Crossing the border

To be quite honest you best place to ask questions like this is the expats forum

Link

You may want to try trip advisor web site also...tripadvisor.com ... I've found it a great resource traveling in Mex and CA.

Also a great resource is www.discoverbaja.com as they provide a lot of info. as well as good insurance rates, fishing lic. and visa info.
Good luck have a great adventure

Lots of info on the new immigration laws in http://yucalandia.com/. Also if you are on Facebook, On The Road In Mexico.

We did exactly the same thing you did - retire to La Paz, BCS, Mexico in our 5th wheel. Here's what we do and it seems to work well:

1 - we carry things in our 5th wheel that look like they belong in a 5th wheel as part of our furnishings.

2 - if we have extras - such as laptops or electronics, we always take them out of their box (if they are in it) so they do not appear to be new items that we need to pay a duty. Sometimes, we put them under our bed which can only be accessed by opening our slideout. Even when we have had to open our slideout (once) during a military inspection, this has been no problem.

3 - We cross a Tecate - a smaller crossing and we have never been pulled into secondary for an inspection there - just waved through.

Obviously, you don't want things to "stand out" as being extraneous to your RV, but since most Mexicans don't know what is really part of our RV and what is not - we've never had a problem.

If you would like to send me a PM or email, feel free - since we may have some things in common with you and can carry this discussion on that way to help you out.

Remember that the $50 limit is what you can expect if you are flying. When driving across, the bare furnishings of your RV are clearly going to be above that - but we've never had to pay a duty.

If you have a lot of extra stuff that clearly looks like you're moving, then it could be different - but we've always integrated our stuff into the RV and it's been fine.

Of course every year that we cross back after visiting in the US for the summer could be different - but so far that's been our experience.

A couple of good Yahoo groups that you might want to subscribe to for La Paz living are La Paz Gringos and La Paz in My Opinion.

Good luck and feel free to PM me if you like!

Charlene

Better asked on Baja Nomads, http://forums.bajanomad.com/. Many on the site live full-time in Baja and would be the best resource. Good luck and please come back to share what you find out. Charlene posted at the same time as I did and is one of those great resources.

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

You do not need to inventory anything. Make sure there are no new items in boxes . Electronics set off alarm bells. Consulates give out the worst information. You need to go to the immigration office in Mexico where you would apply for your permit. Although the rules are set in Mexico city each office seems to interpret them differently. You need the last 3 bank statements. I know the income requirements have changed but you might qualify if they use the old rule of the spouse only needing half the income. Bring your statements to the office and ask them if that is sufficient. Good luck.

Moisheh

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that you can show that you meet the income requirements a few ways beyond just your SS. I don't want to go into a lot of detail here on a public forum about our experiences in terms of income and showing income, but there is a great legal resource in La Paz that we used to get our FM2s or whatever they are called now and I would be glad to give you contact and other information on a private message (PM). Again - good luck. You will have a wonderful time in La Paz - there is more to do than you can imagine.