more difficult. Good way to shoot yourselves in the foot Mexico. Way to go.

I don't want to see Mexico bitching about it's tourist industry and people having no jobs because us expats who support the Mexican community don't come here any more.

This is an issue for us because we had a situation where all credit cards were compromised, plus stolen passports, all which has been reported to the proper authorities. My question is; the credit card we used for the deposit on our vehicle has been canceled, where do we stand? Thanks

Parker wrote:This is an issue for us because we had a situation where all credit cards were compromised, plus stolen passports, all which has been reported to the proper authorities. My question is; the credit card we used for the deposit on our vehicle has been canceled, where do we stand? Thanks

Parker I had a similar issue with an Identity theft, and I filled out a form for Aduana advising them of a different credit card for the refund to be credited. I also had the option of receiving the vehicle import fee back in cash. This was at the border when I was taking the vehicle out of Mx and was very recently.