Insurance for Cdn vehicle living in Baja

[cocos_cabana]

Can any of the Canadians who live in Baja full time please assist us with an insurance question. How do you insure your vehicle if it is still licensed in Canada, but it lives in Baja?

We currently use Vagabundos Del Mar for our 6 month stay, but are thinking of the future and wondering how to handle the situation.

[moisheh]

almot: That is because under the old immigration system you could have an FM3 and still be a resident and a tourist. You could live in Mexico 12 moths of the year and still drive a foreign vehicle. Under the new classifications that is no longer true and is the reason why many Gringos are upset and confused!

Moisheh

[Almot]

If you answer "yes" to the question "Do you reside in Mexico", you thus declare that you are either legal or illegal resident, but not a tourist.

Yes, I agree that you can't legally drive foreign plated car with PR status in Mexico. What do US brokers of Mex insurance mean by "reside" then? The only logical conclusion would be - they mean a resident with no legal residential status :)...

[moisheh]

Almot: After reading about how the Mexican Insurance Companies make you jump through hoops I would be worried they will deny coverage. I would want it in writing from the Insurance company not the agents. The policies all state "Tourist" insurance and in this case you are not a Tourist. A real Mexican Insurance policy is totally unlike a tourist policy. They provide better coverage on glass and other items. Regardless I don't think it is legal for a person with resident status to drive his foreign plated car. Hundreds of expats have driven their cars to the border and imported them into Mexico in order to be legal.
Moisheh

[Almot]

mexicoruss wrote:
If you live perm in Mexico and have a legal resident status there you don't qualify for tourist insurance. If you are there full time but do not have legal status and have a foreign plated car with tourist insurance on it, I doubt very much that you are covered.

This has been discussed at Baja Nomads a number of times and it appears that there is no clear connection between the immigration status and validity of insurance. When you buy Mex insurance for a foreign plated cat through US brokers like Bajabound, the only question is "Do you reside in Mexico or will the vehicle be in Mexico longer than 6 months a year?". This is the only thing that separates a "tourist insurance" from "residential insurance" - length of stay.

[moisheh]

Here is the law for California:

California Vehicle Code Section 12511. No person shall have in his or her possession or otherwise under his or her control more than one driver's license

Moisheh

[moisheh]

You would have to check with your DMV re 2 DL's. In Canada I know it is illegal in Manitoba, BC and Alberta. When I renew my DL I have to sign a statement that I do not have a license in another jurisdiction. If you move from one province to another or one state to another it is standard practice to turn in your old DL. They usually ask for it. The reasoning behind this is twofold: DL's are used for ID and if you had 2 then you would have 2 addresses. Also when stopped for a traffic infraction 2 DL's would make it easy to spread your violations among 2 DL's The Canada rule for not driving a foreign vehicle is from Canada Customs not the DMV. If they allowed a Canadian to drive a foreign plated vehicle then RV'rs would not import them and pay taxes.

Moisheh

[mariaelena]

I have never heard that it is illegal to carry 2 driver's licenses in the US. Would you then just show your US driver's license if asked to provide one while in the US with your Mexican plated vehicle? It is NOT illegal to be driving a Mexican plated car in the US. What driver's license would authorities expect you to have? I know it is illegal for US citizens to be a citizen of 2 countries but that is handled by using your US passport in the US and your Mexican passport in Mexico. More and more people are nationalizing their vehicles in Mexico and driving them to the US for visits. I would like to hear some personal experiences, please.

[moisheh]

A Mexican plated vehicle requires a Mexican drivers license. In Canada ( and most of the US) it is illegal to carry 2 drivers license from 2 jurisdictions. There are a whole lot of problems when going from tourist status to Resident!

Moisheh

[Canadian_Rainbi]

Also note that in order to import (permanently, ie nationalise) a vehicle to Mexico it must be a NAFTA vehicle, ie made in Canada, USA or Mexico. A friend (Now a Mexican resident)recently had to take his older Mercedes (built in Germany) out of the country and import a Canadian made one. (I bought his Merc at a good price :B )

[mexicoruss]

If you live perm in Mexico and have a legal resident status there you don't qualify for tourist insurance. If you are there full time but do not have legal status and have a foreign plated car with tourist insurance on it, I doubt very much that you are covered. Import your car and buy Mexican national insurance if you are full timer or you may just be kidding yourself with the whole insurance gig.

[moisheh]

Being you are from BC your Canadian insurance is not valid. I am not familiar with all of the aduana regs for Baja but I doubt you can legally keep that car in Mexico. What type of Immigration status do you have? FMM ? Residente Temporal? Or Residente Permanente?

Moisheh