general info and tip requirement for RVs and cars

Baja Pony Express wrote:This for the ones who had their trailers or other goods seized by the State`s Sec. of finance:
As a lawyer I represent several persons who had their trailer seized for not having a TIP while parked in a storage facility, If you are a victim I can represent you so the process is done in a lawfull manner.
Call 612 348 9793 Lic. Jacques-Edouard Beaulne, LL.B.,D.D.N. **See article at the end of this BPE

BPE wrote:TIP ARTICLE — TIP or no TIP and more. First let me establish the base for the reasons the Secretary of Finance of the State of Baja California Sur seized certain land vehicles and other goods which were not imported. The President of Mexico issued a presidential decree ordering the seizure of trailers which were not imported and the State Sec. of Finance has an accord with the Federal Custom dept. to be able to do seizures on non imported goods. Mexico, as any other country, has laws and regulations regarding the entrance of goods in the country, they are known as IMPORTATION or CUSTOMS LAWS AND REGULATIONS, the federal government dept., of CUSTOMS is the one which applies the legislation, and if they find out a good was not imported can, in virtue of the law and regulations seize the goods and apply fines and can incarcerate the person who did not respect the law plus as indicated in the previous paragraph the Sec. of Finance of BCS has an agreement with the federal government to seize. In Mexico, for logistics reasons the federal government invented what has become known as a TIP (Temporary Importation Permit) process allowing a land vehicle to be able to travel in Mexico; but they made exceptions for the complete Baja California peninsula and other States. Thus, we will now only talk about the necessity of having a TIP or NOT on a land vehicle in BCS. Many articles were published on the Internet, some not so bad and some no so good, in general providing incomplete or confusing information. The only good articles are the ones published by government these articles are very precise.

http://omawww.sat.gob.mx/aduanas/vehiculos/importacion_temporal/Paginas/automoviles_ingles.aspx is where one finds the 5 W’s (Who, Where Why and When) regarding the TIP plus the cost of a TIP and what can be included with the vehicle. As with any publication one has to read not only words but association of words, it is very important regarding foreigners: “… foreigners with a visitor’s permit, temporary resident and student temporary resident may temporarily import a single vehicle…” There is NO mention of a permanent resident….As for a seized vehicle: A TIP can not be issued after the vehicle as been seized. As for the ones who say that they will not pay the fines and taxes; These do not go away and private property(ies) can be seized. In other words, the TIP process for a “land vehicle” is available to foreigners who are in the country on a temporary visit; the TIP expires on the final day of the “FMM” or the last day indicated on the temporary resident card. A TIP can NOT be issued to foreigners who have elected to live in a permanent manner in Mexico; The Presidential decree has a final date: Month of July 2022, once expired the Sec. of Finance of the State of BCS will apply the law thus continue to seize any article that was not imported as per the law. They will seize all land vehicles that are illegal in Mexico where ever they are, be on the street, on private property or any other locations. As for the “permanent resident” options, said person MUST import his or her land vehicle which is in Mexico, the FULL importation process can only be done at the border through an importation broker and there are rules that limit the importation. For vehicles which do not meet the rules, were fabricated in Canada, USA or Mexico and came in Mexico before 2019, the new system known as the Nationalization by presidential decree is available at a very low cost plus enables one to get local plates which are required after 15 days of residence in a municipality along with local driver`s Permit. In conclusion, legislations are modified and enacted all the time thus, it is important that one checks regularly on a particular subject so as not to be taken by surprise using ONLY the articles published by the government as the “bible”.Lic. JACQUES-EDOUARD BEAULNE, LL.B., D.D.N. LAWYER IN MEXICO, STATE CED. PROF. 0086

Read before rolling into Baja
10
Cuidado — RV and towed-vehicle permits also new to Mexican officials
By Mike Madriaga, Oct. 20, 2017
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When the Baja 1000 races roll around next month (November 14–18), some Americans crossing into Mexico might be in for a big surprise. Recently, travelers crossing through the San Ysidro, Otay, Tecate, and Mexicali borders in their RVs have reportedly been denied entrance into Mexico; others had the option of paying a new $52 fee.


Getting a permit through this Mexican national bank is possible, but “The process is long and confusing, and everything is in Spanish.”
“This is a new [temporary import permit] rule that just started being enforced for travelers going to Baja California,” said Jennifer Kramer from Discover Baja Travel Club. “[Until recently] Baja used to be a ‘free zone’ for vehicle importation permits [and were] exempt from regulations that are in place for U.S. citizens traveling into mainland Mexico.”

"Snow" and her husband drove down from Canada last month in their 40-foot motorhome that was pulling a 1997 Jeep Wrangler. Both of them are retired and during this time of year they stay warm at the tip of the peninsula.

“[We] only read about the new rules on RVs a matter of days prior to our scheduled crossing,” she said, "[and we] decided to wing it and try [to enter Mexico] without a [permit].”

They entered through Tecate and “they didn’t mention anything about the [permit, but] they asked for the ownership on both vehicles and checked that the [vehicle identification] numbers matched the vehicles on our ownership [papers], which matched our [registration] and passports.”

They crossed at Tecate without paying $104 (the cost of two permits plus a deposit for the Jeep) and drove the 1000 miles to their winter home in San José del Cabo.

Not all RVs enter into Baja California as easily, though. “[Worst case,] you will get turned away at the border crossing into Mexico and not be allowed into the country,” Kramer said, if the aduanas (Mexican customs) ask for your permit and you don’t have one.

Kramer's parents started Discover Baja Travel Club 26 years ago, and she’s been involved with the company ever since. In the past five years she has been the marketing director for the company, which handles Mexican auto insurance, FMM tourist permits, temporary importation permits, and Mexican fishing licenses. “We stay up-to-date with everything happening in Baja and are often the first to let U.S. citizens know about new rules, regulations, and news.”

Kramer said the new towing rules started about a month ago and that “unfortunately the Mexican government doesn’t have anything in writing about the new regulations.” She said that through “multiple conversations with aduanas and immigration at all land ports of entry,” the new regulations are effective immediately and are as follows:

Motorhomes not towing anything are able to get a temporary import permit good for ten years. Motorhomes towing vehicles will need to get the ten-year permit on the motorhome and a six-month permit on the vehicle. The vehicle will have to leave the country within six months or the deposit will be forfeited.

Motorhomes towing accessories (for example, trailers that contain motorcycles or jet skis) will only be issued a six-month permit but will not have to make a deposit. Trucks towing fifth wheels and camper trailers will have to get two permits — a six-month permit for the truck and a ten-year permit on the trailer. A deposit will be required for the truck (depending on the value of the vehicle but normally ranges from $200 to $600) but will be refunded when you exit the country and return your permit.

Trucks towing utility trailers or toys do not need to get any permits. All boats over 14.7 ft. are required to get a ten-year permit. Many of the travelers are posting comments of disbelief on their social media forums regarding the new laws because many of them haven’t been told about the permits when entering into Baja in their RVs in the past couple of weeks. Others are saying, “I told you so” and posting both Kramer’s website and a link to a national bank of Mexico, Banjercito. A permit can be purchased for approximately $52 from Banjercito.

Kramer’s website can also handle the paperwork for an additional fee. “Many of our members prefer to have us handle their paperwork, as the rules are complicated,” she said. “The process is long and confusing, and everything is in Spanish.”

When I asked Snow what she and her hubby would do if they asked for their permits upon entering into Mexico, she said, “I was planning to be a dumb blonde gringa if that happened and hope we could do it on the spot.… I think maybe you can [purchase the permits] at the Banjercito [at the border] if needed.”

Kramer’s website also states another law that will affect a lot of visitors and businesses: “A vehicle [that’s not an RV] can no longer tow another vehicle into Mexico (i.e., a truck cannot tow a car into Mexico). If you need to tow another vehicle, we recommend that you have someone drive the second vehicle across the border if possible and then hook up to tow the vehicle once across the border.”

Regarding the racers and their families driving in with their RVs and loaded trailers come mid-November, “Usually the participants in the Baja 1000 get special permission to be a part of the event without getting [permits, along with other special treatment],” Kramer said.

Spectators for the Baja 1000’s 50th anniversary might not have such clout, though: they are advised to have all of the proper paperwork in order when crossing into Mexico.

lpg wrote:I  am not a motor home owner but I have done some recent research and have slightly different information (from the Government). And it sounds confusing. My research agrees that all RV's must have a TIP. And the reason you are not stopped at the border is because often the TIP is not issued at the border, but rather in a separate location close to the border and the assumption is - you know the law and will proceed to the TIP office. There are two different agencies involved with TIP's.  First is the garden variety TIP with a termination date tied to whether you are a Visitor (6 month) or a Resident Temporal (good for up to 4 years). This TIP is issued by Banjercito and involves little, besides presentation of Vehicle Documentation and an application with fee's. This is specifically for vehicles with a gross weight of up to (check me on this because the weight is from memory) 7,300 pounds or 2-1/2 long tons. You CAN tow another vehicle with this permit, as long as you don't exceed the weight restriction. Smaller RV's are legal using this class of TIP.
So what happens if you exceed that 2-1/2 long ton weight restriction? Well in the eyes of the Mexican Government you are entering with a "Commercial Vehicle" and you can still get a TIP for it BUT you now fall under the jurisdiction of Mexican Customs (Aduana), and they impose additional requirements. The biggie is the need for a "mechanical inspection" certificate which is the same requirement as large trucks. So be prepared to spend a little time getting this permit. But it is worth it because you may make multiple entries for up to 10 years. And my information is different than the article as you CAN tow another vehicle with one of these Aduana TIP's, however the towed vehicle can only have the lower class (Banjercito) TIP. Even though this is the Aduana controlled TIP you still need to pay all the fee's to Banjercito.
Another caveat I discovered was; if the "RV" is registered as a bus, you cannot get a TIP as it is barred from Mexico unless it is Imported.
A link for a little more information is: Temporary importation of mobile homes

Sorry if this sounds confusing, but it is.