Mex border paperwork

An FMM take WAY less time than getting all of your vehicle permits, etc, at the border.

I am trying to remember but can't get my memory to work - isn't there a fee for the FMM? Don't we still go to the Banercito to pay? If we do the Pre-Authorization we still have to go in to get the actual FMM? I do know waiting for them to do TIP paperwork is time consuming but for us the most time has been standing in line waiting to get to the officials. Next time maybe we will try doing the TIP online.

When we have done our paperwork at Columbus/Palomas it takes very little time to do everything - we go to a dentist in Palomas so it is not really out of the way for us. I think there are other small crossing that are not at all busy but they could be out of the way for most folks.

We actually crossed at Palomas once to go to see the potters in Mata Ortiz - then continued on down through Chihuahua. When fuel prices in the US were very high around 2007 or 2008 we crossed at Palomas just to buy still cheap Pemex fuel and then came right back - checked with US officials first - waved us through. We have crossed at other small crossings where it is much easier to do paperwork but my mind draws a blank as to where. It is so much easier to do crossings between US and Canada.

"The Big Wait" is for car permit. I timed each and every 4 windows of Banjercito at Agua Zarca on trip and each permit took seven to seventeen minutes. Ouch! It seemed like the tellers spent an awful lot of time typing into their computer terminal. I watched close as I could and it took more than a two minute wait for them to process my Wells Fargo card. There were a lot of nacionales getting permits for their frontera plated cars. At that time they handed me the hologram to apply it myself. I put Quicksilver's hologram in the lower outside driver's side of the windshield. The SSP Police are running roadside VIN and hologram (and tourist card) checks on some of the 2 lane national highways. I purchased a clear plastic documents pouch in the USA. They were able to read the holgram easy and extract all information out of the pouch. Works good in Guatemala and Belice too. For windshield VIN plates I scrub them well with a Q-tip.

You don't have to do anything at the border if you get your permit on line. Do notice that Rv and "other" permits are separate.
An FMM take WAY less time than getting all of your vehicle permits, etc, at the border.

walk across a border the evening before our crossing. A very quick FMM, and we are set.

I guess the trick is to go at a time when there is no line? But you still have to do paperwork at the border? You still have to go to the Banercito to pay for the FMM? At this point I can't even remember how much we pay for the FMM. Isn't there some process with Banercito or am I getting confused?

Couldn't you do it all - TIP too - the night before if the place you cross has this capability?

If we were to cross at Nogales it is quite a few miles to get to the place where the paperwork is done and to pay the Banercito - it is not a walk.

We do walk across when we do it at Columbus/Palomas south of Deming,NM. I am not sure there are many crossing where this can be done. We have done this and then crossed a week or two later at another crossing point.

I looked at the Banercito website to try to figure it out. Looks like you can apply up to 60 days prior. They say to go to the inm.gob.mx website to apply for the Immigration Pre-Authorization but this does appear to be the FMM and it still seems you have to stop. The car permit says the weight cannot exceed 7,716 lbs so I can only assume the vehicle would then maybe be considered at motorhome? There is more on the website - this is just the first part of what it says........

. . . . . . MOTORHOME

IMPORTANT INFORMATION PRIOR TO STARTING
• You may request your permit 10 to 60 days prior to entering Mexico by vehicle.
• Once the payment has been accepted, we will send the permit to your address within 10 business days.
• If you are a foreign citizen, You should approach a Mexican immigration officer in order to obtain the form, which grants you permission to enter Mexican territory.
• Should any of the information you provide during the application process be found to be false, you may be subject to sanctions imposed by the Mexican authorities.
• Banjercito reserves the right to deny any request for a permit should any violation of current law be found.
• The person applying must always be an adult, (18 years old or more) in accordance with Mexican law.
• The credit card that is used to make the payment for the Temporary Import Permit, must be in the name of the person who is applying.

. . . . . CAR (passenger vehicle or pickup truck I guess?)

IMPORTANT INFORMATION PRIOR TO STARTING
• YOU MAY APPLY FOR A TEMPORARY IMPORT PERMIT 10 TO 60 days prior to entering Mexico by vehicle.
• ONCE THE PAYMENT HAS BEEN ACCEPTED, THE PERMIT WILL BE MAILED TO YOUR ADDRESS WITHIN 10 BUSINESS DAYS.
• YOU MAY ONLY REQUEST A PERMIT FOR A VEHICLE THAT IS REGISTERED IN YOUR NAME OR THAT OF YOUR SPOUSE, YOUR CHILD, OR YOUR PARENT.
• You may NOT request a permit for a vehicle weighing more than 3.5 metric tons (7,716 lbs GVRW).
• If you are a foreign citizen, before starting the application process You should go to the following webpage http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/Pre_Autorizacion.html in order to apply for your Immigration Pre-Authorization. The vehicle permit will be issued for the same period as that stated on your Immigration Pre-Authorization. Furthermore, once you?ve entered Mexico You should approach an immigration officer in order to exchange your pre-authorization form for the proper immigration document.
• Should any of the information you provide during the application process be found to be false, you may be subject to sanctions imposed by the Mexican authorities.



COST OF THE PERMIT (my calculations say this comes out to about $52US - depending on exchange rate on a given date)

$ 18.77 Foreign Exchange Rate in MXN Pesos

Permit Cost MXN
American Vehicle
$ 979.79
Only Sonora
$ 979.79
Motor Home
$ 979.79
Boats/Vessels
$ 979.79
IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE REFUND OF THE WARRANTY DEPOSIT THE PERMIT MUST BE CANCELED BEFORE THE MAXIMUM DATE OR RETURN.


I think this is the deposit for a passenger vehicle which does not seem to apply to 10 year motor home permits. Not sure?

Vehicle Year Model Warranty Amount
2007 subsequent 400 dlls
2001 to 2006 300 dlls
2000 and previous 200 dlls

We will often do a quick trip to Tijuana, or walk across a border the evening before our crossing. A very quick FMM, and we are set. Hit the road in the morning, and no stopping, no anything, and the little adrenaline rush is gone.

Realize, we love Mexico, are bilingual, and still like to make it as easy as possible!

to my knowledge you can't complete your FMM on line. You can fill out the forms, but have to stop for stamping.

I am not sure what the point is of doing online if you have to stop anyway. The biggest time consumer for us has always been getting stamped and paying the Banercito - we have to pay the car deposit - and we have to pay for the FMM.

What exactly can you do online? Can we pay our car deposit on our credit card online? If we have to do the FMM don't we still have to go to the Banercito to pay for it? I think I am missing something. I don't understand the reason for doing this if you still have to stop anyway. I think I need a more detailed explanation. I once called the Mexican Embassy in Phoenix and they said you could do some things online but you still need to stop for other paperwork. Has this changed? I forget the process we go through but it seems the most time is taken up waiting to go through the FMM process and passport and stamping and then going to the Banercito to stand on line to wait to pay. Line standing has always been the big time consumer for us.

When we go down the eastern part of Mexico we stop south of Deming where there are never lines and doing paperwork takes very little time. Then we cross back to the US and proceed to Laredo where we cross. If we have to cross at Nogales or one of the busy crossings we get up very early to beat the crowds. Even when we get there early it is the standing in line and waiting our turn to get the forms guys to check our passports and stamp our FMM - and then go to the Banercito to pay for it - where we stand in line again to wait to pay - for hours it seems. How do we do this online?

Check the site. The answer should be there. You can walk all the way through it without actually purchasing anything.

Is there a restriction on how early I can do this online? If I want to cross the border in Jan can I get the paperwork done online in June or only a couple weeks in advance?

X2
Amendments include towed vehicles, motorcycles 499 cc and smaller. Outside of Cd Juarez around 2008 Aduana was going around and around with a guy with a camper and utility trailer because the trailer was not listed. I think he had gone back snd got the trailer from El Paso.