If your travel is within the Border Zone (usually up to 20 kilometers south of the U.S.-Mexico Border) or Free Trade Zone (including the Baja California Peninsula and the Sonora Free Trade Zone) there are no procedures to comply with. However, if you wish to pass these zones, the following procedures will apply. You must secure a permit by following the next few steps.

To acquire a permit simply drive your vehicle (including RV's) to a Mexican customs office at the border and present an original plus two(2) copies of the following documents:

• Valid proof of citizenship (passport or birth certificate).
• The appropriate immigration form (tourist card).
• The valid vehicle registration certificate, or a document, such as the original title that certifies the legal ownership of the vehicle. It must be in the driver's name.
• The leasing contract (if the vehicle is leased or rented) which must be in the name of the person importing the car. If the vehicle belongs to a company, present the document that certifies the employee works for the company.
• A valid driver's license, issued outside Mexico.
• An international credit card, also issued outside Mexico (American Express, Diner's Club, Mastercard or Visa), in the name of the driver of the vehicle.

Note: If you do not possess an international credit card, you will be asked to post a bond, payable to the Federal Treasury, issued by an authorized bonding company in Mexico.

As an alternative to posting a bond, you may make a cash deposit at Banco del Ejército in an amount equal to the value of your vehicle according to the "Table of Vehicle Values for Bonding Companies" (see table at bottom of the page).

Once you have the originals and photocopies of these documents, present them to the Vehicular Control Module located in Customs to process the importation permit.

All documents and the credit card must be in the name of the owner, who must also be in the vehicle when crossing the border.

Your international credit card will be charged an amount in national currency equivalent to US $11.50 at the Banco del Ejército.

If you do not have an international credit card, Banco del Ejército will accept a cash deposit in an amount equal to the value of you vehicle (see table). Your deposit plus any interest it may earn will be returned to you when you leave Mexico. Or, you may choose to obtain a bond through an authorized Mexican bonding company located at all the border crossings. The authorized bonding companies will require a refundable deposit equal to the value of the vehicle, according to the table below. The bonding company will also assess taxes and processing costs for this service.

Upon your departure from Mexico, and if the vehicle is not going to be driven back into Mexico, the permit for temporary importation must be cancelled at Customs. That's all there is to it. Follow these simple steps and you shouldn't have any problems. However, please remember, if your car is found in Mexico beyond the authorized time, or without the appropriate documents, it will be immediately confiscated.

1) The temporary authorization for the importation of vehicles is valid for any type of vehicle weighing under three tons for periods up to six months (180 days).

2) The temporarily imported vehicle may be driven across the border multiple times during the authorized period.

3) Always carry with you the importation permit when driving your car in Mexico. Do not leave this document in the vehicle; it is indispensable in the case of damage, theft, or accident.

4) The sale, abandonment, or use of the vehicle for financial gain will result in its confiscation.

5) The vehicle temporarily imported by the owner may be driven in Mexico by the spouse or adult children, as long as they have the same immigration status. Other persons may drive the vehicle as long as the owner is in the vehicle.