Boats seized for lack of permit

Things have become strangely quiet. Like I said, do not rely 100% on anything you read here, it is simply some individual's interpretation of what they have heard or read. The only accurate, current information is that which you get from Aduana itself.

However, when we were considering leaving the motorhome in Chetumal and taking a boat into Belize for a week I did some Googleing and discovered everything I have listed in the previous posts. In sum, this information seems to indicate that the legal status of your TIP vehicle ends as soon as you leave Mexico and give up the FMM you entered with that is linked to the vehicle. It also appears there is a legal way around this but you must apply each time. For us it was not worth the effort and I suspect the same applies to some of the boaters. If you do not go through this process, the vehicle becomes illegal.

We were advised that we would never get caught, that people do it all the time. It was also suggested that we conveniently "lose" our FMM's, apply for new ones before leaving Mexico which we would turn in when leaving the country. This allows you to then "lose" the new FMM you are issued when you return and "find" the original FMM that is linked to the TIP and use it when you return to Canada or the USA. This might work but is obviously illegal.

Also, as I mentioned, is your Mexican vehicle insurance going to cover a vehicle that is in the country illegally? I suspect that if they were looking for a way out of paying a claim, they might have a hard look at this.

I do not know if anything I have posted is 100% accurate, this is something you will have to determine yourself but it kept us from visiting Belize once and from flying to Cuba from Cancun to join our son another time. I would be relieved to find that I am wrong.

The only way that you can LEAVE the vehicles and exit the country is to take said vehicles to a CORRALON DE ADUANA ( Customs impound lot) have the proper forms filled out and then exit the country, uppon returning you are again issued an TEMPORARY IMPORTATION PERMIT, retreive your vehicles, some times they issue another 180 days and some times for only what is left of the original time left on the first TIP after deducting the time that the vehicle was in impound.

We have done this in the past when we had to return to the US before the 180 days, we would leave the car at the Mexico City airport at the corralon de aduanas and retreive it when we returned, we would always let them know how long we would be out of the country, never had a problem.

navegator

From http://www.aids2008.org/admin/images/upload/Temporary%20Vehicle%20Importation.pdf

Aduana Mexico

How long does the (TIP) permit last?
• Foreigners: The same as the migratory status. (my note - when you turn in your FMM at the border or airport you terminate your migratory status)

Important:
Before leaving Mexico it is obligatory that you return with your vehicle to any of the modules of Banjercito located in the border customs of the national territory, to obtain the cancellation ticket and to register the return. This will avoid having misfortunes in your next visit. If you leave a deposit as a guarantee, do not forget to ask for the return with the original cancellation document.

Do not sell, give or leave your vehicle in Mexico because it is illegal.

Read carefully your permission of temporary import of vehicles and place the hologram in a visible place.
-http://www.aids2008.org/admin/images/upload/Temporary%20Vehicle%20Importation.pdf
www.aduanas.sat.gob.mx www.sat.gob.mx

For any information you can visit www.aduanas.gob.mx or call to Sactel at 01 800
FUNCION (38 62 466) from Mexico and at (55) 2000 2000, if you are in Mexico City.

www.banjercito.com.mx (procedure through Internet)
www.inm.gob.mx (migratory status)
www.paisano.gob.mx (help)
www.sectur.gob.mx (help)

There is more information here, Link

"I have an FMM, I need to fly back home for a quick trip. Can I leave my car while I'm gone? Not without special permission. You must surrender your FMM at the airline check-in counter. When you give up that FMM, your car becomes illegal. Go to an Aduana (customs) office and ask them what to do. You will find Aduana offices at all border crossings and ports of entry (sea ports and international airports.)"

"I drove down with a trailer (or ATV, etc) that is listed on my vehicle permit. If I drive out of México, must I take the trailer? Yes. Go to an Aduana office to see if they can give you a waiver."

There is always the insurance question as well. Is your Mexican vehicle insurance valid if the vehicle is illegally in the country? What if it is stolen or damaged while you are gone?

Don't rely on what you read here, do your own research. I did a lot of digging but I do not read Spanish well and much of the official documentation is in Spanish.

** This subject has drifted from seized boats but I believe the TIP rules for a vehicle and the TIP rules for a boat are basically the same.

Here is another comment on expatforum. The poster gives no references but his statement confirms what I have discovered.

"It means you can't leave the country for any reason by any method without the vehicle/trailer on the temporary permit. If you do they aren't going to issue an international warrant and have you extradited, but your vehicles are subject to confiscation (I have no direct accounts to report but my understanding is they have no qualms about exercising this), you won't ever be able to get a permit again (for that or any other vehicle), and you are in violation of the law and subject to prosecution should you return. I'm telling this so you understand what you are expected to do and what can happen, but if you were to exit the country and then return, it is unlikely they would ever be the wiser if you keep quiet."

Will you get caught? Maybe not, but is it really worth the risk? With the increasing use of networked computers at entry points it will become easier to link vehicle TIP's to passports and FMT's (or whatever they are called now) and they will know instantly if you are leaving without your vehicle or re-entering with a vehicle already in Mexico.

Like I said earlier, there appears to be a legal way to do this that involves leaving the vehicle with Aduana while you are gone but I wouldn't go looking for electric hookups and you would have to be in a city where there was an Aduana office and compound.

What's the line: It's not illegal unless you get caught!

This whole thing screws me up....I thought....if you are American or Canadian....you can pretty much do what you want anywhere else ....well. cuz you can....

The new tax laws that are being pushed by EPN, the Mexican President are being enforced in rather strange ways, but they are being enforced. Maybe it goes against your fur but I gotta tell ya I dont really feel for ya. We (my wife and I) own small businesses in Mexico and our tax rate changed for 2014 and our need for transparency changed as well. Am I bitter that it changed? NO! Am I mad that my effective tax rate went up? NO! For the last 8 years my tax rate has been lower here than if I have lived anywhere else in the world. They are now enforcing rules on the books. I will pay, gladly. I love living here and won't give it up. If you think it is weird for the Marines to accompany the tax collectors at the Marina , I find that hilarious as it is a Marina and these protectors are the Marines......(notice the similarity?) Do your business......do it right.......don't ever think that you're better than anyone else....and you may get through this life OK. If not.....all bets are off!

What about all the permanent RVs left in Paa Mul for many many years while owners come and go. Not saying it is legal - but if it is illegal doesn't anyone know they are there forever?

moisheh wrote:
Crandle: It is not illegal to leave your RV or boat in Mexico if it has a 10 year permit.
Moisheh

I did a bit of research on this when we were in Chetumal and wanted to leave the MH behind and go into Belize for a few days. From what I found it said the MH had to be registered with and left in an Aduana compound while I was out of the country, if in fact leavingit behind was allowed at all. This is one site I relied on.

http://www.mymexicanlawyer.com/useful-expat-info/my-american-plated-vehicle-is-illegal-in-mexico-what-do-i-do-help/

"The vehicle’s temporary import permit is directly tied to your immigration status, the vehicle’s permit is good as long as you possessed continuous immigration status as a “no-inmigrante” (non-immigrant) or “inmigrante rentista” (retired immigrant). People with “inmigrante” (regular immigrant) or “inmigrado” (permanent immigrant) status were not allowed to drive vehicles that entered Mexico under the temporary import regime. When the immigration law changed, people who previously had “no-inmigrante” or “inmigrante” status continuously for 4 or more years were forced to change to “residente permanente” (permanent resident). Permanent residents are not allowed to drive temporarily imported vehicles: the import permit expires the day the permanent resident status is granted.

People who bring their cars in with “tourist cards” and then leave the car in Mexico when they go home run into another problem, their immigration status is not continuous. When you leave the country with a tourist card you cease to exist for purposes of import and the car therefore becomes illegal in the country. Even if you come back into the country with a new tourist card, your car never again gets its legal status back."

I assume the same applies to a boat.

Went to Ajijic today and a similar issue was brought to mind. Many cars with US plates all over Mexico have plates that expired years ago. We watch them to see which is the oldest one we see on a given day. Which also brought to mind many RVs we have seen in places such as Paa Mul and many other places all over Mexico that have been there for a great many years built in to palapas and haven't moved for decades. If the Gov't wants to find illegal vehicles of any kind they do not have to look very hard. But I do agree they probably don't need armed marines - I mean why would anyone think of smuggling drugs by boat anyway??