Mexican Vehicle Permit

[Johnnydarock]

Can anyone shed some light on the NEW vehicle permit process for Mexico. I've been going there for 30 years and have got countless permits. I just tried to get one on line at Banjercito.com for an upcoming trip to the Copper Canyon and they wanted to charge me about $600 on my credit card. Of course they said I'll get it back when I cancel the permit but with Mexico...you never know. Plus you can't get it for more than 60 days out.

Has anyone got a permit at the border or on line in the past 30 days?

Johnnydarock

[Wolfgang55]

Bend over, grab your cheeks, shit out your wallet.
More official screw job.

My sister just returned through Larado, TX. She took her truck a bus building company inside of Mexico. Was inside for 30 days. She was pissed about the 25 mile bull shit, soliders or cops tried to act like her papers had a "problemo".
Wasted her time for over 2hrs. Then let her go. She had no 600 dollar issue before.
She said this was her last trip. Said things are getting too out of control & no one has to answer to any higher ups.

Becareful

[colomtnbiker]

I just signed up online with Banjercito last week. For 2 KLR's(05 & o6) it is 300 bucks apiece, payable back to my credit card when I return the permit and they see the bikes. We are heading out of Nogales next Wednesday. We are heading into Central America and I probably won't turn my permit in when I leave Mexico heading south, just when I return to the U.S. We will be gone for 3 months but the permit is good for 180 days. And the paperwork returned to me by DHL within a few days. Then I scanned the paperwork I used for the permit and emailed it back to them once I had the actual permit in hand. The deposit is based on the year of manufacture. Newer vehicles cost more, older vehicles cost less.

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by Johnnydarock

Can anyone shed some light on the NEW vehicle permit process for Mexico. I've been going there for 30 years and have got countless permits. I just tried to get one on line at Banjercito.com for an upcoming trip to the Copper Canyon and they wanted to charge me about $600 on my credit card. Of course they said I'll get it back when I cancel the permit but with Mexico...you never know. Plus you can't get it for more than 60 days out.

Has anyone got a permit at the border or on line in the past 30 days?

Johnnydarock

The one big change since last summer is the actual charge in cash or on your card for the deposit. That's it.

Once you turn in the TVIP, assuming you do it within the window (typically 180 days), you'll receive your deposit back in kind (cash or credit back to your card).

Simple.

[cwc]

Originally Posted by tricepilot

The one big change since last summer is the actual charge in cash or on your card for the deposit. That's it.

Once you turn in the TVIP, assuming you do it within the window (typically 180 days), you'll receive your deposit back in kind (cash or credit back to your card).

Simple.

IIRC a while back someone I was travelling with did a cash bond and had to take the return paperwork to a bank in Mexico to get the cash returned, which was a bit of a hassle.

Anybody have info on the actual cash procedure?

[tricepilot]

I think you're referring to Banjercito - Mexican Army Bank - which is typically co-located with the aduana.

[cwc]

Originally Posted by tricepilot

I think you're referring to Banjercito - Mexican Army Bank - which is typically co-located with the aduana.

I'm not sure. I thought we had to go off-site to get the money. This would have been in Ojinaga. IIRC it came about because the person didn't have a credit card that they accepted.

I'll ask the question on our local DS list and see if I can get more info.

I'm only academically interested since I intend to continue to use a credit card.

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by cwc

I'm only academically interested since I intend to continue to use a credit card.

A fine approach, I'm sure, but I would always have enough effectivo (cash) as a backup plan. At least for a fill or two.

[bisbonian]

We went over last week.

We stopped at the Banjercito in Agua Prieta, vehicle permit and tourist visa cost $89 total for 6 months.

Strangely enough they would not take a credit card as payment and required cash, that's the first time I've had that happen.

There are signs up all over the Banjercito stating that as of something like June last year they will require a large deposit even if paying by credit card but they didn't hit us up for it.

[tricepilot]

Originally Posted by bisbonian

There are signs up all over the Banjercito stating that as of something like June last year they will require a large deposit even if paying by credit card but they didn't hit us up for it.

Not accurate.

If your credit card is accepted for payment of the permit, it can be accepted for payment of the deposit.

[cwc]

Originally Posted by tricepilot

A fine approach, I'm sure, but I would always have enough effectivo (cash) as a backup plan. At least for a fill or two.

The border is usually my last use of the tarjeta credito. The rest of the places I go don't accept them.

Should I be staying in better places??

[Lone Rider]

It sounds as if they are actually 'hitting' the CC's now, rather than only recording them for a possible later 'hit', if the papers are not recorded as returned/satisfied within the given period of time.

I had to pony up cash at a crossing a few years ago because they couldn't accept or process the card I used. I exited the country from a different crossing on that trip, and was given back the cash (in usd) I'd deposited All went well.

If they're simply securing the deposit, then this shoudn't be a worry. The amount of USD cash on hand at the various crossings would obviously vary. I can see the need for a banco visit at some crossings.

[Sjoerd Bakker]

We just came through the Allende, Coahuila km 34 customs facility on Mex 57 this past weekend and did the paperwork for TVIP and tourist card new style. It was very quiet at around 5pm Sunday and the whole process took only 40 minutes. I did not even need to fill out the tourist card, the officials just copied the information from my passport and drivers license then handed it to me for a signature At the end the stack of papers and cc receipts were stapled toghether for me .It is important not to loose any of them to prove your status at the cancellation stage.
They accepted credit card payment for both these items ,. No hassel about needing to visit a bank in the interior to pay for the tourist card.Proof of payment for the tourist card is now a full page printed form, The TVIP now included the full security deposit and the paperwork accompanying it stated clearly that when the TVIP is cancelled within the term of its validity the full amount of the security deposit will be redirected back onto the credit card account on which it was drawn. This means they will not need to keep as much cash on hand for this purpose.
However I can see that if the computer network is down they might have to revert to accepting actual US $ cash payment for the deposit again . This would also be the case if you do not have a cc or refuse to use one you do own.
At some of the really small border crossings with bad setup this cash transaction may be the only route. For instance at the El Ceibo border crossing into Guatemala they did not have a Banjercito present in Feb 2011 and cash payments were required.. Even then the particular official who does all this for Mexico at El Ceibo was extremely helpful.Through a lapse of attention I showed up at the border late on a Saturday RETURNING from Guatemala with insufficient funds but he allowed passage to Tenosique for the night so that I could hit up a bank machine there and come back to the El Ceibo border on Sunday morning with the money. He even accepted equivalent peso payment for the TVIP deposit and he said he would on Monday transfer that into US$ then into the Banjercito under my account. A true man of his word , I never had any problems cancelling the TVIP.

Attention anybody leaving Mexico for Central America. To exit you will need to get an exit stamp in your passport and they will ask that you cancel your hard won TVIP and tourist card .The deposit will be reloaded on your cc account. However there is some doubt over whether this is the true correct policy . The helpful El Ceibo last year suggested that for tourists travelling into GT or BZ for only a short visit with the intent of returning to Mexico could apply for a ´´ suspension ´´ of the documents so that you could come back and not need to re do the entire routine.
I asked about this ´´ suspension´´ at the Allende customs post but they said they did not know anything about the different rules which apply at the southern border.
Further investigation will be carried out in the near future.

[crashmaster]

Originally Posted by Sjoerd Bakker

The helpful El Ceibo last year suggested that for tourists travelling into GT or BZ for only a short visit with the intent of returning to Mexico could apply for a ´´ suspension ´´ of the documents so that you could come back and not need to re do the entire routine.
I asked about this ´´ suspension´´ at the Allende customs post but they said they did not know anything about the different rules which apply at the southern border.
Further investigation will be carried out in the near future.

At Chautemoc/La Mesilla the Mexican migracion and aduana guys told me that if I was returning to Mexico before the TVIP and Tourist Card expired that I need not do anything with them before going into Guatemala. Each border seems to have its own procedure on that.

[Cal]

At Chautemoc/La Mesilla the Mexican migracion and aduana guys told me that if I was returning to Mexico before the TVIP and Tourist Card expired that I need not do anything with them before going into Guatemala.

At this same crossing I was allowed to keep my TVIP but had to give up my Tourist Permit! Go figure!