There have been tons of rumors, suppositions and misinformation flying around on expat forums and expat blogs about what people think are the current Aduana rules for temporarily imported foreign-plated cars, a.k.a “TIP” (Temporary Import Permit) cars.
Here at Yucalandia, we like facts supported by the official rules and laws. Using that basis, let’s evaluate what is written in the current law and official rules:
First: There are no Aduana rules or law that specifically cover how to issue or renew Permisos de Importación Temporal de Vehículos for foreigners with either Residente Temporal or Residente Permanente IMN residency permits. ~ Zip / Zero / Nada ~
In the absence of any published law or rules, each local Aduana office is currently doing what they think makes sense – likely as decided by their local director.
Second, . . . Continue reading here…
We have to wait until Aduana actually publishes something official.
Let’s all hope that Aduana comes out soon with official policies that work.
Happy Trails, steve
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Read the full Article at: Current Aduana Car Import Rules Made Obsolete by INM’s New Residency Categories
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Feel free to copy while giving proper attribution: YucaLandia/Surviving Yucatan.
© Steven M. Fry
Read on, MacDuff.
Surviving Yucatan 
I totally agree with you, Steven. I consider it a priviledge to be a guest in their country. One question…..I plan on buying a car in Mexico when I get there in May. I figure I’ll buy used if I can find a good one. I’m bringing a friend with me who is a mechanic and can help me with that. But, does the car have to be 10 years old to avoid paying a yearly tax on it?
Cindy
Hi Cindy,
Since the rules on whether we pay an annual tax on owning a Mexican car (tenencia), vary state by state, I cannot tell you what you will or won’t have to pay. In Yucatan, pickup trucks are exempt – which is partly what you see a bunch of rich guys now driving pickup trucks since they changed the rules. For Yucatan state, and most (all?) other states, the tenencia is eliminated for 10 year old vehicles. If you do buy a car less than 10 years old, then you can enter the VIN and plate number at this website to find out the annual ownership tax (tenencia):
https://srvshyweb.yucatan.gob.mx/cgi-bin/wspd_cgi.sh/WService=wspvehicular/solpagten.r
Last year, the Yucatan rules on tenencias went as follows:
For vehicles purchased in 2011, individuals who purchased automobiles with invoice values of than $300,000 pesos did not have to pay the tenencia.
Year: Max. Exempt Invoice Value:
2011 ~ $300,000
2010 ~ $291,262
2009 ~ $279,986
2008 ~ $269,361
2007 ~ $252,854
2006 ~ $243,694
2005 ~ $234,201
2004 ~ $226,647
2003 ~ $215,463
2002 ~ $207,223
The yearly taxes seem to be only a few hundred dollars for 5-6 year old modestly priced cars…???
steve
Hi, Steve,
Got my permanent resident card this week, it’s even green. Now I guess we will see what gets sorted out with my old clunker. Always happy to hear the latest from you.
Gracias como siempre, Nancy Walters
Mexico does have a trade agreement with Japan since 2005–i don’t suppose the average joe with a TIP car with a J can get some benefits from it—it seems all these trade agreements benefit the rich and penalize the average citizen–i never imagined NAFTA would be a benefit for me ; let alone harmful–Mexico wants to be a real world player but continues to hold on to it’s prideful protectionist ideas!–Mexico can’t have it both ways—
Hi Bobby,
“–Mexico wants to be a real world player but continues to hold on to it’s prideful protectionist ideas!–”
Why do you say that charging import duties on US cars is protectionist, any more than similar US or Canadian vehicle policies?
The $600 USD we paid in duties to import our car and pickup truck into Mexico are hardly steep or protectionist.
–Mexico can’t have it both ways—”
The US has it both ways. Consider the 17 years of NAFTA mandated dumping of $4 billion US Taxpayer dollars a year of subsidies to forcibly dump US corn onto Mexican markets at prices 3X below market value – putting millions of Mexican farmers and rural Mexican farm communities out of business.
Mexico has to now import 45% of their food due to the “US having it both ways”
… and just why did all those Mexican farmers and workers put out of business by over $60 billion of US taxpayer dollars in just corn-export subsidies, decide to move to the USA? Yes, US taxpayers (duped by their government) have paid over $100 billion in taxes, used to forcibly dump cheap US ag exports onto Mexican markets, creating and driving millions of illegal aliens into the US.
Why should Mexico have far more liberal policies than Canada or the USA?
Free and Fair Trade now… Starting with the biggest player: the USA.
Happy Trails,
steve
As I read Bobby’s comment above, he was referring to the fact that Mexico does have a trade agreement with Japan, yet we cannot import cars made in Japan. My information is that the trade agreement says that 50% of the Japanese vehicles have to be manufactured in Mexico- the Honda engines and other parts are shipped from Japan, but the bodies are manufactured in Mexico. In my situation, I will be forced to move to an permanent status, as I am at the end of 4 years on my current FM3. A year and a half ago, I entered with a Canadian plated Honda under my FM3, paid the $300 deposit at the border, all legal and with the understanding that as long as I maintained my FM3 status, and notified Aduana of my renewals (which I did last April) my vehicle was legal here. Then all the immigration rules changed. I would never have brought in a Canadian “J” vehicle, had I had any way of knowing that these changes were coming. I am physically unable to drive my car back to Canada now due to a back injury, have a home, a dog and a business here, so cannot simply pick up and leave without months of preparation and finding someone to actually do the driving. If I had a foreign-plated Nafta vehicle, I would simply pay to import it and get Mexican plates.
Of course Mexico can change any laws it wants, but this current vehicle mess could be simply solved by the following:
Allow all foreigners with foreign-plated non-Nafta vehicles, which were brought in legally, and which have maintained their foreign plates current (mine are, I can do it over the internet, under what is known as 919 rate class) to keep their vehicles here and charge us, either a yearly fee equivalent to what a Mexican vehicle costs to license, or a one-time charge equivalent to the import fee for a Nafta vehicle, on the the condition that we cannot sell the vehicle here, and can never import another foreign-plated vehicle. This would put a great deal of $ in the Mexican coffers while not creating a panicky, extremely inconvenient situation for foreigners who have been following all the rules and contributing hugely to the Mexican economy. Anyone else who likes this idea might send a letter either through your consulate or directly to Aduana, as I will.