Table of contents
- First: is the car coming back?
- Leaving the United States
- The Mexican side: the temporary import permit
- The rules are not the same everywhere in Mexico
- Your US insurance is not the policy Mexico asks for
- A financed or leased car
- Hiring a company: most quotes stop at the border
- What to check before you book
- FAQs
Quick answer
A car that goes and returns is a temporary import: Mexico's customs agency says a foreign vehicle needs a permit to enter the country, Banjercito issues it, and the deposit that comes with it is lost unless the permit is closed at a border module before it expires. A car that stays is a permanent import, handled by the customs authority instead. On the US side, exporting a used vehicle means presenting the vehicle and its original title to CBP, with the documents filed at least 72 hours ahead. Requirements differ by nationality, residence and status, and they change, so confirm yours before you travel.
First: is the car coming back?
This is not a formality. Mexico has two different ways of admitting a foreign vehicle, and which one applies decides who issues your paperwork, what you must prove and what happens at the end.
| Item | Temporary import | Permanent import |
|---|---|---|
| The car | Goes and returns | Stays in Mexico |
| Mexican paperwork | Temporary import permit from Banjercito | Definitive import through the customs authority |
| Where it is done | Online, at a consulate or at the border | Through a customs agency, before the car moves |
| Ends with | Closing the permit, reclaiming the deposit | The vehicle legally imported |
| If you get it wrong | Deposit lost, vehicle illegal in Mexico | The car cannot be legalized where it stands |
The car
- Temporary import
- Goes and returns
- Permanent import
- Stays in Mexico
Mexican paperwork
- Temporary import
- Temporary import permit from Banjercito
- Permanent import
- Definitive import through the customs authority
Where it is done
- Temporary import
- Online, at a consulate or at the border
- Permanent import
- Through a customs agency, before the car moves
Ends with
- Temporary import
- Closing the permit, reclaiming the deposit
- Permanent import
- The vehicle legally imported
If you get it wrong
- Temporary import
- Deposit lost, vehicle illegal in Mexico
- Permanent import
- The car cannot be legalized where it stands
Sources: Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México, Importación Temporal de Vehículos, Banjercito, Guías de apoyo para tramitar tu permiso de importación temporal
Leaving the United States
The American side is a customs process with a clock on it, and it starts with a definition, because the definition decides whether it applies to you at all.
That wording is doing real work. A vehicle sent to Mexico to stay is being exported. A vehicle driven down for a holiday and brought home is not obviously being entered into the commerce of a foreign country. CBP applies the definition, not you, so if your case is near the line, ask the port you plan to leave from before you arrive.
Related reading
The Mexican side: the temporary import permit
If the car is coming back, this is the document the trip hangs on. Banjercito, the bank that runs the customs modules, issues it, and it covers the vehicle rather than you.
The bill of sale point catches anyone who bought a car recently and has not received the title yet. So does the three-month limit on a finance contract. Both are checkable today.
The rules are not the same everywhere in Mexico
Your US insurance is not the policy Mexico asks for
The compulsory cover comes from an insurer authorized in Mexico, and a US policy on a US vehicle is not that, so a Mexican liability policy is bought separately, before the crossing. What your US policy does outside the country is a separate question, for your own insurer, in writing.
A financed or leased car
Two separate permissions are in play, and people find the second one late. US Customs requires a signed writing from the lienholder or lessor on letterhead before the vehicle is exported. Banjercito accepts a lease contract only with a letter from the lessor authorizing the temporary importation, and a finance contract only if it is less than three months old.
Hiring a company: most quotes stop at the border
Haulwide does not transport vehicles and does not arrange transport. What we can tell you is what the arrangement usually looks like, and which questions make two quotes comparable.
Many US companies quote to a point on the American side. From there the car is taken on by you or a Mexican carrier, and the customs steps in between belong to whoever you agreed would do them. A quote that ends at the border is not dishonest, but it is half a journey, and it does not compare against a price covering the whole one.
- Does this price end at the border or at the destination address? Get it in writing.
- If it ends at the border, which city, and what happens to the car there?
- Who files with US Customs, and who presents the vehicle for export? If the company has not put it in writing, it is yours.
- Who holds the temporary import permit? It is tied to the vehicle and the importer, so ask how that works if someone else is driving.
- Which company carries the car on the Mexican side, and what is its insurance?
Before you hand over a deposit
What to check before you book
- Decide temporary or permanentEverything follows from it. If the car is staying, talk to a Mexican customs agency first.
- Confirm your own requirementsWith CBP and with Banjercito, giving your nationality, residence and immigration status.
- Get the ownership document in handThe original title or a certified copy. A bill of sale will not get a Mexican permit.
- Ask the lender, if there is oneWritten consent naming the VIN, plus what Banjercito needs for a lease or finance contract.
- Buy Mexican liability coverFrom an insurer authorized in Mexico, in force from the moment the car crosses.
- Pin down where the transport endsBorder or destination, who files what, and which carrier takes it on.
- Plan the way outWhere and when you close the permit, with the vehicle present, before its return date.
Border states and other crossings
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to take my car into Mexico?
Mexico's customs agency says that when you come from abroad and bring your vehicle, you need a permit to enter the country. It is a temporary import permit from Banjercito, available online 10 to 60 days before the trip, at a Mexican consulate up to six months ahead, or at a module where you enter. Different arrangements apply in particular zones, so confirm your route and status first.
Do I get the deposit back?
Only if the permit is closed properly. Banjercito returns the deposit in the form it was paid, provided the vehicle's definitive return is registered before the permit expires. Cancellation happens only at the border modules, with the vehicle present: not at a consulate, not online, not after the return date. We do not quote the amount; Banjercito publishes it.
What does US Customs require before the car leaves?
The vehicle and its documentation are presented to CBP at the port of exportation, and for one leaving by road the documents go in at least 72 hours beforehand: the original title or a certified copy plus two complete copies, and a signed letter from the lienholder if the car is financed. Electronic Export Information is filed for used vehicles regardless of value.
Documents needed to ship a carWill my US car insurance cover me in Mexico?
Not for the compulsory requirement. Mexican law requires third-party liability cover for vehicles using federal roads and bridges, and the rules define the insurer as a company formed under Mexican law and authorized by the finance ministry. A Mexican policy is bought separately. Ask your US insurer in writing what your policy does outside the country.
Will a US car shipping company take my car into Mexico?
Many quote only to the US side of the border, with you or a Mexican carrier taking it from there. Haulwide does not transport vehicles, so we cannot arrange either half. Ask in writing whether the price ends at the border or the destination, who files with US Customs, and which carrier handles the Mexican leg.
What if I want to leave the car in Mexico permanently?
Then it is a definitive import, and Banjercito's permit is the wrong document. Selling or giving away a temporarily imported vehicle is prohibited, and a permit that expires with the car still there leaves it in Mexico illegally. Definitive imports go through the customs authority, normally via a customs agency, and that conversation belongs before the car moves.
Sources
- Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México, Importación Temporal de Vehículos
- Banjercito, Guías de apoyo para tramitar tu permiso de importación temporal
- 19 CFR 192.1
- 19 CFR 192.2
- US Customs and Border Protection, Exporting a motor vehicle
- 15 CFR 30.2
- Banjercito, Guías de apoyo para tramitar tu permiso de importación temporal
- Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México, Importación Temporal de Vehículos
- Banjercito, Guías de apoyo para tramitar tu permiso de importación temporal
- Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México, Importación Temporal de Vehículos
- Agencia Nacional de Aduanas de México, Programa sólo Sonora
- Acuerdo 07/2014, Diario Oficial de la Federación
Written and reviewed by the Haulwide editorial team. Editorial policy
