Dear Friends,

Following is some of what we think we have learned (we can’t guarantee the accuracy) during our near 7 years of negotiating the necessities of ‘must and should do’s’ when living and traveling in Mexico.

We took an old car to Mx. on our first trip.  Proud of ourselves that we would have an anonymous and invisible car that would blend with all the other old Mexican clunkers (perception), we blindly charged down the highway south from Nogales.  Advised not to drive at night, but with the car running so well, we decided at 6 pm to make a run for the next town on our route, Los Mochis.  Midway between Navajoa and Los Mochis, our water pump cashed in, coinciding with the setting sun.  It was the beginning of a long night that was positively affected by a lady (angel) in an old Datsun truck who stopped to help us in the median of this busy four lane toll road.

It’s worth mentioning here that there is a potentially wonderful thing on toll roads in Mx., and that is the presence of trucks called green angels.  These one ton trucks are driven by English speaking mechanics who have a great assortment of parts for many vehicles, and will help hapless tourists like us when in the predicament we were in.  Trouble is, and we were aware of this, they work from sun-up to sundown.

It’s amazing how strong ones faith becomes when faced with the perception of survival.  We prayed, promised and pleaded with God, and he delivered this little Mexican lady in the Datsun truck.  The rest is a long story, but as the night progressed the situation improved until we finally fell asleep in our car which by then was safely towed and stored on the mechanics property.  By 1:00 pm the next day, we were on our way with a new water pump, we had made new Mexican friends of the mechanic and his family, and had then moved on to Mazatlan where we enjoyed a night of seafood that we digested in a wonderful soft bed.

There is a message here.  Having your vehicle strand you at night on Interstate 5, 10, 40 or 80, the 401, highway 1 or 2, a toll road in Mx., or anywhere for that matter, is something to avoid.  We are now also convinced that driving an old clunker at night, on any road more than 100 miles from home, and without cell phone service, is not a well thought out plan.  On the subject of cell phones in Mx., here is the scoop: It’s likely that your cell phone provider can provide you with International Service, meaning your phone will work in Mx.  Just remember when you use your cell phone in Mx. you are at the mercy of Carlos Slim, arguably one of the world richest men (no. 1 or 2) and he will bill you approx. $2 usd per minute (or more) for the privilege.

In summary, we promised ourselves and our Heavenly Father that we would not drive old cars in Mx. anymore, or anywhere else for that matter, especially at night and any substantial distance from home.

Next subject is entering Mx. with a car.  Lots of questions here, but let us say that it is really quite simple.  You must have Mexican insurance.  Many people we know deal with Ricardo Morin in Manzanillo morinsur@prodigy.net.mx  Ricardo will do your transaction by email, billing your insurance to your credit card and forwarding you the policy, again by email.  We and probably hundreds of others have dealt with him.  He and his beautiful wife have many Canadian and American friends, and most years they visit we northerners in their summers.  Yes you can buy insurance elsewhere and it may be just fine.  Having dealt with Ricardo for some time now, we do know that if one has an accident, the adjusters that arrive at the scene have been very good, and the service and repairs are conducted promptly and efficiently.  It’s also nice, if you’re unfortunate enough to be in a fender bender, to be able to call Ricardo’s office when you don’t totally understand the process, and would really would like to talk to someone.

In the case of owners of Perla Del Mar, we will have an administrator who will work tirelessly for us and can really be of help in any situation.

So numero uno, you need Mexican insurance.  You’ve now taken the bait, you’ve crossed the US border, and are driving in Mexico where down the road you will arrive at what we call km. 21.  Wherever you cross, somewhere in front of you is a facility operated by immigration where permits are issued.  Tourists are required to buy a tourist permit which allows the importation of a car into Mx. for a maximum of 180 days.  Make sure to ask for 180 days if that is what you want, as you may discover later that 60 days for example was written on your permit.

To make crossing simple, have these ready: a copy of drivers license, passport, proof of insurance (Mexican), and your car registration.  Your will pay for your permit with a credit card - only!  The reason for the use of a credit card may be this: some people have suggested to us that if a car is not removed from Mx. within the permit period, Mexico can charge on your card, a penalty.  Don’t know about this for sure.

Note: Also take a copy of the proof of purchase/ownership of your vehicle in case you’re ever in an accident (proof of ownership does not mean your provincial or state registration - for us in Alberta it is the sales contract and the NVIS card).  In fact, do a couple copies of each document.  It’s easier to do these copies at home rather than having to get out of a line to run to a copy shop at the crossing.  Also, general advice while in Mx. is to keep a copy of your passport in your wallet/purse as it is very useful and means you don’t have to carry your actual passport (which you can keep locked in your Manzanillo residence).  Our experience:  Although we have crossed into Mx. now several times, it seems every time we still are short one copy of something.  One wonders what the Mexicans do with all this paper?  Certainly after seven years now they have a big stack of paper related to us, somewhere.

The whole entry experience will likely be quite pleasant and you will probably be in the company of other non-nationals who are also going through the process.

A wonderful feeling descends on you as you drive away from immigration realizing that the wonderful country of Mexico awaits you, just down the road.  Two million Americans and Canadians have voted with their feet and already made Mexico the number one retirement destination in the world.

FM3’s

We receive questions about and are involved in many discussions concerning FM3’s.  Most people initially are interested in an FM3 because they wish to leave a foreign plated car in Mx. for longer than is permitted with a tourist visa.  While we do not pretend to understand all of the rites that apply with ownership of a FM3’s (and much more information is available online), here is some of what we have learned through experience.

1) You can acquire your FM3 in Canada and probably the USA through a Mx. consulate or the like (although it may be easier to do in Mx.).  If done outside of Mx. the FM3 is not activated until you cross the border into Mx. and have your first stamp (in your new little green book - long-term non-immigrant visa).  We acquired our first FM3 in Calgary and with blind ignorance and not realizing the significance of the date, crossed the border on Jan. 20th.  Here’s why this is significant.  Each year now we must renew our FM3, having it at immigration not more that 30 days prior to Jan 20th.  Since that day several years ago, our travel plans always take into consideration being in Manzanillo in early Jan. on a weekday prior to Jan. 20th, and because we usually come home for Christmas we are seldom in Manzanillo after Dec. 15th.  The lesson here is: If you choose to acquire your FM3 outside of Mx., carefully consider the ideal anniversary date as you could live with the significance of that date for many years.

If you acquire your FM3 in say Manzanillo, you can determine your anniversary date within a few days as the anniversary date is the date of issue.

Next question then may be: If I bring my car into Mx. on a tourist permit and acquire a FM3 in Mx., can I then get a FM3 permit for my car to replace my tourist permit?  Answer: We don’t know for sure!  We have asked this question and do not have an answer.  An opinion would be that Immigration should be able to cancel your car tourist permit and issue you an FM3 car permit, but this is not a ‘for sure’.  If and when we get a straight answer on this, we pass it on and include it in the website www.perladelmar.com.mx

2) Always carry a copy of your current FM3 renewal page in your vehicle.  Your FM3 validates the windshield FM3 sticker located behind your rear-view mirror even though the sticker may be several years old.  Some people say that the letter of the law says that the vehicle is supposed to leave Mx. and re-enter yearly.  Not sure about this, as we do know that there are many vehicles with FM3 stickers that have been in Mx. for many years.  A current FM3 is definitely important.  Windshield replacement has its challenges as well - another subject!

3) Don’t let a Mexican drive your vehicle.  Mexico has a VAT (IVA) of 15%.  Anyone who buys a Mexican vehicle pays this tax as it is an important source of revenue for the country.  An obvious way for Mexicans to avoid this tax would be to have a non-national friend buy a car, bring it to Mexico and allow it to be used by Mexicans.  In short if the authorities were to catch a Mexican driving your car, it could be confiscated.

4) You can import a car, but if it is newer that 10 yrs. old, you will pay IVA based on a non-negotiable value placed your car by the government agency in charge.  After paying the tax, Mexican plates can be installed on the car making it somewhat anonymous and not requiring any more permits.  If the car is 10 years old or older, it can be imported tax free and can carry Mexican plates.

5) When you leave the country by car, absolutely ask for and get a receipt for the sticker that is removed from your windshield - tourist or FM3.  Without this receipt you do not have proof, should you ever need it, that you took the car out of the country.  Should the paperwork be misplaced, you could be accused of having sold the car in Mexico, creating unwanted problems.  We keep these receipts in our passport.

That’s it for now.  If there are corrections needed in all of the above, please comment below!